THE MUSIC OF STAR WARS to Open New York Pops 40th Anniversary Season at Carnegie Hall

The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, will open their 40th anniversary season at Carnegie Hall with The Music of Star Wars on Friday, October 21, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The brand-new comprehensive program includes music from all nine films in the epic Skywalker Saga as well as the two anthology films, Rogue One and Solo: A Star Wars Story, presented in chronological order.

"I am thrilled to be opening The New York Pops' 40th season with this concert featuring the iconic music of Star Wars and highlighting the incredible talents of our 78 orchestra musicians, including several who have been performing with us since our first season in 1983," said New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke. "We can't wait to see you there!"

Additional upcoming concerts in The New York Pops' 2022-23 Carnegie Hall season include: Broadway Blockbusters on November 18, 2022 with guest artists Nikki Renée Daniels, Jordan Donica, Matt Doyle, and Melissa Errico, and Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA; Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree on December 16, 2022 with Ingrid Michaelson and Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA; Winter Song with Ingrid Michaelson on December 17, 2022; One Night Only: An Evening with Heather Headley on February 10, 2023; and The Marvelous Marilyn Maye, celebrating the cabaret legend's birthday on March 24, 2023. On Monday, September 19, 2022, Betsy Wolfe performs at The New York Pops Underground cabaret event at 54 Below.

Program Information

THE NEW YORK POPS
The Music of Star Wars
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor

Friday, October 21, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Tickets are available for purchase at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, at 57th and Seventh, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website at carnegiehall.org.

The New York Pops

is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual subscription series at Carnegie Hall, and is among the venue's most presented ensembles. Now in its milestone 40th season, The New York Pops' annual birthday gala is celebrated each spring, raising funds for the orchestra and its education programs. The New York Pops performs annually in Queens, NY at Forest Hills Stadium, a 14,000-seat historic concert venue.

The New York Pops celebrates the diversity of popular music's evolving songbook. Every concert is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with influences ranging from Broadway melodies to film scores, jazz, rock, pop, and everything in between. Under Reineke's dynamic leadership, The New York Pops continues to re-imagine orchestral pops music.

Through its PopsEd music education programs, The New York Pops fulfills its dedication to lifelong learning by collaborating with public schools, community organizations, and senior centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. PopsEd allows thousands of New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds to participate in fully customizable music programs that blend traditional education with pure fun.

The New York Pops is committed to serving all members of the community. Through its Kids in the Balcony and Kids in the Stadium programs, thousands of children and their parents have had an opportunity to see The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and Forest Hills Stadium free of charge.

The New York Pops was founded by Ruth and Skitch Henderson in 1983 with a mission to create greater public awareness and appreciation of America's rich musical heritage through presentation of concerts and education programs of the highest quality. The New York Pops is a non-profit organization supported solely through the generosity of individual donations, institutional grants, corporate sponsorships, and concert income.

Steven Reineke

has established himself as one of North America's leading conductors of popular music and is in his second decade as Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston and Toronto Symphony Orchestras.

Reineke is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Dallas, Detroit and the Ravinia Music Festival.

On stage, Mr. Reineke has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip hop, R & B, Broadway, television and rock including: Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton and Ben Folds, amongst others. In 2017 he was featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" leading the National Symphony Orchestra - in a first for the show's 45-year history - performing live music excerpts in between news segments. In 2018 Reineke led the National Symphony Orchestra with hip hop legend Nas performing his seminal album "Illmatic" on PBS's Great Performances.

As the creator of more than one hundred orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mr. Reineke's work has been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony's pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan's Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.

Photo credit: Richard Termine