The New York Pops Will Honor Nat King Cole's Centennial February 8 At Carnegie Hall

The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, pays tribute to Nat King Cole's centennial with Unforgettable: Celebrating Nat King Cole and Friends on Friday, February 8 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

The orchestra is joined by guest artists Nikki Renée Daniels (Broadway's The Book of Mormon, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess), and three-time Grammy Award nominee Ryan Shaw for songs that Nat King Cole popularized, and songs by those he inspired including "When I Fall In Love," "Almost Like Being In Love," "What'll I Do," "Embraceable You," "Smile," and "Unforgettable".

Additional concerts in The New York Pops' 2018-19 season include: Movie Mixtape on Friday, March 15 at 8:00 p.m. with Mykal Kilgore, Storm Large, Ashley Park, and Ryan Silverman; and the orchestra's 36th Birthday Gala: Hat Full of Stars on Monday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. paying tribute to the music of Cyndi Lauper.

Concert Information
THE NEW YORK POPS

Unforgettable: Celebrating Nat King Cole and Friends

Friday, February 8, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor

Nikki Renée Daniels, Guest Artist

Ryan Shaw, Guest Artist

Tickets, priced at $20 to $145, 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.
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About the Artists

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. Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, The New York Pops continues to re-imagine orchestral pops music. The orchestra performs an annual subscription series and birthday gala at Carnegie Hall and a summer series at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY. The New York Pops is dedicated to lifelong learning and collaborates with public schools, community organizations, children's hospitals 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.

Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America's leading conductors of popular music. This season Mr. Reineke celebrates his tenth anniversary 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 Atlanta, Cincinnati, Edmonton, San Francisco and Sarasota. On stage, Reineke has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television and rock including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" featured Reineke leading the National Symphony Orchestra performing live music excerpts between news segments - a first in the show's 45-year history. 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 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, 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. 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. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.

Nikki Renée Daniels recently starred in The Book of Mormon on Broadway. She played Clara in the 2012 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. Other Broadway credits include Fantine in LES MISERABLES, Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes, Nehebka in Tim Rice and Elton John's Aida, Renata in Nine, Crystal in the revival of Little Shop of Horrors, Eleni in Bernie Taupin and Elton John's Lestat, and Woman #3 in the Roundabout production of Burt Bacharach's The Look of Love. Ms. Daniels made her New York City Opera debut as Clara in Porgy and Bess. Other New York credits include Martha Jefferson in 1776 at City Center Encores! and Rose Lennox in The Secret Garden at David Geffen Hall. On television Nikki has appeared as a featured player on "Chappelle's Show," "Madam Secretary," and "The Sound of Music: Live." She has performed as a soloist with numerous symphony orchestras across the country and in Canada, and made her Carnegie Hall solo debut in 2007. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. Her debut solo CD, "Home" is available on iTunes and CDBaby.com.

Ryan Shaw is a three-time Grammy-nominated artist. He most recently appeared as Judas at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in the US premiere of the critically-acclaimed London/Regent's Park's production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which won the Olivier for Best Musical Revival. He also starred as the original Stevie Wonder in Motown: the Musical on Broadway. He has also starred on London's West End as the Soul of Michael Jackson in Thriller Live.

As a recording artist, Ryan has toured the world and shared the stage with such artists as Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, Joss Stone, John Legend, B.B. King, Bruce Hornsby, and Jill Scott, to name a few.

On television, Ryan has been a guest artist on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Ellen's Really Big Show, Last Call with Carson Daly, and The Martha Stewart Show. His music has been featured on FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, and ABC's Dancing with The Stars, Grey's Anatomy, and Lincoln Heights. His music has also been featured in the films My Blueberry Nights (starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman), and Bride Wars (starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway), as well as on the Sex and the City soundtrack.

As a concert soloist, Ryan made his Radio City Music Hall debut at the Dream Concert benefit to build the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. His Carnegie Hall appearances include Elton John and Bernie Taupin Tribute and A Celebration of The African American Cultural Legacy, curated by Jessye Norman. Ryan has also been honored as the second artist in history (after Stevie Wonder) to be asked to perform a second time at the Central Park SummerStage Gala. He has also been a featured artist with the Houston Symphony for their R&B Mixtape concert, as well as a headlining soloist for the Houston Symphony's 4th of July Celebration.

Image of Nikki Renée Daniels by Laura Marie Duncan