Laura Osnes & Santino Fontana Set for NY Pops' REMEMBER WHEN... Benefit at 54 Below Today

Tonight, Monday, September 23, 2013 at 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street, Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana will perform an intimate benefit concert titled Remember When.... The New York Pops Music Director Steven Reineke will host the evening beginning with a champagne reception at 5:30PM followed by dinner and a performance at 6:30PM. The evening is a joint benefit in support of The New York Pops Education Programs at Ronald McDonald House New York, which provide creative outlets to the children and families in residence.

For six years The New York Pops residency at Ronald McDonald House New York has helped children fighting cancer discover their creative voice by teaching basic musical, creative writing and instrumental techniques. The multi-faceted program meets twice weekly and includes piano lessons and a choir, along with Rockin' the House, a special residency created for pre-teens and teenagers. Music lessons help children and families retain a sense of normalcy, nurturing emotional growth and well-being.

Laura Osnes is currently starring on Broadway as the title role in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Drama Desk Award; Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Astaire Award nominations). She also received a Tony nomination for her performance as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie & Clyde, which she originated at Asolo Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award).

Santino Fontana was nominated for a 2013 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical for his work in Cinderella. He was most recently seen Off-Broadway in Sons of the Prophet at the Roundabout (Lucille Lortel and Obie Awards). Broadway: The Importance of Being Earnest (Clarence Derwent Award), Brighton Beach Memoirs (Drama Desk Award), Billy Elliot, Sunday in the Park With George.

Steven Reineke is the Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Principal Pops Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Reineke is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and has been on the podium with the Boston Pops, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia. His extensive North American conducting appearances include San Francisco, Houston, Seattle, Edmonton and Pittsburgh. 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. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands around the world. A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, 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 partner Eric Gabbard.

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 Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual subscription series and birthday gala at Carnegie Hall. The New York Pops also gives free concerts in New York City parks, performs interactive concerts for families, and has toured throughout the world. The New York Pops' extensive education programs allow thousands of New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds to participate in concert and music-making experiences at Carnegie Hall, public schools, community organizations, children's hospitals and senior centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The New York Pops is a non-profit organization supported solely through the generosity of individual donations, institutional grants, corporate sponsorships and concert income. For more information, visit www.newyorkpops.org

Ronald McDonald House New York provides temporary housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families in a strong, supportive and caring environment which encourages and nurtures the development of child-to-child and parent- to-parent support systems. Ronald McDonald House New York is the largest facility of its type in the world. The House can accommodate 84 families, and it is filled to capacity almost every night. The House's location in Manhattan, in close proximity to 13 major cancer treatment centers, draws children and families from across the country and the world, as well as from the metropolitan New York City area. Since its founding, more than 30,000 families have stayed at Ronald McDonald House New York. For more information, visit www.rmh-newyork.org.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!