Bryan Terrell Clark and Valisia LeKae to Join The New York Pops for HITSVILLE: CELEBRATING MOTOWN

 The New York Pops will celebrate the hits of Motown on Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall joined by guest artists Bryan Terrell Clark and Valisia LeKae, who originated the roles of Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross in Broadway’s Motown the Musical. Hitsville: Celebrating Motown features classic pop songs from the 60s, 70s, and beyond including unforgettable number one hits from Diana Ross and The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and Martha and The Vandellas. Songs include “My Girl”, “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”, “What’s Going On”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, and many more.

"We are so excited to celebrate the music of Motown at Carnegie Hall with our friends Bryan Terrell Clark and Valisia LeKae,” said Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke. “Motown has gifted us so many of the greatest songs of American music. From the turntable to the concert hall, their distinctive sound is as fresh and vital as ever.”

For this concert, The New York Pops will provide an increased amount of free tickets to students as part of its long-standing Kids in the Balcony program, which has been in existence for over 30 years. Students will benefit from pre-concert workshops that will focus on the social issues of the 1960s and the influence of Motown on social change, as well as a study of the musical characteristics that define Motown's distinctive sound. Following the workshops, students will be invited to submit their own written responses about the concert for a chance to be featured in the concert Playbill. 

The New York Pops 2023-24 Carnegie Hall season additionally includes Jazz, Love and Gershwin on Friday, February 9, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. The orchestra also presents its 41st Birthday Gala, The Soundtrack of Our Lives: A Tribute to the Legendary Clive Davis, on Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Program Information

THE NEW YORK POPS
Hitsville: Celebrating Motown
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Bryan Terrell Clark, Guest Artist
Valisia LeKae, Guest Artist

Friday, March 15, 2024 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.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

The New York Pops Carnegie Hall Subscription Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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. 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 41st 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 is 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 and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

On stage, Mr. Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television and rock including: Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Kelli O’Hara, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, 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 hundreds of orchestral arrangements, Reineke’s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. 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 perennially.

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.
 

About Bryan Terrell Clark

Bryan Terrell Clark can currently be seen in “Saint X" on Hulu and in the Disney+ musical film “Sneakerella.” He will be seen next as a lead in “Diarra From Detroit” on Bet+.  

Broadway: originated the role of Happiness in Thoughts of A Colored Man, George Washington in Hamilton, originated the role of Marvin Gaye in Motown the Musical(Grammy Nomination). Theatre: Fences (Corey) opposite Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, Immediate Family directed by Phylicia Rashad. Additional Film & TV: “Collateral Beauty” (Warner Bros), “Inventing Ana and When They See Us” (Netflix), “Snowpiercer” (TNT/Netflix), “Queen Sugar and Cherish the Day” (OWN), “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” (NBC), “The New Edition Story” (BET), “Empire” (FOX), “NCIS: New Orleans and Blue Bloods” (CBS), among others.

Bryan is the recipient of the Icon Talks 2021 Visionary Award, Family Houston 2021 Pillar of Strength Award, Temple University’s 2019 Gallery of Success Award and the Rutgers University 2018 Voice for Social Justice Award. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Temple University.
 

About Valisia LeKae

Grammy and Tony nominated singer and actress Valisia LeKae is thrilled to be making her Carnegie Hall debut with The New York Pops. Valisia is an award winning actress who has graced the Broadway stage in numerous Tony nominated productions such as The Three Penny Opera, 110 in the Shade, Ragtime and The Book of Mormon. Her starring role as Diana Ross in Motown the Musical garnered her a Grammy Nomination, Tony Nomination, Theatre World Award, Drama League Nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Nomination.  Valisia won a Joseph Jefferson Award and was nominated for a Black Theatre Alliance Award for her portrayal of Sarah in Ragtime at the Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago. Valisia’s Off-Broadway credits include Rock and Roll Man (Lavern Baker), Superhero (Mom, Audelco Award Nomination Best Ensemble) and Almost Heaven, The John Denver Musical, as well as Sweet Lorraine, in which she starred as Lorraine Hansberry. In 2020, Valisia executive produced and starred as Lorraine Hansberry in the virtual production of Scenes From Sweet Lorraine, a benefit for Stand Up To Cancer and the Equity in the Arts & Culture Committee of the Brooklyn NAACP. 

Some of her regional credits include Mark Twain’s River of Song, Oklahoma (Laurey), Caroline or Change (Emmie), Dreamgirls (Deena Jones), Godspell (Joanne), Big River (Alice's Daughter), and Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon), for which she was nominated for a Kevin Kline Award. She has toured with the USO and the National touring companies of All Shook Up (Lorraine) and Mamma Mia (Lisa). She has been a part of countless workshops and readings in the New York City area.

Some of her television credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,  FBI: Most Wanted, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Live at Lincoln Center (Camelot) and the 60th and 67th Annual Tony Awards. Valisia is an ovarian cancer survivor and has been honored by the NOCC, OCRA and Look Good Feel Better. She also served as the spokesperson for the NOCC and has been the keynote speaker for cancer organizations across the country. Her journey has been featured in Elle.com, Vogue.com, Vanity Fair, Essence, Parade, USA Today, The New York Times and many other publications. She has been honored three times by her alma mater, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Follow her on Twitter/Instagram @valisialekae and find out more at www.valisialekae.com.

Photo of Valisia LeKae by Antonio Navas 

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