{"id":145087,"date":"2026-02-25T18:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145087\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T18:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:37:08","slug":"the-new-york-pops-announces-guest-artists-for-43rd-birthday-gala-at-carnegie-hall-on-april-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145087\/","title":{"rendered":"The New York Pops Announces Guest Artists For 43rd Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall on April 27"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"NYNew York, NY (February 25, 2026)\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Notable guest artists, including Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee\u00a0Shoshana Bean\u00a0(first Broadway replacement as Elphaba in\u00a0Wicked), actress and producer\u00a0Auli\u02bbi Cravalho\u00a0(Moana\/Moana 2, Sally Bowles in\u00a0Cabaret\u00a0on Broadway), Tony Award nominee\u00a0Judy Kuhn\u00a0(recent appearance in Classic Stage Company\u2019s\u00a0The Baker\u2019s Wife; voice of Pocahontas), Tony Award winner\u00a0Lindsay Mendez\u00a0(Elphaba in 10th Anniversary of\u00a0Wicked, revival of\u00a0Godspell), and Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner\u00a0Ben Platt\u00a0(Dear Evan Hansen) will join\u00a0The New York Pops<\/a>\u00a0to honor Grammy, Academy, and Tony Award winning composer Stephen Schwartz\u00a0at the orchestra\u2019s\u00a043rd Birthday Gala,\u00a0Changed for Good: A Celebration of Stephen Schwartz,\u00a0on\u00a0Monday, April 27, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Stern Auditorium \/ Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. Additional guest artists to be announced.

\nStephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for the current Broadway hit\u00a0Wicked\u00a0and has also contributed music and\/or lyrics to\u00a0Godspell,\u00a0Pippin,\u00a0The Magic Show,\u00a0The Baker\u2019s Wife,\u00a0Working\u00a0(which he also adapted and directed),\u00a0Rags,\u00a0Children of Eden, and\u00a0The Queen of Versailles. For film, in addition to the two-part adaptation of\u00a0Wicked, he wrote the songs for\u00a0The Prince of Egypt and collaborated with Alan Menken on the songs for Disney\u2019s\u00a0Pocahontas,\u00a0The Hunchback of Notre Dame\u00a0and\u00a0Enchanted.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Proceeds from the Gala support The New York Pops orchestra and the organization\u2019s\u00a0PopsEd<\/a>\u00a0music education programs. The concert is followed by a black-tie optional dinner and dance at the Mandarin Oriental New York.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Concert Information

\nTHE NEW YORK POPS 43rd BIRTHDAY GALA

\nChanged for Good: A Celebration of Stephen Schwartz

\nMonday, April 27, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

\nStern Auditorium \/ Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

\nSteven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor

\nStephen Schwartz, Music Honoree<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Shoshana Bean, Guest Artist

\nAuli\u02bbi Cravalho, Guest Artist

\nJudy Kuhn, Guest Artist

\nLindsay Mendez, Guest Artist

\nBen Platt, Guest Artist<\/p>\n

Ticket Information

\nDinner Dance tickets include a tax-deductible donation and can be purchased at\u00a0https:\/\/newyorkpops.org\/gala\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Concert-only tickets are available via\u00a0carnegiehall.org<\/a>, at 212-247-7800, or the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th and Seventh.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

About the Honoree

\nStephen Schwartz\u00a0wrote the music and lyrics for the current Broadway hit\u00a0Wicked\u00a0and has also contributed music and\/or lyrics to\u00a0Godspell,\u00a0Pippin,\u00a0The Magic Show,\u00a0The Baker\u2019s Wife,\u00a0Working\u00a0(which he also adapted and directed),\u00a0Rags,\u00a0Children of Eden, and\u00a0The Queen of Versailles. For film, in addition to the two-part adaptation of\u00a0Wicked, he wrote the songs for\u00a0The Prince of Egypt\u00a0and collaborated with Alan Menken on the songs for Disney\u2019s\u00a0Pocahontas,\u00a0The Hunchback of Notre Dame\u00a0and\u00a0Enchanted. In the classical field, he collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on the English texts for Bernstein\u2019s Mass, and his opera,\u00a0Seance on a Wet Afternoon, was produced at Opera Santa Barbara and New York City Opera.\u00a0Mr. Schwartz has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Awards include three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and a special Tony Award for his support of young theatre artists.<\/p>\n

About the Artists

\nComprised of 78 musicians,\u00a0The New York Pops\u00a0is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, now in its 43rd season as 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 concert series at Carnegie Hall and is among the venue\u2019s most presented ensembles. The New York Pops\u2019 star-studded annual Birthday Gala is celebrated each spring, raising vital funds for the orchestra and its education programs. Recent Gala honorees include Clive Davis, Kristen and Bobby Lopez, and Barry Manilow.<\/p>\n

The New York Pops celebrates the richness of popular music\u2019s evolving songbook. Every concert is a unique experience, with influences that range from Broadway melodies to film scores, jazz, rock, pop, and more. The orchestra collaborates with stars from the stage and screen including Sara Bareilles, Kristen Bell, Clive Davis, Father John Misty, Sutton Foster, Montego Glover, Capathia Jenkins, Carly Rae Jepsen, Angela Lansbury, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Norm Lewis, Barry Manilow, Jason Mraz, Kelli O\u2019Hara, LeAnn Rimes, Adrienne Warren, Dionne Warwick, Miss Piggy, and many others.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Through its PopsEd music education programs, The New York Pops fulfills its dedication to lifelong learning and collaborates with public schools, community organizations, and senior centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Each year, PopsEd provides thousands of New York City public school students with arts access, performance opportunities, and in-school music instruction. These programs develop and mentor the next generation of musicians and music lovers from diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

PopsEd residency programs blend traditional education with pure fun, utilizing tools like composition, lyric writing, and performance to foster learning and unbridled creativity. In doing so, PopsEd excites students and gives them skills they can apply to all areas of their lives. The orchestra\u2019s\u00a0Kids on Stage\u00a0program invites middle school music students to experience the professional performance process, including audition and rehearsal, culminating in a performance alongside New York Pops musicians at the orchestra\u2019s annual Birthday Gala. Through its\u00a0Kids in the Balcony\u00a0and\u00a0Kids in the Stadium\u00a0programs, 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. To date, PopsEd programs have served over 100,000 New York City students.<\/p>\n

Over the years, the orchestra has performed in iconic New York City venues like Forest Hills Stadium and Radio City Music Hall; presented free concerts in city parks, community organizations, senior centers, and public libraries; performed the National Anthem at sports venues; and toured throughout the world. Past media projects include the Macy\u2019s\u00a04th of July Fireworks Spectacular\u00a0on NBC Television, a nationally syndicated radio series, and performances on PBS. The orchestra\u2019s discography encompasses recordings of popular standards, theater and film scores, and music for the holidays.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Follow The New York Pops on Facebook (facebook.com\/thenewyorkpops<\/a>) and Instagram (@thenewyorkpops).<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Steven Reineke\u00a0is 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. He is the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston Symphony and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Reineke is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u200bOn stage, Mr. Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television and rock including: Killer Mike, Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, amongst others. In 2024 he led the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on PBS’s Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS on Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album “Illmatic.” Reineke is the conductor on “Ben Folds Live with The National Symphony Orchestra and William Shatner’s “So Fragile, So Blue” with The National Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u200bAs the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements, Reineke\u2019s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His symphonic works\u00a0Celebration Fanfare,\u00a0Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and\u00a0Casey at the Bat\u00a0are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His\u00a0Sun Valley Festival Fanfare\u00a0was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony\u2019s pavilion, and his\u00a0Festival Te Deum\u00a0and\u00a0Swan\u2019s Island Sojourn\u00a0were 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.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\u200bA native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned two 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.<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

Photo of Stephen Schwartz by Nathan Johnson; photo of Shoshana Bean by Justin Patterson; photo of Auli\u02bbi Cravalho by Jon Stars; photo of Judy Kuhn by Jenny Anderson; photo of Lindsay Mendez by Matthew Murphy; photo of Ben Platt by Sophia Wilson<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n


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