CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
The New York Pops
Life Is a Cabaret: The Songs of Kander and Ebb
Performers
The New York Pops
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Caissie Levy, Guest Artist
Tony Yazbeck, Guest Artist
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately two hours, including one 20-minute intermission.
Sponsored by KPMG LLP
This concert is made possible, in part, by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
Bios
The New York Pops
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 leadership of dynamic Music Director 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, New
York. 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
Steven Reineke's boundless enthusiasm and exceptional artistry have made him one of the
nation's most sought-after pops conductors, composers, and arrangers. Mr. 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,
principal pops conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and principal pops conductor
designate of the Houston Symphony. He previously held the posts of principal pops conductor
of the Long Beach Symphony and Modesto Symphony Orchestra, and associate conductor of the
Cincinnati Pops 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
performances with the orchestras of San Francisco, Seattle, Edmonton, Pittsburgh,
Vancouver, Ottawa (National Arts Centre), Detroit, Milwaukee, and Calgary.
On stage, Mr. Reineke has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading
artists from the worlds of hip-hop, Broadway, television, and rock, including Kendrick
Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and
Ben Folds, among others.
As the creator of more than 100 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 and Los Angeles
philharmonics. 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, 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. Mr. Reineke is
represented by Peter Throm Management, LLC.
Caissie Levy
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Caissie Levy has called Broadway home for the last
decade. She recreated the iconic role of Fantine in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les
Misérables, and is perhaps best known to New York and London audiences for originating
the roles of Molly in Ghost and Sheila in the Tony Award-winning revival of
Hair. Ms. Levy's other Broadway credits include Elphaba in the Broadway and Los
Angeles productions of Wicked; Penny in the Broadway, first national tour, and
Toronto companies of Hairspray; and Maureen in the national tour of Rent.
Off-Broadway, she starred as Patti Davis and Julie Nixon in the world premiere of Michael
John LaChiusa's First Daughter Suite at the Public Theater, and as Sara in the
Off-Broadway production of Murder Ballad. In concert, she was a guest soloist with
the United States Military Academy at West Point, and has performed solo shows to sold-out
audiences at Feinstein's / 54 Below, Joe's Pub, Galapagos Arts Space, Atlanta's Alliance
Theatre, and the Hippodrome in London. Recordings include the original cast albums of
Ghost, Hair, and First Daughter Suite, as well as countless
albums by new and seasoned composers, including her husband, composer-lyricist David
Reiser. In 2013, Ms. Levy released her debut solo album, With You, featuring
stripped-down arrangements of songs from her Broadway shows. @CaissieLevy and
caissielevy.com
Tony Yazbeck
Tony Yazbeck was just seen in Manhattan Concert Productions' 25th anniversary concert of
Crazy for You, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. Prior to that, he
starred in the Broadway production of Finding Neverland and the Susan Stroman /
Harold Prince-helmed Prince of Broadway in Japan. For the 2014 Broadway revival of
On the Town, he won the coveted Astaire Award and was nominated for Tony, Drama
League, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his virtuosic performance. His other Broadway
credits include Chicago (Billy Flynn), Irving Berlin's White Christmas
(Phil Davis), Gypsy opposite Patti LuPone (Tulsa; Outer Critics Circle Award
nomination), A Chorus Line (Al), Oklahoma!, Never Gonna Dance,
and Gypsy with Tyne Daly. Off-Broadway credits include Fanny Hill (York
Theatre), and--for City Center Encores!--he has appeared in Little Me, On the
Town, Gypsy, The Apple Tree, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and
Pardon My English. Regional credits include Alliance Theatre, Barrington Stage
Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hartford Stage, Goodman Theatre, St. Louis Muny,
Goodspeed Opera House (Connecticut Critics Circle Award), Signature Theatre (Helen Hayes
Award), Trinity Repertory Company, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Old Globe Theatre. Mr. Yazbeck
was seen internationally in Kiss Me, Kate at Royal Albert Hall in London.
Television and film credits include the upcoming season of Billions,
Smash, and the feature documentary Every Little Step. Mr. Yazbeck also
stars in his own song and dance show, The Floor Above Me, which has been released
digitally and on CD by PS Classics.