Betty Buckley, Charo, Deborah Cox & More to Perform at New York Pops Gala Honoring Barry Manilow

The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, has announced an initial line-up of guest artists for its 40th Birthday Gala, This One's For You: The Music of Barry Manilow, honoring the Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning icon, on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Guest artists from across the recording industry and the Broadway community will come together to pay tribute to their inspiration Barry Manilow, including Erich Bergen, Betty Buckley, Charo, Deborah Cox, and Max von Essen. The evening also features appearances by cast members from the off-Broadway cast of Manilow's musical Harmony, including Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey. Additional guest artists to be announced.

The celebratory concert will feature music from Manilow's wide-ranging catalog. His unparalleled career encompasses virtually every area of music, including performing, composing, arranging, and producing. He is also a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee who has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide.

The New York Pops 40th Anniversary Birthday Gala additionally celebrates Corporate Honoree Tamara Alesi, CEO at Mediaplus North America, as well as Legacy Honorees Patty and James Read, who are being honored for their many years of support to The New York Pops.

Proceeds from the Gala support the organization's PopsEd music education programs. The concert is followed by a black tie optional dinner and dance at the Mandarin Oriental New York.

Additional New York Pops concerts in the 2022-23 season at Carnegie Hall include: One Night Only: An Evening with Heather Headley on Friday, February 10, 2023; and The Marvelous Marilyn Maye on Friday, March 24, 2023.

Performance Details:

THE NEW YORK POPS 40TH BIRTHDAY GALA
This One's For You: The Music Of Barry Manilow
Monday, May 1, 2023 at 7:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Barry Manilow, Music Honoree
Tamara Alesi, Corporate Honoree
Patty and James Read, Legacy Honorees
Sean Bell, Erich Bergen, Betty Buckley, Charo, Deborah Cox, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, and Max von Essen, Guest Artists

Kids on Stage Students, Brian Worsdale, Director
The Camp Broadway Ensemble, Theo Lencicki, Director/Choreographer, Christine Riley, Music Director

Ticket Information

Dinner Dance and Parquet Premium concert-only tickets include a tax-deductible donation and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/TNYP40TH or by calling 212-765-7677. Tickets to the full gala evening range from $1,750 (concert and dinner seating for one) to $100,000 (premier concert seating and VIP seating for sixteen). Parquet Premium concert-only tickets, which include a tax deductible donation, start at $225.

Concert-only tickets are additionally available via carnegiehall.org, CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800, or the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th and Seventh.

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 milestone 40th 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

has established himself as 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 with The Philadelphia Orchestra and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Dallas, Detroit and the Ravinia Music Festival.

On stage, Mr. Reineke has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip hop, R & B, Broadway, television and rock including: Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton 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 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, 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 worldwide.

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.

Barry Manilow

In a world forever striving for peace, could Barry Manilow be the answer?" cited The Washington Post after Barry Manilow's headlining performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. "Among the few things one can count on in life: the taste of McDonald's cheeseburgers, 'I Love Lucy' reruns are still funny-and Barry Manilow never wearing out his welcome at the top of the charts" (Billboard Magazine).

Barry Manilow's unparalleled career encompasses virtually every area of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. Having sold more than 85 million albums worldwide, Manilow is one of the world's all-time best selling recording artists. His success is a benchmark in popular music. The Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning musician has had an astonishing 50 top 40 singles including 12 #1s and 27 top ten hits. Rolling Stone crowned him "a giant among entertainers...the showman of our generation," and Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol' Blue Eyes told the British press, "He's next."

His residency in Las Vegas, Manilow: Las Vegas - The Hits Come Home!, made its debut in May 2018 to rave reviews and sold-out audiences and was awarded the Best of Las Vegas awards for Best Resident Performer/Headliner and Best New Show. In 2017, Barry Manilow received the BMI Icon Award and is ranked as the #1 Adult Contemporary Artist of all time, according to Billboard and R&R magazines.

Tamara Alesi

Corporate Honoree Tamara Alesi is CEO at Mediaplus North America. Mediaplus is the largest independent and partner-managed media agency in Europe with 35 offices in 18 countries.

Tam is an industry veteran and pioneer with 20+ years dedicated to her craft. Noted for her great leadership skills, Tam is a true partner and client advocate. She pushes herself and her teams to deliver innovative and effective client solutions.

Tam approaches consumers as people first, which creates the foundation for truly effective marketing. She earns client trust by understanding them as people as well as professionals. And as a leader, she knows when to roll her sleeves up and when to get out of the way to let her team shine.

Tam has established herself as a growth-minded media force, an agent of change. She's had the privilege of working with some of the world's most innovative brands, including Apple, L'Oréal and De'Longhi. Recognized for her contributions to advertising & media, Tam was awarded a coveted Media Maven alongside Megyn Kelly and Samantha Bee.

Passionate about giving back, Tam has been on the Board of Directors for the TD Foundation for more than six years. The TD Foundation provides aid to children of wounded warriors and fallen heroes helping American Veterans' families in crisis. All participants in this fund are volunteers, 100% of donated funds will go to those children and families in need.

A native of San Diego and a graduate of The University of Denver, Tam now lives in New York City and Weston, Connecticut with her husband, daughter, and two dogs - Elvis and Simone. Tam loves to cook, travel and scuba dive.

Patty and James A. Read

Patty and James A. Read have been integral supporters of The New York Pops for over 20 years. Jim joined the board of The New York Pops in 1999, and previously served as Chairman from 2008 to 2022. In his tenure as Chairman, Jim oversaw the selection of Steven Reineke as the orchestra's second Music Director in 2009, and the promotion of Anne M. Swanson to Executive Director in 2011, among other accomplishments. He remains on the board as Chairman Emeritus. A passionate supporter of the orchestra's PopsEd music education initiatives, Patty has assisted in the development of the orchestra's annual Birthday Gala, serving on the gala event committee on several occasions. Patty and Jim were previously honored at the orchestra's 33rd Birthday Gala in 2016.