Darren Criss Joins Betsy Wolfe for BROADWAY TODAY with the New York Pops; Jeremy Jordan Cancels Due to Scheduling Conflict

On Friday, March 11, 2016 at 8:00PM, The New York Pops, led by Music Director Steven Reineke, will continue its 33rd season at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with 42nd on 57th: Broadway Today. With guest artists Darren Criss (Glee) and Betsy Wolfe (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), the concert brings the best of Broadway uptown. The program will feature a variety of musical theatre hits. Darren Criss replaces the previously announced Jeremy Jordan, who is unavailable due to a scheduling issue.

"The New York Pops and I are thrilled to invite Darren Criss and Betsy Wolfe to share the stage with us at Carnegie Hall in a concert celebrating modern Broadway tunes," said Music Director Steven Reineke. "Darren and Betsy are both electric performers - you won't want to miss this concert!"

The New York Pops' 33rd season continues on Friday, April 8, 2016, 8:00PM at Carnegie Hall withLights, Camera, Action: Spielberg and Williams. Per audience request, the musicians of the orchestra will again take center stage in this tribute to the legendary collaborations between Academy Award winners Steven Spielberg and John Williams.

Actor, musician and Emmy-nominated composer DARREN CRISS stars in the upcoming indie comedySmitten, directed by Academy Award winner Barry Morrow, and most recently appeared on the Emmy Award-winning FX series American Horror Story. He starred on Broadway in the title role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the 2014 Tony Award winner of Best Revival of a Musical, and as J. Pierrepont Finch in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. He is best known for his breakout role as Blaine Anderson on Fox's Emmy and Golden Globe Award?winning series Glee. The San Francisco-native is a co-founder of StarKid Productions, a Chicago-based theatre company whose works have spurred viral hits, multiple Billboard charting cast albums, and sold-out national tours. His additional film, TV and stage credits includeGirl Most Likely opposite Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening, The Wind Rises, Web Therapy, ABC'sBackstage with Disney on Broadway, Michael Feinstein's New Year's Eve Special on PBS, as well as hosting duties for the NewNowNext Awards and Teen Choice Awards. He received his BFA in Acting from the University of Michigan.

BETSY WOLFE was last seen on Broadway starring in Woody Allen's musical adaptation of Bullets Over Broadway as 'Ellen', under the direction of Susan Stroman. Previously, she starred in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years at Second Stage Theater and the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood as 'Rosa Bud'. Prior to that Wolfe played Beth in Merrily We Roll Along at Encores! and created the role of Mary Ann Singleton in ACT's World Premiere of Tales of the City, a musical based on the Armistead Maupin novels. Other Broadway credits includes Everyday Rapture with Sherie Rene Scott (a show she also performed Off- Broadway), 110 in the Shade, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Douglas Carter Beane's adaptation of Die Fledermaus, which she recently returned to for an encore engagement. Last summer, Wolfe starred in the La Jolla Playhouse world premiere production of Bobby and Kristen Anderson-Lopez's new musical Up Here, under the direction of Alex Timbers. She starred in the San Francisco and Boston companies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Wolfe has been a guest artist for over 30 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras across the U.S. and internationally including the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony. Her concert debut at Carnegie Hall was with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Maestro Erich Kunzel. Ms. Wolfe was a guest soloist for the New York City Ballet where she performed at Lincoln Center and at The Coliseum in London. Recordings include Bullets over Broadway, The Last 5 Years, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Stage Door Canteen, 35MM, and Merrily We Roll Along. She holds a BFA in musical theatre from Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Wolfe can also be seen in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years.

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 and Conductor 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, as well as a summer concert series at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY. 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. Visit www.newyorkpops.org for more information. Follow The New York Pops on Facebook (facebook.com/newyorkpops), Instagram (@thenewyorkpops), and Twitter (@newyorkpops).

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, Principal Pops Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Principal Pops Conductor Designate for the Houston Symphony, beginning in the 2017-2018 season. 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 husband, Eric Gabbard.

Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, by calling CarnegieCharge at212-247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. Single tickets are priced $40-$122.