Max von Essen To Perform With The New York Pops At Carnegie Hall In November

Tony Award nominee Max von Essen joins The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, for an all-new program on Friday, November 15, 2024 at 8:00 p.m in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

One Night Only: An Evening with Max von Essen features favorites from the American songbook and beyond, including highlights from his career on stage, such as “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific, “Being Alive” from Company, An American In Paris medley, and more. Billy Stritch joins Max at the piano throughout the evening and as a guest vocalist.

Max currently stars as Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of Chicago and his additional Broadway credits include Henri Baurel in An American in Paris, in addition to Anastasia, Evita, the revivals of Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar, Dance of the Vampires, and the closing company of the original Les Misérables. Max has previously performed with The New York Pops in Find Your Dream: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the 2023 Birthday Gala honoring Barry Manilow, and headlining The New York Pops Underground Cabaret in 2021.

"The New York Pops has had the pleasure of performing with Max von Essen on numerous occasions, and now we are overjoyed to host his solo debut at Carnegie Hall!” said New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke. “We hope you will join us for what's sure to be a wonderful night of music. We also have a few surprises in store for you!”

The New York Pops' 2024-25 season of performances in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall also includes Simply the Best: A Tina Turner Tribute with Adrienne Warren on Friday, October 18, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.; One Night Only: An Evening with Max von Essen on Friday, November 15, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.; Merry and Bright featuring Jessica Vosk and Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA on Friday, December 20 and Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.; Let's Misbehave: The Songs of Cole Porter on Friday, February 7, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. with Tony DeSare, Bria Skonberg, and John Manzari; and 100 Years of Epic Film Scores on Friday, March 14, 2025 at 8:00 p.m.

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Program Information

THE NEW YORK POPS

One Night Only: An Evening with Max von Essen

Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Max von Essen, Guest Artist
Billy Stritch, Special Guest (piano/vocals)

Friday, November 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.

About the Artists

Comprised of 78 musicians, The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, now in its 42nd 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 subscription series at Carnegie Hall, and is among the venue's most presented ensembles. The New York Pops' annual birthday gala is celebrated each spring, raising funds for the orchestra and its education programs. The orchestra 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 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, Montego Glover, James Monroe Iglehart, Capathia Jenkins, Carly Rae Jepsen, Angela Lansbury, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Norm Lewis, Barry Manilow, Kelli O'Hara, Adrienne Warren, Dionne Warwick, Miss Piggy, and others.

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 enters throughout the five boroughs of New York City. PopsEd allows thousands of New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds to participate in fully customizable residency programs that blend traditional education with pure fun. These programs make music open to all and use tools like composition, lyric writing, performance, and mentorship 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 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. To date, PopsEd programs have served over 100,000 New York City students.

Over the years, the orchestra has presented free concerts in city parks, community organizations, and senior centers; performed the National Anthem at sports venues; and toured throughout the world. Past media projects include the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC Television, a nationally syndicated radio series, and performances on PBS. The orchestra's discography encompasses recordings of popular standards, theater and film scores, and music for the holidays.

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.

Max von Essen, a Tony, Drama Desk, and Grammy-nominated singer and actor, is ecstatic to again join Maestro Steven Reineke and the New York Pops - this time for his solo debut at Carnegie Hall! Recent Pops appearances include the 2023 Gala honoring Barry Manilow, the 2021 Underground Cabaret and the 2020 performance of “Find Your Dream: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

Currently starring as Billy Flynn in the record-breaking Broadway production of Chicago, Max is perhaps best known for his acclaimed role as Henri Baurel in the award-winning adaptation of Gershwin's An American in Paris, which The New York Times described as “a hard-earned, breakthrough performance of great sensitivity and charm.” His Broadway credits also include Gleb Vaganov in Anastasia, Agustin Magaldi in Evita, revivals of Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar, Alfred in Dance of the Vampires, and the final company of the original Les Misérables. On tour, Max has captivated audiences in roles such as Marvin in the Lincoln Center revival of Falsettos, Sonny Malone in Xanadu, Mary Sunshine in Chicago, and Tony in West Side Story.

Max's concert work has taken him to stages nationwide and throughout New York City, including Birdland, The Paradise Club, and 54 Below. His debut album, Call Me Old Fashioned: The Broadway Standard, is currently available, and he can also be heard on recordings of An American in Paris, Evita, DRAG: The Musical, Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Death Takes a Holiday, and Finian's Rainbow. Max's television credits feature guest-starring roles on “Law & Order”, “Family Guy”, “The Blacklist”, “Law & Order: SVU”, “Elementary”, “Boardwalk Empire”, “The Good Wife”, “Royal Pains”, “Gossip Girl”, “Sex and the City 2”, and the web series “Submissions Only”. For more information and upcoming performances, visit MaxvonEssen.com.