The New York Pops Adds New Musicians To Its Roster

The New York Pops is welcoming seven new musicians to its orchestra: violinists Monica K. Davis, Keats Dieffenbach, Joshua Henderson, and Ashley Horne, and violists Amadi Azikiwe, Dana Kelley, and Ardith Holmgrain.

"We are proud to formally welcome these seven outstanding musicians to The New York Pops!" said Executive Director Anne Swanson. "Each of these musicians is a remarkable individual talent. Their addition to our roster of 78 musicians will be a terrific benefit to the artistic excellence of the orchestra, which includes some of the finest musicians in the New York City area."

"We are thrilled to have engaged these exceptionally talented musicians to join our orchestra this season," added Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke. "We have always been conscious of diversity in the orchestra's programming and casting of guest artists, and now, when the time came to fill some openings among our roster of musicians, we felt it was very important to ask our personnel managers to continue to expand their list of musicians for me to consider. We are welcoming these extraordinary musicians from various cultural backgrounds and who reflect the incredibly diverse and wonderful city that we serve."

Upcoming concerts in The New York Pops' 2021-22 Carnegie Hall season include: One Night Only: An Evening with Norm Lewis on Friday, March 4, 2022 at 8:00pm; Get Happy: That Nelson Riddle Sound on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 8:00pm featuring Tony DeSare and Capathia Jenkins; and the orchestra's 39th Birthday Gala honoring Kristen and Bobby Lopez on Monday, April 25, 2022 at 7:00pm in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

About The New York Pops' New Musicians

Amadi Azikiwe, violist, violinist and conductor, has been heard in recital in major cities throughout the United States, such as New York, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Azikiwe has also been a guest of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Abroad, he has performed throughout China, Switzerland, Israel, Canada, South America, Nigeria, India, Japan, and Hong Kong. Currently, Azikiwe is Music Director of the Harlem Symphony Orchestra and Community Engagement Director of The Harlem Chamber Players. As an orchestral musician, he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and guest principal violist of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Violinist and violist, Monica K. Davis, praised for her "refined and attractive" playing (New York Times) enjoys a multifaceted performance career based in New York City. A sought after collaborator for her sensitivity and versatility, she has performed and recorded for film, television, dance, contemporary composers, and popular recording artists. A mainstay in New York's theatrical scene, Monica has performed in the Tony Awards orchestra since 2015 and has been an original band member of numerous shows on and off broadway. She currently plays in the band of the Tony award-winning musical, Hamilton, on Broadway. A committed chamber musician, Monica founded The Overlook, a string quartet dedicated to exploring and performing concert works of Black composers in 2020. The quartet has been presented in concert by the Kaufman Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, GatherNYC, Music for Montauk, Chamber Music NY and many others. She holds degrees from Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music and plays on instruments made by her husband, English violin maker, Christopher Thorp.

Equally comfortable on the stages of Carnegie Hall and the set of Saturday Night Live, Keats Dieffenbach has established themself as a unique artist with infinitely varied interests and abilities. Lauded by The New York Times as an "impressive performer," Keats' dual specialization in contemporary and historical performance on multiple instruments keeps them in demand with many leading ensembles. Keats is a member of The Cramer Quartet, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Mark Morris Dance Group Music Ensemble, Juilliard415, and The Serenade Quartet, and they have appeared frequently with The Knights, A Far Cry chamber orchestra, and Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect with whom they held a prestigious two-year fellowship position. An avid chamber musician, Keats' collaborators have ranged from Emanuel Ax and Christian Tetzlaff to indie rock sensation Vampire Weekend. They have served as concertmaster under many leading conductors and have worked closely with composers Steve Reich, Shulamit Ran, Nico Muhly, and others.

New York City-based violinist, violist, electric bassist and composer Josh Henderson leads a multi-faceted career that ranges from solo performances with orchestras to playing electric violin in Rock Bands. A player in the groups Contemporaneous and Warp Trio among others, he regularly performs all over the globe and loves playing music of all styles. He can be found online at www.joshhendersonmusic.com.

Ardith Holmgrain has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra, Bridgeport Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Greenwich Symphony, Little Orchestra Society, Jacksonville Symphony (FL), Memphis Symphony (TN), Opera Memphis, Ridgefield Symphony, Stamford Symphony, Westchester Philharmonic, and many others. She has toured nationally with the Bolshoi Ballet, Luther Vandross, and Andrea Bocelli, performing in 28 states, and in back up orchestras for Joni Mitchell, Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Harry Connick Jr., Sarah Brightman, Petula Clark, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Diana Krall, Mariah Carey, and Meat Loaf. She is a graduate of Mannes College of Music and the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She has been a "sub" with the New York Pops, working with both Skitch Henderson and Steven Reineke for many enjoyable seasons, and is delighted to join the orchestra as a member of the viola section. Fun fact: Ardith performs annually for the Carnegie Hall gala opening party.

Violinist Ashley Horne is a native of Los Angeles and has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician around the world. His artistic integrity and flexibility have placed him in a diverse range of musical experiences, including performances and recordings with Portishead, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, and Oliver Lake. He performs regularly with American Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Bard Festival Orchestra, and has been a regular member of the Westchester Symphony, Gateways Music Festival, Dance Theater of Harlem, and New York City Opera, as well as on Broadway's The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Wild Party, Carousel, Young Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Ragtime, Follies, and the Mel Brooks smash hit The Producers. Mr. Horne has been a recitalist at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall and he has been the featured soloist and concertmaster of numerous ensembles, including The New Black Repertory Ensemble, The Antara Ensemble, Cascade Festival Orchestra, and Aspen Young Artists Orchestra.

Dana Kelley is a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble. Praised for her rich and beautiful tone, Dana has been a top prizewinner in the Sphinx Music Competition, the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. She serves on the viola faculty of the Mannes School of Music at The New School. Dana received an Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies with the Argus Quartet as the 2017-2019 Graduate Quartet in Residence at The Juilliard School. Dana was a 2014-2016 Fellow in Ensemble Connect - a performance and teaching program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute. She received her Bachelor's of Music from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University and completed her Master's of Music degree at the New England Conservatory.

About 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. 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 39th 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. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Pops adapted its PopsEd programs to provide remote learning opportunities to students, and orchestra musicians were featured in new digital performances.

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.

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