The New York Pops Announces Additional Honorees at 35th Birthday Gala

The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, is pleased to announce that in addition to its Music Honoree Alan Menken, it will pay tribute to Corporate Honoree American Airlines, and Foundation Honoree Hillary and Bill Weldon of the Gracie and Hope Foundation, at its 35th Birthday Gala, Part of His World: The Songs of Alan Menken, on Monday, April 30, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, presented by The New York Pops.

"The New York Pops truly values our longstanding partnerships with both the Weldons and American Airlines and we are delighted to be able to celebrate them alongside Alan Menken at our 35th Birthday Gala!" said Executive Director Anne M. Swanson. "Since 2010, American Airlines has been the Official Airline of The New York Pops, and in 2017, American Airlines became the Exclusive Airline for all of the orchestra's activities. We are proud to honor the terrific work they do in the greater New York community.

"The Weldons are dear friends to the orchestra and have been actively involved since Hillary joined the Board of Directors in 2015. Their generous support of our PopsEd programs, and specifically their leadership of our annual PopsEd fundraiser at Feinstein's/54 Below, have been visionary. In addition to their tireless work on behalf of The New York Pops, they are deeply committed to finding a cure for Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), a disease that affects their daughter Whitney. Their positive attitudes and tenacious spirit make them an ideal Foundation Honoree. We are proud to call AA and the Weldons members of The New York Pops family."

"At American, we believe in putting our extensive resources to good use by contributing to the communities we touch," said Mike McKanna, Managing Director, JFK. "American has proudly supported the New York Pops for nearly 10 years and we are elated to help them in their mission to bring music to the world by supporting their Education program, PopsEd. We are thrilled to be this year's Corporate Honoree and together we'll continue working to better the lives of those around us."

The celebratory concert will pay tribute to the legendary contributions Alan Menken has made to stage and screen and features guest artists including Michael Arden, Roger Bart, Jodi Benson, Ashley Brown, Nick Cordero, Susan Egan, Harvey Fierstein, James Monroe Iglehart, Adam Jacobs, Judy Kuhn, and Patina Miller. Additional guest artists will be announced. The concert also includes students from The New York Pops' Kids on Stage music education program; Camp Broadway Kids; and children of Ronald McDonald House ® New York.

Honorary co-chairs for the event include Ashley Brown, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Jordan, Audra McDonald, Sir Tim Rice, and Bernard Telsey.

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

Ticket Information
Concert-only tickets, priced from $75, are available at newyorkpops.org or by calling 212-765-7677. Tickets are also available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, at 57th and Seventh, or by phone at CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800, or at carnegiehall.org.

Tickets to the full gala evening range from $1,350 (concert and dinner seating for one) to $50,000 (premier concert seating and dinner table for eight). For more information about the black-tie dinner and dance at the Mandarin Oriental New York, call 212-765-7677 or visit www.newyorkpops.org.

Concert Information

THE NEW YORK POPS 35TH BIRTHDAY GALA
Part of His World: The Songs of Alan Menken
Monday, April 30, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Alan Menken, Music Honoree
American Airlines, Corporate Honoree
Hillary and Bill Weldon, Gracie and Hope Foundation, Foundation Honoree
Michael Arden, Roger Bart, Jodi Benson, Ashley Brown, Nick Cordero, Susan Egan, Harvey Fierstein, James Monroe Iglehart, Adam Jacobs, Judy Kuhn, Patina Miller, Guest Artists
Kids On Stage Students
Children of Ronald McDonald House ® New York
Camp Broadway Kids, Cindy Thole, Artistic Director, Christine Riley, Music Director

About the Honorees

American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily flights to over 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

In the middle of their daughter's childhood, Bill and Hillary Weldon were hit with the most un-imaginable challenge. Their daughter Whitney was diagnosed with the ultra-rare bone condition known as Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP). FOP is the only condition known to man where one tissue is replaced by another. In the simplest of descriptions, muscles, ligaments and connective tissue turn to bone, effectively forming a second skeleton and causing a person to become immobile. In response to this, the Weldons established the Gracie and Hope Foundation and have spent the last 17 years moving mountains to find a treatment to help Whitney and others across the globe that suffer from FOP. From launching campaigns, endowing research leadership, hosting fundraising events, advocating on multimedia, taking their cause to Capitol Hill, or funding vital research at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, their mission to make a difference has been their highest priority. Today, the field of FOP research and drug development is robust, in no small part because of the Weldon family's focus and determination. There are currently three clinical trials in progress and 13 FOP drugs in development, with many top universities and labs worldwide working to understand and solve the mystery of FOP. The Weldon family have melded their passion to find a treatment for their daughter along with their extraordinary philanthropic efforts benefiting other causes such as The New York Pops, Bideawee and the National Arts Club. Hillary Weldon serves as the president of the Gracie and Hope Foundation and is a member of The New York Pops Board of Directors. Bill Weldon is the Vice President of Weldon Materials. For more information on FOP, please visit http://weldonfop.org/ and http://www.ifopa.org/.

Alan Menken's music, songs and scores have become an integral part of the fabric of our lives since his first works were produced nearly 40 years ago. His stage musicals include God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, Atina: Evil Queen of the Galaxy, Real Life Funnies, Little Shop of Horrors, Kicks, The Dream on Royal Street, Beauty and The Beast, A Christmas Carol, Weird Romance, King David, The Little Mermaid, Sister Act, Leap of Faith, Newsies, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz and A Bronx Tale. Song and score credits for film musicals include The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast (Animated), Newsies, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, The Shaggy Dog, Home on the Range, Enchanted, Tangled, Mirror Mirror and Beauty and the Beast (Live Action). Upcoming Aladdin (Live Action). Individual songs for film include Rocky V - "The Measure of a Man", Home Alone 2: Lost in New York - "My Christmas Tree", Life With Mikey - "Cold Enough to Snow", Noel - "Winter Light", Captain America: First Avenger - "Star Spangled Man" and Sausage Party - "The Great Beyond". Television credits include writing songs for Sesame Street, the ABC mini-series Lincoln, a musical episode of The Neighbors, the ABC series Galavant and the Disney Channel's Tangled: The Series. His chart topping songs have included "Beauty and the Beast", "A Whole New World", "Colors of the Wind" and "Go the Distance". Winner of the 2012 Tony and Drama Desk awards for his score for Newsies, he has won more Academy Awards than any other living individual, including eight Oscars® with 4 for Best Score and 4 for Best Song; 11 Grammy® Awards (including Song of the Year for "A Whole New World"); 7 Golden Globes; London's Evening Standard Award; the Olivier Award; the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award. Other notable achievements include induction as a Member (2008) in the Songwriter's Hall of Fame followed by receiving the lifetime achievement acknowledgement of the Johnny Mercer Award (2017); Billboard's number one single ("A Whole New World") and number one album (Pocahontas). In 2001 he received the distinction of being named a Disney Legend. Awarded two doctorates in Fine Arts from New York University and the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 2010 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Recent live concert appearances include Hollywood Bowl, Segerstrom Center, Royal Albert Hall, Budokan -Tokyo, Osaka-j? Hall and Maihama Amphitheatre.

About the Artists
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 and a summer 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.

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, and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston Symphony and Toronto Symphony 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 Seattle, Edmonton and Pittsburgh. As the creator of more than one hundred orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the composer of symphonic and wind ensemble compositions, Mr. Reineke's work has been performed worldwide.

About PopsEd
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. PopsEd makes 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 that they can apply to all areas of their lives.