The New York Pops Reveals New Board of Directors Appointments and New Staff Addition & Promotion

The New York Pops has announced the appointment of current Board of Directors member John Littzi as the new Chair. John has served on The New York Pops Board of Directors since 2017, and was elected chairman of the board in October 2022. Additionally, as General Counsel at Coalition, Inc., Littzi is responsible for the firm's global legal affairs and serves as principal counsel to the company's Founder and CEO, Joshua Motta, as well as its senior management team and board of directors.

Littzi succeeds James "Jim" Read, now named Chair Emeritus, who first joined the Board in 1999 and served as Chairman from 2008-2022. During his tenure as Chair, a major accomplishment of Read's was in hiring Steven Reineke as Music Director and Conductor of The New York Pops.

Current Board member Mary Carr Patton has been appointed Secretary, after serving on The New York Pops Board of Directors since 2000. Passionate about music, she also serves on the boards of the Jacksonville Symphony and the League of American Orchestras, and actively participates in various committees for all three organizations, lending her expertise in Artistic Advisory, Governance, Advocacy, Development, and Music Director Searches.

Patton succeeds June Freemanzon, now Secretary Emerita, a Founding Board Member of The New York Pops in 1983. Freemanzon is a retired aircraft spare parts executive who served as President of Associated Products of America, Inc. for nine years. She is a member of The National Art Club and The Wings Club Foundation, and has been described as "the orchestra's matriarch," according to Music Director and Conductor of The New York Pops, Steven Reineke.

The New York Pops has additionally announced the appointments of Mark Cortale and Andrea Reiser to its Board.

Mark Cortale is the Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA. Cortale launched the international Broadway @ Concert Series featuring Seth Rudetsky as music director and host in Provincetown in 2011, and founded the developmental theater lab New Works Provincetown.

Andrea Reiser is CEO of PickleStar Theatricals, LLC, a multigenerational producing/investing team with a passion for helping to bring exceptional theatrical productions to Broadway and beyond. Current and upcoming projects include Funny Girl, Hadestown, & Juliet, Parade, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along and the Australian production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

The New York Pops also announces two staff updates: Anne M. Swanson has been promoted to President and Executive Director from her previous position as Executive Director, and Madison Davis joins the staff as an Administrative Assistant.

"I am deeply honored to have been appointed as the Chair of The New York Pops Board of Directors and thank Jim for his many years of service, friendship and mentorship," said Littzi. "The New York Pops is a special organization that celebrates the diversity of popular music's evolving songbook and for decades has provided musical learning experiences to all members of the community, including to New York City students across the five boroughs through its PopsEd programs. I look forward to continuing to work with Anne, Maestro Reineke and our experienced staff and dedicated Board of Directors to help the organization to continue to fulfill this mission."

Upcoming concerts in The New York Pops' 2022-23 season at Carnegie Hall include One Night Only: An Evening with Heather Headley on February 10, 2023 and The Marvelous Marilyn Maye on March 24, 2023, in addition to the organization's 40th Birthday Gala, This One's For You: The Music of Barry Manilow on May 1, 2023.

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 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.

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Photo credit: Richard Termine