By Marilyn Lester***The New York Pops celebrated its 42nd birthday and music honoree Diane Warren with a gala—capital “G,” bold-face—sailing into the summer hiatus with an explosion of talent in the Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. As always, at the helm of one of the world’s greatest orchestras was Music Director and Conductor extraordinaire, Steven Reineke.
Warren, a venerable but intensely youthful 68, has had a mega-career over the decades, which Reineke rattled off with enthusiasm and proper amazement. Among her accolades are multiple Academy Award nominations, an Academy Honorary Award, a GRAMMY Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globes and three Billboard Mu
sic Awards. She came to prominence in 1985 with the hit single “Rhythm of the Night” and it was a zooming trajectory from there: nine number-one songs and 33 top-10 songs on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. And yes, there’s more.
With no intermission, The Pops played a range of Warren’s work, from ballads, where strings ruled, to rock-based tunes, where percussion and horns came out to play. In all genres, the arrangements by top musicians were thrilling. Suffice it to say, in the following list of performers, each was a superstar of song—causing multiple standing ovations, and enough cheering to turn the auditorium of the august Hall into a high-class mosh pit. Warren spent most of the concert as a witness in a front parquet box (with Clive Davis and other luminaries), coming down to the stage later in the program to accept her award.
Here’s the roster of songs and their performers:
- If I Could Turn Back Time – Micaela Diamond
- How Can We Be Lovers – Storm Large
- Because You Loved Me – Shoshana Bean
- Sunlight to My Soul – Angélique Kidjo
- Applause – Sofia Carson
- The Journey – Ryan Shaw
- Rhythm of the Night – Mykal Kilgore
- Love Will Lead You Back – Taylor Dayne
- I Was Here – Charlyn E.M. Willis
- How Do I Live – LeAnn Rimes
- Un-Break My Heart – Ariana DeBose
- I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” – Mykal Kildore
Providing exciting back-up were Stephanie Fisher, Melodie Ray and Charlyn E.M. Willis. And of course, The Pops played a Warren overture as well as an instrumental feature of “Blame it On the Rain.”
Dotted in the program was the Corporate Honoree presentation to Nadine Wong. And because of The Pops strong mission of education, there was the acknowledgement of Kids in the Balcony from all five NYC boroughs, and energetic and delightful performances by Kids on Stage students and The Camp Broadway Ensemble, singing and dancing throughout the auditorium. There were also 22 student musicians sprinkled among the orchestra.
An all-hands playout to “Rhythm of the Night” closed out a high-energy evening, with many patrons continuing the party at a gala dinner/dance at the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle.
Photos by Richard Termine
