Steven Reineke. Photo by Michael Tammaro.
Steven Reineke is the Principal Pops Conductor for DC’s national treasure, The National Symphony Orchestra. His boundless enthusiasm and exceptional artistry have made him one of the nation’s most sought-after pops conductors, composers and arrangers. Mr. Reineke is also the Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and Principal Pops Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the posts of Principal Pops Conductor of the Long Beach and Modesto Symphony Orchestras and was Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops 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 Los Angeles, Houston, Seattle, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Ottawa (National Arts Centre), Detroit, Milwaukee and Calgary.
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 around the world.
When you go to an NSO concert you can’t help watching Steve Reineke in action. It’s always fun to see him interact with the performers and the orchestra. He also can deliver lines in character as he did in the commisioned piece A Cricket in Times Square. His energetic personality always makes going to an NSO concert a delight.
For upcoming NSO events including NSO at Wolf Trap which features Wicked Divas on July 28th at 8:15 click here.
Were you interested in music as a kid and did you play a musical instrument?
I grew up loving music. I think this mostly came from my father who sat on the edge of my bed and played and sang me to sleep almost every night. I started playing the trumpet when I was 10 years old and picked up the piano as a teenager.
Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming Wicked Divas concert at Wolf Trap?
Wicked Divas is a program that celebrates strong, “diva” women throughout broadway, opera, film, and pop music. Our guest stars, Julia Murney and Stephanie J. Block, have both starred on Broadway in the hit musical Wicked, so they will of course reprise some of their famous songs from that show along with some other great surprises.
Steven Reineke leading the NSO in the Labor Day Weekend Concert at the Capitol 2011. Photo courtesy of the NSO.
When you start out putting together a program for the NSO or the NY POPS how do you decide on the musical choices and if you have a guest artist is it a collaborative effort?
One of the best parts of my job is putting together each program. It’s a lot like being a DJ and putting together a great playlist for a party. I certainly try to build a nice arc to take the audience on a journey as well. Each of the guest artists I work with also have input into the program. Of course, I like to hear their ideas of what works well for them within the framework of the program.
You do some of the arrangements for your concerts yourself. Who are some of your favorite arrangers/orchestrators and if you had the chance to work with one that is longer with us, who would it be?
As a musician that started my professional career as an arranger, orchestrator, and composer (14 years as principal arranger for the Cincinnati Pops and Maestro Erich Kunzel), I understand the incredible importance of having really great charts for the orchestra to play. As a matter of fact, several of my own arrangements are featured in our Wicked Divas program. Now I also have my own ‘stable’ of arrangers that I work with. Some of my favorites come from the broadway world: Jonathan Tunick, Don Sebesky, Michael Starobin, and Bill Brohn just to name a few. One of my favorite arrangers of all time is the great Nelson Riddle. He wrote for such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney and even Linda Ronstadt in a career spanning from the 1940s to the 1980s. Every time I conduct one of his orchestrations, I am reminded of his absolute mastery of the craft. I would love to see how he would treat some of the more contemporary music of today.
What is the most satisfying thing about being the Principal Pops Conductor for the NSO?
This is a really tough question because it’s so hard to identify just one thing that is the most satisfying. It’s such a great honor to hold this post in our Nation’s Capitol with the incredible musicians of the NSO. I also love performing at the Kennedy Center and the beautiful setting at Wolf Trap. Lastly, the stature of the orchestra allows us to collaborate with some of the finest guest artists that are working today. All of this combines to bring world class entertainment to the people of DC and beyond. I suppose seeing an enthusiastically happy audience during the final bows of a performance might be the most satisfying part of all. It means that we’re doing our jobs to the best of our ability. I can think of no other feeling that matches that.