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On June 14, 2011, City Parks Foundation hosted the
SummerStage Gala, Motown
Meets NYC, a special fundraising event held at
The Roseland Ballroom in
Manhattan.
Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception, followed by dinner
before the evening’s concert. The SummerStage Gala concert
featured the timeless music of Motown as performed by some
of the genre’s legendary originators and the most intriguing
voices of contemporary soul music, all to music performed by
the famed New York Pops orchestra led by conductor and Music
Director, Steven Reineke.
The concert was hosted by 2011 Tony Nominee and Obie Winner,
Colman Domingo. The evening included performances of “My
Girl” by Dennis Edwards of The Temptations, “Dancing in the
Street” by Martha Reeves of Martha and The Vandellas, “When
a Man Loves a Woman” and “In the Midnight Hour” by Percy
Sledge, in addition to performances by José James, Robert
Earl Keen, Amel Larrieux, Deva Mahal, Bettye LaVette, Joan
Osborne, Eli “Paperboy” Reed and Ryan Shaw.
About SummerStage
In June, 1986, SummerStage was launched with a free
performance from Sun Ra and the Omniverse Jet Set Arkestra.
Today, City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage is a free
city-wide festival showcasing world-renowned
and emerging talent from around the globe and from
New York City’s own backyard. With
300+ performers in the world of music, dance and theater,
over 100 performance dates in 18 parks in all 5 boroughs, it
is one of the largest, most geographical diverse and
thematically broad festivals in the nation. The SummerStage
Gala raises funds to support City Parks Foundation’s free
year round arts programming in parks citywide.
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 Steven Reineke, the orchestra
performs an annual subscription series and birthday gala at
Carnegie Hall. The New York Pops was founded by former NBC
Music Director Skitch Henderson in 1983 with a mission to
create greater public awareness and appreciation of America’s rich musical
heritage. The orchestra’s media projects include performing
for the Macy’s 4th of
July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC, nationwide
radio broadcasts, and numerous recordings.
About City
Parks Foundation
City Parks Foundation (CPF) is
the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park
programs throughout the five boroughs of
New York City.
CPF works in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad
range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and
empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level.
Programs and community building initiatives reach more than
600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization
of neighborhoods throughout
New York City.
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