The New York Pops to Honor Diane Warren at Carnegie Hall

UPDATE (Feb. 19): Taylor Dayne, Sofia Carson, Micaela Diamond, Shoshana Bean and Angélique Kidjo will join The New York Pops to honor songwriter Diane Warren at the orchestra’s 42nd birthday gala, Words and Music: Diane Warren, on Monday, April 28, in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. Additional guest artists will be announced.

Several of these artists have noteworthy ties to Warren. Dayne sang “Love Will Lead Me Back,” which in April 1990 became Warren’s fifth No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as a songwriter. (She has since had four more.) Carson sang “Applause” in the film Tell It Like a Woman, which two years ago became Warren’s 14th song to receive an Oscar nomination for best original song. (She has since had two more.)

Diamond was an original Broadway cast member of The Cher Show. Cher sang two of Warren’s 33 top 10 hits on the Hot 100 to date, “If I Could Turn Back Time” (perhaps Cher’s most iconic hit) and “Just Like Jesse James.” Warren co-wrote the latter song with Desmond Child.

PREVIOUSLY (Nov. 19, 2024): The New York Pops will honor songwriter Diane Warren with “Words and Music: Diane Warren,” on Monday, April 28, at 7 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. The concert will feature Warren’s songs performed by a lineup of guest artists to be announced. Steven Reineke, music director and conductor for the New York Pops, will serve in those capacities at this show, which doubles as the New York Pops 42nd birthday gala.

“We are delighted to be celebrating 42 years of The New York Pops with the amazing songwriter Diane Warren,” Reineke said in a statement. “Diane has written some of the most beloved words and music of the past four decades, and we are thrilled to add ‘New York Pops Music Honoree’ to her long list of awards and accolades.”

Tickets will go on sale to the public in January, with New York Pops donors of $100 or more receiving early access. Proceeds from the gala support The New York Pops orchestra and the organization’s PopsEd music education programs. The concert will be followed by a black-tie optional dinner and dance at the Mandarin Oriental New York.

Warren has penned nine No. 1 and 33 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her songs have been featured in more than 150 films, leading to 15 Academy Award nominations for best original song. In November 2022, she became the first songwriter in history to receive an Honorary Oscar, as voted on by the Academy’s Board of Governors. She has won a Grammy, a Primetime Emmy winner and two Golden Globes. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001 and received that organization’s top prize, the Johnny Mercer Award, in June 2024.