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HOUSTON, TX (March 15, 2024) — The great American musical is alive and well, and it’s being celebrated April 5 through April 7 at Jones Hall as the Houston Symphony’s Bank of America POPS Series presents 21st Century Broadway. Embark on a musical journey to the Big Apple, with showstopping performances by Broadway talents Ali Stroker, Rodney Ingram, Hailey Kilgore, and Derek Klena, showcasing selections from today’s most beloved musicals. The concert is a showcase for Broadway’s biggest hits, including “I’m Here” from The Color Purple, “All That Matters” from Finding Neverland, “Fabulous, Baby!” from Sister Act, “Hurricane” and “Dear Theodosia” from Hamilton, “Proud of Your Boy” from Aladdin, “For Good” from Wicked, “Waving Through a Window” and “You Will Be Found” from Dear Evan Hansen, and more. Guests can look forward to a livestream performance on Saturday, April 6.
Featuring a diverse and accomplished cast of artists, this performance is a testament to the rich tapestry of talent that Broadway has to offer.
Best known for her Tony Award-winning portrayal as Ado Annie in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, Alyson Mackenzie (Ali) Stroker is an American actress, author, and singer. Championing her mantra of “turning limitations into opportunities,” Stroker made history as the first actor in a wheelchair on Broadway in Deaf West’s acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. Her diverse career includes roles such as Claudia in the Netflix series Echoes, appearances in the Lifetime holiday film Christmas Ever After, Netflix’s Ozark, and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Additionally, Stroker portrayed Lady Anne in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Richard III and has showcased her one-woman show across the nation, with notable venues including the Kennedy Center, Town Hall, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall.
Born in Sayulita, Mexico, Rodney Ingram quickly rose to Broadway stardom, captivating audiences as Roaul in the 30th anniversary Broadway cast of the Phantom of the Opera and later shining as Disney’s Aladdin. His versatility extends to roles such as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid, Laurie in Little Women, and Adam in Children of Eden.
American singer, dancer, and actress Hailey Kilgore is renowned for her Tony and Grammy-nominated portrayal of Ti Moune in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island. Beyond Broadway, she has appeared in numerous films and television series, collaborating with luminaries like actress Jennifer Hudson and director Steven Spielberg. Notable appearances include Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories on Apple TV and NBC’s The Village. Currently, she portrays Jukebox in Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
Tony Award-winning singer and actor Derek Klena has been a fixture on the New York City theater scene since 2012, acclaimed for originating roles such as Nick Healy in Jagged Little Pill, Dimitry in Anastasia, and Michael in The Bridges of Madison County. Following his debut as Fiyero in the 10th anniversary company of Wicked, Klena starred in pivotal roles on popular television series. Viewers may recognize him as Wes in the Max series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin or from his memorable portrayal as DJ Fingablast on Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s Netflix hit Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
For tickets and more information, call or text 713.224.7575, or visit houstonsymphony.org/21stcenturybroadway.
HOUSTON SYMPHONY PRESENTS 21ST CENTURY BROADWAY
Friday, April 5, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 6, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Livestream performance on Saturday, April 6, 2024
Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Rodney Ingram, vocalist
Hailey Kilgore, vocalist
Derek Klena, vocalist
Ali Stroker, vocalist
TUTS Pre-Professional Company Members
About Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke is one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music and is in his second decade as Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston and Toronto Symphony Orchestras.
Reineke is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.
On stage, Mr. Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television and rock including: Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, amongst others. In 2017 he was featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” leading the National Symphony Orchestra – in a first for the show’s 45-year history – performing live music excerpts in between news segments. In 2018 Reineke led the National Symphony Orchestra with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album “Illmatic” on PBS’s Great Performances.
As the creator of hundreds orchestral arrangements, Reineke’s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. 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 perennially.
A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.
About Ali Stroker
Ali Stroker is a Tony Award winner for her role as Ado Annie in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! She made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in Deaf West’s acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening. She’s a series regular in the Netflix series Echoes and starred in the Lifetime holiday film Christmas Ever After. Ali recurred in the final season of Netflix’s Ozark and is recurring in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. She co-wrote the novel, The Chance to Fly and its sequel, Cut Loose!; and she wrote the children’s book, Ali and the Sea Stars. She played Lady Anne in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Richard III. She’s performed her one woman show all over the country, some of her favorites being the Kennedy Center, Town Hall, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her mission to improve the lives of others through the arts is captured in her motto: “Turning Your Limitations Into Your Opportunities.”
About Rodney Ingram
Rodney Ingram recently starred as Disney’s Aladdin in Mexico City, a role he also played on Broadway. He appeared as Raoul in the 30th anniversary Broadway cast of The Phantom of the Opera. Other favorite credits include Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid (WPPAC), Laurie in Little Women (Theatre Aspen), and ‘Adam’ in Children of Eden. Additionally, he played a recurring role as Young Steve in Jane the Virgin on The CW. Rodney is a graduate of Collaborative Arts Program 21, a New York City professional musical theatre training conservatory and Off-Broadway theatre company.
About Hailey Kilgore
Hailey Kilgore is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Best known for her Tony and Grammy-nominated role as Ti Moune in the Broadway revival of Once on This Island, Hailey has since starred in multiple films, including the critically acclaimed Respect opposite Jennifer Hudson. Kilgore starred as the lead role of Jodi Jackson in the feature film Cinnamon, which debuted to rave reviews at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.
On the TV front, Hailey currently stars as Jukebox in Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan and has had multiple memorable arcs on Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories on Apple and NBC’s The Village. Her first EP, Desire and Devotion, was released in 2023. Her debut album, Heartbreak and Healing, drops May 3, 2024. Hailey is represented by Circle of Confusion.
About Derek Klena
Derek Klena starred on Broadway in Alanis Morissette’s critically acclaimed musical Jagged Little Pill, for which he received a Tony Award Nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He recently concluded his run as Christian in the Tony Award winner for Best Musical Moulin Rouge, directed by Alex Timbers. His performance earned him a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Replacement. Earlier this year, Derek also starred as Joe Gillis opposite Stephanie J. Block in the Kennedy Center’s limited run of Sunset Boulevard, which was part of their Broadway Center Stage program.
Derek first broke onto the NYC theatre scene in the 2012 Off-Broadway revival of Carrie, where he quickly garnered attention from Oscar, Grammy, and Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul to originate the lead role of Eddie Birdlace in Dogfight. He received a Clive Barnes Award nomination for his performance. Derek made his Broadway debut as Fiyero in the 10th anniversary company of Wicked. On Broadway, he also originated the roles of Michael Johnson in Jason Robert Brown’s The Bridges of Madison County, and Dmitry in Ahrens, Flaherty, and McNally’s Anastasia. Other notable theatre credits include Williamstown Theatre Festival’s Unknown Soldier, directed by Trip Cullman; Signature Theatre’s Diner, written by Sheryl Crow & Barry Levinson; and the Hollywood Bowl’s star-studded production of Hairspray, directed by Jerry Mitchell.
On television, Derek can be seen in the pivotal role of Wes in the Max series, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, and he will soon reprise his role in season 2. Derek is known for his memorable arc as DJ Fingablast on Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s Netflix hit Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Other TV credits include City On A Hill, The Code, and A Holiday Spectacular.
About Houston Symphony
Under Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Houston Symphony continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring, and recording activities. One of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, the Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an operating budget of $37.8 million, the full-time ensemble of professional musicians presents more than 130 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Traditionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s three Community-Embedded Musicians also offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches reaching more than 200,000 people in Greater Houston annually.
After suspending concert activities in March 2020, the Symphony successfully completed a full 2020–21 season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams of each performance, making it one of the only orchestras in the world to do so. The Houston Symphony remains committed to livestreaming its 2023–24 Season to a broad audience in over forty-five countries and all fifty states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a size-able audience outside its home city through this technology.
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category. The Symphony’s most recent recordings include a Pentatone release in January 2022 of its world premiere performances of Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra, and a Naxos release in July 2023 of its world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel.