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. He is the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) 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, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

On stage, Mr. Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists in hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock including Killer Mike, Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, amongst others. In 2024, he led the NSO on PBS’ Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS’ Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album “Illmatic." Reineke is the conductor on “Ben Folds Live with The National Symphony Orchestra and William Shatner’s “So Fragile, So Blue” with The National Symphony Orchestra.

As the creator of hundreds of 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 pieces “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, 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.

Meredith & Ben Marshall, sponsor

Ben Chavez is an award-winning songwriter, actor, and musician. Best known for his breakout role in the Broadway National Tour of Disney’s Aladdin, he has performed on stages throughout the United States and Canada, including Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, and The Kennedy Center. A regular performer at Theatre Under the Stars, Ben has credits in Newsies, Frozen, In the Heights, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He was also recently seen in the Houston Grand Opera production of West Side Story.

Ben is the recipient of the 2024–25 Performing Arts Houston NEW/NOW Award for his original concept album, Last Day, County Fair. The album will receive its two-night premiere this September at the Wortham Theater Center. His latest EP, Benjamin, is available on vinyl and can be streamed on all major platforms. In Houston, Ben has performed at numerous prestigious events, including The San Luis Salute, the Houston Symphony Gala, the Knights of Momus Coronation, the Houston Ballet Ball, and The Diana Awards. He is also a recurring guest on KPRC’s Houston Life.

Passionate about developing the next generation of performers, Ben serves as Head Vocal Coach at The Broadway Studio. He is a proud graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. For more information, visit benchavezmusic.com.

Christopher L. Fahey serves as the Military and Veteran Outreach Coordinator at Stone River Recovery Center, where he is focused on helping veterans, service members, and families find hope, healing, and long-term recovery. Before entering behavioral health advocacy, Fahey served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Navy, building a career defined by leadership, operational excellence, and service under pressure.

During his military career, Fahey deployed five times, visited more than 30 countries, and served for a year with NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan. There, he led a 20-person joint-service team and directed more than 100 tactical ground missions that helped protect more than 300 personnel. He also supported U.S. and international Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams on 30 missions and contributed to intelligence-led operations that included armed patrols, key leader engagements, and counterinsurgency support.

Fahey also deployed twice with the USS Carl Vinson Strike Group in maritime security operations and twice with Navy Seabee units supporting expeditionary construction, disaster relief, and international partnership missions. He concluded his naval career in Houston as Public Affairs Officer for Navy Recruiting District Houston.

His military honors include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal, and three Sea Service Medals. He was also named the Navy’s Print Journalist of the Year and Mass Communication Specialist of the Year, and earned three warfare qualifications: Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist, and Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist.

Fahey’s professional mission is also deeply personal. After facing PTSD during and after military service, he found recovery through the support of fellow veterans and has dedicated his life to helping others do the same. He later served the PTSD Foundation of America and Camp Hope, advocating for thousands of veterans, and worked with The Abundant Harvest, helping provide food support to more than 106,000 veterans and other families in need. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Sam Houston State University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology.