Steven Reineke has been hard at work as a conductor and composer for over 10 years. Earlier this year, he was named the new Music Director of the legendary New York Pops. When we spoke with this former Muse Machine member he distinctly remembers his first encounter with Muse. “I remember the Muse doing a presentation at my high school [Tippecanoe] and my teacher Alan Schmidlapp suggested I should become a member.” After that, the rest was history. He participated in a variety of Muse Machine productions and remembers vividly being a part of the pit orchestra for the musical Carousel. “It was so amazing to work with legends from the program like Scott Stoney, Sheila Ramsey, and Joey Bates. They helped me hone my craft.” After leaving the Muse Machine, Reineke attended Miami University earning two degrees in music composition and trumpet performance.

The New York Pop’s position came as a shock to Reineke who thought it was another out-of-town performance. “They had asked me to conduct their 25th anniversary concert. I thought it was a guest spot, but it turned out to be my audition! It was a three-and- a-half hour show and Tony Bennett came out at the end.”  James Johnson, CEO of the New York Pops, says that they had been searching for three years to find a new music director and they knew Reineke was the right guy in thirty seconds.

Reineke hopes that over the next 10 years he will make this opportunity with the New York Pops a jumping off point for his future dreams. “Leonard Bernstein and John Williams are two of my idols and I would love to follow in their footsteps. I want to write a musical, a film or ballet score. Now that I am in New York, I have all the opportunities in the world to create great music.” Reineke advises Muse Machine members who are thinking of getting into the arts and entertainment industry to surround themselves with good people and be tenacious. “It took me 15 years to get to the top. People would tell me when I was younger that I had to pay my dues and now I realize they were right.” Basking in the glow of his recent accomplishments, Steven is truly on the fast track now, and the Muse Machine is proud to call him one of their own