Derek Klena and Lindsay Mendez to Perform With The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall

The New York Pops will celebrate the most festive time of year with its annual concert tradition on Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. Led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, Sleigh Bells Ring features Derek Klena (Tony Award nominee; Broadway’s Wicked, Jagged Little Pill) and Lindsay Mendez (Tony Award winner; Broadway’s Merrily We Roll Along, Carousel) together with Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA in a festive evening of classic carols and new holiday favorites.

The New York Pops additionally presents One Night Only: An Evening with Denée Benton and Jordan Donica on November 20, 2026; Introducing…Jimmie Herrod and Marisha Wallace on February 5, 2027; and John Williams and Steven Spielberg: Movie Magic on March 5, 2027 in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Derek Klena is currently starring as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby on Broadway, following a year touring the country singing and pitching for the Savannah Bananas! He previously returned to Broadway as Fiyero in Wicked, where he made his Broadway debut during its 10th Anniversary in 2013. Derek also succeeded Aaron Tveit as Christian in Moulin Rouge! and earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for originating Nick Healy in Alanis Morissette’s critically acclaimed Jagged Little Pill.

Derek broke onto the NYC theatre scene in the 2012 Off-Broadway revival of Carrie, catching the attention of EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who cast him opposite Lindsay Mendez as Eddie Birdlace in Dogfight, earning him a Clive Barnes Award nomination. He also originated Michael Johnson in Jason Robert Brown’s The Bridges of Madison County and Dmitry in Ahrens, Flaherty, and McNally’s Anastasia on Broadway. Additional credits include Joe Gillis opposite Stephanie J. Block in Kennedy Center’s Sunset Boulevard; Unknown Soldier (Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Trip Cullman); Diner (Signature Theatre, by Sheryl Crow and Barry Levinson); and Hairspray (Hollywood Bowl, directed by Jerry Mitchell).

On television, Derek portrayed Wes in MAX’s “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” and DJ Fingablast in Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s Netflix comedy “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”. Additional credits include “City on a Hill”, “The Code”, “A Holiday Spectacular”, and “Private Princess”.

Lindsay Mendez most recently dazzled audiences as Aldonza in Lincoln Center Theater’s Gala production of Man Of La Mancha directed by Bartlett Sher. Prior to that, she starred in the critically acclaimed Tony Award winning Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along opposite Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe; the filmed version of this production was released in theaters across the country courtesy of Sony Pictures. Mendez reprised her Tony nominated performance as Mary Flynn from the NYTW run, which garnered her the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League, Drama Desk & Lortel nominations. Mendez won the Tony Award as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in the 2018 revival of Carousel.

On television, she may currently be seen in “Elsbeth” for CBS/Paramount +. Mendez previously starred in the FX anthology series “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” from Executive Producer Ryan Murphy as well as the Warner Bros television drama “All Rise” for CBS and OWN.

Other Broadway credits include: Significant Other, Wicked (Elphaba, 10th Anniversary company), Godspell, Everyday Rapture, Grease. Off-Broadway/regional credits include: The Golden Apple (City Center Encores!), Dogfight (Second Stage; Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations), The Rose Tattoo (Williamstown Theatre Festival), 35mm, The Winter’s Tale (Delacorte Theater).

In addition to a debut album titled ‘This Time,’ her concert work includes appearances with Lincoln Center’s American Songbook, the Library of Congress in Washington DC, the Kennedy Center, Feinstein’s/54 Below in NYC, Lyrics and Lyricists, the San Diego Symphony and the American Pops Orchestra. Other television and film credits include: “Law & Order: SVU,” “Station 19,” “Elementary,” “Modern Family,’ ‘Smash,’ ‘Murphy Brown,’ Joanna Gleason’s feature debut “The Grotto,” and most recently the independent film “These Little Ones Perish.’