Our beloved Founder and Music Director Skitch Henderson passed away on November 1, 2005. The New York Pops and Carnegie Hall celebrated his life with a free tribute on February 6, 2006. Rob Fisher led the orchestra. Rudolph W. Giuliani, Marilyn Horne, Liz Smith, Mike Wallace and other friends and colleagues offered anecdotes about Skitch’s artistry and humanity. Jason Danieley, Kitty Carlisle Hart, and Lillias White performed.

“Skitch Henderson was a great musician, a terrific guy, and a really great ambassador for New York. I appreciate very much the way in which Skitch took popular music and classical music and made it accessible to people. I think the thing that I appreciate the most is the name that he gave the orchestra: The New York Pops. Like the New York Yankees – right? Just think of what and how that advertises New York.”
– The Honorable Rudolph W. Giuliani

“It was his sense of humor as well as his great warmth and care about music that so personified him.”
– Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall Executive and Artistic Director

“He expressed love through communication, making us laugh, and most importantly making his
audience feel at home.”
–Mani Nwaedozie, 2005 Martin Ormandy Scholarship winner.

“So now he’s gone, this great heart, this genial giant. He was a musician who lived his music to the hilt.”
– Liz Smith

“With Ruth’s inner strength and always by Skitch’s side, The New York Pops developed into a beloved New York institution.”
–Anna Weber, Carnegie Hall, Director of Program Planning and Operations