On Monday, April 28, 2025, The New York Pops held their 42nd annual gala at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage. Their music honoree evening was Diane Warren, one of the most successful songwriters of the past 50 years. Even if you haven't heard of her name, you most certainly have heard her music. Warren was in attendance, watching the show from a box, and it was touching to see many of the singers calling out to her and expressing their gratitude for the songs she wrote for them. Over the course of roughly an hour, the Pops went through many of Warren’s greatest hits, sung by a star-studded cast of talent, including some of the singers who originated the songs (LeeAnn Rimes, Sophia Carson, Angélique Kidjo, and more). The show was magnetizing from start to finish, showing off the Pops’ dedication to arts education for children, their mission to making orchestral music more accessible for the public by presenting lush arrangements of popular songs, and more.