THE NEW YORK POPS UNDERGROUND
Monday, October 5, 2026
6:00 PM Reception
6:30 PM Performance and Dinner
54 Below, 254 West 54th Street
Featuring Deborah Cox
With opening act The PopsEd Alumni Ensemble
Event Chairs: David Blakelock and Andrea Reiser
Join us for The New York Pops Underground, our annual fall cabaret fundraiser at 54 Below!
Guests will enjoy a special cabaret performance from Grammy and Tony-nominated singer and actress Deborah Cox. Alumni from The New York Pops’s Kids on Stage program will serve as opening act. During the performance, guests will enjoy a meal with wine pairings.
All proceeds from The New York Pops Underground support our PopsEd music education programs. This is our only fundraiser dedicated solely to PopsEd, and we count on your support to provide life-changing music education experiences to New York City students.
Artist, program, and pricing subject to change. Purchases are non-refundable; if you are not able to attend you may convert your ticket purchase to a fully tax-deductible donation.
About the Artist
Deborah Cox is a Grammy and Tony-nominated recording artist, Broadway performer, and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee whose career spans music, theater, television, and film. She is currently starring in Titanique on Broadway as “Unsinkable” Molly Brown and also serves as a Co-producer for the production.
An internationally celebrated vocalist, Cox has achieved six Top 20 Billboard R&B singles and an extraordinary 13 #1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Chart, earning her a place at No. 23 on Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists” list. Her sophomore album produced two #1 R&B classics, including the record-breaking “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” which spent 14 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Chart—the longest run in the chart’s history at the time.
Deborah received a Grammy nomination in 2025 for The Wiz (Best Musical Theater Album), in which she starred as Glinda and served as co-producer of the theatrical production, underscoring her continued impact on both the stage and in the recording arts.
Additional Broadway credits include starring in the title role of Aida in 2004, followed by major musical productions including Jekyll & Hyde and The Bodyguard. Her work seamlessly bridges contemporary music and musical theater, marking her as one of the rare artists equally at home in both worlds.
On screen, she has received rave reviews for her performances on BET’s First Wives Club and HBO Max’s Emmy-nominated Station Eleven.
In 2022, Deborah reached a historic milestone as the first Black woman inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. That same year, she received the Key to her hometown, the City of Toronto, which declared September 23 “Deborah Cox Day” and was honored with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Beyond performance, she is recognized for her long-standing commitment to social justice and LGBTQ+ community advocacy.
Off stage, Deborah is a successful entrepreneur. Alongside her husband, Lascelles Stephens, she created KAZAISU, a line of organic wines. Combining the names of their three children—Kaila, Isaiah and Sumayah—KAZAISU offers clean, pure wine with exquisite taste.
Deborah Cox continually redefines what it means to be a multifaceted artist, building an enduring legacy through excellence in music, theater, television and business.