HOUSTON, TX (January 22, 2025)-Fresh from her record-breaking, gravity-defying performance as Elphaba in the smash hit film Wicked, multi-award-winning British actress Cynthia Erivo joins Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke and the Houston Symphony for one very special concert performance on April 9, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Hall.
Cynthia Erivo won both the Tony and Grammy Awards for her Broadway debut role as Celie in The Color Purple, and seems to be well on her way toward joining the rarified company of stars who have won an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), having won a Daytime Emmy Award, and having been nominated for two Oscars since her 2018 screen debut, and four Golden Globe Awards, including a nomination for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. After the Christmas holiday weekend, Wicked became the highest grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical in history, with global sales of over $634 million and counting.
Cynthia Erivo With the Houston Symphony features the star singing a wide-ranging program that includes some of the hits that have made her a global phenomenon, including songs from The Color Purple, Harriet, and Wicked. Tickets go on sale first to Houston Symphony subscribers and donors on January 24 at 10 am., then to the general public on January 30 at 10 a.m. at www.houstonsymphony.org. by phone or text at 713-224-7575, or in person at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Window, courtyard level at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. in downtown Houston.
Cynthia Erivo With the Houston Symphony
Wednesday, April 9, 2025@ 7:30 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Cynthia Erivo, vocalist
About Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy® Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actress, singer, author, and producer, as well as an Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and SAG nominee. Since bursting onto the West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple, she has taken the world by storm. Erivo stars as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Universal’s record-breaking film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED from director Jon M. Chu. Part 1 of WICKED was released on November 22nd , 2024. With Part 2 releasing on November 21 st, 2025.
About Steven Reineke
Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke is one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. He is in his second decade as music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Steven is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.
On stage, he creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock, including Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, among others.
In 2024, he led the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on PBS’s Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS on Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album lllmatic. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered leading the NSO-in a first for the show’s 45-year history-performing live music excerpts between news segments.
As the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements, Steven’s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Casey at the Bat are frequently performed in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are perennially performed by concert bands.
A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.
About the Houston Symphony
Under the leadership of Music Director Juraj Valcuha, the Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony continues to inspire and engage diverse audiences in Houston and beyond with exceptional musical performances and enduring community impact. The Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Now in its second century as one of America’s premier orchestras, the Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas and remains a cultural cornerstone of the Region.
With an annual operating budget of $40.7 million, the Symphony presents over 130 concerts each year, making it one of the largest performing arts organizations in Texas. Its reach extends far beyond the concert hall, delivering more than 600 performances annually at schools, community centers, hospitals, and other venues, engaging over 160,000 people throughout Greater Houston.
The Symphony’s innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic-completing its 2020-21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams-earned national recognition and the ASCAP Foundation’s Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award. Its commitment to innovation continues, with its 2024-25 Season reaching audiences in over 45 countries and all 50 states via livestreaming, making it one of the few American orchestras to sustain such global digital engagement.
Renowned for its artistry, the Symphony has a distinguished recording legacy under prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, and Pentatone. Highlights include a Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winning live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and recent releases such as Jimmy Lopez Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra (2022) and Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel (2023).
The Symphony’s educational impact is equally remarkable, with its Harry and Cora Sue Mach Student Concert Series reaching over 50,000 students annually. Its In Harmony after-school program and partnerships with institutions like the Houston Methodist Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Children’s Hospital further demonstrate the Symphony’s commitment to fostering community connections and accessibility to the arts.
With a vision centered on artistic excellence, community engagement, and accessibility, the Houston Symphony remains a cultural leader in Houston and a global ambassador for the transformative power of music.
Media Contacts:
Eric Skelly, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Jessica Henderson, jessica@theckpgroup.com