PHOTOS AND B-ROLL

HOUSTON (July 16, 2026) –

The Houston Symphony welcomes singer, songwriter, independent artist, and record producer Ben Rector to the Jones Hall stage, Friday, September 4, 2026 for a very special performance with the Houston Symphony under the direction of Steven Reineke titled Ben Rector: Symphonies Across America with Jon McLaughlin.

Making his return to the symphony stage in 2026, Ben Rector has independently released seven studio albums including Brand New and Magic which both reached No. 1 on the Billboard Folk/Americana charts and No. 2 on the Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Independent Album charts. His songs have received both RIAA Gold and RIAA Platinum certifications, amassing more than a billion streams, and have been licensed in more than 100 ad campaigns, television shows and movies.

In Symphonies Across America, audiences will discover a new dimension to Rector’s music only experienced in the concert hall. Pulling from more than 15 years of cross-country travel as a touring artist, Rector masterfully brings anthem sing-a-longs, quippy humor and deep, meaningful lyrics — all beautifully backed by orchestra arrangements.

Joining Rector on his symphony tour across America is his good friend and fellow singer-songwriter, Jon McLaughlin, whose recently released album, Scenarios (October 2025), marks a bold new chapter with brand new songs that showcase both his storytelling and signature piano-driven sound. No stranger to the symphony stage, McLaughlin's depth and talent is sure to create a perfect complement to Ben on stage.

With a history of sold-out orchestra appearances in 2023–2024, Rector presents a new dimension of his music that fans can only experience at the symphony.

Tickets to Ben Rector: Symphonies Across America with Jon McLaughlin, September 4, 2026 at Jones Hall, will be available to donors and subscribers on July 16, 2026 and to the general public on July 17, 2026  at houstonsymphony.org, by phone or text at 713-224-7575, or in person at the Houston Symphony’s Courtyard Level box office at Jones Hall.  

Ben Rector: Symphonies Across America with Jon McLaughlin

September 4, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

Jones Hall for the Performing Arts

Steven Reineke, conductor

Ben Rector, guitar and vocalist

Jon McLaughlin, piano and vocalist

About Ben Rector

Fifteen years after starting his career writing songs and touring in his Honda Accord on the weekends, Ben Rector found himself at home and at the piano in March 2020. The alchemy of life’s big questions, more downtime than he’d had in a decade, and those now all-too-familiar “unprecedented times” resulted in his career album: The Joy of Music. The project includes a breathtaking short film (featuring seven songs brought to life with stunning cinematography), inviting listeners and viewers to visit a dream world that communicates Rector’s creative process and his reckoning with his job as an artist. He is led through the film’s chapters by his new friend Joy, a muppet monster he created with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. In this fantastic and dream-like landscape we see and hear Rector overcome a deep-seated fear of failure, dancing and singing his way through the journey of rediscovering the joy of music. Ben Rector has amassed over a billion streams across all platforms, has performed on numerous late night and morning TV shows including Conan, The Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Live With Kelly And Ryan, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and as a celebrity mentor on American Idol alongside alongside Ryan Tedder, Jewel, Brian McKnight, Jason Aldean and more. His records have topped numerous Billboard charts, with his last two records landing at #1 on Billboard's US Folk and #2 on Billboard's US Rock and US Indie charts. Rector has built a dedicated touring base, regularly selling out theaters and amphitheaters across the country, including three consecutive nights at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

About Jon McLaughlin

Indiana-born singer-songwriter and pianist Jon McLaughlin first broke out with his 2007 debut Indiana, earning fans through heartfelt songwriting, virtuosic piano work, and unforgettable live shows. Since then, he’s toured with Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson, and Adele, collaborated with Sara Bareilles and Demi Lovato, and even performed at the Academy Awards. His newest album, SCENARIOS (October 2025), marks a bold new chapter, featuring brand-new songs that showcase both his storytelling and signature piano-driven sound.

About Steven Reineke

Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke is one of North America's leading conductors of popular music and is in his second decade as Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. He is the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Principal Pops Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Reineke is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

On stage, Mr. Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television and rock including: Killer Mike, 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, amongst 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 "Illmatic." Reineke is the conductor on "Ben Folds Live with The National Symphony Orchestra and William Shatner's "So Fragile, So Blue" with The National Symphony Orchestra. In November 2025, Reineke was joined on the podium by NFL legend Marshawn Lynch, who visited the Houston Symphony ahead of Thursday Night Football, for a conducting tutorial featured in his Amazon Prime show, “N Yo City.” ​

As the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements, Reineke’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 performed frequently 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 performed by concert bands perennially.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned two 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.