HOUSTON (Oct. 1, 2019) – The Houston Symphony opens their 2019–20 BBVA Family Series with the magical and spell-binding program, Wands & Wizards: Music from Harry Potter & More, at 10 and 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 12. Plus, the first 100 children who arrive in costume are invited to join an on-stage costume parade.
Associate Conductor Robert Franz leads the orchestra in a program featuring music from Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, made famous as a star vehicle for Mickey Mouse in the Disney animated classic film, Fantasia. Franz always dresses up for the occasion, and audiences are encouraged to do the same. Families can craft their own wands and enjoy other musical activities, like the Instrument Petting Zoo in the Jones Hall lobby. Lobby activities take place from 9 to 9:50 a.m. before the 10 a.m. concert and from 12:30 to 1 p.m. after the 11:30 a.m. concert.
Wands & Wizards: Music from Harry Potter & More, part of the BBVA Family Series, takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston’s Theater District. Additional support comes from Houston Methodist, the Symphony’s Official Health Care Provider. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.
WANDS & WIZARDS: MUSIC FROM HARRY POTTER & MORE
Saturday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 12, 11:30 a.m.
Robert Franz, associate conductor
About Robert Franz
Recognized as “an outstanding musician with profound intelligence,” Robert Franz currently serves as associate conductor of the Houston Symphony, music director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Orchestra, and newly appointed artistic advisor of the Boise Baroque Orchestra. Throughout his career, he has striven for the highest artistic standards, built bridges in many communities, and maintained the strongest commitment to music education.
This season, Robert celebrates his 12th year as associate conductor of the Houston Symphony. He recently became the first member of the orchestra’s conducting staff to be honored with the Raphael Fliegel Award for Visionary Leadership, which recognizes his success in advancing the organization’s education and community engagement activities. He has positively impacted student concert attendance during his tenure and has led a broad range of creative, educational, and engaging family concerts, including the Houston Symphony’s Summer Neighborhood Concert Series.
Composer Bright Sheng has praised Franz for his “extremely musical and passionate approach towards music making,” and Robert is in increasing demand as a guest conductor. Upcoming and recent engagements include appearances with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Winston-Salem Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Idaho. Additional recent guest conducting appearances include The Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and Italy’s Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, among others. His versatility has led to collaborations with a wide array of artists, including James Galway, Joshua Bell, Rachel Barton Pine, Chris Botti, Idina Menzel, and Judy Collins.
Robert is equally comfortable and effective coaching more than 50 student orchestras each season. An eloquent speaker, he recently presented a TEDx Talk titled Active Listening and Our Perception of Time. His work with the acclaimed Bolton Research Project led the way to his commitment to the art of active listening. Under his direction, both the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where he received the BPO/ECMEA Music Award for Excellence, and the Louisville Orchestra were awarded ASCAP’s Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming. The Louisville Orchestra’s award led to the creation of an education program for Kentucky Educational Television entitled Creating Music and Stories.
When he’s not on the podium, Robert can be found skiing slowly and carefully on the slopes, stretching in yoga class, and playing card games with his family.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2019–20 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its sixth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring, and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $35.2 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches reaching nearly 200,000 people in Greater Houston annually.
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Naxos, Koch International Classics, Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: 713.337.8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
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