HOUSTON (June 21, 2019) – The Houston Symphony closes out the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights with an Independence Day celebration at Miller Outdoor Theatre: Star-Spangled Salute, a Houston tradition of more than 75 years. Houstonians can enjoy patriotic tunes, a celebration of the Apollo 11 space mission, and an incredible firework display in a free and family-friendly setting at 8:30 p.m. on July 4.
This year’s Star-Spangled Salute includes select musical pieces like “Moondance,” John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and Bill Conti’s music from the film The Right Stuff to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Retired NASA employee Bill Davidson will join the celebration as the Symphony’s special guest during the evening’s program. Davidson worked at NASA during the Apollo 11 era in a variety of roles including Special Assistant to Chief, Flight Control Division; Section Head, Advanced Operations Planning Section; Program Planning Supervisor; and Mission Manager for the Earth Operations Aircraft Program Office.
Houston-native and vocalist Chelsea Cymone is featured in the program along with a selection of patriotic favorites, American classics, and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture led by Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke. The evening’s festivities conclude with a stellar firework display provided by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board.
Admission is free, but tickets are required for the covered seated area. Tickets are available at the Miller Theatre Box Office the day of the performance between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Any remaining tickets are released one hour before the performance time. Support for the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Theatre comes from ExxonMobil, the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Visit milleroutdoortheatre.com and houstonsymphony.org for more information.
STAR-SPANGLED SALUTE
Thursday, July 4, 8:30 p.m.
Steven Reineke, conductor
Chelsea Cymone, vocalist
About Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. In addition to being Principal POPS Conductor at the Houston Symphony, Steven is the music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and principal pops conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the posts of principal pops conductor of the Long Beach and Modesto Symphony Orchestras and associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.
Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and has been on the podium with the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia. His extensive North American conducting appearances include Atlanta, Cincinnati, Edmonton, and San Francisco.
On stage, Steven has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television and rock, including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra—in a first for the show’s 45-year history—performing live music excerpts between news segments.
As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, The 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 worldwide.
A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, 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 Chelsea Cymone
The ability to command the stage as a vocalist or feature artist is not something every singer possesses; Chelsea Cymone does! A Houston native, Chelsea has been singing since she was 5, with a foundation deeply rooted in the Baptist Church.
Her love for classical music developed during her time as a student at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). This was a very influential time because HSPVA also nurtured her love for performing. After graduating high school, Chelsea attended Prairie View A&M University on scholarship with a concentration in operatic performance. She quickly became a shining star! Chelsea began to explore her options in music, singing locally as a background vocalist. Doors opened, and she was given the opportunity to perform in Japan and South Africa as a background vocalist and featured artist; the experience helped her to visualize an attainable goal.
Chelsea made her debut as a featured soloist with the Houston Symphony in the 2018 POPS Season and has performed as the featured artist for the Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Christmas and Thanksgiving parades. She has worked with several artists as vocal producer/arranger, including Tamar Davis of NBC’s The Voice, and as a background vocalist for Motown Gospel’s artist Gene Moore, Chante’ Moore, Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, Regina Belle and Kenny Latimore. She works with Ernest Walker Entertainment to share her gifts on a corporate level for companies and foundations, such as The Barbara Bush Foundation.
Chelsea Cymone sums up her life philosophy with: “Make your passion your paycheck.” She works every day to do just that.
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 $33.9 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 900 community-based performances each year, reaching hundreds of thousands of people in Greater Houston.
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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