Summer Symphony Nights, PRESENTED BY SPEC’S WINES, SPIRITS & FINER FOODS/SPEC’S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION:
July 4, 11, 12, 18, AND 19, 2025
Photos here.
HOUSTON (May 21, 2025) –
Today, the Houston Symphony announced the 2025 Summer Symphony Nights, presented by Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/Spec’s Charitable Foundation, at Miller Outdoor Theatre. In its 84th year, the annual tradition introduces outstanding soloists and conductors to Houston audiences, as well as one of Houston best-loved traditions: the Houston Symphony’s Star-Spangled Salute on the 4th of July! The July 4th Concert is led by Houston Symphony Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke, and features Houston vocalist Christina Wells in her Houston Symphony debut. Audiences can count on a spectacular fireworks show, which most certainly follows Tchaikovsky’s dramatic 1812 Overture.
Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias kicks off Houston Symphony’s Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Friday, July 11, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. with perhaps the most famous work in the orchestra repertoire: Beethoven’s dramatic Symphony No. 5. Rising young Indonesian pianist Janice Carissa makes her Houston Symphony debut performing Rachmaninoff’s passionate Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and Farias opens the concert with the final dance of Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances.
The next night, Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 8:30 p.m., Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer makes his Houston debut leading the orchestra and fellow Houston Symphony debuting artist, Venezuelan violinist Gabriela Lara, in Astor Piazzolla’s tango-charged Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 completes the program.
Russian-born conductor Anna Rakitina makes her Houston Symphony debut on Friday, July 18, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. She conducts Tchaikovsky’s impassioned Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, as well as Shostakovich’s dramatic Symphony No. 5.
French-British conductor Stephanie Childress makes her Houston Symphony debut the next night, Saturday, July 18, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. She leads the orchestra in Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, and Mary Kouyoumdjian’s Tagh of an Immigrant, and is joined by Houston Symphony debuting viola soloist Jordan Bak for 18th-century composer Carl Stamitz’s technically demanding Viola Concerto.
Admission is free to all the Summer Symphony Nights concerts at Miller Outdoor Theatre, but tickets are required for the covered seating area. Tickets for covered seating are available online at www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/get-tickets beginning at 10 a.m., one day prior to the performance date until noon on the day of the performance. There will be a limited number of tickets at the box office one hour before the performance. No tickets are required for the hill.
Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre
Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX 77030
[* = Houston Symphony Debut]
About the Houston Symphony
Under the leadership of Music Director Juraj Valčuha, 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 López 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