HOUSTON (Dec. 27, 2018) – You don’t need a Walkman or a mixtape to relive your favorite ’80s tunes. You can hear them live performed by your Houston Symphony under the direction of Columbus Symphony Pops Conductor Stuart Chafetz with special guests Nicole Parker and Aaron Finley in the Pops Series program Totally ’80s Jan. 11-12 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Show-stopping vocalist and Mad TV actress Nicole Parker, best-known as Elphaba in Broadway’s Wicked, returns to perform some of the greatest and most recognizable songs to hit the airwaves in the ’80s. Known for Broadway’s Rock of Age and Kinky Boots, Aaron Finley makes his Houston Symphony debut as he joins Parker and Chafetz in ’80s chart-toppers from Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, George Michael and Billy Joel.
Audience members will also relive treasured ’80s film scores as the orchestra performs selections from blockbuster movies like Chariots of Fire, Back to the Future and Ghostbusters.
Totally ’80s takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston’s Theater District. 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 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.
TOTALLY ’80S
Friday, Jan. 11, 2018, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 12, 2018, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 13, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Nicole Parker, vocalist
Aaron Finley, vocalist
About Stuart Chafetz
Stuart Chafetz is the newly appointed principal pops conductor of the Columbus Symphony. A conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, Stuart is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent, and this season he will be on the podium here and in Detroit, Milwaukee, Naples, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle and Vancouver. He enjoys a special relationship with The Phoenix Symphony where he leads multiple programs annually.
Stuart has had the privilege to work with renowned artists including Chris Botti, 2Cellos, Hanson, Rick Springfield, Michael Bolton, America, Little River Band, Brian McKnight, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, The Chieftains, Jennifer Holliday, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker and Bernadette Peters.
He previously held posts as resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and associate conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony (now Hawaii Symphony) for 20 years, Stuart also conducted the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principals from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time, Stuart led numerous concerts with the Maui Pops Orchestra. He’s led numerous Spring Ballet productions at the world-renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
In the summers, Stuart spends his time at the Chautauqua Institution, where he conducts the annual Fourth of July and Opera Pops concerts with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, in addition to his role as that orchestra’s timpanist.
When he’s not on the podium, Stuart Chafetz makes his home near San Francisco with his wife, Ann Krinitsky. Stuart holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music and a master’s from the Eastman School of Music.
About Nicole Parker
Nicole Parker is best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked. Since playing the green witch in the Broadway company, she has reprised the role for the show’s First National Tour. Her other Broadway credits include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me and The People in the Picture with Donna Murphy. Regionally, she played Juliet in The Second City’s Romeo and Juliet Musical at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, for which she received a Jeff Award nomination. She also appeared as Rosemary in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying at Reprise Theater Company and Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Falcon Theater.
For six years, Nicole was a cast member and contributing writer on Fox’s MADtv; and for two years, she performed and wrote for Boom Chicago, an all-American sketch and improvisation theater in Amsterdam. Her film credits include Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow, as well as the short films Weathered and Sitting Babies. She was a featured guest star on the mock game show Bunk on IFC and on ABC’s Trust Us with Your Life, an improvisation show from the creators of Whose Line Is It Anyway? She is a founding member or Waterwell, a non-profit theater company in New York.
A frequent soloist with orchestras around the country, in addition to these concerts, other recent and upcoming performances include Peter Nero and the Philly Pops; The Phoenix Symphony; Utah Symphony and Opera; Colorado, Santa Rosa, Pueblo, North Carolina, San Antonio and Idaho State-Civic Symphonies; Greensboro, Kalamazoo, Charleston and Orlando Symphony Orchestras; Sarasota Orchestra; Dayton and Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestras; and Fresno Philharmonic.
About Aaron Finley
Born and raised in Montana, Aaron C. Finley’s professional acting and singing career has spanned from coast to coast. Educated at Pacific Lutheran University near Seattle, he quickly became at top-tier talent in the Pacific Northwest, appearing in productions of Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus/Judas), Rent (Roger), Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik), Hairspray (Link Larkin), It Shoulda Been You (Greg Madison) and The Gypsy King (Drago).
Aaron made his Broadway debut in 2013, starring as Drew Boley in Rock of Ages. In 2015, he took over the role of leading man Brian Howard in It Shoulda Been You, directed by David Hyde Pierce. The next year, he assumed the role of Charlie Price in Kinky Boots. Recently, he has been celebrating the music of the 1980s performing in symphony pops concerts across North America.
Aaron loves mountain biking, skiing, golf, basketball and all things outdoors. He and his family currently live in Montclair, NJ.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2018-19 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its fifth 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 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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