June 25, 2012

Sounds Like Fun! With Robert Franz

Conducting the “Sounds Like Fun!” concerts is really fun for me. As a person who is relatively new to Houston, the concerts have given me the opportunity to get to know the city, and more important, lots of great people throughout the metro area. One of the things that makes these concerts special to me is that there is a question and answer period when members of the audience get to ask anything they want of me or of a member of the orchestra. There is no way to know what might be asked, and I really enjoy the spontaneity of that. The orchestra and I love to share what we do, and love to talk to people about being a musician. I’m often asked if I like what I do. I always reply, “no, I don’t like what I do. I love it!” And that’s the truth.

This year’s Sounds Like Fun! concerts are a bit unusual for me. Almost always when I put these together I begin with a theme. Perhaps stories in music, or dance-like music. This year was completely different. I started with a single piece of music and each piece of music that followed somehow connected to it. Sometimes the connections are super obvious (Like a piece called Turbulence next to the flight music from E.T.) and sometimes the connections aren’t that obvious at all (like Chicken Reel next to The Overture to the School for Scandal). Either way, the music is great, the orchestra sounds terrific, and what’s better than being able to drive to a location in your own neighborhood to hear the Houston Symphony?

These concerts have become such a tradition for me, that I can’t imagine a June without Sounds like Fun!

For more information on this week’s FREE Sounds Like Fun! concerts in your neighborhood, CLICK HERE!