Houston Symphony Celebrates Valentine's Day Weekend

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day weekend than with romantic songs sung in the indelible style of the "First Lady of American Song" Ella Fitzgerald?! Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke and the Houston Symphony provide the passionate, musical answer to that question with the program The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook, 8 p.m. Feb. 15 & 16 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17.

The Symphony pays tribute to Fitzgerald's countless classic songs with the help of special guests from the world of Broadway. Montego Glover, who currently plays Angelica Schuyler in the Chicago cast of Hamilton, Capathia Jenkins and N'Kenge return to Houston to lend their own versatile, vocal stylings to some of Fitzgerald's greatest hits. With the plush accompaniment of the full Houston Symphony under Reineke's direction, Glover, Jenkins and N'Kenge pay tribute to Fitzgerald's timeless voice with romantic ballads and sweet jazz stylings.

Known for her flawless intonation, thrilling improvisation and astonishing range, Fitzgerald was one of the greatest American singers of all time, and her strong, musical influence is still felt today. The program includes classic, romantic Fitzgerald songs such as "Our Love is Here to Stay" and "Come Rain or Come Shine".

The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook program 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 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

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 more than 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.