Houston Symphony Opens 2018-19 POPS Season With Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas headliner Frankie Moreno joins Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke for the 2018-19 POPS Series opener Viva Las Vegas at 8 p.m. Aug. 31-Sept. 1 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2 at Jones Hall.

Known for his entertainment shows and virtuoso piano technique, Moreno brings the hottest shows on the Strip to Houston with hits from Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and "the King," Elvis Presley. Classically trained ballerina and So You Think You Can Dance finalist Lacey Schwimmer joins the performance as she showcases her dancing skills in the glitzy and glamourous program featuring the Houston Symphony.

"It's a really exciting show because Frankie is a fantastic singer and plays the piano like a demon," says Reineke. "We have a dancer coming - Lacey Schwimmer - from Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance? It's great music for all!"

The concert will take 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 www.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.

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.