Houston Symphony Announces Free Outdoor Concerts at Miller Outdoor Theatre on June 28 and 29

For the 79th consecutive year, the Houston Symphony continues its free summer tradition at Miller Outdoor Theatre on June 28 and 29 at 8:30 p.m. with its ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights. Houstonians of all ages and backgrounds can experience the Symphony while enjoying a casual evening full of classical music in a fun, outdoor setting.

Current assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Paolo Bortolameolli and pianist Drew Petersen make their Houston Symphony debuts Friday, June 28 at 8:30 p.m. during the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Night program Dvorák's New World.

Opening the evening, 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient Petersen takes center stage in Grieg's immensely popular piano concerto. Guest conductor Bortolameolli concludes the program with Dvorák's iconic Symphony No. 9, From the New World, a stirring love letter to America that captures the limitless potential of a budding nation.

The following evening-Saturday, June 29 at 8:30 p.m.-the Houston Symphony returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre under the direction of guest conductor Roderick Cox, who makes his Houston Symphony debut in the program Beethoven 5.

Cox opens the program with Richard Strauss's Don Juan followed by the Bloch's Schelomo, Rhapsodie hébraïque featuring the Silver Medal Winner of the 2019 Ima Hogg Competition Coleman Itzkoff. Winner of the Solti Foundation U.S.'s 2018 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Cox concludes the program with one of the most recognizable pieces in classical music, Beethoven's groundbreaking and epic Fifth Symphony.

The remaining concert in the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights series is the Houston Symphony's annual July 4thconcert featuring Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and fireworks. Admission is free, but tickets are required for the covered seated area. Tickets are available at the Miller Theatre Box Office the day of the performance between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Any remaining tickets are released one hour before the performance time. Visit milleroutdoortheatre.com and houstonsymphony.org for more information.

During the 2019-20 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its sixth 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 hundreds of thousands of people in Greater Houston.

Photo Credit: Josefina Perez