Festival highlights include: two Houston Symphony performances on the Houston Public Media main stage, local DJs spinning live from Jones Plaza and a fleet of food trucks on Jones Plaza and alongside Louisiana Street
Houston (July 7, 2015) – The Houston Symphony’s wildly successful Day of Music returns to Jones Hall for the fourth consecutive year with a diverse entertainment lineup which includes two Houston Symphony concerts, dozens of local groups representing a variety of music styles, and a wide range of activities for the whole family.
From noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9, festival-goers can expect to see over 20 music ensembles perform on five different stages in and around Jones Hall. With music styles that range from jazz, rock and choral to classical and mariachi, this year’s participating groups will offer something unique to music lovers of all ages.
New this year is the closure of Louisiana Street (between Texas Street and Capitol Street) to help accommodate an expanded food truck fare featuring 8 local vendors. Also new this year is the participation of DJ Jus Chris from 97.9 The Box and DJ Nayyz from Hot 95.7. Both DJs will be spinning live from Jones Plaza as crowds sample different foods and make their way across the street into Jones Hall for more family entertainment.
“Day of Music is an exciting medley of musical experiences and this year will be bigger and better than ever,” said Joshua Dada, Manager of Community Programming. “For the very first time, we’re excited to partner with local DJs to help enhance the festival-going experience as crowds check out the local food trucks around Jones Hall. This is the must-go summer festival for families in greater Houston.”
Returning favorites include Joy of Djembe Drumming, Mariachi Autlán, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston and the North American Youth Chinese Orchestra. Day of Music debuts include Live Out Loud Band, Phap Luan Lion Dance, and St. Thomas Episcopal School Pipe Band:
- Live Out Loud Band is a Houston-based cross-genre band made up of young skilled musicians, many of whom are graduates of the High School of the Performing Visual Arts (HSPVA) and other respected schools. They cater to all ages with their fresh, mature sound and versatility that includes different music styles including jazz, top 40, hip-hop, neo-soul and country
- Phap Luan Lion Dance is a Vietnamese-American dance group often featured at Lunar New Year festivals in Houston. They were added to the program this year to help spread cultural awareness among the newer generation of Vietnamese-American children
- St. Thomas Episcopal School Pipe Band has grown to become one of the world’s most respected juvenile pipe bands, winning several North American and World Championships. The band, which performs throughout the community, has performed for Queen Elizabeth II and former President George H.W. Bush
Houston Symphony performs twice on Day of Music
As part of the annual Day of Music tradition, the Houston Symphony is scheduled to offer two free performances: a family afternoon concert (1 p.m.) for children and their parents and an evening concert (7:30 p.m.) of well-known Classical selections.
The first performance will be led by associate conductor Robert Franz in a program of epic tales featuring music of Rossini and Wagner plus selections from Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The second Houston Symphony concert, historically known as the Houston Chronicle Concert, will be led by Johannes Debus, music director of the Canadian Opera Company, in his Houston debut. The program features Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Berlioz’ The Roman Carnival, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. 26-yeard old violinist Luke Hsu, winner of the Houston Symphony’s 2016 Ima Hogg Competition, joins Debus and the orchestra for this concert, which has become an annual tradition over the past five decades. The very first Houston Chronicle Concert was performed at the Houston Coliseum November 25, 1960, in front of 10,000 people.
In addition to Hsu, this year’s Day of Music will feature another emerging violinist: 14-year-old Haeun Moon. The young violinist will perform at 2:45 p.m. in recital on the Front Lobby/Piano Level Stage. Moon earned second place in the 2016 Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition and has performed solos with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the East Oregon Symphony Orchestra.
Each Day of Music performance, with the exception of the evening classical concert, will be 30 minutes, 45 minutes or one hour in duration. The final concert of the Day of Music program featuring the orchestra is one hour and 50 minutes with a 20 minute intermission.
Guests are encouraged to share the excitement on social media throughout the day by using #DOM2016. Tickets are not required to attend. For a complete schedule of activities and a full list of participating food vendors, visit houstonsymphony.org/dayofmusic2016.
The Houston Symphony thanks The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Press, Houston Chronicle, Houston First Corporation and The Melbern G. and Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation for their support of Day of Music. Media sponsors for Day of Music are BackstageOL, Houston Public Media, iHeartRadio, MEGA 101, Sunny 99.1, Boom 92, Majic 102.1, 97.9 The Box and Hot 95.7. Each performance stage and Jones Plaza will have a corresponding media sponsor title.