Houston Symphony to Partner with NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE 10/25

National Geographic Live and the Houston Symphony present a new dynamic four-event speaker series featuring some of the world's most fascinating explorers, scientists, filmmakers and adventurers. The first of these lectures, ON THE TRAIL OF BIG CATS, is taking place at 7:30 p.m.Tuesday, Oct. 25, on the stage of Jones Hall.

The Nat Geo Live speakers, considered among the best in their fields, will report on a wide range of human-interest and conservation topics and share captivating stories from the field including details about their perilous journeys through compelling, lavishly-illustrated presentations.

Award-winning conservation photographer Steve Winter, the first featured speaker of the series, will take audiences on a thrilling journey into the world of big cats. From trekking high in India's Himalaya in search of rare snow leopards and stalking the elusive jaguar through Latin American jungles to chronicling the nocturnal activities of the "American lion" or cougar, this determined explorer ventures far and wide to come face to face with his subjects.

"The audience gets to go along with me in the field, see all these photographs I've taken and hear the stories behind them," said Winter. "The lecture will have a lot of excitement, lots of laughs and take people on a great adventure that revolves around my experiences photographing jaguars, snow leopards, cougars and tigers. I've had an incredible life doing something I've always wanted to do."

In addition to organizing expeditions to some of the world's remote locations around the world, Winter's photojournalistic work has helped document and help to preserve the animals he photographs while expanding the frontiers of human knowledge and achievement. His decade long project to document the world's shrinking but resilient tiger species recently culminated in the stunning National Geographic book,Tigers Forever, co-authored with Sharon Guynup.

The event will take place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana St. 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. The Houston Symphony will not appear on this program.

During the 2016-17 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its third 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 87 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. For tickets and more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic. With a broad roster of talent including renowned photographers, scientists, authors, filmmakers and adventurers, National Geographic Live's critically acclaimed programs have connected with audiences worldwide for over a century. Currently, National Geographic Live events are held in 32 cities around the world, including, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Sydney. In each of these cities, speakers share behind-the-scenes stories from the front lines of exploration on stage alongside stunning imagery and gripping footage. For more information, visit natgeolive.com

National Geographic Partners LLC, a joint venture between National Geographic Society and 21st CenturyFox, combines National Geographic television channels with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic Studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, location-based entertainment, archival sales, catalog, licensing and e-commerce businesses. A portion of the proceeds from National Geographic Partners LLC will be used to fund science, exploration, conservation and education through significant ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

ON THE TRAIL OF BIG CATS, featuring wildlife photographer Steve Winter, is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 25 at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street. For more information, please call 713-224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets start at $15.

Photo Credit: Steve Winter