Houston Symphony Performs ROMEO & JULIET OVERTURE at Miller Outdoor Theatre Tonight

Tonight, June 28, the Houston Symphony will perform a free concert as part of the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights series at Miller Outdoor Theatre. The concert will feature the famous Romeo and Juliet Overture by Tchaikovsky, followed by popular works from Mendelssohn and Schumann. Led by American conductor Case Scaglione, the concert will also feature pianist Kuok-Wai Lio. Born in Macau, Kuok-Wai has gained worldwide recognition performing with various orchestras and for multiple festivals and competitions. Kuok-Wai will be making his Houston debut performing Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in G Minor.

Opening the concert, the Symphony will perform the well-known Romeo and Juliet Overture by Tchaikovsky. Often called his first major masterpiece, the piece is known the world over for its famous "love" theme. A story of doomed love and tragedy, this classic story and its main themes most likely resonated with the composers own personal tragedies. Full of lavishly beautiful and oppressively brutal themes depicting drama, love and conflict, this concert would make an excellent date night for couples to find a cozy spot on the hill at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

The audience is encouraged to participate in the Symphony's photo contest, OH SNAP!, in which concert-goers upload their favorite snapshots from any Summer Symphony Nights concert to the Symphony's Flickr page. The themes upon which the winners will be selected include the following categories: Performance, Family/Friends, Fireworks, Venue, Audience and Miscellaneous. Winners of each photo category will receive a pair of ticket vouchers to a future Houston Symphony concert, and their photo will be featured on the Houston Symphony website, e-news, and blog. Additionally, the grand prize winner will be given $300. Visit www.houstonsymphony.org/ohsnap for more information.

The Miller Outdoor Theatre is located at 6000 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX. The concert will take place on Friday, June 28, 2013, 8:30 PM.

FEATURING:

Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet

Case Scaglione, conductor

Kuok-Wai Lio, piano

Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor
Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D minor

FREE ADMISSION: Admission is free for these concerts, but tickets are required for the seated area. Tickets are available the day of the performance from the Miller Theatre Box Office between 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM. Any remaining tickets are released one hour before the performance time. Visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com for more information.

About Case Scaglione: American conductor Case Scaglione inspires orchestras and audiences across North America with his natural ease of conducting, musical depth and infectious joy on the podium. In 2011, Scaglione began his tenure as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic and made his subscription debut in 2012, stepping in for Kurt Masur.

During the 2012-13 season, Scaglione went to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to work with Sir Andrew Davis on a production of Strauss' Elektra before appearing as a guest conductor with orchestras throughout North America including the St. Louis, Edmonton and Jacksonville Symphonies, as well as the Palm Beach Opera, where he conducted a production of La Traviata. He finished his season in China, where he made his Asian debut with the Guangzhou Symphony and China Philharmonic at the personal invitation of Maestro Long Yu. This summer, Scaglione will return to the Sinfonia por el Peru and conduct a production of Britten's Turn of the Screw at the Siena Music Festival in Siena, Italy.

From 2008-2011, Scaglione was Music Director of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles where he was the driving force behind the continued artistic growth and diversification of the organization. He also founded 360° Music, an educational outreach program which brought the orchestra to inner city schools. His eclectic programming spanned works from Beethoven to Wagner to the Los Angeles premiere of John Adams' Doctor Atomic Symphony, which was supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.

A native of Texas, Scaglione received his bachelor's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His postgraduate studies were spent at the Peabody Institute, where he studied with Gustav Meier.

About Kuok-Wai Lio: Born in Macau in 1989, Kuok-Wai began his piano studies at the age of five. In 1997, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and began his studies at Curtis in 2006. His principal teachers have included Gabriel Kwok and Gary Graffman. Most recently, Kuok-Wai has been working regularly with András Schiff at international master classes and festivals in Europe.

Recent performances include solo recitals at the Ravinia Festival, Vancouver Recital Series and a chamber music concert at the Salzburg Festival. A regular participant of Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove, the Marlboro and Santa Fe Chamber Music festivals, Kuok-Wai has also performed with the Macau Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Curtis Chamber Orchestra, Russian Symphony Orchestra and Camerata Salzburg, in addition to recitals in Japan, Germany and Italy.

Kuok-Wai has received prizes in international competitions including Fulbright, Gina Bachauer, Seiler, Steinway, Ettlingen and Chopin (Tokyo). In January 2004, he was awarded a Commendation of Merit given by the Chief Executive of Macau. That same year, he was invited to perform for the President of China, Hu Jintao, at the fifth anniversary of Macau's handover to China.

About the Houston Symphony: During the 2013-14 Season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its 100th year as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. The Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas whose inaugural performance was held at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Continuing a long standing tradition of performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Houston Symphony held its first concert at Miller Memorial Theater on August 21, 1940 and has been entertaining outdoor audiences with free concerts every summer since. Today, with an annual operating budget of $28.7 million, the full-time ensemble of 87 professional musicians is the largest performing arts organization in Houston, presenting more than 280 concerts for 280,000 people, including 84,000 children, annually. For tickets and more information, visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.