DINOSAURS! Set for Houston Symphony's Next Family Concert, 4/20

Led by Associate Conductor Robert Franz, the Houston Symphony invites families to a concert on Saturday, April 20 that will take audience members back to pre-historic times. Featuring pieces such as John Williams' Theme from Jurassic Park and Morton Gould's The Jogger and the Dinosaur, the concert will create a pre-historic world within Jones Hall. During the concert, there will be several special visitors including an archeologist from the Houston Museum of Natural Science who will present and discuss dinosaur artifacts. The Symphony's percussion section will also be in the spotlight throughout the performance.

Before the 10:00 a.m. concert and after the 11:30 a.m. concert, youngsters can participate in a drum circle in the Jones Hall lobby, which will be decorated with student-made prehistoric rock drawings.

"Family concerts are the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning enjoying some of the greatest music ever written," said Franz. "For me, the idea of getting into my costume and introducing families, and especially kids, to the music that I love is a thrill. The Houston Symphony is best experienced live, and what better way to open up your child's world than with the sounds and sights of these incredible musicians."

Family Concerts are a fun-filled, interactive and educational concert series created for children and their families. Their concert experience will be enhanced through video projection screens that provide additional story support and enable them to see the orchestra in action. Come early before the 10am concert or stay late after the 11:30am concert to participate in exciting activities including an instrument petting zoo, arts and crafts and youth ensemble performances. For more ticket information, the Houston Symphony Patron Service Center in Jones Hall is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., by phone at (713) 224-7575 or online at www.houstonsymphony.org.

Houston Symphony Family Concerts play Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St., Houston, TX on Saturday, April 20, 2013, 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM. Dinosaurs! features Robert Franz, conductor. Tickets: Child $16; Adults $24.

In his sixth season as Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Robert Franz leads the Symphony in a broad range of creative educational and family concerts. His concerts have reached over 72,000 audience members of all ages as he travels to various venues throughout the state of Texas.

When not in Houston, he is also the Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic, and in 2012, Franz began his tenure as Music Director of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Opera and Orchestra. Franz is also the newly appointed Music Director of the Windsor Symphony in Ontario. Recent and upcoming guest conducting highlights include his debut with the Baltimore Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Under his direction, both the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (2008) and the Louisville Orchestra (2001) were awarded ASCAP's Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming. The Louisville Orchestra's award led to the creation of an education program for Kentucky Educational Television entitled, Creating Music and Stories. Winner of the 2008 BPO/ECMEA Music Educators Award for Excellence, Franz has created arts education programs for the Carolina Chamber Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, West End Chamber Ensemble and the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, including that organization's innovative Bolton Research Project.

A recognized leader in the arts, the Idaho Education Committee invited him to address the Idaho Legislature on the importance of music in education. Franz has also authored his first children's book with a CD entitled, Stella's Magical Musical Tour of America. It introduces children to classical music by incorporating various musical excerpts intertwined throughout the story of a girl's journey in a hot air balloon.

In addition to his current posts, Franz served as the Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony in Ohio (2003-10), Resident Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic (2005-09) and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra (1997-06). He continues to serve as Music Director Emeritus of the Carolina Chamber Symphony, an orchestra that he founded, and provides educational programming workshops at the National Repertory Orchestra during the summer.

Franz received his Master of Music degree in conducting from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1992 and his Bachelor of Music degree in oboe performance in 1990 from that same institution.

During the 2013-14 Season, the Houston Symphony will be in 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. 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.

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