Houston Symphony Invests Over $4.5 Million in Education, Community Programs

The Houston Symphony announced today that it has invested more than $4.5 million in education and community programs during the current 2014-15 season, an investment that will continue to grow into the 2015-16 season and beyond as the orchestra aims to become the most accessible of the nation's top symphonies.

The Symphony's education and community programs provide access to music for over 250,000 Houstonians of all ages and backgrounds each year, helping residents learn about and engage with music, making it a relevant and integral part of their lives. The number of educational and free community concerts has increased by nearly 40 percent since 2013, expanding the Symphony's reach and increasing its relevance and cultural service to the Houston community.

In addition to numerous community concerts at the orchestra's home base of Jones Hall, the Symphony offers a Sugar Land Concert Series, a summer and winter Neighborhood Concert Series at local churches and community centers, and multiple concerts at outdoor venues including Miller Outdoor Theatre and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. And each year, thousands of young instrumentalists work with Houston Symphony musicians in clinics and master classes to develop technique, hone listening skills and improve musicianship.

Award-Winning Conductor of Symphony Education, Family and Community Concerts Extends his Tenure in HoustonAward-winning educator Robert Franz leads the Symphony in education, family and community concerts around the greater Houston area. His work with students and advocacy in arts education has led to a continuing relationship with Radio Disney and has been recognized twice by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Franz and the Houston Symphony have announced the signing of a new contract, extending the conductor's tenure for at least two more years, through the 2016-17 season. Franz' position as associate conductor is sponsored by Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge.

"I am excited to continue my tenure as Associate Conductor with the Houston Symphony. It's an honor to make music with this incredible orchestra and to share it with people of all ages, backgrounds and in all areas of the city," said Franz. "Listening to orchestral music changes the way the brain works, the way students learn, and the way we think about the world around us. To be able to bring this to our community is a really special thing."

Franz is at the helm of most Houston Symphony's education, community and family activities. Franz takes an innovative approach to programming and leading student concerts, aligning grade-appropriate classroom curriculum with classical music performed by the Houston Symphony. This approach has been so well received by students and educators that the Symphony has increased the number of student concerts in the last five years, from 15 concerts in 2010 to a total of 22 concerts in 2015.

Franz also leads the orchestra's annual Summer Neighborhood Concert Series, during which the orchestra travels around Houston to perform 10 free concerts in churches, schools and neighborhood centers, as well as the Houston Symphony's successful Saturday morning Family series. The recently announced 2015-16 Family Series will feature music of Ghostbusters, a Superhero theme, and Disney's Frozen and The Little Mermaid.

Honoring Houston's Music EducatorsEach year, the Houston Symphony and Associate Conductor Robert Franz honor Houston-area teachers by providing a free concert to celebrate educators and the great work they do in developing musicians of the future. This year's Spec's Charitable Foundation Salute to Educators Concert on Thursday, February 26, features the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) Symphony Orchestra and Jasper Snow, the winner of the 2014 Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition. Snow, a former HSPVA student, currently attends the prestigious The Juilliard School.

"Our students are intensely focused on performing at the very highest level, both as soloists and as members of our school orchestra. They are only able to do this because of the wonderful teaching that they received in their elementary and middle school programs, as well as through their private lesson instructors," said Brad Smith, HSPVA Orchestra director. "We are honored to be a part of this concert celebrating the very educators who have prepared our students from the beginning of their musical studies."

For information and tickets, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call the Patron Services Center at (713) 224-7575, Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm. For more information on the Houston Symphony's Education & Community Programs, visit www.houstonsymphony.org/Education-Community.

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