DISNEY IN CONCERT WITH THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY Concert Set for 3/30

On March 30, the Houston Symphony will present a one-night-only performance of favorite Disney music. Four talented vocalists will join the orchestra as musical memories jump to life with Disney animation, film clips and original storyboard art projected on the big screen above the stage. While every generation has a favorite Disney movie, this concert is perfect for audiences of all ages who share a common love for the songs accompanying the iconic films. Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz will lead the orchestra and soloists in songs from Disney movies such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Aladdin, The Lion King and more. The enchanting music and stunning visuals of these masterpieces are sure to be an unforgettable night for Disney fans of all ages!

Houston Symphony POPS Special
Jones Hall
615 Louisiana St.
Houston, TX 77002

Saturday, March 30, 2013, 7:30pm

Disney in Concert
Robert Franz, conductor
Candice Nicole, vocalist
Whitney Claire Kaufman, vocalist
Aaron Phillips, vocalist
Andrew Johnson, vocalist
Tickets from: $25

About Robert Franz
Since beginning as Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Robert Franz has led the orchestra with vibrant, athletic and entertaining direction in a broad range of creative educational family concerts.

With a wide and varying knowledge of symphonic and operatic works, Franz has worked with some of today's finest performers including James Galway, Joshua Bell and Rachel Barton, Chris Botti, Chaka Khan and Judy Collins. He has been invited to guest conduct orchestras throughout the United States. In addition to guest conducting the Virginia Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and Musiqa (Houston) this season, he will return to the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in Alaska and the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.

A champion of new music, Franz has conducted numerous world premieres and works by living composers, the ASCAP award winning new music concert series (Louisville Orchestra) and co-hosted In a Different Key, a weekly contemporary music radio program.

A nationally recognized leader of arts education, Franz has forged partnerships with leading arts organizations and educational institutions, and a continuing relationship with Radio Disney. He has received the ASCAP Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming (2001, 2008) and the BPO/ECMEA Music Educators Award for Excellence (2008), created Kentucky Educational Television's Creating Music and Stories program, and participated in Children's Center and Enrichment Center chamber music residencies that provide arts enrichment experiences for disabled persons.

In addition to his post in Houston, Franz currently serves as Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic. Franz served as the Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony (2003-2010), Resident Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic (2005-2009), and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra (1997-2006). He continues 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 in 1992 as well as his Bachelor of Music degree in oboe performance in 1990 from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has participated in conducting workshops in the Czech Republic, St. Petersburg (Russia), Nashville and the Festival at Sandpoint, and was a participant in the 1997 National Conductor Preview.