Storm Large and J. Robert Spencer Join Houston Symphony for U.K. ROCKS This Weekend

This weekend, April 2-4, the Houston Symphony celebrates the iconic pop music of the United Kingdom in U.K. Rocks. Storm Large from the group Pink Martini and J. Robert Spencer of the Midtown Men perform songs ranging from The Beatles to contemporary artists such as Coldplay and Adele in this "across the pond" spectacle.
With hits like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Satisfaction" and "Every Breath You Take," the newly-produced program highlights the influence the Brits have had on pop music. Bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Queen will be performed by a full orchestra with the vocals of Storm Large and J. Robert Spencer, all under the baton of Principal POPS Conductor Michael Krajewski.

Storm Large returns to Houston after touring with the band Pink Martini with whom she played to international acclaim and sold out concerts. She shot to national fame in 2006 as a finalist on the CBS show Rock Star-Super Nova. Currently, she is writing an off-Broadway musical in New York City. J. Robert Spencer originated the role of Nick Massi in the Tony Award and Grammy Award winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys. In 2008 he left Jersey Boys and originated the role of Dan Goodman in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize Winning Broadway production of Next To Normal. His work earned him a Tony Award Nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He currently tours with The Midtown Men, a tour performed by the original cast of Jersey Boys.

For more information or to purchase tickets ($25), visit houstonsymphony.org or call the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center at (713) 224-7575, Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. U.K. Rocks, Friday, April 2, 2015, 8:00pm, Saturday, April 3, 2015, 8:00pm, Sunday, April 4, 2015, 8:00pm, featuring Michael Krajewski, conductor, Storm Large, vocalistJ, and Robert Spencer, vocalist. Performances take place at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. Houston, TX 77002.

Storm Large cartwheeled out of the gutter of her checkered past, across a thousand punk rock stages and into her infamously googled stint on a rock n roll reality series. From there she went on to tour the world, singing in 17 different languages, and behaving herself somewhat, with the joyful little pop orchestra, Pink Martini, ultimately leading to her success on the stage of Carnegie Hall singing Kurt Weill with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

She explains quite a bit of her wild life in her memoir, Crazy Enough, released 2012 through Simon and Schuster, which was Oprah's book of the week and won the 2013 Oregon Book Award for creative non-fiction. Her award winning one woman show, of the same name, broke every box office record at Portland Center Stage in 2010. In spring 2014, Storm performed at the Gilmore Festival with pianist Kirill Gerstein. In the summer 2014, she appeared at the Ojai Festival with The Knights and at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. In the fall of 2014, Storm will release "Le Bonheur," named after her band and released on Pink Martini's label, Heinz Records. The recording will be a collection of tortured and titillating love songs; beautiful, familiar, yet subversive.

Storm also makes her debut with The New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, The Cincinnati Symphony, The Houston Symphony and The RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin among others. Storm still tours with Pink Martini, and in all her free time is co-writing a new musical for The Public Theater in New York City.

In 2004, J. Robert Spencer originated the role of Nick Massi in the Tony Award and Grammy Award winning Broadway musical Jersey Boys. In 2008 he left Jersey Boys and originated the role of Dan Goodman in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize Winning Broadway production of Next To Normal. His work earned him a Tony Award Nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He was nominated for a Midwest Emmy Award for Best on Camera Performance by a Leading Actor for his work in the PBS production of Handel's Messiah Rocks.

In 2009, his Film Company 7 Spencer Productions executive-produced the environmental documentary titled "On Coal River", which has been the official selection of over 50 festivals worldwide and won several awards including the Appalachian Film Festival. In 2010, he reunited with his cast mates and formed the concert group, The Midtown Men - Four Original Stars from Broadway's Jersey Boys." The group has performed 400 concerts worldwide and recently filmed their PBS concert The Midtown Men - Live in Concert. Later in 2015, he will produce and also star as Abraham Lincoln in the bluegrass musical comedy UnCivil War with an out of town Broadway tryout for a spring opening in 2016. He is the 2009 recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Shenandoah University. www.jrobertspencer.com

Known for his entertaining programs and clever humor, Michael Krajewski is a much sought after conductor of symphonic pops. He is Music Director of The Philly Pops and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston, Atlanta and Jacksonville Symphonies.

As a guest conductor Michael has performed with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras; the Boston and Cincinnati Pops; the San Francisco, Baltimore, Detroit, Indianapolis, Seattle, Dallas, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and National Symphonies, and numerous other orchestras across the United States. In Canada he has led Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, and the Edmonton, Winnipeg and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphonies. Other international appearances include performances in Dublin and Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra as well as performances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and this season's debut with Spain's Bilbao Symphony Orchestra.

Michael is the conductor of the video Silver Screen Serenade with violinist Jenny Oaks Baker that aired worldwide on BYU Broadcasting. On recording he has led the Houston Symphony on two holiday albums: Glad Tidings and Christmas Festival. In 2014/2015 Michael will be conducting his original Sounds of Simon & Garfunkel program all over North America featuring national touring artists AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle. Michael's other collaborative programs have included such artists as flutist James Galway, mezzo Marilyn Horne, pianist Alicia de Larrocha, guitarist Angel Romero, and pop artists Jason Alexander, Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel, Wynonna Judd, Kenny Loggins, Ben Folds, Doc Severinsen, Patti Austin, Sandi Patty, Ann Hampton Callaway, Chicago, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Chieftains, Pink Martini, Rockapella, Cirque de la Symphonie, Classical Mystery Tour, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Midtown Men.

With degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Michael furthered his training at the Pierre Monteux Domaine School for Conductors. He was a Dorati Fellowship Conductor with the Detroit Symphony and later served as that orchestra's assistant conductor. He was resident conductor of the Florida Symphony and for eleven years served as music director of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. Michael lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife Darcy. When not conducting he enjoys travel, photography and solving crossword puzzles.

During the 2014-15 season, the Houston Symphony enters its second century as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. This season also marks the inaugural year for new Music Director Andrés Orozco- Estrada. 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 $29 million, the full-time ensemble of 87 professional musicians is the largest performing arts organization in Houston, presenting more than 286 performances for 300,000 people, including 82,000 children, annually. For tickets and more information, visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call (713) 224-7575.

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