HOUSTON (Oct. 31, 2018) – The Houston Symphony, the music of George Gershwin and the great American movie musical join forces for an indelible concert/film experience as the Symphony screens the classic 1951 MGM musical An American in Paris with the orchestra performing the score live, 8 p.m., Nov. 9-10 and 7:30 p.m., Nov 11 at Jones Hall.
Winner of six Academy Awards including Best Picture and celebrated as one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, An American in Paris’ score is led live by guest conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos as the film unfolds on the big screen in glorious, vibrant technicolor.
An American in Paris, starring Leslie Caron and movie legend Gene Kelly, features the animated, jazzy songs of George and Ira Gershwin, culminating in the iconic 17-minute An American in Paris ballet, choreographed by Kelly himself. The romantic film tells the story of an American ex-GI who falls for a Parisian woman. The evening includes unforgettable, treasured songs like “Embraceable You,” “I Got Rhythm” and many more.
An American in Paris – Film with Live Orchestra takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston’s Theater District. For tickets and information, please call (713) 224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS –
FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA
Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.
Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor
About Constantine Kitsopoulos
Constantine Kitsopoulos has established himself as a dynamic conductor known for his work in many different genres and settings. He is equally at home with opera, symphonic repertoire, film with live orchestra, music theatre and composition. His work has taken him to major orchestras all over the world.
In addition to Constantine’s engagements as guest conductor, he is music director of the Festival of the Arts Boca and general director of Chatham Opera. He was recently appointed general director of the New York Grand Opera charged with bringing free opera back to New York’s Central Park.
Highlights of the 2018-19 season include his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and return engagements here and with orchestras in Dallas, Detroit, New Jersey, San Francisco, Toronto, New York, Louisiana and San Antonio. He will conduct Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at Indiana University Opera Theatre.
His commitment to opera has led him to develop semi-staged productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, for which he has written a new translation, Don Giovanni and La bohème. With Indiana University Opera Theatre, he has conducted productions of Falstaff, Die Fledermaus, A View from the Bridge, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Most Happy Fella, South Pacific, Oklahoma!, The Music Man and The Last Savage. He was assistant chorus master at New York City Opera, 1984-1989.
On Broadway, Constantine served as music director of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (cast album, PS Classics), A Catered Affair (cast album, PS Classics), Coram Boy, La bohème (cast album, DreamWorks Records), Swan Lake and Les Misérables. He was music director of American Conservatory Theater’s acclaimed production of Weill/Brecht’s Happy End and made the only English language recording of the piece for Sh-K-Boom Records. A Broadway highlight was serving as music director and principal conductor of Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La bohème.
As composer, he is music director/supervisor of Temple, with book and lyrics by Silvia Peto, music by Norman Durkee; Constantine provided additional music, arrangements and orchestrations. Other works in development are Alamo, with music and lyrics by Timothy Noble and Constantine as music director/supervisor, arranger and orchestrator; and a chamber opera about three generations of Greek women, Holy Week, with librettist Evangelia Kingsley.
Constantine Kitsopoulos studied piano with Marienka Michna, Chandler Gregg, Edward Edson and Sophia Rosoff. He studied conducting with Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Commissiona, Gustav Meier and his principal teacher, Vincent La Selva.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2018-19 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its fifth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco- Estrada and continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $33.9 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 900 community-based performances each year, reaching thousands of people in Greater Houston.
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Naxos, Koch International Classics, Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and, most recently, Dutch recording label PENTATONE. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Eric Skelly: (713) 337-8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: (713) 337-8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
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