HOUSTON (June 25, 2019) – The Houston Symphony’s Bank of America Summer Sounds Series gets set to rock Jones Hall with The Music of Queen. This two-night-only program brings Queen’s unforgettable hits amped up by a full rock band, the Houston Symphony, and a star rockin’ vocalist at 7:30 p.m. on July 5 and 6.
The Houston Symphony, augmented by a full rock band, covers a set list of Queen’s iconic hits like “We Are the Champions,” “Somebody to Love,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Guest conductor Brent Havens returns to Houston to lead the electrifying program with rock vocalist Brody Dolyniuk. Concertgoers can enjoy drinks and photo ops in the lobby prior to the performance.
Formed in the 1970s, the English rock band Queen dominated popular culture as one of the world’s top-selling recording and concert acts. With record sales estimated in the hundreds of millions, Queen received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. The classical influence in progressive rock anthems like “Bohemian Rhapsody” makes Queen’s music particularly well-suited for symphony orchestras.
The Music of Queen 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, 12–6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.
THE MUSIC OF QUEEN
Friday, July 5, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 6, 7:30 p.m.
Brent Havens, conductor
Brody Dolyniuk, vocalist
About Brent Havens
Berklee-trained arranger/conductor Brent Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films, and virtually every kind of television program. His TV work includes movies for major networks, commercials, sports music for ESPN, and cartoons. He worked with the Doobie Brothers and the Milwaukee Symphony, arranging and conducting the combined group for Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary Birthday Party Finale attended by more than 150,000 fans.
In addition to the Houston Symphony, Brent has worked with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra in London; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra; Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, and Forth Worth Symphony Orchestras; Minnesota Orchestra; Nashville Symphony; Buffalo Philharmonic, and countless others.
Brent recently completed the score for the film Quo Vadis, a Premier Pictures remake of the 1956 gladiator film. In 2013, he worked with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens to arrange and produce the music for the Thanksgiving Day halftime show between the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, adapting classical music and rock songs into a single four-minute show. Havens is arranger/guest conductor for all the symphonic rock programs for Windborne Music.
About Brody Dolyniuk
Brody Dolyniuk, a gifted, self-taught musician, who plays several instruments, has a particular knack for capturing the voices and mannerisms of classic characters from music, TV, and movies.
His first professional gigs were at piano bars in several U.S. cities, where he learned to charm audiences and expand his musical repertoire. With a longing to perform the music of the many rock bands that inspired him, Brody assembled Yellow Brick Road (YBR), unquestionably Las Vegas’s most successful classic rock band. Since 1997, YBR has been reshaping the casino entertainment scene by bringing a rock concert atmosphere to showrooms previously reserved for Top-40-style lounge acts. Along the way, Brody has made numerous radio and TV appearances and earned a spot in the finals of two national singing competitions. He has also produced several large rock shows using multimedia, lasers, comedy, and special effects. In 2007, Brody lent his vocal talents to several tracks on the mega-hit video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and has provided vocals for the Konami game Rock Revolution.
Brody joined Windborne Music in 2009 as vocalist for The Music of Queen and has proven versatile enough to lead Windborne’s Rolling Stones, The Who, U2, Journey, and Elton John shows. He also serves as an on-call stand-in for several other shows, including The Music of Led Zeppelin and The Music of Pink Floyd. As a devout classic rock fan, Brody’s enthusiasm, vocal ability, and on-stage energy are a perfect fit for Windborne Music’s symphony shows and continue to win over audiences around the globe.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2019–20 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its sixth 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 hundreds of 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 CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: 713.337.8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
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