Press Room

New Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke Opens the 2017-18 POPS Series with Unforgettable Music from Hit Broadway Musicals

HOUSTON (Oct. 24, 2017) – Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke opens the 2017-18 BBVA Compass POPS Series with Broadway Today, at 8:00 p.m. Nov. 10-11 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Jones Hall. Broadway stars Betsy Wolfe and Jeremy Jordan join Reineke and the orchestra in an evening filled with unforgettable music from hit Broadway musicals.

Broadway powerhouse, Betsy Wolfe, will make her Houston Symphony debut led by Reineke. Tony nominee Jeremy Jordan, best known for the role of Jack Kelly in the 2012 musical Newsies, will also make his Houston Symphony debut. Jordan currently stars in the CW drama series Supergirl. The program will feature music from hit Broadway musicals including The Book of Mormon, Once, Miss Saigon, Little Shop of Horrors and the 2017 Tony award-winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen. In addition, the Houston Symphony will perform music from classic Broadway shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King and Cats.

The concert will take 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.

Due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey on Jones Hall, the Theater District Parking Garage is closed until further notice. For a list of nearby alternatives, visit /Plan-Your-Visit/Directions-Parking/jones.

BROADWAY TODAY
Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Steven Reineke, conductor
Betsy Wolfe, vocalist
Jeremy Jordan, vocalist
Tickets from $40

About Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. In addition to being Principal POPS Conductor at the Houston Symphony, Steven is the music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and principal pops conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the posts of principal pops conductor of the Long Beach and Modesto Symphony Orchestras and associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and has been on the podium with the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia. His extensive North American conducting appearances include San Francisco, Seattle, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Ottawa (National Arts Centre), Detroit, Milwaukee and Calgary.
On stage, Steven has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television and rock, including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra—in a first for the show’s 45-year history—performing live music excerpts between news segments.

As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.

A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, where he earned Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband, Eric Gabbard.

About Betsy Wolfe
Betsy Wolfe is currently starring in the hit Broadway musical Waitress. She was last seen on Broadway starring in Falsettos as Cordelia, one of the lovable “lesbians from next door,” directed by James Lapine.

Her other Broadway credits include Woody Allen’s musical adaptation of Bullets Over Broadway where she played opposite Zach Braff, under the direction of Susan Stroman. Previously, she starred in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years at Second Stage Theatre and the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood as Rosa Bud. Prior to that, Betsy played Beth in Merrily We Roll Along at Encores! and created the role of Mary Ann Singleton in ACT’s world premiere of Tales of the City, a musical based on the Armistead Maupin novels. Other Broadway credits include Everyday Rapture with Sherie Rene Scott (a show she also performed Off- Broadway), 110 in the Shade and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She starred in the La Jolla Playhouse world premiere production of Bobby Lopez’ and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’ new musical Up Here, under the direction of Alex Timbers. She starred in the San Francisco and Boston companies’ The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Betsy made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Douglas Carter Beane’s adaptation of Die Fledermaus; she recently returned for an encore engagement. She has been a guest artist for more than 40 U.S. and international orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Last season, she performed with Maestro Steven Reineke and Darren Criss to sold-out crowds at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in “Broadway Today.” She debuted at Carnegie Hall with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Maestro Erich Kunzel. She was a guest soloist for the New York City Ballet where she performed at Lincoln Center and at the London Coliseum.

Her recordings include Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Last Five Years, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Stage Door Canteen, 35MM and Merrily We Roll Along, and she can be seen in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years.

Betsy Wolfe holds a BFA in musical theatre from the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music.

About Jeremy Jordan
Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Jeremy Jordan studied drama at Ithaca College and moved to New York City after graduating in 2007. In early 2009, he landed his first Broadway show, Rock of Ages, as a swing, understudying several roles, including the lead. In December 2009, he left Rock of Ages to play Tony in Broadway’s West Side Story, then traveled to Sarasota, Florida, to play Clyde Barrow opposite Laura Osnes in Bonnie & Clyde. In Atlanta, he performed in his first feature film, Joyful Noise, opposite Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah.

In fall 2011, Jeremy was cast as Jack Kelly in Disney’s world premiere production of Newsies at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. Bonnie & Clyde opened on Broadway in November 2011, and Jeremy earned the Theatre World Award for his performance. Shortly after, he returned to Newsies to star in its new run on Broadway. Newsies opened to sold-out houses and critical raves for Jeremy, who received a Tony nomination as Best Actor in a Musical and earned a Grammy nomination for the cast album. Jeremy would also film a series regular role on NBC’s hit series Smash while still starring in Newsies.

Jeremy starred in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years, opposite Oscar- and Tony-nominee Anna Kendrick, directed by Richard LaGravenese. He also starred as J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, directed by Tony-winner Diane Paulus at Boston’s legendary A.R.T. theatre.
Jeremy Jordan has performed his solo cabaret show, Breaking Character, for sold-out venues in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Island, Indianapolis and London. Joined by his wife, Broadway actress Ashley Spencer, he recounts iconic moments from his budding career and performs songs that defined his swift rise to stardom. This year, Jeremy reprised his role as Jack Kelly in Disney’s live filmed stage production of Newsies. He also provided the voice of Varian in the Disney Channel’s new animated series, Tangled, based on the 2010 hit movie. Currently, Jeremy stars in The CW drama Supergirl opposite Melissa Benoist.

About the Houston Symphony
During the 2017-18 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its fourth 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. For tickets and more information, please visit houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Vanessa Astros: (713) 337-8560, vanessa.astros@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: (713) 337-8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org

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