HOUSTON (July 9, 2018) – The Houston Symphony will celebrate the music of pop sensation George Michael for one-night-only on Saturday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the program The Music of George Michael, as part of the Bank of America Summer Series at Jones Hall.
Returning guest conductor Brent Havens joins the orchestra for an evening of electrifying music featuring the Houston Symphony, complete with a full rock band and lead vocalist. The tribute program to pop superstar George Michael, whose popular music dominated the music charts in the ‘80s and ‘90s, features Juan Pablo Di Pace as lead vocalist.
Currently featured on the Netflix hit-show Fuller House, Di Pace will bring the groundbreaking artist’s hits to life along with the Houston Symphony as they pay homage to George Michael’s most iconic tunes, including hits like “Faith,” “Careless Whisper,” “One More Try” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”
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.
THE MUSIC OF GEORGE MICHAEL
Saturday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.
Brent Havens, conductor
Juan Pablo Di Pace, vocalist
About Brent Havens
Berklee-trained arranger/conductor Brent Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films and virtually every variety of television program. His TV work includes movies for major networks, commercials, sports music for ESPN and cartoons.
Brent 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. He has worked with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including London’s Royal Philharmonic; the Houston and Nashville Symphonies; the Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestras; the Minnesota Orchestra; the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and countless others. He has conducted the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra the past four years with Music of Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Queen and U2 shows.
Brent composed 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 both classical music and rock songs into a single four-minute show.
He is arranger/guest conductor for 14 symphonic rock programs, including the Music of Led Zeppelin, the Music of the Doors, the Music of Pink Floyd, the Music of the Eagles, the Music of Queen, the Music of Michael Jackson, the Music of The Who, The Music of Whitney Houston, the Music of The Rolling Stones, the Music of U2, the Music of Journey, the Music of Elton John, the Music of David Bowie and the Music of Prince. Brent Havens also premiered a full orchestral show for Lou Gramm, The Voice of Foreigner with Lou singing out front.
About Juan Pablo Di Pace
Juan Pablo Di Pace can currently be seen as Fernando on Netflix’s number one hit show Fuller House. He is best known for his award-winning role of Jesus Christ in Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s A.D. The Bible Continues (2016 Movieguide Award for Best Actor) and his portrayal of Petros in Mamma Mia! The Movie alongside Meryl Streep.
In music, Juan Pablo’s 2010 “We Wanna Rock” was a number one hit in Europe and the face of the Certified Gold and Platinum record Call On Me by Eric Prydz, with whom he toured the world. Since Juan Pablo released his single, “Broken,” worldwide earlier this year, it has had 150,000 plays on Spotify. He has played to sold-out audiences at the exclusive Studio 54 in New York twice, at Los Angeles’ El Cid venue, at Buenos Aires’ Velma Café, and in Madrid at the Gran Via, Clamores, Arenal and Se Abre El Telon theatres. He is currently recording new music for imminent release and will continue to star in Season 4 of Fuller House as well as in a film called New Boy about his life. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
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:
Mireya Reyna: (713) 337-8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
###