HOUSTON (Aug. 17, 2018) – Las Vegas headliner Frankie Moreno joins Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke for the 2018-19 POPS Series opener Viva Las Vegas at 8 p.m. Aug. 31-Sept. 1 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2 at Jones Hall.
Known for his entertainment shows and virtuoso piano technique, Moreno brings the hottest shows on the Strip to Houston with hits from Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and “the King,” Elvis Presley. Classically trained ballerina and So You Think You Can Dance finalist Lacey Schwimmer joins the performance as she showcases her dancing skills in the glitzy and glamourous program featuring the Houston Symphony.
“It’s a really exciting show because Frankie is a fantastic singer and plays the piano like a demon,” says Reineke. “We have a dancer coming – Lacey Schwimmer – from Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance? It’s great music for all!”
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.
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Steven Reineke, conductor
Frankie Moreno, vocalist
Lacey Schwimmer, dancer
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 Frankie Moreno
Singer, showman, songwriter, musician…Frankie Moreno is all of these and more.
As a child prodigy on the piano and a gifted multi-instrumentalist, Frankie was first introduced to American audiences at age 10 on CBS’ Star Search. Since then, named Las Vegas Headliner of the Year three times, he has wowed audiences from coast to coast performing his own brand of piano-pounding rock ‘n’ roll.
Frankie’s performance on ABC’ Dancing with the Stars returned him to America’s living rooms. Performing his self-penned hit “Tangerine Honey,” he has stayed there with more television appearances, magazine covers and sold-out concerts, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl. The recipient of an Emmy nomination for his national TV special, Songs at Home, Frankie is now starring in PBS’ nationwide special, Frankie Moreno In Concert.
With one million record sales worldwide, Frankie has collaborated on new music with producer, engineer and guitar legend, Pat Thrall (Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber). “Frankie is one of the most naturally gifted musicians I’ve ever worked with. We both share the same vision for music, so it’s a fun and exciting process,” Pat says.
His latest collaboration for Sony Records, with world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell, reached number one on the Billboard charts in two categories. Other artists on this album were Sting, Josh Groban, Chris Botti, Kristin Chenoweth and Regina Spektor. Together, they filmed Great Performances: Live from Lincoln Center for PBS.
Frankie toured the United States with Grammy-nominated country artist Billy Currington and country superstars Sugarland. He has toured as musical director with multi-platinum artists, Air Supply, and he wrote their recent single, “Dance with Me,” which reached Billboard’s Top 40.
In addition to touring from Paris to Oslo and Tokyo to Seoul, Frankie is writing and producing music for other artists. He recently embarked on an orchestral tour with his new show, Blue Suede Tunes, opening at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and continuing here and in Baltimore, Indianapolis, Toronto and New York.
Frankie Moreno continues to command audiences with his highly contagious music and playful stage antics. His songs are cleverly crafted, and his musicianship is virtuoso. He is unquestionably a unique artist and an all-around talent who puts his heart and soul into his music.
About Lacey Schwimmer
Lacey Schwimmer is best known for her success as a finalist on Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance (Season 3) and as a professional dancer on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (six consecutive seasons). She has choreographed many award-winning contemporary, hip hop, jazz, Latin, swing and ballroom pieces and has won multiple U.S. and world titles for swing and international Latin dance. She continues to judge and teach dance around the world.
Lacey was born into a dancing family. Her father, Buddy, choreographed the motion picture American Graffiti; her mother, Laurie, was classically trained as a ballerina; and her brother, Benji, won Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance. Lacey got her first U. S. swing dance title when she was just 10 years old, and she went on to be the World Swing Dance Champion and United States Youth Latin Champion, ranked 42nd in the world for international Latin dancing. Along with her famous dancing family, Lacey owns and co-directs The Dance Center, a competitive dance studio in Redlands, California.
Her many choreography and artistic direction credits include Dancing with the Stars, Strictly Come Dancing, So You Think You Can Dance; stage shows such as Frankie Moreno LIVE, Frankie Moreno Under the Influence, Legends in Concert and Pin Up starring playmate Claire Sinclair, Ballroom with a Twist and Dance to the Movies; the Knicks City Dancers; and Broadway Dance Center.
Lacey has choreographed and directed many Grammy Award®-winning artists such as Christina Aguilera, Nikki Minaj, LMFAO, OneRepublic, Reba McEntire, Whitney Houston and the Jackson Family. Her first pop single, “Love Soundz,” reached #7 on the Billboard Dance charts. She has also choreographed for Holland America’s Dancing with the Stars at Sea and a Lionsgate’s Dancing with the Stars workout DVD.
Lacey has been a guest designer for Discount Dance Supply for her signature line. Recently, she filmed two new dance-based TV shows and was the cohost of Dancing with the Stars All Access.
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
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