MUSIC

For an out-of-this-world concert experience, come to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion for the Houston Symphony’s The Planets-An HD Odyssey Sept. 30 at 8 p.m.

Under the direction of Maestro Hans Graf, this multi-sensory concert experience features the Women of the Houston Symphony Chorus and a newly created HD film of planetary images paired with a live performance by the symphony.

For this production, the Houston Symphony collaborated with NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and award-winning producer/director, Duncan Copp, to craft a film of the latest, high-definition planetary images that accompany a live performance of Gustav Holst’s suite, “The Planets.”

The world premiere of The Planets—An HD Odyssey took place at Jones Hall in January 2010. The monumental and innovative project then toured to New York’s Carnegie Hall and Florida’s Kravis Center and Broward Center. In October, the tour goes international when the orchestra travels to seven cities in the United Kingdom.

The multi-media event takes an existing classical program with strong popular appeal and pairs it with an arresting visual presentation. The beautiful and mystifying score by Holst is performed by the orchestra while the film is shown on a 24-foot screen above the stage. In addition to out-of-this-world imagery, the film opens with an introduction featuring interviews with JPL planetary scientists.

The program lifts off with Igor Stravinsky’s “Feu d’artifice” (Fireworks), Opus 4, then “Medea’s Dance of Vengeance” by Samuel Barber and ends with Holst’s “The Planets.”

Before your voyage through space begins, make a stop in the North Plaza at 7 p.m. for pre-concert activities sponsored by Fidelity Investments and Market Street-The Woodlands. Visit unique exhibits from Johnson Space Center in the House of Blues Hospitality Tent, including an Apollo EMU spacesuit, displays of the solar system and Earth, a shuttle extravehicular activity glove, space food samples and a shuttle launch helmet. Explore the music of “The Planets” at Pavilion Talk, a free pre-concert discussion led by noted music scholar Ira Black that provides insight into the evening’s program. Pavilion Talk takes place from 7:15-7:45 p.m. Children can discover the sounds of musical instruments at The Pavilion Partners Instrument Petting Zoo and can show their creativity making UFO’s.

Before the Show
Join everyone in the North Plaza for fun and exciting pre-show activities from 7-8 p.m. All pre-show activities are free!

• Unique Exhibits from Johnson Space Center in the House of Blues Hospitality Tent
• Pavilion Talk with Ira J. Black
• Create Your Own UFO and Instrument Petting Zoo with The Pavilion Partners
• Color-a-Picture & Unveiling of the 2011 Audi A8 with Audi of America
• Art Project with Woodlands Online
• Seat Exchange with Fidelity Investments
• Register to Win "Best Seats in the House" with Tommy Bahama
• Color-a-Picture, Giveaways and Meet Barkley with Woodforest National Bank
• "Text to Win" with Market Street-The Woodlands
• Knocking Out Hunger Game with Montgomery County Food Bank

Your journey doesn’t end there. Make sure to visit Woodlands Online, Woodforest National Bank, Fidelity and Market Street. Audi of America, official automobile of The Pavilion, is unveiling its new 2011 Audi A8 in The Pavilion’s North Plaza. The Audi A8 is the new generation of the Audi brand’s flagship, combining dynamic exterior and luxurious interior design with sporty driving characteristics, while providing the highest level of comfort and convenience equipment in the segment.

Tickets to The Planets-An HD Odyssey are $15 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free and tickets are not required. Orchestra tickets can be purchased at The Pavilion Box Office, located at 2005 Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands. The Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and on event days through the start of the show. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Fiesta, select FYE, H-E-B, and Media Magic, by calling 800-745-3000, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.  

Preferred parking is available in the on-site Town Center Garage, located along Six Pines Drive. Parking is $5 per vehicle for this and most performing arts events. Tickets for on-site parking can be purchased in advance at all Ticketmaster locations and The Pavilion Box Office. Guests also may park in any of the five free parking lots on the southwest side of The Pavilion. The free, color-coded lots are connected to The Pavilion by corresponding pathways with signs leading across The Waterway.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion's 2010 season is presented by The Woodlands Development Company and sponsored by Donoho’s Jewellers, Audi of America, The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau, Houston Community Newspapers, The Pavilion Partners, The Wortham Foundation, and Continental Airlines, official airline of The Pavilion.

If you would like more information about The Pavilion, visit www.woodlandscenter.org  or look for The Pavilion on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is part of The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides diverse, high-quality performing arts events for the entertainment and enrichment of a broad regional audience. Through numerous educational and community outreach programs, The Center is a catalyst for attracting new audiences to the performing arts and building strong ties between the arts and educational institutions.

Pictured:  Jupiter: (credit NASA).