MUSIC

The Houston Symphony presents The Snowman. Two shows Saturday, December 4, at 10:00 am and 11:30am.  Raymond Brigg’s classic children’s story The Snowman will enchant young and old and have them “Walking On the Air.” Join us for favorite seasonal sing-alongs and a visit from the Snowman’s friend, Santa.

The countdown to the holidays has officially begun and Associate Conductor Robert Franz and the Houston Symphony are planning two special children’s concerts, called The Snowman, to kick off the season on Saturday, December 4. The highlight of the morning will be Howard Blake’s whimsical music from Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman, a 1982, Oscar®-nominated, animated, short film. Other highlights include Tchaikovsky’s Suite from The Nutcracker, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and more holiday sing-alongs.

Weatherford Family Concerts are a fun-filled, interactive and educational concert series created for children and their families. Their concert experience will be enhanced through video projection screens that provide additional story support and enable them to see the orchestra in action.

Come early or stay late to participate in exciting activities including an instrument petting zoo, arts and crafts and youth ensemble performances.

For more ticket information, the Houston Symphony Patron Service Center in Jones Hall is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., by phone at (713) 224-7575 or online at www.houstonsymphony.org.

Artists:
Robert Franz, conductor
Sean Holshouser, boy soprano
Westside High School’s Inertia Dance Company
Sharon Roberts, director 

About Robert Franz
Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic, and Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Robert Franz is emerging as one of the most talented conductors of his generation. As Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Robert Franz continues to lead the Symphony in a broad range of creative educational and family concerts. Franz’s emphasis on these programs has led him to a continuing relationship with Radio Disney.

On two occasions, ASCAP has recognized Robert Franz for his advocacy in arts education. Under his direction, both the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008 and the Louisville Orchestra in 2001 were awarded the Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming. The Louisville Orchestra’s award lead to the creation an education program for Kentucky Educational Television entitled, Creating Music and Stories. Winner of the 2008 BPO/ECMEA Music Educators Award for Excellence, Franz is a strong supporter of arts education, and has created arts education programs for the Carolina Chamber Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, West End Chamber Ensemble and the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, including that organization’s innovative Bolton Research Project.

In addition to his current posts, Franz served as the Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony in Ohio from 2003-2010, Resident Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic from 2005-2009, and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra from 1997-2006. He has also led the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony, the Louisville Youth Orchestra, and the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony. He continues to serve as Music Director Emeritus of the Carolina Chamber Symphony, an orchestra that he founded, and provides educational programming workshops at the National Repertory Orchestra during the summer.

Franz received his Master of Music degree in conducting from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1992 and his Bachelor of Music degree in oboe performance in 1990 from that same institution.

About Sean Holshouser
Eleven year old, Sean Holshouser is a regular performer with the HITS Theatre group in Houston under the direction of Joanne Woodard. He has performed several principal roles including “Gavroche” in Les Miserables and “Rum Tum Tugger” in Cats. Holshouser has just finished participating in a performance of Peter Grimes with Houston Grand Opera where he was a supernumerary, and he will be singing the role of "Harry" in a production of Albert Herring with the University of Houston’s Opera Department at the Moores Opera House in late January. He has also been asked to perform at a national meeting of symphony orchestra leagues that is being held in Houston in April.

Holshouser’s primary voice teacher is Jack Beetle, but he has also taken lessons with Lois Alba, Robin Cobb, and Patti Spain. His private acting and theater teacher is Todd Waite, a highly acclaimed principal performer at the Alley Theater of Houston.

Holshouser has grown up in a musical family. His mother, Eileen, and his grandparents were all long time members of the Houston Symphony Chorus, and his father, Scott, is the Principal Keyboardist for the Houston Symphony.

About Westside High School’s Inertia Dance Company
Winners of 30 National Championship titles, Inertia is the elite performing ensemble of the Westside High School Fine Arts Dance Program. With a style and feel all their own, this unique group combines all elements of dance education from ballet to modern dance and jazz to break dancing.

They’ve performed at various prestigious events and venues around the country like the NDA National Dance Gala, NBA San Antonio Spurs, BCS National Title Game Halftime Show, Houston Symphony and DanceHouston. In October 2010, they represented the United States at the 8th China Folk Art Festival in Shanghai, Shuzhou and Beijing, China.

They’ve been featured in People Magazine, Dance Teacher Magazine, Southern Living Magazine, Houston Chronicle, Houston Press, and Houston Business Journal. Television credits include The Tony Danza Show, CBS Early Show, HEB Holiday Parade, with Naturi Naughton, FedEx Orange Bowl with Kool & The Gang as well as spots on all local affiliates.

Director Sharon Roberts is a master teacher of dance education for Westside High School and has been honored as HISD’s Dance Educator of the Year, 2004 People Magazine’s “Heroes Among Us Honoree” and 10 nominations for Who’s Who Among American Teachers. Associate Director Jesse Garcia is has traveled to Qatar, Trinidad, and other parts of the world competing in urban dance competitions and promoting the Hip Hop culture.

About the Houston Symphony
The Houston Symphony has played a central role in Houston’s cultural and civic life since 1913. Each year, the Houston Symphony performs more than 170 concerts for approximately 350,000 people, featuring an innovative and broad spectrum of classical, popular, education and community-based symphonic programming. For tickets and more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org  or call 713-224-7575.