MUSIC

The Houston Symphony will visit their favorite summertime performance spot, Miller Outdoor Theatre, for a FREE fall concert on Saturday, November 6. Presented by the Mexican Institute of Greater Houston, Lunada will be a concert that celebrates the sounds and energy of Mexico.

Assistant Conductor Brett Mitchell (pictured, photo by Sandy Lankford) will lead the orchestra through this vibrant celebration featuring the music of Mexican composers like Chávez’s Sinfonía India, Moncayo’s Huapongo and Márquez’s Danzón No. 2. Westside High School’s Inertia Dance Company (Sharon Roberts, director) will add to the evening when they join the orchestra for select pieces performing their electric dance routines.

Admission is free for these concerts. For more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org  or call the Houston Symphony Patrons Service Center at 713-224-7575, Monday – Saturday 10:00a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

More information is available at www.milleroutdoortheatre.com  or (281) 373-3386.

About Brett Mitchell
Now entering his fourth season as Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Brett Mitchell is one of America’s most exciting and promising young conductors. Since his appointment in September 2007, he has led the orchestra in nearly one hundred performances on all subscription series, several of which have been broadcast nationwide on SymphonyCast and Performance Today. Mitchell is also the newly appointed Music Director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, beginning his first season in September 2010, while also serving as a regular cover conductor for The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Highlights of his upcoming 2010-11 season include his debuts with both the National Symphony Orchestra and Da Camera of Houston, as well as preparing a new production of Puccini’s Trittico for Maestro Lorin Maazel at the 2010 Castleton Festival.

A native of Seattle, Mitchell holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was also Music Director of the University Orchestra. Prior to that, he earned his Bachelor of Music in Composition from Western Washington University. Mitchell also participated in the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C., and studied extensively with Kurt Masur as a recipient of the inaugural American Friends of the Mendelssohn Foundation Scholarship

About Westside High School 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.

This concert is presented by the Mexican Institute of Greater Houston.