InTune | July 4, 2026

InTUNE The Houston Symphony Magazine

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion & Miller Outdoor Theatre: Star-Spangled Salute

July 3 & 4, 2026

ORCHESTRA ROSTER

Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor

Juraj Valčuha

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate

Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair FIRST VIOLIN Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster Max Levine Chair Vacant, Associate Concertmaster Ellen E. Kelley Chair Boson Mo, Assistant Concertmaster Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation Chair Tong Yan Ferenc Illenyi Si-Yang Lao Christopher Neal Sergei Galperin SECOND VIOLIN Vacant, Principal Vacant, Associate Principal Amy Semes Annie Kuan-Yu Chen Mihaela Frusina Jing Zheng Anastasia Iglesias Tina Zhang* Yankı Karataş Hannah Duncan Alexandros Sakarellos VIOLA Joan DerHovsepian, Principal Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal Samuel Pedersen, Assistant Principal Paul Aguilar Sheldon Person Fay Shapiro Keoni Bolding Jimmy Cunningham CELLO Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Janice H. and Thomas D. Barrow Chair Christopher French, Associate Principal Jane and Robert Cizik Chair Anthony Kitai Louis-Marie Fardet Jeffrey Butler Maki Kubota Xiao Wong Charles Seo Jeremy Kreutz DOUBLE BASS Robin Kesselman, Principal Timothy Dilenschneider, Associate Principal Andrew Pedersen, Assistant Principal Eric Larson Logan May Burke Shaw Donald Howey Avery Weeks

COMMUNITY!EMBEDDED MUSICIAN Lindsey Baggett, Violin LIBRARIANS Ali Verderber, Associate Librarian Megan Fisher, Assistant Librarian

Houston Symphony

Anthony J. Maglione, Director, Houston Symphony Chorus Gonzalo Farias, Associate Conductor

FLUTE Vacant, Principal General Maurice Hirsch Chair Matthew Roitstein, Acting Principal Judy Dines Kathryn Ladner Douglas DeVries+ PICCOLO Kathryn Ladner OBOE Jonathan Fischer, Principal Lucy Binyon Stude Chair Anne Leek, Associate Principal Vacant Adam Dinitz Pablo Moreno+ ENGLISH HORN Adam Dinitz Barbara and Pat McCelvey Chair CLARINET Mark Nuccio, Principal Bobbie Nau Chair Vacant, Associate Principal Christian Schubert Alexander Potiomkin Ben Freimuth+ E!FLAT CLARINET Vacant Ben Freimuth+ BASS CLARINET Alexander Potiomkin

TRUMPET Mark Hughes, Principal George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Chair John Parker, Associate Principal Robert Walp, Assistant Principal Richard Harris TROMBONE Nick Platoff, Principal Bradley White, Associate Principal Phillip Freeman BASS TROMBONE Phillip Freeman TUBA Dave Kirk, Principal TIMPANI Leonardo Soto, Principal Matthew Strauss, Associate Principal PERCUSSION Brian Del Signore, Principal Mark Griffith Matthew Strauss HARP Allegra Lilly, Principal KEYBOARD Vacant, Principal LIBRARIAN Luke Bryson, Principal

BASSOON Rian Craypo, Principal Isaac Schultz, Associate Principal Elise Wagner Adam Trussell CONTRABASSOON Adam Trussell HORN William VerMeulen, Principal Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Endowed Chair Robert Johnson, Associate Principal Nathan Cloeter, Assistant Principal/Utility Ian Mayton Barbara J. Burger Chair Brian Mangrum Spencer Bay+

STAGE PERSONNEL Vacant, Stage Manager José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager Nicholas DiFonzo, Head Video Engineer Justin Herriford, Head Audio Engineer Connor Morrow, Head Stage Technician Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager 4

*on leave + contracted substitute

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF LEADERSHIP GROUP Gary Ginstling, Executive Director/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial Officer Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer Rolanda Gregory, Chief Marketing Officer Jennifer Renner, Chief Development Officer Mayenne Minuit, Executive Assistant DEVELOPMENT Leanna Aldis, Manager, Foundation Relations Sarah Bhalla, Board Relations Associate Lauren Buchanan, Development Communications Manager Alex Canales, Manager, Donor Services Jessie De Arman, Development Associate, Gifts, Records, & Research Timothy Dillow, Senior Director, Individual Giving Amanda T. Dinitz, Director, Principal Gifts & Endowment Kamra Kilmer, Manager, Corporate Relations Karyn Mason, Institutional Giving Officer Hadia Mawlawi, Endowment & Planned Giving Officer Emilie Moellmer, Membership Manager Gavin Reed, Major Gifts Officer Tim Richey, Major Gifts Officer Katie Salvatore, Director, Annual Giving & Membership Phillip Smith, Special Events and League Liaison Officer Lena Streetman, Director, Development Operations Sarah Thompson, Donor Events Manager Christina Trunzo, Director, Institutional Giving EDUCATION | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Olivia Allred, Education Manager Allison Conlan, Senior Director, Education & Community Engagement Austin Hinkle, Education & Community Engagement Coordinator Jazmine Olwalia, Community Engagement Manager Community-Embedded Musicians (CEM): Lindsey Baggett, Lead CEM Lucinda Chiu, CEM Teaching Artist David Connor, Senior CEM Teaching Artist Bensen Kwan, CEM Education Specialist Brittany Leavitt, CEM Teaching Artist Bianca Lozano, CEM Teaching Artist Adrian Ponce, CEM Teaching Artist Lauren Ross, CEM Teaching Artist Jaya Varma, CEM Teaching Artist

FINANCE | ADMINISTRATION | IT | HR José Arriaga, Systems Engineer Henry Cantu, Finance Accountant Kimberly Cegielski, Staff Accountant Heather Fails, Database Administrator Ronin Jackson, IT Intern Joel James, Director of Human Resources Tanya Lovetro, Director of Budgeting & Financial Reporting Freddie Piegsa, Help Desk Technician Morgana Rickard, Controller Gabriela Rivera, Senior Accountant Pam Romo, Office Manager/HR Coordinator Lee Whatley, Senior Director, IT & Analytics MARKETING | COMMUNICATIONS Bryan Ayllon, UX & Conversion Specialist Rachel Cheng, Marketing & External Relations Assistant Bella Cutaia, Manager, Patron Services Kathryn Judd, Director, Marketing Priya Kurup, Senior Associate, Group Sales Caroline Lawson, Patron Services Representative Yoo-Ell Lee, Graphics & Media Designer Milow Lozano, Ticketing Systems & Marketing Operations Specialist Ciara Macaulay, Creative Director Ashley Martinez, Patron Services Coordinator Mariah Martinez, Email Marketing Coordinator Casey Pearce, Graphic Design Manager Aracely Quevedo, Patron Services Representative Nadjalie Santos, Front of House Coordinator Eric Skelly, Senior Director, Communications Christian Sosa, Web Experience Director Alexa Ustaszewski, Manager, Revenue and Audience Insights Sophie Volpe, Digital Content Specialist Leecia Whatley, Patron Services Representative Jenny Zuniga, Director, Patron Services OPERATIONS | ARTISTIC Stephanie Alla, Associate Director of Artistic Planning Becky Brown, Associate Director of Orchestra Personnel Juan Pablo Brand, Artistic Assistant Ryan Diefenderfer, Concert Operations Assistant Megan Fisher, Assistant Librarian Michael Gorman, Director of Orchestra Personnel Julia Hall, Assistant Director, Houston Symphony Chorus Parker Hart, Concert Operations Manager Adrian Hernandez, Concert Media Production Manager Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager Brad Sayles, Senior Recording Engineer Nathan Trinkl, Artistic Assistant & Assistant to the Music Director Ali Verderber, Associate Librarian Meredith Williams, Director of Concert Operations Rebecca Zabinski, Senior Director of Artistic Planning

2026–27 SEASON

SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Barbara McCelvey President

Barbara J. Burger Immediate Past President

John Rydman** Board Chair Chair, Artistic & Orchestra Affairs

Mike S. Stude** Chair Emeritus Paul Morico General Counsel

Jonathan Ayre Secretary Chair, Finance

Gary Ginstling^ Executive Director/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

Janet F. Clark^ Immediate Past Chair

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Brad W. Corson Chair, Governance & Leadership

Ed Schneider Chair, Development

Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Carey Kirkpatrick Chair, Marketing & Communications

Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning

Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative

Jesse B. Tutor** Chair, Audit

Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative

Jerre Williams President, Houston Symphony League

Jeremy Kreutz^ Musician Representative

Evan B. Glick Chair, Popular Programming Sippi Khurana, M.D. Chair, Education & Community Engagement Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events

James H. Lee^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment

Steven P. Mach^ At-Large Member Bobby Tudor^** At-Large Member Gretchen Watkins^ At-Large Member

Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative

GOVERNING DIRECTORS Gary Beauchamp Eric Brueggeman MK Campion John Cassidy, M.D. Khoa Dao Lidiya Gold

David J. M. Key David Krieger Cindy Levit Isabel Stude Lummis Cora Sue Mach** Rodney Margolis**

Meredith Marshall Leslie Nossaman Chris Powers Brittany Sakowitz Ed Schneider Justin Stenberg

William J. Toomey II Betty Tutor** Robert Weiner Margaret Alkek Williams**

TRUSTEES Christopher Armstrong David Balderston David J. Beck Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl Nancy Shelton Bratic Terry Ann Brown** Ralph Burch John T. Cater** Robert Chanon Heaven Chee Michael H. Clark Virginia Clark Andrew Davis, Ph.D. Denise Davis Tracy Dieterich Kelli Cohen Fein Jeffrey B. Firestone Eugene A. Fong Aggie L. Foster

Kate Dearing Fowler Aoife French Carolyn Gaidos Andrew Gould Lori Harrington Pablo Hernandez SchmidtTophoff Jeff Hiller Grace Ho Gary L. Hollingsworth John W. Hutchinson Brian James Matthew Kades I. Ray Kirk, M.D. Matthew Loden Kirby Lodholz Michael Mann, M.D. Nancy Martin Jack Matzer

Jackie Wolens Mazow Diane K. Morales Tim Ong Edward Osterberg Jr. Gloria G. Pryzant Miwa Sakashita Andrew Schwaitzberg Helen Shaffer** Becky Shaw Robert B. Sloan, D.D., Theol.

Jim R. Smith Miles O. Smith** Quentin Smith Tad Smith Anthony Speier Tina Raham Stewart Nanako Tingleaf Terry Thomas Margaret Waisman, M.D.

Fredric A. Weber Vicki West Steven J. Williams David J. Wuthrich Ellen A. Yarrell Robert Yekovich

FOUNDATION FOR JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES Janet F. Clark Brad W. Corson As of June 5, 2026

Barbara McCelvey

EX!OFFICIO Alejandro Gallardo Reverend Ray Mackey, III Frank F. Wilson IV

Fredric Weber ^Ex-Officio **Lifetime Trustee

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR 2026-27 season

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A. R. Rahman with the Houston Symphony July 24 & 25

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Idina Menzel August 30

Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony October 30, November 1

How to Train Your Dragon in Concert September 5 & 6

Haunted Halloween October 31

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Mozart’s Jupiter & JIJI October 16, 17* & 18

Opening Night: Celebrating America at 250 September 19

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Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony & Yoonshin Song November 6, 7* & 8

Simply the Best: A Tribute to Tina Turner September 25 & 26* Rachmaninoff Festival: Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony October 2, 3* & 4

La Vida Loca November 21 & 22*

Rachmaninoff Festival: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 October 9, 10* & 11

Classical Series

Bank of America POPS Series

Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert Live-to-Film October 31

See our full year calendar for even more concerts!

PNC Family Series

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Summer & Specials

Chamber Series

*Performance livestreamed

Featured Program

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion & MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE:

Star-spangled salute Steven Reineke, conductor *Ben Chavez, vocalist & piano 0:02 0:04 0:03 0:04 0:03 0:05 0:02 0:02 0:04 0:07

0:09 0:05

0:03 0:12

J.S. SMITH/J. KESSLER – “The Star-Spangled Banner” J. WILLIAMS – Liberty Fanfare SCHUMAN – Chester from New England Triptych BRICUSSE-NEWLEY/D. McKENZIE – “Feeling Good” E. JOHN-TAUPIN/T. DeSARE – “Philadelphia Freedom” J. WILLIAMS – The Cowboys Overture SOUSA/C. McALISTER – The Liberty Bell March Matthew Kades, guest conductor (July 4 only) A. MENKEN/D. TROOB – “Proud of Your Boy” from Aladdin B. CHAVEZ/M. AMY-D. URSETTI – “Golden Era” HORNER/MOSS – Music from Apollo 13 1.

Main Title-2.

End Credits-3.

Re-Entry and Splashdown K. LeFRAK – American Promise Christopher Fahey, guest narrator Arr. J. KESSLER – Armed Forces Medley 1.

Semper Paratus (Coast Guard) 2.

Space Force 3.

The U.S. Air Force 4.

Anchors Aweigh (Navy) 5.

Marines’ Hymn 6.

The Caisson Song (Army) WARD/DRAGON – “America the Beautiful” TCHAIKOVSKY – 1812 Overture, Opus 49

*Houston Symphony debut

About the Music

Thursday, July 3

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

8 p.m.

Friday, July 4

Miller Outdoor Theatre

8:30 p.m.

Program Bios Steven Reineke, conductor Meredith & Ben Marshall, sponsor

Steven Reineke is one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music and is in his second decade as Music Director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. He is the Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston Symphony and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Reineke is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

On stage, Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists in hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock including Killer Mike, Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, amongst others. In 2024, he led the NSO on PBS’s Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS’s Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album Illmatic. Reineke is the conductor on Ben Folds Live with The National Symphony Orchestra and William Shatner’s So Fragile, So Blue with The National Symphony Orchestra. In November 2025, Reineke was joined on the podium by NFL legend

Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

The Houston Symphony’s Miller Outdoor Theatre concerts are endowed by The Brown Foundation, Inc. in memory of Stewart and Hanni Orton

City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board Guarantor The Houston Symphony’s sound shell ceiling is made possible through the generosity of the Beauchamp Foundation and the Fondren Foundation

Program Bios Marshawn Lynch, who visited the Houston Symphony ahead of Thursday Night Football, for a conducting tutorial featured in his Amazon Prime show, N Yo City.

Reineke is the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements and his works are performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, 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 pieces 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 perennially.

A native of Ohio, Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal) 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. 

Ballet Ball, and The Diana Awards.

He is also a recurring guest on KPRC’s Houston Life.

Passionate about developing the next generation of performers, Ben serves as Head Vocal Coach at The Broadway Studio. He is a proud graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Ben Chavez, vocalist and piano Ben Chavez is an award-winning songwriter, actor, and musician.

Best known for his breakout role in the Broadway National Tour of Disney’s Aladdin, he has performed on stages throughout the United States and Canada, including Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, and The Kennedy Center. A regular performer at Theatre Under the Stars, Ben has credits in Newsies, Frozen, In the Heights, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He was also recently seen in the Houston Grand Opera production of West Side Story.

Ben is the recipient of the 2024– 25 Performing Arts Houston NEW/NOW Award for his original concept album, Last Day, County Fair. The album will receive its two-night premiere this September at the Wortham Theater Center. His latest EP, Benjamin, is available on vinyl and can be streamed on all major platforms. In Houston, Ben has performed at numerous prestigious events, including The San Luis Salute, the Houston Symphony Gala, the Knights of Momus Coronation, the Houston

For more information, visit benchavezmusic.com. 

Program Bios supporting expeditionary construction, disaster relief, and international partnership missions.

He concluded his naval career in Houston as Public Affairs Officer for Navy Recruiting District Houston.

Christopher Fahey, guest narrator Christopher L. Fahey serves as the Military and Veteran Outreach Coordinator at Stone River Recovery Center, where he is focused on helping veterans, service members, and families find hope, healing, and long-term recovery. Before entering behavioral health advocacy, Fahey served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Navy, building a career defined by leadership, operational excellence, and service under pressure.

During his military career, Fahey deployed five times, visited more than 30 countries, and served for a year with NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan. There, he led a 20-person joint-service team and directed more than 100 tactical ground missions that helped protect more than 300 personnel. He also supported U.S. and international Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams on 30 missions and contributed to intelligence-led operations that included armed patrols, key leader engagements, and counterinsurgency support.

Fahey also deployed twice with the USS Carl Vinson Strike Group in maritime security operations and twice with Navy Seabee units

His military honors include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal, and three Sea Service Medals. He was also named the Navy’s Print Journalist of the Year and Mass Communication Specialist of the Year, and earned three warfare qualifications: Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist, Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist, and Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist.

Fahey’s professional mission is also deeply personal. After facing PTSD during and after military service, he found recovery through the support of fellow veterans and has dedicated his life to helping others do the same. He later served the PTSD Foundation of America and Camp Hope, advocating for thousands of veterans, and worked with The Abundant Harvest, helping provide food support to more than 106,000 veterans and other families in need. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Sam Houston State University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology. 

PRESENTED BY SPEC’S/SPEC’S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

SUMMER SYMPHONY NIGHTS AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE July 10

Elgar’s Cello Concerto & Dvo&ák’s New World Symphony

July 11

Mendelssohn & Márquez

July 17

Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony

July 18

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4

Presenting Sponsor

OPENING NIGHT

CELEBRATING

AMERICA AT 250 September 19

Steven Reineke, conductor Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano Matthew McConaughey, narrator

Concert Sponsor and Lead Gala Underwriter

Juraj Valčuha, Music Director

Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana Street houstonsymphony.org