S
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
2026-27 se a son
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert
June 26 & 27
S A. R. Rahman with the Houston Symphony
July 24 & 25
S Opening Night: Celebrating America at 250
September 19
S Idina Menzel
August 30
S How to Train Your Dragon in Concert
September 5 & 6
Simply the Best: A Tribute to Tina Turner
September 25 & 26*
Rachmanino Festival: Rachmanino ’s Second Symphony
October 2, 3 * & 4
S
Rachmanino Festival: Rachmanino ’s Piano
Concerto No. 3
October 9, 10 * & 11
Mozart’s Jupiter & JIJI
October 16 , 17 * & 18
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony
October 30, November 1
Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert Live-to-Film
October 31
Haunted Halloween
October 31
Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony & Yoonshin Song
November 6, 7 * & 8
La Vida Loca
November 21 & 22*
See our full year calendar for even more concerts!
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX™ IN CONCERT
Friday Saturday June 26 June 27 7:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Jones Hall Jones Hall
Brett Mitchell , conductor
Program BIOGRAPHIES
BRETT MITCHELL, CONDUCTOR
Hailed for the breadth of his work on the podium and at the piano, Brett Mitchell has carved a unique path for himself in the world of contemporary American classical music.
On the podium, Mitchell began a five-year term as Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony—an orchestra composed of the greatest studio musicians in Hollywood—in 2024, and has served as Artistic Director & Conductor of Oregon’s Sunriver Music Festival since 2022. He previously served as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony (2017–21), Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra (2013–17), and Assistant Conductor of both the Houston Symphony (2007–11) and Orchestre National de France (2006–09).
Working widely as a guest conductor, Mitchell has led the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and the principal orchestras of Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Fort Worth, Grant Park, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Zealand, North Carolina, Oregon, Rochester, Saint Paul, San Antonio, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Washington. Mitchell also regularly collaborates with the world’s leading soloists, including Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Kirill Gerstein, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, and Alisa Weilerstein.
Also an accomplished pianist, Mitchell has a devoted fanbase of his work at the keyboard, including a widely praised YouTube channel featuring his original transcriptions of iconic cues from film history. He also concertizes regularly at the piano, often performing in recital with musicians from his orchestras. In recognition of his work at the keyboard, Mitchell was named a Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons in 2025.
Born in Seattle in 1979, Mitchell holds degrees in conducting from the University of Texas at Austin and composition from Western Washington University, where he also studied piano. His two principal professional mentors were Kurt Masur and Lorin Maazel.
For more information, please visit brettmitchellconductor.com.
Nicholas Hooper, also known as Nick Hooper, is a British film and television composer and guitarist, born on July 23 1952. His musical journey in film commenced in the 1980s, marking the onset of a prolific creative period in his life. He is known for his award-winning scores for BBC productions such as Land of the Tiger and Andes to Amazon, along with TV movies The Girl in the Café and My Family and Other Animals among others.
Hooper’s acclaim skyrocketed with his composition for the Harry Potter film series, specifically Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he collaborated with director David Yates. These projects were notable as Hooper’s involvement in blockbuster films, earning him a Grammy nomination for Half-Blood Prince. His other high-profile work includes the soundtrack for the Disney documentary African Cats, which was among the 97 original scores shortlisted for nomination at the 84th Academy Awards in 2011.
Beyond film scoring, Hooper is a performing guitarist who released a solo guitar album titled 6 Strings in 2015, followed by Pete's Trees with his duo Henderson: Hooper in 2018. In 2019, he featured on a charity double CD Strings that Nimble Leap. He performs regularly with Gordon Giltrap MBE and The Boot Band. Additionally, he has released three novels: Above the Void (2017), The Occasional Gardener (2018), and The Mirror in the Ice Cream Parlour (2019), showcasing his versatility and creativity across different mediums.
Hooper has been active in the music domain since 1985, with a career spanning over decades, wherein he has contributed to more than 250 films, dramas, and documentaries since 1990, making him one of Europe’s leading composers known for original, inspiring, and colorful music. His noteworthy accolades include a BAFTA Award and an Ivor Novello Award for Original Score in 2004 for The Young Visiters, and a BAFTA for Best Original Television Music in 2007 for Prime Suspect: The Final Act.
NICHOLAS HOOPER, COMPOSER
Program NOTES
CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live music experiences performed with visual media, and is continuously redefining live entertainment. Founded by Producer/Conductor Justin Freer and Producer/ Writer Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts has engaged more than 1.3 million people worldwide in concert presentations in more than 900 performances in 48 countries working with some of the best orchestras and venues in the world, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and many more. Recent and current live concert experiences include Rudy in Concert, The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, Gladiator Live, The Godfather Live, It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert, DreamWorks Animation In Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour, Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Concert, and A Christmas Dream Live.
Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixTM in Concert produced by CineConcerts
President/Founder/Producer, Justin Freer
Co-Founder/Producer, Brady Beaubien
Chief XR Officer/Head of Publicity and Communications, Andrew P. Alderete
Director of Operations, Andrew McIntyre
Senior Marketing Manager, Brittany Fonseca
Senior Social Media Manager, Si Peng
Worldwide Representation, WME Entertainment
Music Preparation, JoAnn Kane Music Service
Sound Remixing, Justin Moshkevich, Igloo Music Studios
Underwriter
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIXTM
Directed by David Yates
Produced by David Heyman & Davod Barron
Written by Michael Goldenberg
Based on “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” by J.K. Rowling
Starring:
Daniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Emma Watson
Gary Oldman
David Thewlis
Robbie Coltrane
Ralph Fiennes
Warwick Davis
Brendan Gleeson
Jason Isaacs
Michael Gambon
Timothy Spall
Alan Rickman
Harry Melling
Maggie Smith
Music by Nicholas Hooper
Cinematography by Slawomir Idziak
Edited by Mark Day
Produced by Heyday Films, Patalex IV Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
ORCHESTRA ROSTER
Juraj Valčuha
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
Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate
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
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
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
*on leave + contracted substitute
OPENING
NIGHT
CELEBRATING AMERICA AT 250
September 19
Steven Reineke, conductor
Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano
Matthew McConaughey, narrator
PRESENTED BY SPEC'S/SPEC'S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
SUMMER SYMPHONY NIGHTS
AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE
July 10 July 11
July 17
July 18
Elgar’s Cello Concerto & Dvořák’s New World Symphony
Mendelssohn & Márquez
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4
Presenting Sponsor