Special Program | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR 2026-27 season

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert June 26 & 27

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

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Opening Night: Celebrating America at 250 September 19

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Rachmaninoff Festival: Rachmaninoff’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 S

Idina Menzel August 30

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

How to Train Your Dragon in Concert September 5 & 6

Haunted Halloween October 31

Simply the Best: A Tribute to Tina Turner September 25 & 26*

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

Rachmaninoff Festival: Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony October 2, 3* & 4

La Vida Loca November 21 & 22* See our full year calendar for even more concerts!

Classical Series

Bank of America POPS Series

PNC Family Series

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Summer & Specials

Chamber Series

*Performance livestreamed

FEATURED PROGRAM

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX™ IN CONCERT Friday

June 26

7:30 p.m.

Jones Hall

Saturday

June 27

2:00 p.m.

Jones Hall

Brett Mitchell, conductor

N. HOOPER

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2:40

Part 1

1:12

INTERMISSION Part 2

PART OF THE HARRY POTTERTM FILM CONCERT SERIES. BROUGHT TO YOU BY CINECONCERTS. All characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR.

1:11

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, COMPOSER 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. 

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

THANK YOU TO OUR SYMPHONY SPONSORS

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

WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR.

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

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

*on leave + contracted substitute

OPENING NIGHT

CELEBRATING

AMERICA AT 250 September 19

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

Concert Sponsor and Lead Gala Underwriter

PRESENTED BY SPEC'S/SPEC'S CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

SUMMER SYMPHONY NIGHTS AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE July 10

Elgar’s Cello Concerto & Dvořák’s New World Symphony

July 11

Mendelssohn & Márquez

July 17

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4

July 18

Dvořák & Coleridge-Taylor

Presenting Sponsor

Juraj Valčuha, Music Director

Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana Street houstonsymphony.org