InTUNE The Houston Symphony Magazine
Pepe Aguilar with the Houston Symphony
August 28 & 29, 2026
ORCHESTRA ROSTER Juraj Val!uha
Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor
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 Annie Chen Han Xie SECOND VIOLIN Vacant, Principal Vacant, Associate Principal Amy Semes 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
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate Gonzalo Farias, Associate Conductor
FLUTE Kayla Burggraf, Principal General Maurice Hirsch Chair Matthew Roitstein, Associate Principal Judy Dines Kathryn Ladner
TRUMPET Mark Hughes, Principal George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Chair John Parker, Associate Principal Richard Harris Vacant, Utility
PICCOLO Kathryn Ladner
TROMBONE Nick Platoff, Principal Bradley White, Associate Principal Phillip Freeman
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+
BASS TROMBONE Phillip Freeman TUBA Dave Kirk, Principal TIMPANI Leonardo Soto, Principal Matthew Strauss, Associate Principal PERCUSSION Vacant, Principal Mark Griffith Matthew Strauss HARP Allegra Lilly, Principal
E-FLAT CLARINET Vacant Ben Freimuth+
KEYBOARD Vacant, Principal
BASS CLARINET Alexander Potiomkin
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+
*on leave + contracted substitute
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
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR 2026-27 season
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Pepe Aguilar with the Houston Symphony August 28 & 29
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Idina Menzel August 30
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Rachmaninoff Festival: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 October 9, 10* & 11 Mozart’s Jupiter & JIJI October 16, 17* & 18
Ben Rector: Symphonies Across America with Jon McLaughlin September 4
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony October 30, November 1 Haunted Halloween October 31
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert September 5 & 6 Opening Night: Celebrating America at 250 September 19
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Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert Live-to-Film 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
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 Val!uha^ 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 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
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 Grace Blando, Development Officer Alex Canales, Manager, Donor Services Isabel Cook, Development Associate, Annual Giving & Membership 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 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 Alexander McKeveny, Performance Marketing Specialist 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 Julia Hall, Assistant Director, Houston Symphony Chorus Parker Hart, Concert Operations Manager Adrian Hernandez, Concert Media Production Manager Brian Miller, Director of Orchestra Personnel 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
August 28 & 29, 2026
pepe Aguilar Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor *Pepe Aguilar, vocalist Program will be announced from the stage There will not be an intermission *Houston Symphony debut
About the Music
Friday, August 28 Saturday, August 29
Jones Hall Jones Hall
7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
As a trailblazer in the symphonic world, Lopez-Yañez has premiered dozens of groundbreaking symphonic collaborations with artists including Dolly Parton, Kelsey Ballerini, Portugal. The Man, The Mavericks, Tituss Burgess, and The War and Treaty.
Symphonica Productions, LLC, a creative production company developing innovative Pops, Family, and Educational concerts for orchestras. Symphonica’s shows have been praised as “incredibly special – and something that needs to become the new norm” (Lima Symphony) and have been performed by the Baltimore, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Phoenix, Seattle, Toronto, and Utah Symphony, among others.
Program Bios
Enrico Lopez-Yañez, conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez is redefining what it means to be a conductor in the 21st Century. Celebrated for his charismatic stage presence, genre-defining collaborations, and passion for making orchestral music accessible to all, Lopez-Yañez is one of the most innovative and in-demand conductors in North America. He currently serves as Principal Pops Conductor for the Pacific and Detroit Symphonies, as well as Principal Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Presents and Principal Guest Conductor of Pops at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He previously spent eight seasons conducting the Nashville Symphony, where he also served as their Principal Pops Conductor.
As a composer and arranger, Lopez-Yañez has versatility that is equally expansive. He has written for artists like Big Sean and Mariachi Los Camperos, and he has been commissioned by major orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and many more. Highlights of the 2026–27 Season include performances with Aida Cuevas, Bernadette Peters, Better Than Ezra, Cody Fry, Idina Menzel, Mandy Gonzalez, Megan Hilty, Pepe Aguilar, and Wyclef Jean. He will make appearances with the New York Philharmonic and Grant Park Orchestra while returning to lead the Baltimore Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Houston Symphony, National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Utah Symphony, among others. Lopez-Yañez is also Artistic Director and Co-Founder of
For more, visit: enricolopezyanez.com or follow @enricolopezyanez.
Pepe Aguilar, vocalist José Antonio “Pepe” Aguilar Jiménez was born in San Antonio, Texas, during a tour by his legendary parents, Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre. He was raised in Zacatecas, Mexico, and made his musical debut at age three, accompanying his father onstage
Program Bios at Madison Square Garden. In his teenage years, he explored rock music and led a band called Equs before returning to regional Mexican music. His solo career began in 1989 with Pepe Aguilar con Tambora, followed by Recuérdame Bonito in 1992, produced by Joan Sebastian. He rose to fame in 1998 with Por Mujeres Como Tú, which became a massive hit across Latin America. In 1999, he released Por el Amor de Siempre, featuring covers of 1970s classics, solidifying his artistic standing. Throughout his career, he has released more than 30 solo albums and about 38 total including collaborations and
reissues. Pepe has sold more than 13 million records worldwide.
earned him further acclaim and another Grammy.
He has won four Grammy Awards and five Latin Grammy Awards for albums like Por Una Mujer Bonita and Historias de Mi Tierra. He has also received 19 Premio Lo Nuestro awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2025, he launched Mi Suerte Es Ser Mexicano, continuing his tribute to Mexican tradition, and his passion for the national sport, the Charreria.
In 2005 and 2006, he won Grammys for Historias de Mi Tierra as Best Mexican/ MexicanAmerican Album. In 2007, 100% Mexicano earned him another Grammy in the same category. His 2012 album Bicentenario
Through his legacy, Pepe Aguilar has become one of the most influential figures in regional Mexican music—honoring tradition while constantly evolving the genre.
Juraj Valčuha, Music Director
Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana Street houstonsymphony.org