Houston Symphony Presents Magical Fantasy Concert Wands and Wizards: Music From Harry Potter and More
The Houston Symphony continues their PNC Family Series with the magical and spell-binding program, Wands & Wizards: Music from Harry Potter & More, at 10 and 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, April 23. In-person tickets are now available at houstonsymphony.org/wizards.
For his final concert as Associate Conductor with the Houston Symphony, Associate Conductor Robert Franz leads the orchestra in a program featuring music from the Harry Potter films, The Wizard of Oz, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, made famous by Mickey Mouse’s performance in the Disney animated classic film, Fantasia. Franz always dresses up for the occasion—and audiences are encouraged to do the same. Families can view various costumes and accessories from Robert Franz’s tenure with the Symphony and pose with fun cardboard cut-outs of Franz in the Jones Hall lobby. Guests can also enjoy other musical activities, like the fan-favorite Instrument Petting Zoo. Lobby activities take place from 9 to 9:50 a.m. before the 10 a.m. concert and from 12:30 to 1 p.m. after the 11:30 a.m. concert.
For more than 10 years, Associate Conductor Robert Franz has delighted and inspired listeners young and old with his boundless enthusiasm, engaging humor, and always-creative costumes. The Houston Symphony invites audiences to celebrate Robert’s outstanding legacy, as his tenure with the Houston Symphony comes to a close for this final concert season.
Part of the PNC Family Series, Wands & Wizards: Music from Harry Potter & More takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston’s Theater District. Additional support comes from Houston Methodist, the Symphony’s Official Health Care Provider. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. All programs and artists are subject to change.
WANDS & WIZARDS: MUSIC FROM HARRY POTTER & MORE
Saturday, April 23, 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 23, 11:30 a.m.
Robert Franz, associate conductor
About Robert Franz
Recognized as “an outstanding musician with profound intelligence,” Robert Franz currently serves as associate conductor of the Houston Symphony, music director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Orchestra, and newly appointed artistic advisor of the Boise Baroque Orchestra.
Throughout his career, he has striven for the highest artistic standards, built bridges in many communities, and maintained the strongest commitment to music education.
This season, Robert celebrates his 12th year as associate conductor of the Houston Symphony. He recently became the first member of the orchestra’s conducting staff to be honored with the Raphael Fliegel Award for Visionary Leadership, which recognizes his success in advancing the organization’s education and community engagement activities. He has positively impacted student concert attendance during his tenure and has led a broad range of creative, educational, and engaging family concerts, including the Houston Symphony’s Summer Neighborhood Concert Series.
Composer Bright Sheng has praised Franz for his “extremely musical and passionate approach towards music making,” and Robert is in increasing demand as a guest conductor. Upcoming and recent engagements include appearances with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Winston-Salem Symphony, Reno Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Idaho. Additional recent guest conducting appearances include The Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and Italy’s Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, among others. His versatility has led to collaborations with a wide array of artists, including James Galway, Joshua Bell, Rachel Barton Pine, Chris Botti, Idina Menzel, and Judy Collins.
Robert is equally comfortable and effective coaching more than 50 student orchestras each season. An eloquent speaker, he recently presented a TEDx Talk titled Active Listening and Our Perception of Time. His work with the acclaimed Bolton Research Project led the way to his commitment to the art of active listening. Under his direction, both the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where he received the BPO/ECMEA Music Award for Excellence, and the Louisville Orchestra were awarded ASCAP’s Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming. The Louisville Orchestra’s award led to the creation of an education program for Kentucky Educational Television entitled Creating Music and Stories.
When he’s not on the podium, Robert can be found skiing slowly and carefully on the slopes, stretching in yoga class, and playing card games with his family.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2021–22 Season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its final season under Andrés Orozco-Estrada as Music Director and continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring, and recording activities. One of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, the Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an operating budget of $28.8 million (FY22), the full-time ensemble of professional musicians presents nearly 170 (FY19) concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s two Community-Embedded Musicians