HOUSTON — The Houston Symphony will celebrate independence day with thousands of its closest friends at Miller Outdoor Theatre during its annual Star-Spangled Salute, a musical extravaganza and the grand finale of the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights free concert series.
A Houston tradition, the ever-popular Star-Spangled Salute will take place at 8:30 p.m. July 4 at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Led by Principal POPS Conductor Designate Steven Reineke, the celebration includes a magnificent firework display provided by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board.
“Every year, our musicians look forward to this grand celebration where families and friends come together to celebrate the greatness of our country and the beautiful city in which we live,” said Principal POPS Conductor Designate Steven Reineke. “I encourage all Houstonians to join us in this long-standing family tradition and experience the Houston Symphony in a whole new way.”
Featured vocalists will include Billy Tighe and Kristine Reese, married Broadway performers making their Houston Symphony debut. Tighe just completed his run as Elder Price on the first national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical The Book of Mormon.
In addition to patriotic pieces like “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and tributes to this year’s Olympics in Brazil like “The Girl From Ipanema” and “Copacabana,” the audience can sing and dance along to selections from Broadway hits and iconic films like The Book of Mormon, Ragtime, Wicked and Dirty Dancing.
Another popular segment is the armed forces salute, followed by the emotional finale: Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, enhanced the patriotic sounds of booming cannons.
An additional Star-Spangled Salute performance will take place at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion July 3.
The July 4 performance at Miller Outdoor Theatre will be broadcast live on Houston Public Media News 88.7 and online by visiting www.houstonpublicmedia.org/listen-live.
