Houston Symphony Announces Summer Sounds At The Hobby Center 2022

Presented by Stella Artois

The Houston Symphony is announcing its first full series of Summer Special concerts in three years, Summer Sounds at the Hobby Center, presented by Stella Artois. This Summer’s lineup offers the return of actor/activist/hip-hop artist Common, the music of Whitney Houston, Led Zeppelin, and the gaming phenomenon Final Fantasy, as well as a special concert marking the 75^th Anniversary of India’s independence. Guest conductor Brent Havens kicks things off with The Music of Led Zeppelin, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18. The Houston Symphony, augmented by a full rock band, covers a set list of Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits, including “The Immigrant Song,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Stairway to Heaven,” and more. Formed in the 1960s, the English hard rock band Led Zeppelin dominated the soundwaves throughout its career. Led Zeppelin earned the prestigious Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for its creative contributions to the field of music recording. Sunday, June 19, Brent Havens takes the podium to conduct one performance only of The Music of Whitney Houston, covering the greatest hits of the iconic pop diva like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “I Will Always Love You.” One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, she was declared by the Recording Industry Association of America the best-selling female R+B singer of the 20^th century, and she holds the record for the most single records sold of any female recording artist. Grammy Award-winning conductor Arnie Roth joins the Houston Symphony as they bring to life the odysseys of the hugely popular video game series Final Fantasy in the program Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m.. In over 30 years since its inception, the Final Fantasy series has drawn audiences across the world to its stunning visuals, detailed storylines and an incredible original score. In 2007, 20 years after the video game’s inception, Roth produced and launched Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, a symphonic program featuring the music and visuals from the popular science fiction video game series. In addition to classic music from the main franchise, fans of the series can expect to hear new orchestral arrangements and see an innovative multimedia presentation that includes high-definition video from game developer SQUARE ENIX. Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and three-time Grammy Award-winning actor, activist, and hip-hop artist Common returns by popular demand to join Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke and the Houston Symphony for two unforgettable performances on Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. The multi-talented artist Common will perform selections from his latest albums, including “Let Love,” as well as some of his most memorable hits. Since his 1992 album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, Common has remained one of hip-hop’s and popular culture’s most influential figures. In 2015, having starred in the film Selma, Common won the Academy Award–alongside John Legend–for “Best Original Song in a Motion Picture” for “Glory,” which was featured in the film. His 11^th studio album, “Black America Again” on the ARTium/Def Jam label, features a collaboration with Stevie Wonder on the title track, as well as the end-title track to Ava Duvernay’s powerful Oscar-Nominated documentary 13TH, for which he also received the 2017 Emmy for “Best Music and Lyrics.” Presented in partnership with the Indo-American Association of Houston, Indian violin icon Dr. L. Subramaniam headlines a special performance celebrating the 75^th year of India’s independence, August 6 at 7:30 p.m. Joined by both the Houston Symphony and an Indian ensemble, Dr. Subramaniam shares Indian classical music, performs his own Violin Concerto, and unveils the world premiere of his Mahatma Symphony, which was written specially for this historic celebration, and features well known Indian vocalist Kavita Krishnamurthy. These six concert events mark the Symphony’s first-ever performances in the Hobby Center, necessitated by renovations of Jones Hall taking place over the next several summers. Renovations include acoustical enhancements, as well as improvements of some of the hall’s public spaces, an expanded green room, added restrooms, and improved dressing rooms and backstage areas. Houston First owns and operates Jones Hall and is working with the Foundation for Jones Hall on the renovations. The Houston Symphony 2022–2023 Season will open in September in Jones Hall as scheduled. Details about the Hobby Center and parking are at  houstonsymphony.org/hobbycenter. The Houston Symphony also returns to perform at Miller Outdoor Theatre on July 1, 2, 8, and 9, 2022. Details as well as information about the Symphony’s Neighborhood Concerts are forthcoming. For tickets and more information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. All programs and artists are subject to change. [gallery link="file" size="medium" ids="370447,370448,370449,370450,370451,370452"] The Music of Led Zeppelin Brent Havens, conductor Friday, June 17, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18, 2022, 7:30 p.m. The Music of Whitney Houston Brent Havens, conductor Sunday, June 19, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy Arnie Roth, conductor Friday, July 22, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 23, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Common with the Houston Symphony Steven Reineke, conductor Friday, July 29, 2022, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30, 2022, 7:30 p.m. India 75^th Anniversary Concert Dr. L. Subramaniam, leader and violinist Kavita Krishnamurthy, vocalist Saturday, August 6, 2022, 7:30 p.m.