THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY BRINGS DISNEY MAGIC TO JONES HALL WITH DISNEY TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN CONCERT
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HOUSTON, TX (November 5, 2024) — After a nearly sold out run last year, the Houston Symphony brings both Halloween and Christmas cheer to all once again with Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert, live at Jones Hall on November 16 and 17. Returning to the stage by popular demand, audiences will once again experience the thrill of Tim Burton's beloved film on the big screen as the orchestra, led by conductor Anthony Parnther, performs Danny Elfman's darkly enchanting score through every scene. This family-friendly event offers a unique way to celebrate the magic of both Halloween and Christmas this holiday season.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is based on an original poem and characters created by Tim Burton. This stop-motion animated modern musical classic follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, as he stumbles upon Christmas Town and attempts to take over the holiday with his own spooky twist.
The film was first released as The Nightmare Before Christmas in 1993. Directed by Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach), the film follows Jack Skellington's earnest-but-misguided adventures. Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine of Halloween, Jack longs to try something new. Convinced that he can spread the joy of Christmas and against the advice of Sally, a caring and clever ragdoll, Jack enlists three mischievous trick-or-treaters—Lock, Shock, and Barrel–to kidnap Santa Claus. But Jack's merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere. The film is rated "PG."
Audiences can look forward to a festive lobby display, including a towering Christmas tree with a Halloween twist and 13-Foot Jack Skellington. Children ages six through 12 save 50 percent on tickets with the purchase of at least one adult ticket.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert is licensed by Disney Concerts and presented by the Houston Symphony. For tickets and further information, call or text 713-224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org/nightmarebeforechristmas.
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Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 17, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Anthony Parnther, conductor
About Anthony Parnther
American conductor Anthony Parnther is set to begin his sixth season as Music Director of California's San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra. As conductor of the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, comprised of musicians from leading orchestras across the nation, Parnther led the ensemble's sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall, featuring the world premiere of I Can by five-time Grammy winner Jon Batiste.
A conductor fluent across genres, Parnther has collaborated with renowned artists such as Joshua Bell, Lynn Harrell, Jessye Norman, Frederica von Stade, Imagine Dragons, Wu-Tang Clan, John Legend, Metro Boomin, Avenged Sevenfold, and Rihanna. The Los Angeles Times described Parnther as "The quintessential L.A. musician of our day." His recent engagements include performances with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Houston Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Music Academy of the West, Sydney Symphony, and Chineke! Orchestra, with which he debuted at the BBC Proms.
Dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices, Parnther has reconstructed and performed works by composers such as Margaret Bonds, Duke Ellington, Zenobia Powell Perry, Florence Price, William Grant Still, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. He has also led LA Opera's world premiere of Tamar-kali Brown's oratorio We Hold These Truths and Long Beach Opera's revival of Anthony Davis's Pulitzer-winning Central Park Five. Parnther has premiered and recorded works by Jon Batiste, Kris Bowers, Chanda Dancy, Philip Herbert, Daniel Kidane, George Lewis, James Newton, George Walker, and Errollyn Wallen. His advocacy for Black, Latino, and women composers earned him recognition as a "Local Hero" by KCET/TV in Los Angeles.
A leading conductor for film, Parnther oversees recording sessions for high-profile films and TV series, working closely with acclaimed media composers. He has conducted scores for projects such as the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer, Grammy-winning Encanto, Emmy-winning The Mandalorian, Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild, Creed III, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, and League of Legends.
About Houston Symphony
Under Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Houston Symphony continues its second century inspiring and engaging a large and diverse audience in Houston and beyond through exceptional musical performances, and creating enduring impact in the Houston community. 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 $40.7 million, the full-time ensemble of professional musicians presents more than 130 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Traditionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony's Community-Embedded Musicians also offer nearly 600 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, senior centers, and churches, annually reaching nearly 200,000 people in Greater Houston in addition to Jones Hall.
After suspending concert activities in March 2020, the Symphony successfully completed a full 2020–21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams of each performance, making it one of the only orchestras in the world to do so. The Houston Symphony remains committed to livestreaming its 2024-25 Season to a broad audience in over forty-five countries and all 50 states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a sizeable audience outside its home city through this technology. The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg's Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category. The Symphony's most recent recordings include a Pentatone release in January 2022 of its world premiere performances of Jimmy López Bellido's Aurora and Ad Astra, and a Naxos release in July 2023 of its world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon's Duo Duel.
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