The Woodlands, TX – Pack your bags for a musical journey with the Houston Symphony’s Musical Road Trip June 13. Robert Franz conducts the Symphony and leads the audience on a trip through the prairies of Texas and across America connecting the repertoire through dialog with the audience. Reserved seats start at $10 and lawn seating is free, sponsored in part by Houston Community Newspapers.

Robert Franz, Houston Symphony conductor, leads the audience on a “Musical Road Trip” June 13 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Photo by Jeff Fitlow

Franz leads this musical tour from the wild west of Copland’s “Billy the Kid Suite” to the tossing of seas of Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman.” Discover Dvořák’s “New World Symphony” and celebrate the mightiest river in the U.S.A. with Grofé’s “Mississippi Suite.” Continue your drive down the melodic highway to the sounds of Dragon’s “Yellow Rose of Texas,” Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” Smetana’s “Moldau,” and Hayman’s “Sing Out America.”  Pack your camera and capture your memories of this summer expedition.

Before your road trip begins, savor your sweet tooth with free ice cream in the Fidelity Investments Plaza. Fidelity treats everyone who visits the plaza from 7 to 7:30 p.m. to free Häagen-Dazs ice cream with toppings. Then relax to the sounds of the Sharpstown High School Band, Sollopa, and the public premiere of a piece of work written by the students under the direction of Kurt Stallmann, a composer and professor of music at Rice University.  Sollopa is made up of 10 young musicians from the Sharpstown High School Band. Pre-concert activities begin at 7 p.m. Sollopa performs from 7:30 to 7:45 p.m. The first 2,000 travelers to embark on their journey get free leis as they enter the gates. The first 500 tourists to check in with the plaza’s concierge get a free souvenir t-shirt.

At Musical Road Trip, have a picnic on the hill during the concert.  Lawn seating is free.  Free lawn chairs also are available for this and other applicable performing arts events this season. Keep in mind that beverages cannot be brought into The Pavilion.

Tickets to this Houston Symphony concert are $15 for covered reserved, $10 for uncovered reserved. Lawn seating is free and tickets are not required to sit on the lawn. Tickets can be purchased at The Pavilion Ticket Office, located at 2005 Lake Robbins Drive in The Woodlands.  The Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on event days through the start of the show. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets, including Macy’s, Fiesta, select FYE and H-E-B locations, Wherehouse Music and Media Magic, by calling 713-629-3700, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.  Most major credit cards are accepted.  Some service charges may apply.

Preferred parking is available in the on-site Town Center Garage, located along Six Pines Drive.  Parking is $5 per vehicle for this and most performing arts events.  Tickets for on-site parking can be purchased in advance at all Ticketmaster locations and The Pavilion Ticket Office.  Guests also can park in any of the five free parking lots on the southwest side of The Pavilion. The free, color-coded lots are connected to The Pavilion by corresponding pathways with signs leading across The Waterway. 

For more information regarding upcoming events at The Pavilion, call 281-363-3300 or visit www.woodlandscenter.org.

The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion's 2008 Performing Arts Season is generously sponsored by the Community Associations of The Woodlands, Houston Community Newspapers, Mosquito Nix, The Pavilion Partners, The Wortham Foundation and Continental Airlines, official airline of The Pavilion.

Media Contact:
Courtney Galle, Marketing & PR Manager, 281-210-1113 cgalle@woodlandscenter.org
Cindy DuBois, Director of Marketing & Education, 281-210-1109 cdubois@woodlandscenter.org

2005 Lake Robbins Drive · The Woodlands, TX 77380
Tel: 281-364-3010 · Fax: 281-364-3011
www.woodlandscenter.org

Founded in 1990, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is part of The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides diverse, high-quality performing arts events for the entertainment and enrichment of a broad regional audience. Through numerous educational and community outreach programs, The Center is a catalyst for attracting new audiences to the performing arts and building strong ties between the arts and educational institutions.