Tribute To The Beatles And FINAL FANTASY Added To Summer Series Lineup

The Houston Symphony announced today the addition of Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles and Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY to the 2018 Summer Series at Jones Hall.

Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles comes to Jones Hall Friday, July 6, to entertain Beatles fans with more than two dozen Beatles tunes performed exactly as they were originally recorded and with a live orchestra. The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound just like The Beatles, and will perform tunes like "Penny Lane" with a live trumpet section. Fans can also experience the beauty of "Yesterday" with an acoustic guitar and string quartet, enjoy the classical/rock blend on "I Am the Walrus," and relish the cascading crescendos on "A Day in the Life."

Back by popular demand, international concert phenomenon Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY returns to Jones Hall Saturday, July 7, as fans of the popular video game series get treated to a multimedia spectacle under the direction of Grammy award-winner Arnie Roth. Launched in conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of the franchise, Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY features the soaring music of Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu performed live by the Houston Symphony, while breathtaking screen images from game developer SQUARE ENIX immerse audiences in the fantastical video game world of FINAL FANTASY.

The concerts will take place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston's Theater District. For tickets and information, please call (713) 224-7575 or visit www.houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

About Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles

Since its initial performance at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (now renamed Segerstrom Center for the Arts) in 1996, Classical Mystery Tour has become the #1 Symphony Pops attraction over the last decade. The group has been performing consistently for over 20 years with more than 100 orchestras in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The group played to packed houses at the Sydney Opera House, and has performed with America's most prestigious orchestras: The Cleveland Orchestra, The Boston Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, among many others. The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tourlook and sound just like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert. The show presents more than two dozen Beatles tunes performed exactly as they were originally recorded. Hear "Penny Lane" with a live trumpet section, experience the beauty of "Yesterday" with an acoustic guitar and string quartet, enjoy the classical/rock blend on "I Am the Walrus," and relish the cascading orchestral crescendo on "A Day in the Life." Classical Mystery Tour is the best of The Beatles - from early Beatles music on through the solo years - like you've never heard them before. Many have called it "the best show the Beatles never did!" The Los Angeles Times called Classical Mystery Tour "more than just an incredible simulation...the swelling strings and soaring French horn lines gave the live performance a high goose-bump quotient...the crowd stood and bellowed for more." Classical Mystery Tour CDs and T-shirts are available for purchase on their website: classicalmysterytour.com. The group is usually available after their performance to autograph CDs and programs.

About Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY

AWR Music Productions, LLC is proud to present the official symphony concert world-tour Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY. Launched in conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of FINAL FANTASY, this concert tour features the music of Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu and is conducted by Grammy award-winner Arnie Roth. This multimedia experience combines stirring screen images to match the soaring emotions of a symphony orchestra performing music from SQUARE ENIX'S world-renowned FINAL FANTASY video game series. History After the success of the 2002 FINAL FANTASY concert held in Japan, SQUARE ENIX announced a six-city, seven-show tour of Japan in 2004 entitled "Tour de Japon: music from FINAL FANTASY." The first stateside concert, "Dear Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY," followed on May 10, 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA and sold out in three days. It featured music from SQUARE ENIX's world-renowned FINAL FANTASY video game series, performed by the acclaimed Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The positive reception of this performance gave rise to the 2005 U.S. concert tour "Dear Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY." Uematsu's award-winning music was then featured in "More Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY" in Los Angeles at the Universal Amphitheatre. Later that year, the "VOICES: music from FINAL FANTASY" concert took place in Tokyo with the Tokyo Philharmonic under the direction of Music Director Arnie Roth. Video game music has grown increasingly popular in the last few years. Music plays an integral role in today's games, enhancing the players' overall experience. While still a growing market, video game soundtracks are now sold in major outlets and include a variety of genres such as rock, hip-hop, electronica, classical compositions, and songs performed by popular artists. The FINAL FANTASY soundtracks, which are original compositions, have grown so popular that TIME magazine named series composer Nobuo Uematsu a notable "Innovator" in its recent "Time 100: the Next Wave Music" feature. SQUARE ENIX hopes to pioneer awareness and appreciation of not only its own musical creations, but also video game music throughout the industry.

About the Houston Symphony

During the 2017-18 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its fourth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco- Estrada and continues its second century as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $33.9 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony's four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 900 community-based performances each year, reaching thousands of people in Greater Houston.

The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Naxos, Koch International Classics, Telarc, RCA Red Seal, 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.

For tickets and more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.