Rafael Enrique Irizarry
Next month, the Houston Symphony’s annual free Fiesta Sinfónica concert returns to Jones Hall after a yearlong COVID-induced absence with a vibrant and rhythmic program under the direction of guest conductor Rafael Enrique Irizarry, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. An annual Houston tradition dating back to 1992, Fiesta Sinfónica celebrates Houston’s diversity and honors Hispanic Heritage Month.
With support from Chevron, the Symphony welcomes Irizarry, current Associate Conductor of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (PRSO), who makes his Houston Symphony debut in the program. A finalist in the 1995 Leonard Bernstein Orchestral Conducting competition at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Irizarry has held the post of Associate Conductor with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra since 2015 while also serving as a French horn player with the orchestra for over 30 years.
For this performance, Irizarry leads the orchestra through a colorful, multicultural program while giving a special nod to his native Puerto Rican roots with an orchestral arrangement of the well-known Puerto Rican bolero En Mi Viejo San Juan by Noel Estrada—often considered an unofficial national anthem for Puerto Rico. Plus, Jack Delano’s Sinfonietta para Cuerdas—based on Puerto Rican rhythms—and selections from Bernstein’s masterpiece multicultural musical, West Side Story. The program also features works like the “Final Dance” from Falla’s Suite No. 2 from El Sombrero de tres picos, selections from Bizet’s Suites No. 1 and 2 from Carmen, Moncayo’s Huapango, and the finale of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, Opus 34.
FIESTA SINFÓNICA
Saturday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
Rafael Enrique Irizarry, conductor
Fiesta Sinfónica takes place on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston’s Theater District. This concert will have no intermission. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets are free to the general public and are available at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.). Seating will be available first come, first served. COVID safety protocols, such as mandatory mask wearing for the audience, are in place. Learn more at houstonsymphony.org/safety. All programs and artists are subject to change.
Fiesta Sinfónica is made possible through the support of Chevron. Additional support provided by Univision Houston and Amor 106.5FM, our Hispanic media partners.