The Chieftans and Houston Symphony to Bring Irish Spirit to the Jones Hall Stage, 2/15

A one-night stop on their 50th anniversary tour, The Chieftains will join the Houston Symphony in an unforgettable evening of Irish folk music on Friday, February 15. Known for bringing in local talent while on tour, The Chieftains will be joined on stage throughout the performance by the Clear Creek High School Chamber Singers, bagpipe performers from the Houston Highlanders and NASA astronaut and flutist, Cady Coleman.

Founder of The Cheiftains, Paddy Moloney, spoke about Coleman's unique musical contribution to the performance, "I provided her with some music...and she sent down the tune 'Fanny Power' from space to us. She floated around and played it. I used that as it was and added The Chieftains to it later..."

They will also be joined by famous traditional Irish dancers, the Pilatzke Brothers, who frequently perform with group.

Six time GRAMMY winners, The Chieftains are recognized for bringing traditional Irish music to the world's attention and celebrate their 50th anniversary in the 2012-13 season. Their performance with the Houston Symphony will include traditional folk music as well as classical music repertoire merged with the tune of an Irish jig.

The Houston Symphony Pops Special will take place in Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St., Houston, TX, on Friday, February 15, 2013 at 7:30pm as part of The Chieftains' 50th Anniversary Tour. Tickets from $29. For tickets and more information, visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Clear Creek High School Chamber Singers
James Park, director
Matthew Coffey, associate director
Houston Highlanders Pipes and Drums Band

Stuart Chafetz, known for his ability to engage audiences with innovative concerts, is a conductor increasingly in demand with orchestras nationwide.

His guest conducting appearances include the orchestras of Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Florida, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Louisiana, Naples, New Mexico, Phoenix, San Francisco Ballet and Virginia. Chafetz has worked with George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker and Bernadette Peters, to name a few.

As resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony from 2007-11, Chafetz conducted over 75 concerts throughout the state of Wisconsin, assisting Maestro Edo De Waart. While with the Honolulu Symphony, Chafetz stepped in at the last minute for music director Andreas Delfs to conduct American baritone Thomas Hampson's performance of Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer and works by Copland, among others. In addition, Chafetz conducted over 30 performances of The Nutcracker with Ballet Hawaii with principals from the American Ballet Theatre. In the summers, Chafetz spends his time at the Chautauqua Institute, where he conducts the annual July 4th concert with the Chautauqua Symphony. 2012 marked Chafetz's 10th summer conducting this popular, patriotic and fun event.

Six time GRAMMY winners, The Chieftains are recognized for bringing traditional Irish music to the world's attention and celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2012. They have uncovered a wealth of traditional Irish music that has accumulated over the centuries, while making the music their own with a style that is as exhilarating as it is definitive.

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