Take a musical journey through time as the Symphony pays homage to over a century of trailblazing Black artists, from classical music to ragtime, jazz, classic rock, and beyond! Rock out to Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” dance to Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” Florence Price’s exhilarating “Juba” Dance, and much more! This program will also feature an exceptional performance by American Idol contestant Douglas Mills Jr. and students from Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Canadian Conductor, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, is co-creator of the program.

Bartholomew-Poyser, a passionate communicator, brings clarity and meaning to the concert hall, fostering deep connections between audiences and performers. Daniel is the resident conductor of engagement and education at the San Francisco Symphony, the Barrett principal education conductor and community ambassador of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the principal youth conductor and

creative partner with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. He also is the artist in residence and community ambassador of Symphony Nova Scotia, conducting ballet and pops with national and international artists and designing diverse and relevant family and outreach shows for the Halifax community. Daniel has conducted leading orchestras throughout North America. He was a guest conductor with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Centre in 2020. Additionally, he has served as assistant conductor of the Kitchen- er-Waterloo Symphony and associate conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. In April 2022, Daniel debuted with Carnegie Hall’s Link Up Orchestra, conducting the world premiere of Ram Tori Maya by Indian American composer Reena Esmail and We Shall Not Be Moved, arranged by American vocalist and composer Nathalie Joachim.

Houston-raised vocalist Douglas Mills, Jr. is a freshman at Sam Houston State University and an alumnus of Kinder HSPVA’s vocal department. He received a golden ticket to participate in the most recent season of American Idol, where he advanced to the top 50. He was also a merit winner for the 2021 National YoungArts Foundation. He is currently studying music therapy to help others the way music helped him and hoped to continue growing in experience to give back to the community.

For more information, visit www.houstonsymphony.org