Houston music and movie fans will have several new reasons to visit Jones Hall next season as the Houston Symphony has announced two blockbuster live-to-film concerts and a special one-night-only appearance by Tony Award-winning performer Idina Menzel as part of its 2026-27 season.

The Symphony recently added How To Train Your Dragon In Concert and Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert Live-to-Film to its upcoming lineup, bringing beloved films to the big screen while the orchestra performs the scores live.

How to Train Your Dragon

 

The first event, How To Train Your Dragon In Concert, will take place Sept. 5 and 6, 2026. Audiences will watch DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed adventure film in high definition while the Houston Symphony performs composer John Powell’s Academy Award-nominated score live.

The family-friendly favorite follows Hiccup, a young Viking who forms an unlikely friendship with a dragon named Toothless, challenging centuries of tradition and helping save both their worlds. Conductor Jason Seber will lead the orchestra during the performances at Jones Hall.

The Symphony will return to the silver screen on Halloween night with Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert Live-to-Film on Oct. 31, 2026.

The special presentation features Danny Elfman’s Grammy Award-winning score performed live alongside the 1993 animated classic. Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke will lead the orchestra during the Halloween evening performance, and audience members are encouraged to attend in costume.

Directed by Henry Selick and based on the characters and story created by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmasfollows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, as he attempts to bring Christmas cheer to his spooky world — with chaotic and unexpected results.

Idina Menzel

 

In addition to the new film concerts, the Houston Symphony announced a major guest appearance by Broadway and screen star Idina Menzel on Aug. 30, 2026.

The one-night-only concert will feature songs from Menzel’s most iconic roles, including Rent, Wicked and Disney’s Frozen. Fans can expect to hear beloved hits such as “Defying Gravity,” “Let It Go,” and “Take Me or Leave Me,” accompanied by the full Houston Symphony.

Menzel, who won a Tony Award for originating the role of Elphaba in Wicked, has enjoyed a career spanning Broadway, film, television and recording. She is also known worldwide as the voice of Elsa in Disney’s Frozen, whose signature song “Let It Go” became a global phenomenon and earned both Academy Award and Grammy recognition.

Her recent accomplishments include receiving the National Medal of Arts in 2023 and returning to Broadway in 2025 to star in Redwood, a new musical she co-conceived with director and writer Tina Landau.

Tickets for all three performances, as well as the rest of the Houston Symphony’s 2026-27 season, will be available to donors and subscribers beginning June 24, 2026. General public ticket sales begin June 29, 2026. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or text at 713-224-7575, or in person at the Houston Symphony box office at Jones Hall.

Event Schedule

How To Train Your Dragon In Concert

• Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, at 2 p.m.
• Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
• Jason Seber, conductor

Idina Menzel

• Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026
• Jones Hall for the Performing Arts

Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert Live-to-Film

• Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
• Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
• Steven Reineke, conductor