A press release detailed the Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale will celebrate the Lone Star State with “A TEXAS TRIBUTE” Presented by Capital Farm Credit at 7:30 p.m. March 19 at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are $32 to $52, students are $8 with a paying adult or valid college ID. Purchase at mosc.org or by calling 800-514-3849.
This special concert celebration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Texas Country Reporter, the press release stated. The symphony orchestra, led by Maestro Gary Lewis, will present a night of Texas Tunes, history, culture and humor with live narration by Bob & Kelli Phillips.
The Texas Country Reporter is the longest-running independently produced television show in American history. Kelli and Bob Phillips are the co-hosts of the program and share more than their love for each other, they share a love for people. Each has made a career of staying in constant contact with the audiences they have built in their almost life-long careers in communications.
Music for “A TEXAS TRIBUTE” was arranged by composer David Lovrien who has been a fan of Texas Country Reporter since his family moved to Texas from Nebraska in the 1970’s. TCR co-hosts Bob & Kelli Phillips first met David at a concert in May 2018 where David was performing and Bob was emcee.
Lovrien’s arrangement of The Hill Country Theme was included that day, and after the concert Bob shared his dream with David – to create a symphonic program where he and Kelli could narrate stories of Texas history, culture, and tales from their half-century of travels. David volunteered to compose the underscore for the project, and Bob began writing a script with TCR senior producer Mike Snyder.
There are seven main movements of “A Texas Tribute” spread over the course of the concert and interspersed with other favorite Texas and western-themed selections. The first, titled “Texas Revolution”, describes the beginnings of our state, from the Texas Declaration of Independence to the Alamo.
