The El Paso Symphony Orchestra is ready to rock with “The Music of Queen” on Friday, March 1, 2024, 8pm at the Plaza Theatre.  Conductor/arranger Brent Havens will lead the El Paso Symphony Orchestra in Windborne Music’s “The Music of Queen,” a program Havens scored to extend the listening experience of Queen’s exceptional tunes. Performed with a full rock band and vocals, conductor Havens and ensemble capture Queen’s distinct sound while presenting some familiar, and new, musical colors.

Delivering a fabulous rendition of Freddie Mercury’s vocals is London’s West End and Broadway’s MiG Ayesa. “Clearly, there will never be another Freddie Mercury and I don’t want MiG to try to be him, Havens says, but MiG delivers an amazing and wonderful performance on this show.”

Tickets Available at (915) 532-3776 EPSO.ORG or TICKETMASTER.COM.

Tickets are $80, $65, $55 and $45 plus fees.

Heightened by rock concert lighting, the symphonic rock hybrid has been met with riotous approval. Classical musicians also enjoy the change of pace. “So many of the musicians grew up with this music, much like we did,” says Havens. “They may not have studied it to the extent that my musicians have studied it but they are certainly familiar with the music. Who can avoid hearing We Will Rock You at sporting events, on TV shows, and even in the supermarket?” Indeed, Queen’s music seems omnipresent. Havens understands that Queen fans want to hear the original, familiar elements of the music. He follows exact line arrangements and uses the orchestra for enhancement. “When I sat down to begin scoring the show, it was amazing how comfortably the orchestra fit within the structure of the music. Innovative chord progressions, wonderful melodies and the astounding vocals of Freddie Mercury make the music a perfect choice to orchestrate.” This is an encore performance for the El Paso Symphony. EPSO first performed “The Music of Queen”in August 2014 to a sold-out house and is thrilled to bring the show back to El Paso.

WHO’S WHO WITH THE BAND:

Berklee-trained arranger/conductor Brent Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films and television. His TV work includes movies for networks such as ABC, CBS and The Family Channel, commercials, sports music for networks such as ESPN and even cartoons. He worked with the Doobie Brothers and the Milwaukee Symphony. Recent film work includes the score for the film Quo Vadis, aremake of the 1956 gladiator film. Havens is Arranger/Guest Conductor for all of Windborne’s symphonic rock programs.

Vocalist MiG Ayesa was born in the Philippines and grew up in Australia, where his career started in Buddy. He was chosen for the London cast of Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II. MiG’s other West End credits include We Will Rock You, Rent, Thriller Live and Seasons of Larson. His Broadway credits include Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages, including its first US national tour. In Australia, his credits include Grease, Cinderella, Aladdin, West Side Story, Rent, Fame, and a UK/Australian tour of The Music of Queen: Rock and Symphonic Spectacular.  As a devout classic rock/Queen fan, MiG’s enthusiasm, vocal ability, and onstage energy were the perfect fit for “The Music of Queen” show.

Additional Musicians:

Guitar/Vocals – George Cintron

Keyboards/Vocals – Justin Avery

Bass/Vocals – Dan Clemens

Drums/Vocals – Powell Randolph

The El Paso Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.