Evan Roider will embark on his inaugural season with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra this November, opening with a nod to Western history and cultural influences that make up the fabric of Tucson and Southern Arizona. A Louisiana native, Roider grew up immersed in a wide range of musical genres and theater, experiences that helped shape the direction of his musical career.
“My greatest influence is very easily my grandmother. She had me on her lap at age two at the piano. Then, growing up, she was a wonderful singer; she loved classical music but also took me to the musicals at the same time as the symphony and opera. Forever, I’ve been influenced by all of those genres.”
He arrives in Tucson after spending the last few years working in Broadway, particularly touring with Wicked before securing his first position with an American symphony orchestra here in Tucson as Principal Pops Conductor. His tenure begins a new chapter in a long history of TSO Pops concerts.
“I am from the Baton Rouge area, so you have the jazz influence, and everybody embraces all the different styles of music. Even in my personal life, I live right outside of New York City, so Friday I’m going to Birdland to listen to jazz, but then I’ll be at the Met the next night. I was always told that at some point you’re going to have to choose what kind of music you want to do. I don’t think that’s true at all.”
Pops concerts embrace just that. The LIVE@theRonstadt Pops series will combine popular genres in the concert hall in new ways. After opening with Howdy Tucson celebrating Western music, the season will also feature iconic film scores by Hans Zimmer and John Williams, along with rock music reimagined by the TSO.
“The great thing as a conductor is that I work with so many different artists. This last season I did two rap concerts, and I have a few more coming up this season. I didn’t really grow up listening to rap, but as a conductor I understand the orchestra and that artist understands their own genre. Being able to bring them together have been some of my best concert experiences – programs which I didn’t feel I was best suited to ending up being great! I embrace a whole new style of music or new artist that I had never experienced that way.”
Tucson has long been one of Arizona’s vibrant artistic centers, home to a wide range of programs and venues that have engaged local audiences for decades – from ballet and theater to jazz and of course, classical music, reflecting a deep and enduring creative spirit.
“All of the culture is magnified here. It’s what I love about Tucson,” Evan adds. “It’s such an artistic city – the murals everywhere, the speakeasys on East Congress, the restaurant scene, the music and visual art, the theater – all of it! I think our goal must be to embrace what Tucson is and bring that into the concert hall through programming that somehow relates to Tucson.
“People will see us, as we go along in the coming seasons, embracing local artists but also with some kind of connection to the city and themes. We have a wonderful soloist, Scottsdale native Nathaniel Hackmann, for the first concert – Howdy Tucson – who will be singing Copland’s Old American Songs. Hackmann has been in a number of Broadway shows and I wanted to do something that will have a different interpretation, because we’re so used to hearing those songs sung by a classical singer.”
Roider explains his selection of the songs in that opening program because they feature Arizona and composers who have been inspired by its landscape and Mexican history in its culture.
“I chose three Western songs that had something to do with Arizona., each totally orchestrated in a new way—really like a premiere. We’re doing so many different things, like the ‘Cloudburst’ from the Grand Canyon Suite (Ferde Grofé), and Tumbling Tumbleweeds (Bob Nolan).”
Film score admirers will also notice a John Williams Overture from the 1972 film The Cowboys that starred John Wayne, while other highlights include The Arizona Waltz by Rex Allen.
Symphony halls around the world have begun to embrace pops programming in a new way presenting films and other popular music that was rarely heard previously. The new Pops chapter with the TSO will be no different, Evan explains.
“It’s building that trust with the audience, especially those that favor the Classic series,” Roider explains. “It’s never going to be tacky. I want the popular music that we’re doing to have as much respect as any other music we do this season. During an evening of John Williams for example, we’re not just playing the hits. People don’t often perform Catch Me If You Can, it has its own very different style.”
Roider hopes that by bridging the gap between classical and pops programming, it will encourage audiences to embrace both. His plan to present these pieces in a new way will cultivate a more connected and adventurous concertgoing community, celebrating the full spectrum of what the TSO has to offer.
For Roider, one of the most inspiring aspects of joining the TSO has been witnessing the musicians’ unwavering commitment to every performance, whether performing a classical masterwork or a pops concert. That dedication reinforces his own belief that every concert deserves the highest standard of musicianship and fuels his mission.
“When I’m in Tucson with the symphony, I never sense the feeling that they’re going to give less just because we’re playing pop music. They’re always just as invested in it, sometimes they’re so excited because it’s music that they relate to. I think they give themselves fully to whatever I’m doing, which is what makes it so exciting for me.”