Football fans and music enthusiasts gathered at Jones Hall Thursday evening to witness the premiere of "Gridiron Glory: Sights & Music of the NFL."
The program is the first of its kind as it marked the first time a symphony performed music, composed specifically for NFL Films, while simultaneously NFL archived footage was shown.
The hour-and-a-half musical event was made possible by NFL Films in conjunction with the Houston Symphony and the Texans founders Bob and Janice McNair.
NFL president, Steve Sabol, served as emcee for the premiere.
"Tonight's performance is a realization of five years of coordination and arranging," Sabol said during the program's introduction. "With so many moving parts, practice times, and all the different logistics that go into putting something like this together. We're just happy to make this happen. And because of the Houston Symphony, because of Bob and Janice McNair and the Texans all this is possible for the first time."
Music of composers, Sam Spence, Tom Hedden and Dave Robidoux was showcased for the unique audience.
Spence, who was the pioneer composer for NFL music in 1962, was present to witness his piece of music performed. The audience was* *provided with background to the birth of the music as Sabol recounted the story the first pieces German-born Spence created for the American game.
"When we began working with film and music," Sabol said. "We wanted to portray football the way Hollywood portrayed fiction
"Both, music and sports, appeal to our sense of rhythm. But they also appeal to our sense of wonder and romance. And pro football is our most popular sport. It quenches our thirst for heroic simplicity."
In addition to classic pieces that included
's Game." The one hour special will countdown the forty Super Bowls starting every Thursday after Thanksgiving.
The Bull Pen pep band and Toro greeted guests to the show. Attendees to the event also had a chance to visit with the Texans' Ambassadors and Cheerleaders.
