The Houston Symphony is fortunate to have the generous and longstanding support of The Wortham Foundation, Inc. whose grants play a vital role in maintaining the orchestra’s artistic excellence and organizational strength. The Wortham Foundation, Inc. has been a partner of the Houston Symphony for more than 45 years, and their investment in the Symphony has been invaluable to the organization’s artistic growth.

The Houston Symphony has made strides to establish itself as a leader in the performing arts and has accomplished several key achievements in pursuit of this goal.

• In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf.
• The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award for the same recording at the 60^th annual ceremony in the Best Opera Recording category in 2018.
• Also in 2018, the Houston Symphony embarked on a two-week European tour—our first of the continent in more than 20 years—with superstar violinist Hilary Hahn, performing for enthusiastic audiences in eight of the world’s most renowned concert halls.
• September 2019 marked our first livestreamed concert when the orchestra performed Stravinsky’s The Firebird, broadcasting the performance to patrons across the country and around the world.
• In 2020, the Symphony held a two-week Schumann Festival, exploring the works of the romantic composer and featuring pop-up chamber performances and lectures at various venues around the city of Houston.
• Since 2012, the Symphony has also attracted and retained highly talented musicians, hiring 25 full-time professional orchestra members.

These successes have raised the reputation of not only the Symphony, but of Houston as a cultural arts center—all possible, in part, due to the support of The Wortham Foundation, Inc. The Wortham Foundation, Inc. has also generously provided additional support and leadership funding at critical times following natural disasters and public health crises. This has allowed the Houston Symphony to weather unforeseeable events with the financial stability and strength befitting the oldest and largest performing arts organization in the city of Houston.

We are grateful for our partnership with The Wortham Foundation, Inc. and thank them for their continued support over the years!