Horner’s Collage: A Concerto for Four Horns Gets Its U.S. Premiere

Titanic. Avatar. Braveheart. Field of Dreams. Some of the biggest movies of the past 30 years have told their stories with the help of sweeping, colorful scores by the late James Horner. He entrusted some of their most poignant moments to the French horn: In Field of Dreams, for instance, the horn lent its glow to the first sight … Continued

Making Spirits Bright: Bringing Music to Our Community

At the Houston Symphony, nothing gives us more joy than sharing the music we love, and as an organization we are committed to sharing music with as many people in our community as we possibly can. This means that in addition to our busy concert schedule, our musicians are out and about all over Houston … Continued

Kirill Gerstein Can Play with One Hand Tied Behind His Back!*

Kirill Gerstein, virtuoso pianist and long-time friend of the Houston Symphony, returns on January 22–24 to perform a program with Andrés and the orchestra that includes Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. We spoke with Kirill recently to welcome him back to Houston. Houston Symphony Magazine: What is special to you about Ravel’s Piano … Continued

Jennifer Rivera Talks Handel’s Messiah

Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera is one of the most dynamic personalities in opera and classical music today: her multifaceted career includes not only a busy schedule of international performances, but also blogging, arts advocacy and arts administration. Recently, I got to ask her a few questions in advance of her upcoming performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Houston … Continued

Reginald Smith Jr. Wishes You a Very Merry Pops!

Baritone Reginald Smith Jr. has had a busy 2015: he has traveled to Russia and across the United States for opera and concert performances and was also a winner of the 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, one of the world’s most prestigious opera singing competitions (past winners have included Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas … Continued

Subscriber Spotlight: Subscriber Appreciation Month

As part of Subscriber Appreciation Month, we reached out to two longtime subscribers, Ann Friedberg and Ben Newman, to ask them about their relationship with the Houston Symphony. Here’s what Ann had to say. Calvin Dotsey: When did you first become interested in classical music? Was there a special family member, friend or teacher who … Continued