Welcome to “Meet the Musician,” a behind-the-scenes blog series getting to know the Houston Symphony’s exceptional musicians. In this series, we take you up close and personal with the artists who sit on stage at Jones Hall every weekend. Read on to learn more about the inspirations, challenges, and musical passions that drive these remarkable … Continued
Welcome to “Meet the Musician,” a behind-the-scenes blog series getting to know the Houston Symphony’s exceptional musicians. In this series, we take you up close and personal with the artists who sit on stage at Jones Hall every weekend. Read on to learn more about the inspirations, challenges, and musical passions that drive these remarkable … Continued
Welcome to “Meet the Musician,” a behind-the-scenes blog series getting to know the Houston Symphony’s exceptional musicians. In this series, we take you up close and personal with the artists who sit on stage at Jones Hall every weekend. Read on to learn more about the inspirations, challenges, and musical passions that drive these remarkable … Continued
Welcome to “Meet the Musician,” a behind-the-scenes blog series getting to know the Houston Symphony’s exceptional musicians. In this series, we take you up close and personal with the artists who sit on stage at Jones Hall every weekend. Read on to learn more about the inspirations, challenges, and musical passions that drive these remarkable … Continued
Music is one of the most transcendent art forms that can take us back in time and evoke emotions we have never experienced. The fusion of music and history has unraveled mysteries worth exploring. The story behind Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, The Year 1905, is a fascinating example of how music can reflect a society’s … Continued
After a lengthy hiatus of community concerts, the Symphony is delighted to return for two exciting performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre, each highlighting a different section of the orchestra. Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Conducting Fellow Yue Bao, who was instrumental in the success of the 2020–21 Season, will lead the concerts on … Continued
Allen Barnhill, principal trombone, heads into his 43rd year with the Houston Symphony. Since they haven’t seen each other at Jones Hall in a while, Chief Operating Officer Vicky Dominguez gave him a Zoom call to chat about his path to music, memories from his decades in the Houston Symphony, and a particular date that’s … Continued
To close out the end of Women’s History Month, we spoke with Director of Artistic Planning Rebecca Zabinski about inspiring women in the orchestral world—from composers who pioneered the path for future generations and influential women in music today transforming the classical landscape as we know it. Houston Symphony: Who are some inspiring women throughout … Continued
Finnish conductor-composer Esa-Pekka Salonen joins the Houston Symphony on March 26, 27 & 28 for a concert featuring J.S. Bach arrangements by Webern, Berio, and Klemperer, plus a solo violin piece by Bach, Salonen’s own 2019 composition, Fog, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 round out the program of treasured classics presented with a contemporary twist. … Continued
The evolution of music as a multicultural medium underwent significant development throughout the 20th century as innovations in transportation and communication led to a more global society. As evidenced by the pieces on this weekend’s program, the blending of music across continents and genres transitioned the discipline into the postmodern world. The second movement of … Continued
One of the best parts of this season is spending time with family and relishing those shared holiday traditions. We got a glimpse into Associate Principal Horn Robert Johnson’s traditions with his family—his wife, Ariella Perlman, and their three sons, Ezra, Reuben, and Avi—as they got to work making potato latkes for the first night … Continued
As we enter into the holiday season—and perhaps one that’s admittedly slightly different than last year—the Houston Symphony is excited to present A Baroque Christmas. Whether you are joining us in-hall or for a livestream cozied up at home with some cocoa, our festive offering features famous arias from Handel’s Messiah, Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, and … Continued
Each holiday season, Houstonians eagerly await a plethora of events that officially signify the start of the most wonderful time of the year! The lighting of the Christmas tree at Bayou Bend Gardens, an evening stroll through tunnels of lights at the Houston Zoo, glittering galaxy displays at NASA, and the time-honored refrains of the … Continued
On Saturday, August 8, ensembles of Houston Symphony musicians present an evening of music via livestream. The centerpiece of the concert is one of the most enduringly popular pieces of classical music ever written: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Each of the piece’s four violin concertos spotlights a different Houston Symphony soloist. The violinists discuss what it’s … Continued
On Saturday, July 25, the livestream concert series Live from Jones Hall continues with a performance spotlighting two of the Houston Symphony’s sections: percussion and brass. Leonardo Soto, principal timpani, and Matthew Strauss, associate principal timpani and percussion, discuss some of the night’s repertoire that also showcases the talents of Brian Del Signore and Mark … Continued
Winner of Third Prize at the 2013 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, violinist Boson Mo joined the Houston Symphony in 2019. Boson has been featured as a Young Artist in Residence of American Public Media’s Performance Today and has been broadcast both in the United States and internationally on Radio New Zealand and CBC Radio-Canada. … Continued
A native of Loveland, Colorado, cellist Jeremy Kreutz was appointed a member of the Houston Symphony in 2020 by Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. He has been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, Round Top Institute, National Youth Orchestra of the USA, and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, performing under conductors such as Marin … Continued
On Friday, June 26, Houston Symphony musician Matthew Roitstein, associate principal flute, performs the finale to the Living Room Series—a weekly livestream concert series showcasing the individual talents of Symphony musicians. Many performed their concert with musically talented loved ones, but Matthew’s concert features the biggest family ensemble of the series. Matthew discusses what it’s … Continued
This month, we are pleased to welcome two new musicians to the orchestra:Amy Semes, associate principal second violin and Isaac Schultz, associate principal bassoon. Get to know these remarkable musicians as they share their stories. Amy Semes, born in Broomall, Pennsylvania, graduated from Rice University, Shepherd School of Music in 2019, where she received a … Continued
This month, we are pleased to welcome two new musicians to the orchestra: Isaac Schultz, associate principal bassoon and Amy Semes, associate principal second violin. Get to know these remarkable musicians as they share their stories. Isaac Schultz earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he … Continued