Hi, kids! Let’s continue our journey to see how music can help us discover more about animals! Last week, we talked about the kangaroo, elephant, and aquarium movements in The Carnival of the Animals, a piece by composer Camille Saint-Saëns (pronounced Cuh MEEL san-SOHN(s) with a hint of an “s” at the end). Ready for … Continued
Hi, kids! Today we are going to share with you the story of Die Walküre (pronounced DEE val-CURE, but also known by the English title, The Valkyries), an opera by composer Richard Wagner. THE CHALLENGE: Who is YOUR hero? Listen to the Budapest Symphony perform “Ride of the Valkyries” from Richard Wagner’s opera called The … Continued
Jump in your imaginary row boat or grab your toy boat and join Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musicians Patricia Quintero and Alexa Thomson on a musical boat ride by singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” There’s a surprise in here! Follow along with one of the musicians and see how cool it is to create harmony … Continued
The Houston Symphony Residency at Lewis Elementary, presented by BBVA, helped bring music education to local third, fourth and fifth graders in the 2018–19 school year. Community-Embedded Musicians taught both in-school and after-school violin classes to some 230 Lewis Elementary students. During a Symphony concert in Jones Hall on April 27, students performed in the … Continued
“Good! A beautiful setting,” Jimmy said over the applause as the pianist and vocalist finished the first reading of a new song by Erin Graham, a student at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. “There is one thing I’m thinking about: it’s so well written for the piano that I’m wondering how you’re going to … Continued
Announcing the semi-finalists of the 2018 Ima Hogg Solo Competition! See these future stars of classical music in performance at the competition semi-finals, May 31 from 9am-4pm at Stude Concert Hall at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Admission to the semi-finals is FREE. And get your tickets now for the exciting Finals round, June … Continued
After three years of transformative educational experiences at Crespo Elementary, the Houston Symphony is planning to transition our intensive Elementary Residency to a new Houston ISD school for the 2018-19 through 2020-21 school years. As we embark on this transition, we have the opportunity to reflect on all we’ve accomplished at Crespo. According to Crespo … Continued
Above: Joseph introduces the clarinet and performs Bartók melodies to support the classroom lesson as part of the Elementary Residency at Crespo presented by BBVA Compass. Many Houston Symphony fans will remember the astonishing performance of the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto that earned Joseph Morris the 2017 Ima Hogg Competition top prize, or the equally spectacular rendition … Continued
Students and teachers across Houston faced many challenges during the first weeks of the school year as they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Late starts, damaged facilities, and the stress of uncertainty permeated campuses throughout the region. Despite the late start to the school year, Crespo Elementary students are eager to embrace a new year of … Continued
Imagine a classroom full of 6-year-olds moving around with big smiles on their faces, waving colorful scarves to music. Sounds like child’s play, right? What we can’t see when we observe this seemingly simple scene, however, is that some real and important learning is happening alongside all the fun. These children are developing key literacy … Continued
It’s easy to take having a place to call home for granted. “I never envisioned college graduation from the University of Houston with honors, marriage, children, and living in a homeless shelter,” wrote Nakia Sims, the mother of two beginning Suzuki Violin students, Azania and Hadas’sah. When the Sims family lost their home in a … Continued
With the help of Houston ISD district leadership, Ortiz Middle School has earned fine arts magnet status and is in its first year of offering an orchestra program. Located near Hobby Airport in southeast Houston, Ortiz Middle School’s budding orchestra program promises students new opportunities to engage with music in a less affluent part of … Continued
A junior from Galena Park High School and saxophone student, Salvador excelled locally and nationally under the guidance of Dave Connor, a Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musician. Salvador’s growth in musical interpretation and execution prepared him for Texas Music Educators Association All-State and Interlochen auditions.
Meet Ima Hogg Competition Semi-finalist Samuel Chan! This talented 22 year old marimba player began percussion studies at age 6. A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and New England Conservatory, Samuel is currently attending The Juilliard School to pursue a Master of Music degree. We recently got a chance to ask … Continued
Big Brothers Big Sisters brought some very special guests for the Houston Symphony’s “A Frosty & Frozen Christmas” Family Concert on Saturday, December 12 at Jones Hall. A mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”) in the Houston area. Before the concert, unmatched “Littles” … Continued
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
At the Houston Symphony, we believe that everyone in our community should have access to great orchestral music regardless of ability to pay. With over 20 free concerts per year, a Student Concert Series that reached over 55,000 students during the 2014-15 Season and numerous free musician visits to schools, hospitals and community centers, we … Continued
On June 23, I boarded a direct flight to Bogotá, Colombia, a place I’ve never had the opportunity to visit before. I’m fortunate that my job took me to a country I’ve always wanted to visit. I knew going in that Colombians were great people, so I never once doubted that this would be a … Continued
On January 10, 16 young musicians competed to win the 2015 Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition. These students delivered many impressive performances, and at the end of the day the judges announced that the First Prize would be awarded to Ben Hoang, an eleven-year-old sixth grader from Austin who performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Recently, I got … Continued
Last week, two of Houston’s many community orchestras joined forces with Robert Franz and the Houston Symphony for two evenings of side-by-side rehearsals. The Houston Civic Symphony rehearsed with the Houston Symphony on Tuesday, September 2, and the Texas Medical Center Orchestra rehearsed with them on Wednesday, September 3. Each member of each community orchestra … Continued