HOUSTON (Oct. 11, 2019) – Today, the Houston Symphony announced a four-concert chamber music series showcasing musicians of the orchestra and guest luminaries in intimate venues across Houston. The opening concert takes place at MATCH Box 4 featuring violin virtuoso Gil Shaham and Houston Symphony musicians in Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B minor on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
“Chamber music is one of the most intimate forms of music making, allowing audiences to experience the outstanding musicians of the Houston Symphony in smaller settings, up close,” expressed Houston Symphony CEO/Executive Director and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair John Mangum. “It’s critical for the artistic growth of our musicians as well,” he continued “strengthening their ensemble skills in ways that complement their work in the orchestra. There is an intuitive level of communication among the musicians in chamber music, a kind of musical ESP. This is part of what makes chamber music so exciting for audiences.”
“Chamber music is only one musician on a part, requiring each player to be a soloist and to share their musical ideas with colleagues and audiences,” shared Mark Nuccio, Principal Clarinet. “This is an experience that also allows audiences a more close-up opportunity to hear each of the wonderful musicians of the Houston Symphony.”
The Chamber Music Series continues at Live Oak Friends Meeting Skyspace on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. with leader John Storgårds, also on violin, and Houston Symphony musicians in Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings. The third performance of the series, part of the Houston Symphony’s two-week Schumann Festival, takes place at Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center on Valentine’s Day—Friday, Feb. 14—at 7:30 p.m. The program features Houston Symphony musicians and Alisa Weilerstein (cello) in Schumann’s most romantic works.
The 2019–2020 Chamber Music Series concludes at Duncan Recital Hall at Rice University on Friday, Mar. 27 at 7:30 p.m. with Cédric Tiberghien (piano) and Houston Symphony musicians in Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet. For updated programming information on the Chamber Music Series, visit houstonsymphony.org.
The Houston Symphony’s Chamber Music Series is made possible in part by the generous support from: Robin Angly and Miles Smith, Nancy and Walter Bratic, Eugene Fong, Gary L. Hollingsworth and Kenneth J. Hyde, Ms. Leslie Nossaman, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Nuccio, Ed and Janet Rinehart, and Bobby and Phoebe Tudor. Subscriptions for the series of four concerts are $100; single tickets are $35. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.
CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
Friday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.
MATCH Box 4
3400 Main St, Houston, TX 77002
Brahms: Clarinet Quintet in B minor
Gil Shaham, violin
Houston Symphony musicians
Sunday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Live Oak Friends Meeting Skyspace
1318 West 26th Street, Houston, TX 77008
Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings
John Storgårds, violin and leader
Houston Symphony musicians
Friday, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center
800 Bagby St #300, Houston, TX 77002
Schumann: TBD
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Houston Symphony musicians
Friday, Mar. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Duncan Recital Hall at Rice University
6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005
Chausson: Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet
Cédric Tiberghien, piano
Houston Symphony musicians
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2019–20 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its sixth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring, and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $35.2 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches reaching nearly 200,000 people in Greater Houston annually.
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Naxos, Koch International Classics, Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. 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 at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: 713.337.8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
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