Valčuha plans multi-week programs centered around the themes
“bohemian rhapsody,” “Vienna calling,” And “fairytales”
Valčuha-led highlights include bohemian-themed Opening Night concert and Gala featuring martinů’s Czech rhapsody and Dvořák’s new world symphony; concertos with yefim bronfman, james ehnes, kirill Gerstein, Bruce Liu, and simone lamsma; mahler’s third symphony;
duke bluebeard’s castle; orchestral works from Italian opera;
and a holiday program of strauss waltzes
RETURN OF HOUSTON SYMPHONY CONDUCTOR LAUREATE ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA with guest soloist hilary hahn;
AND FORMER MUSIC DIRECTOR CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH conducting Bruckner
Michael tilson thomas returns to conduct beethoven’s symphony no. 9
Sir Donald runnicles
Makes his Houston symphony debut
Special performances with classical superstars
yo-yo ma and Daniil trifonov
Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke conducts music of motown, broadway, james bond, music of the bee gees, and movie music from the partnership of john Williams and steven Spielberg
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HOUSTON SYMPHONY COMMISSIONED WORK BY
KARIM AL-ZAND
The Houston Symphony Chorus in works by martinů, brahms,
Mahler, HAndel, and Very Merry Pops
Domingo Hindoyan and Pacho flores make Houston symphony debuts in program of LATIN AMERICAN AND SPANISH-INFLUENCED works
THE MUSIC OF SELENA RETURNS
FILM SCREENINGS WITH ORCHESTRA INCLUDE
The nightmare before Christmas, harry potter and the prisoner of Azkaban,
and star wars: the empire strikes back
HOUSTON (March 6, 2024) – The Houston Symphony and Music Director Juraj Valčuha are announcing today details of the 2024−25 Season, Valčuha’s third as music director. Valčuha leads ten of the eighteen classical subscription programs in the season, all highlighting the hallmarks that have quickly come to characterize Valčuha’s programming philosophy. Programming motifs and unifying concepts Bohemian Rhapsody, Vienna Calling, and Fairytales span multi-week appearances. Tribute is paid to the Houston Symphony’s rich legacy of music directors as two past music directors return to the Jones Hall stage: Christoph Eschenbach and Conductor Laureate Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Operatic repertoire (Duke Bluebeard’s Castle and a program of orchestral highlights from the operatic repertoire) takes its place alongside great choral works from the symphonic repertoire like Martinů’s Czech Rhapsody, Brahms’s Schicksalslied, and Mahler’s Third Symphony. Houston Symphony musicians, including Yoonshin Song, Joan DerHovsepian, Brinton Averil Smith, Jonathan Fischer, Colin Gatwood, Mark Nuccio, Christian Schubert, Rian Craypo, Elise Wagner, William VerMeulen, and Ian Mayton take the spotlight as soloists, and the Symphony welcomes the greatest guest artists in the world to Houston, including Tabita Berglund, Yefim Bronfman, James Ehnes, Pacho Flores, Kirill Gerstein, Ekaterina Gubanova, Hilary Hahn, Domingo Hindoyan, Capathia Jenkins, Leila Josefowicz, Bruce Liu, Simone Lamsma, Matthias Pintscher, Marina Prudenskaya, Sir Donald Runnicles, Dalia Stasevska, Byron Stripling, Cédric Tiberghien, and Michael Tilson Thomas. New works this season include a world premiere commissioned by the Houston Symphony: Karim Al-Zand’s Al-Jazari’s Ingenious Clocks, based on the fantastic inventions of the famed 12th-century Islamic polymath Ismail Al-Jazari.
“Creating each season is a journey,” said Juraj Valčuha. “We find the right moments for a world-renowned soloist or music festival, we pay tribute to our musical legacy, and we honor our talent. We develop a beautiful mixture of musical colors by inviting our audience to experience something new and celebrating familiar masterpieces together. The unique orchestration of these elements defines how we will experience this incredible art form.”
“The era of Juraj Valčuha at the Houston Symphony is in full swing,” said Executive Director/CEO, and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, John Mangum. “The orchestra is artistically flourishing as we anticipate Juraj’s third second season as Music Director, with more insightful and creative programming that showcases the entire orchestra, the Chorus, and its soloist-caliber musicians. The Dallas Morning News said it best in a recent review, remarking that under Juraj’s baton ‘the Houston Symphony may be in for a new golden age.’” [Dallas Morning News, January 25, 2024]
Juraj Valčuha opens the season October 4, 2024 (with additional performances October 5 and 6) with the first of three mini-festivals of the season, entitled Bohemian Rhapsody. Valčuha leads the massed forces of the Houston Symphony in Bohuslav Martinů’s Czech Rhapsody, a majestic cantata for orchestra, chorus and baritone soloist, here the renowned Czech baritone Svatopluk Sem. The Bohemian theme continues in Bryce Dessner’s pastoral reflection Mari and Dvořák’s iconic Symphony No. 9, From the New World. All three works on the program have both Czech and American connections, the Martinů and Dvořák works being written in America by Czech composers, and the Dessner work was written by an American composer with influences by the first movement of the Dvořák Ninth Symphony.
On Opening Night, October 4, the evening begins with a champagne reception before the Opening Night Concert at Jones Hall. Following the concert, the celebration continues at The Corinthian Houston with dinner and sensational entertainment. The Opening Night Concert and Gala, chaired by Mary Lynn and Steve Marks, are generously supported by ConocoPhillips, the lead concert sponsor and corporate gala underwriter for the 38th year.
Valčuha is back a week later (October 12 and 13, 2024) to continue the Bohemian Rhapsody Festival with violin virtuoso James Ehnes as soloist in Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. Two exceptional works for large orchestral forces expressing love for the Czech homeland complete the program: Janáček’s monolithic Sinfonietta, and Vitézslava Kaprálová’s Military Sinfonietta, of which Kaprálová herself remarked, “The composition does not represent a battle cry, but it depicts the psychological need to defend that which is most sacred to the nation.”
Internationally renowned British conductor Sir Donald Runnicles makes his Houston Symphony debut leading the orchestra, Principal Viola Joan DerHovsepian, and Principal Cello Brinton Averil Smith in Richard Strauss’s delightfully luscious tone poem Don Quixote. The program opens with Wagner’s thrilling Overture to the opera Tannhäuser, and orchestral selections from Humperdinck’s Hänsel and Gretel. November 1, 2, and 3, 2024.
The musicians of the Houston Symphony take center stage November 23 and 24, 2024, with Concertmaster Yoonshin Song acting as soloist and leader in J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and with Serenades by Mozart (Serenade No. 12) and Brahms (Serenade No. 1) providing musical conduits for the world-class talents of Jonathan Fischer, oboe; Colin Gatwood, oboe; Mark Nuccio, clarinet; Christian Schubert, clarinet; Rian Craypo, bassoon; Elise Wagner, bassoon; William VerMeulen, horn; and Ian Mayton, horn.
Vienna Calling is the second of Juraj Valčuha’s mini-festivals this season. Thanksgiving Weekend, Valčuha leads piano superstar Yefim Bronfman and the orchestra in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor. Beethoven lived in Vienna from his early 20s until his death, and he composed the Emperor Concerto the year Napoleon’s siege of Vienna led all but Beethoven himself to flee the Austrian capitol. Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, Unfinished, and Viennese composer Alban Berg’s Three Pieces for Orchestra, depicting the grandeur of the fading Austro-Hungarian Empire. November 29, 30, and December 1, 2024.
Juraj Valčuha ushers in the holiday season early on December 7 and 8, 2024, continuing the Vienna Calling Festival with A Viennese Waltz Christmas, a program entirely comprising famous and beloved waltzes by Johann Strauss Jr. and his brother Josef Strauss, including the Overtures to Die Fledermaus and The Gypsy Baron, and the Blue Danube Waltz.
Beloved former Houston Symphony Music Director Christoph Eschenbach is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth in a unique way this season. Eschenbach is conducting all eight of Anton Bruckner’s symphonies with important orchestras across the globe, each symphony with a different orchestra. With the Houston Symphony, Eschenbach conducts Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4, Romantic, January 11 and 12, 2025, just a month before the Maestro’s own 85th birthday.
Houston Symphony Concertmaster Yoonshin Song steps into the soloist spotlight for one of the best loved and most popular works in the violin repertoire: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Tabita Berglund makes her Houston Symphony debut on the podium for the Beethoven, as well as Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s Metacosmos, and Tchaikovsky’s passionate, emotion-filled Symphony No. 6, Pathétique.
February finds Juraj Valčuha leading two opera-themed weekends. Viva Italia! Italian Opera Beyond Words (February 7 and 9, 2025) features orchestral music from well-known operas like Verdi’s Macbeth, Rossini’s William Tell (the famous overture), and Puccini’s Manon Lescaut, Suor Angelica, and Madama Butterfly, as well as little-known operas such as Casella’s La donna serpente, and Respighi’s Belfagor.
One week later on February 15 and 16, 2025, Juraj Valčuha leads the orchestra, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova (Judith), and baritone Gábor Bretz (Bluebeard) in a semi-staged concert performance of Bela Bartók’s shattering, psychodramatic masterpiece Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. Valčuha continues the operatic theme of this program with Prokofiev’s Symphonic Suite from The Love for Three Oranges on this program, as well as Benjamin Britten’s hauntingly lyrical Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, and Unsuk Chin’s Prelude to the Mad Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland.
Drawing upon its rich legacy of past music directors that includes Leopold Stokowski, Sir John Barbirolli, André Previn, and Christoph Eschenbach, the Houston Symphony welcomes back Andrés Orozco-Estrada to the Jones Hall stage. Orozco-Estrada joins one of his favorite artistic collaborators, violin luminary Hilary Hahn, and the Houston Symphony for one of the most technically brilliant works in the violin repertoire: Brahms’s Violin Concerto. The Houston Symphony Chorus joins Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra for Brahms’s Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), and the program concludes with Richard Strauss’s monumental tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra. March 7, 8 and 9, 2025.
March brings a two-week festival of works about and inspired by Fairytales. Dutch violin star Simone Lamsma joins Juraj Valčuha and the orchestra for Korngold’s Violin Concerto. Filled with melody from the Hollywood “dream factory,” Korngold’s concerto draws upon themes from Hollywood golden age films like Another Dawn and The Prince and the Pauper starring Errol Flynn, Juarez starring Bette Davis, and Anthony Adverse starring Olivia De Havilland. Prokofiev’s Cinderella ballet suite is also on the program on March 14, 15, and 16, 2025, as is the Houston Symphony-commissioned world premiere of Karim Al-Zand’s Al-Jazari’s Ingenious Clocks, based on the fantastic inventions of the famed 12th-century Islamic polymath Ismail Al-Jazari.
The second week of Fairytales (March 21, 22, and 23, 2025) finds piano luminary Kirill Gerstein joining Valčuha and the orchestra for Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Rachmaninoff’s fantastic musical tale of the legendary violinist Paganini’s deal with the devil and his doomed love for a woman. Anatoly Lyadov’s symphonic fairy tale The Enchanted Lake, and Alexander Zemlinky’s fantasy for large orchestra, The Mermaid (inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid) complete the program.
Star violinist Leila Josefowicz performs Stravinsky’s daring neoclassical violin concerto, with Dalia Stasevska making her Houston Symphony subscription concert debut conducting the orchestra April 18 and 19, 2025. Stasevska also conducts the orchestra in John Adams’s vigorous and engaging Short Ride in a Fast Machine, and Sibelius’s majestic Symphony No. 5. Beethoven’s ebullient and wildly popular Symphony No. 7 shares the program with Takemitsu’s Twill by Twilight and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, as Kansas City Symphony Music Director Matthias Pintscher takes the Jones Hall podium May 1, 3, and 4, 2025, with special guest pianist Cédric Tiberghien.
May 9, 10, and 11, 2025, Domingo Hindoyan makes his Houston Symphony debut conducting a program of Latin American and Spanish-influenced works, including Roberto Sierra’s Alegría, Debussy’s Ibéria from Images, and Ravel’s famed Boléro. Trumpet soloist Pacho Flores joins them in his Houston Symphony debut for two concertos written especially for him: Arturo Márquez’s Concierto de Otoño (Autumn Concerto) and Paquito d’Rivera’s Concierto Venezolano (Venezuelan Concerto).
Juraj Valčuha welcomes rising young piano star and 2021 Chopin Piano Competition 1st Prize Winner Bruce Liu to the Jones Hall stage in his Houston Symphony debut, to perform Chopin’s expressive and highly virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Houston Symphony, May 23, 24, and 25, 2025. Valčuha leads the orchestra in Schumann’s triumphant, lyrical Symphony No. 2 to close the program.
For the classical season finale, Juraj Valčuha has chosen Gustav Mahler’s monumental anthem to nature, his Symphony No. 3, featuring mezzo-soprano Marina Prudenskaya and the Sopranos and Altos of the Houston Symphony Chorus. May 30, 31, and June 1, 2025.
Livestreaming
The first major American orchestra to both livestream and welcome live audiences back to the concert hall for the entirety of the 2020–21 Season, the Houston Symphony has livestreamed both subsequent seasons. It remains committed to livestreaming its 2024–25 Season to a broad audience in more than 45 countries and all 50 states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a sizeable audience outside its home city through this technology.
Livestream of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger.
2024−25 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Returning and Debuting Guest Conductors and Artists
The classical season includes return appearances by conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Matthias Pintscher, Jason Seber, and Michael Tilson Thomas; pianists Yefim Bronfman, Kirill Gerstein, and Daniil Trifonov; violinists James Ehnes, Hilary Hahn, Leila Josefowicz, Simone Lamsma, and Yoonshin Song; violist Joan DerHovsepian; cellists Brinton Averil Smith and Yo-Yo Ma; oboists Jonathan Fischer and Colin Gatwood; clarinetists Mark Nuccio and Christian Schubert; bassoonists Rian Craypo and Elise Wagner; trumpet Byron Stripling, horns Ian Mayton and William VerMeulen; mezzo-soprano Marina Prudenskaya; and vocalists Mandy Gonzalez, Capathia Jenkins, Isabel Marie Sánchez, and Ryan Shaw; and vocal ensembles Pink Martini and Rajaton.
Making Houston Symphony subscription concert debuts in the 2024−25 Season are conductors Tabita Berglund, Jonathan Cohen, Domingo Hindoyan, Sir Donald Runnicles, and Dalia Stasevska; pianists Bruce Liu and Cédric Tiberghien; trumpet Pacho Flores; mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova; baritones Gäbor Bretz and Svatopluk Sem; and vocalists Carmen Bradshaw, Dan Domenech, Lena Hall, Chloe Lowery, Leo Manzari, and Jessica Vosk.
Houston Symphony Chorus
Music Director Juraj Valčuha’s commitment to programming choral repertoire finds the Houston Symphony Chorus performing an impressively diverse repertoire in the 2024−25 season, beginning with the opening night performance of Martinů’s Czech Rhapsody under Valčuha’s baton. Valčuha conducts the Sopranos and Altos of the Houston Symphony Chorus again in Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 later in the season. The Chorus is reunited with former Music Director and Conductor Laureate Andrés Orozco-Estrada for Brahms’s Schicksalslied, and the Chorus is also heard this season in performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah and Very Merry Pops, which have both become true Houston holiday traditions.
The classical season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. Valčuha is the fifth music director to hold the Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair; a position endowed in perpetuity by The Cullen Foundation.
The Margaret Alkek Williams Spotlight Series
Made possible through generous support from Margaret Alkek Williams, Spotlight Series performances feature outstanding conductors and artists, including Music Director Juraj Valčuha and renowned guest artists. The concerts include curated musical selections by some of the greatest composers of all time such as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff alongside contemporary works, offering audiences inspiring musical experiences that will stay with them after they leave the concert hall. Thanks to Margaret Alkek Williams, the Houston Symphony can serve its audiences with the highest level of artistry.
2024−25 BANK OF AMERICA POPS SEASON
Steven Reineke launches his eighth season as the Houston Symphony’s Principal POPS Conductor leading six of the nine season POPS concerts.
“Each and every year, I imagine what is possible,” says Reineke. “This wide-ranging season takes us on a musical journey from classic rock to world music, from Uptown to Motown, and from James Bond to the Bee Gees. Come experience music in a new way, reconnect with cherished memories, and create new ones.”
September 28 and 29, 2024, Steven Reineke opens the POPS season with special guest vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw, performing the greatest hits of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, and more in Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music of Motown.
Triple threat Byron Stripling (conductor, trumpet, and vocals) leads the orchestra, vocalist Carmen Bradford, and vocalist/tap dancer Leo Manzari in jazz hits from the era of The Cotton Club, when artists like Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Ella Fitzgerald held sway. It Don’t Mean a Thing: Swingin’ Uptown Classics with Byron Stripling is happening at Jones Hall November 8, 9, and 10, 2024.
Steven Reineke returns December 12, 14, and 15, 2024 to lead the orchestra in traditional carols and holiday favorites in the great Houston holiday tradition: Very Merry POPS, with the Houston Symphony Chorus, and special guest, Broadway’s Jessica Vosk.
Also returning to the Jones Hall stage is Pink Martini with China Forbes: 30th Anniversary Season. They’ll ring in the new year and open the second half of the POPS Series, January 3, 4, and 5, 2025 at Jones Hall. Known for its multi-lingual repertoire, this eclectic ensemble regularly performs in concert halls and with orchestras around the nation. Houston audiences can expect a musical potpourri that combines classical, Latin, jazz, world, and classic pop music.
February 28, March 1, and 2, 2025 at Jones Hall, the name is Bond. James Bond. Steven Reineke leads the orchestra and guest vocalist Lena Hall in great Bond themes from Sean Connery through Daniel Craig. Then, April 4, 5, and 6, 2025, Reineke is joined by guest vocalist Mandy Gonzalez for great smash hit numbers from the likes of Wicked, In the Heights, and Hamilton, in Showstoppers! Celebrating the Iconic Women of Broadway.
Conductor Jason Seber, guest vocalists Dan Domenech and Chloe Lowery, and the artists of Cirque de la Symphonie team up April 25, 26, and 27, 2025 for Cirque Rocks!, performing high-voltage arrangements of songs by Styx, Heart, Journey, The Eagles, Cyndi Lauper, and more, while the aerialists, strongmen, and acrobats of Cirque de la Symphonie perform around and above them.
Steven Reineke leads the orchestra and special guest ensemble Rajaton in music from the storied career of the Brothers Gibb in Stayin’ Alive: The Bee Gees & Beyond, May 16, 17, and 18, 2025. And Reineke conducts the season finale June 6, 7, and 8, 2025, celebrating the iconic partnership between one of the greatest directors in film history and arguably filmdom’s all-time greatest composer in John Williams & Steven Spielberg: Movie Magic.
2024−25 PNC FAMILY SEASON OVERVIEW
On select Saturday mornings throughout each season, the Houston Symphony presents its PNC Family Series, a popular Saturday morning destination designed for families and children of all ages.
Family programs include free, interactive lobby activities, such as an Instrument Petting Zoo─which encourages children to try out orchestral instruments─theme-related music, and craft activities. These activities take place one-hour before the 10 a.m. concerts and one hour following the 11:30 a.m. concerts in Jones Hall. Concertgoers are also encouraged to dress in costumes that match the concert’s theme.
The 2024–25 PNC Family Season kicks off with Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah! The Great American Music Adventure on November 9, 2024, when trumpet great Byron Stripling and the Houston Symphony bring audiences along on a journey through quintessential American musical genres. Houston Symphony Assistant Conductor Gonzalos Farías leads the orchestra in Holly Jolly Holiday, featuring a festive sing-along, lobby activities, free hot chocolate, and the chance to visit with Santa, December 14, 2024. The world’s greatest detective helps Gonzalo Farías and the Houston Symphony solve a mystery in Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Maestro, March 1, 2025. The PNC Family Series concludes April 26, 2025, as Jason Seber conducts the orchestra and guest vocalists Dan Domenech and Chloe Lowery, while the artists of Cirque de la Symphonie perform awe-inspiring feats of derring-do.
2024−25 SYMPHONY SPECIALS
2024−25 subscribers get first access to Symphony Specials, presented by Remy Mártin, like Daniil Trifonov, and Yo-Yo Ma in Concert, as well as newly announced performances throughout the season, including the Houston Symphony’s most in-demand concerts.
One of the most revered conductors in the world, Michael Tilson Thomas, returns to the Houston Symphony for the first time in decades to lead the orchestra and the Houston Symphony Chorus in Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9, capped by the justly famous, exuberant “Ode to Joy.” One performance only November 14, 2024 at Jones Hall.
Holiday Specials
Back by popular demand, the Symphony kicks off the Holiday Series, presented by Nexus Health Systems, once again with a screening of the animated holiday masterpiece Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, with the orchestra playing Danny Elfman’s beloved score live, November 16 and 17, 2024 at Jones Hall.
A beloved Houston holiday tradition each season, the Houston Symphony, Houston Symphony Chorus, and guest soloists come together under the baton of Jonathan Cohen (Artistic Director and founder of the early music ensemble Arcangelo), December 20, 21, and 22, 2024 in a performance of Handel’s Messiah, the cherished English-language oratorio about the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Piano superstar Daniil Trifonov joins Juraj Valčuha and the Houston Symphony for one night only, October 10, 2024, for a performance of Dvořák’s only piano concerto, a spirited, heroic work that achieves a beautiful balance between soloist and orchestra.
Dvořák is front and center again on December 9, 2024, as Juraj Valčuha and the Houston Symphony are joined by cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, of which Interlude Magazine said, “[it] is considered by most cellists as the ultimate masterpiece that displays the depth, emotion, versatility, and range of our beloved instrument.”
The epic saga of “The Boy Who Lived” continues January 18 and 19, 2025 at Jones Hall, as the Houston Symphony screens Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, with the Houston Symphony performing John Williams’s indelible score live to the film.
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader square off in what many consider to be the greatest sequel ever made, as the Houston Symphony performs John Williams’s iconic score live to the film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in its 45th anniversary year, February 21 and 22, 2025 at Jones Hall.
In 2019, the Houston Symphony, under the auspices of its Hispanic Leadership Council, celebrated the “Queen of Tejano Music” with The Music of Selena, bringing the iconic music of Selena to life in a way audiences had never heard it before: backed by a full, world-class symphony orchestra. The Symphony is bringing this concert back April 12 and 13, 2025 at Jones Hall, with its original sensational vocalist Isabel Marie Sánchez, performing Selena’s iconic hits like “Dreaming of You,” “Como La Flor,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” and many more.
THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY IN THE COMMUNITY
Houston Symphony Season Partners
Support from the Houston Symphony’s corporate, foundation, and government partners allows the orchestra to reach new artistic heights in music, education, and community engagement. The Houston Symphony 2024−25 partners include Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/Spec’s Charitable Foundation, Houston Methodist (Official Health Care Provider), and media partner ABC-13 (Official Television Partner). Series support comes from Bank of America, Frost Bank, Nexus Health Systems, PNC Bank, Remy Mártin, Shell USA, Inc., Stella Artois, and Truist Bank. The Houston Symphony is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, as well as by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Houston Symphony resolves to serve all of Houston’s diverse communities through initiatives like its 5th Ward-based violin program DeLUXE K!DS In Harmony, and through its student concerts which now reach more than 50,000 students annually, more than double the number served by any other major American orchestra.
Ticket Information
Season tickets for the 2024–25 Season, including the Classical Series, the Bank of America POPS Series, and the PNC Family Series are on sale now. Classical Series packages start at $168, Bank of America POPS Series at $188, and PNC Family Series at $89. Subscriber benefits include presale access to Symphony Specials and free ticket exchanges.
Subscribers can also curate their own bespoke package from $195, mixing and matching from over 35 different concerts across series to tailor the perfect season for any tastes.
Single tickets for fall and spring concert tickets will go on sale at a later date. For more information or to purchase, visit houstonsymphony.org, or call or text the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center at 713-224-7575, Monday−Saturday, 12 noon−6 p.m.
Having built a substantial livestream audience beginning in July 2020 comprising audiences in all 50 states and in over 45 countries, the Houston Symphony strives to livestream all of its 2024–25 classical subscription performances, as well as most of its Bank of America POPS performances. Livestream subscriptions are also now available at houstonsymphony.org.
2024–25 CLASSICAL SUBSCRIPTION SERIES
Bohemian Rhapsody Festival
Opening Weekend: Dvořák’s New World
October 4, 5, and 6, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Svatopluk Sem, baritone
Houston Symphony Chorus
B. Dessner: Mari (October 5 and 6)
Martinů: Czech Rhapsody
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, From the New World
Dvořák’s Violin Concerto
October 12, and 13, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
James Ehnes, violin
Kaprálová: Military Sinfonietta
Dvořák: Violin Concerto
Janáček: Sinfonietta
Hänsel and Gretel & Don Quixote
November 1, 2, and 3, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Donald Runnicles, conductor
Joan DerHovsepian, viola
Brinton Averil Smith, cello
Wagner: Tannhäuser Overture
Humperdinck: Selections from Hänsel and Gretel
R. Strauss: Don Quixote
Bach, Mozart & Brahms
November 23 and 24, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Yoonshin Song, violin and leader
Jonathan Fischer, oboe
Colin Gatwood, oboe
Mark Nuccio, clarinet
Christian Schubert, clarinet
Rian Craypo, bassoon
Elise Wagner, bassoon
William VerMeulen, horn
Ian Mayton, horn
J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1
Mozart: Serenade No. 12 for Winds, Nachtmusik
Brahms: Serenade No. 1
VIENNA CALLING FESTIVAL
Thanksgiving Weekend: Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto
November 29, 30, and December 1, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Schubert: Symphony No. 8, Unfinished
Berg: Three Pieces for Orchestra
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor
A Viennese Waltz Christmas
December 7 and 8, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Johann Strauss Jr.: Kaiser-Walzer
Bauern-Polka
Egyptischer Marsch
Josef Strauss: Die Libelle
Moulinet-Polka
Johann Strauss Jr.: Perpetuum Mobile
Josef Strauss: Feuerfest!
Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus, Overture
Der Zigeunerbaron, Overture
Im Krapfenwald
Éljen a Magyar
Persischer Marsch
Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka
Unter Donner und Blitz
Josef Strauss: Jockey-Polka
Johann Strauss Jr.: An der schönen blauen Donau
An Eschenbach & Bruckner Birthday Celebration
January 11 and 12, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4, Romantic
Beethoven’s Violin Concerto & Tchaikovsky
January 24, 25, and 26, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Tabita Berglund, conductor
Yoonshin Song, violin
A. Thorvaldsdótter: Metacosmos
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Pathétique
Viva Italia! Italian Opera Beyond Words
February 7 and 9, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Respighi: Belfagor Overture
Casella: La donna serpente: Suite No. 2
Verdi: Macbeth: Act III Ballet Music
Puccini: Manon Lescaut: Intermezzo from Act III
Suor Angelica: Intermezzo
Madame Butterfly: Intermezzo
Rossini: William Tell Overture
Duke Bluebeard’s Castle
February 15 and 16, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Ekaterina Gubanova, mezzo-soprano
Gábor Bretz, baritone
U. Chin: Alice in Wonderland: Prelude to the Mad Tea Party
Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges: Symphonic Suite
Britten: Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes
Bartók: Duke Bluebeard’s Castle
Hilary Hahn Plays Brahms
March 7, 8, and 9, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
Hilary Hahn, violin
Brahms: Violin Concerto
R. Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
Brahms: Schicksalslied
FAIRYTALES FESTIVAL
Korngold’s Violin Concerto & Cinderella
March 14, 15, and 16, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Simone Lamsma, violin
K. Al-Zand: Al-Jazari’s Ingenious Clocks
(Houston Symphony Commission/World Premiere)
Korngold: Violin Concerto
Prokofiev: Suite from Cinderella
Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody & The Little Mermaid
March 21, 22, and 23, 2025
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Kirill Gerstein, piano
Liadov: The Enchanted Lake
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Zemlinsky: The Mermaid
Sibelius 5 & Stravinsky
April 18 and 19, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
J. Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Stravinsky: Violin Concerto
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Beethoven 7 & Mozart
May 1, 3, and 4, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Cédric Tiberghien, piano
Takemitsu: Twill by Twilight
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Trumpet Brilliance & Bolero
May 9, 10, and 11, 2025
Domingo Hindoyan, conductor
Pacho Flores, trumpet
R. Sierra: Alegría
A. Márquez: Concierto de Otoño (Autumn Concerto)
P. D’Rivera: Concerto Venezolano (Venezuelan Concerto)
Debussy: Ibéria from Images
Ravel: Boléro
Bruce Liu Plays Chopin
May 23, 24, and 25, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano
Walker: Icarus in Orbit
Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1
Schumann: Symphony No. 2
Juraj Valčuha Conducts Mahler 3
May 30, 31, and June 1, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Marina Prudenskaya, mezzo-soprano
Sopranos and Altos of the Houston Symphony Chorus
Mahler: Symphony No. 3
2024–25 BANK OF AMERICA POPS
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music of Motown
September 28 and 29, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Ryan Shaw, vocalist
It Don’t Mean a Thing: Swingin’ Uptown Classics with Byron Stripling
November 8, 9, and 10, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Byron Stripling, conductor, trumpet, and vocalist
Carmen Bradford, vocalist
Leo Manzari, vocalist and tap dancer
Very Merry POPS
December 12, 14, and 15, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Jessica Vosk, vocalist
Houston Symphony Chorus
New Year’s Celebration: Pink Martini with China Forbes
30th Anniversary Season
January 3, 4, and 5, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
007: James Bond Forever
February 28, March 1, and 2, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Lena Hall, vocalist
Showstoppers! Celebrating Iconic Women of Broadway
April 4, 5, and 6, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Mandy Gonzalez, vocalist
Cirque Rocks!
April 25, 26, and 27, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Jason Seber, conductor
Dan Domenech, vocalist
Chloe Lowery, vocalist
Cirque de la Symphonie
Stayin’ Alive: The Bee Gees & Beyond
May 16, 17, and 18, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Rajaton, vocal ensemble
John Williams & Steven Spielberg: Movie Magic
June 6, 7, and 8, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
2024–25 PNC BANK FAMILY SERIES
Clay Your Hands, Say Yeah! The Great American Music Adventure
November 9, 2024 10 & 11:30 a.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Holly Jolly Holiday
December 14, 2024 10 & 11:30 a.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Missing Maestro
March 1, 2025 10 & 11:30 a.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Cirque for Kids
April 26, 2025 10 & 11:30 a.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
2024–25 SPECIALS
The Music of ABBA
June 15, 2024 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Serafim Hall
Jurassic Park—In Concert
June 22, 2024 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.
June 23, 2024 2:30 p.m.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Serafim Hall
The Music of the Rolling Stones
June 28, 2024 7:30 p.m.
June 29, 2024 2:30 p.m.
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Trifonov in Concert
October 10, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Kaprálová: Military Sinfonietta
Dvořák: Piano Concerto
Janáček: Sinfonietta
Michael Tilson Thomas Conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9
November 14, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma in Concert
December 9, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Johann Strauss Jr.: Die Fledermaus Overture
Dvořäk: Cello Concerto
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas In Concert
December 16 and 17, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Handel’s Messiah
December 20, 21, and 22, 2024
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Jonathan Cohen, conductor
Houston Symphony Chorus
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban In Concert
January 18 and 19, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back In Concert
February 21 and 22, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
The Music of Selena
April 12 and 13, 2025
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Isabel Marie Sánchez, vocalist
About Juraj Valčuha
Music Director, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
Conductor Juraj Valčuha is recognized for his effortless expressiveness and depth of musicianship. With sharp baton technique and natural stage presence, the impressive ease of his interpretations translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences. His profound understanding of composer and score, taste, and naturally elegant style make him one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation.
In September 2022, Valčuha assumed the post of Houston Symphony Music Director. Since 2016 he has been Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples and First Guest Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. He was Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI from 2009 to 2016.
The 2005–06 Season marked the start of his international career with exciting concerts on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, and in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony. His Italian debut took place at Teatro Comunale in Bologna with a sensational production of La bohème.
He has since led the Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, hr Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia London, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montréal Symphony, and NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo. His active career in the United States has taken him to the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Utah. He enjoys regular collaborations with orchestras in Minnesota, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.
International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and the Philharmonie in Berlin, as well as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Zurich, Basel, and Munich, and to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and to Abu Dhabi Classics. He has also toured with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin to Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.
Valčuha champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres including Christopher Rouses’s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Steven Mackey’s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester. In 2005 he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich´s Four Sections at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Andrew Norman, Luca Francesconi, James MacMillan, and Steven Stucky, among others.
On the opera stage, he has conducted Madama Butterfly, Elisir d‘amore, and Marriage of Figaro at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich; Faust and The Love for Three Oranges in Florence; Jenufa, Peter Grimes, and Salome in Bologna; La bohème in Venice; and Elektra, Carmen, Bluebeard’s Castle, Die Walküre, The Girl of the Golden West, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Katja Kabanova, and Pique Dame in Napoli. In January 2020, he conducted an opera production of Tristan and Isolde at Teatro Comunale in Bologna, at the end of which the complete lockdown was introduced in most European countries. However, he was privileged during the pandemic year to conduct many livestreamed performances with Teatro San Carlo (Tosca with Anna Netrebko and Cavalleria Rusticana with Elina Garanca and Jonas Kaufmann), RAI Orchestra in Turin, Orchestre National de France, Konzerthaus Berlin, and NDR Orchestra Hamburg. In the United States he was one of the few conductors to travel from Europe and make music with the Dallas, Houston, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh orchestras.
Juraj Valčuha was awarded the Premio Abbiati 2018 from Italian Music critics in the category Best Conductor.
Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, he studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, then at the Conservatory in St Petersburg (with Ilya Musin), and finally, at the Conservatoire Supérieur de la Musique in Paris.
About the Houston Symphony
Under Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Houston Symphony continues its second century inspiring and engaging a large and diverse audience in Houston and beyond through exceptional musical performances, and creating enduring impact in the Houston community. One of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, the Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an operating budget of $37.8 million, the full-time ensemble of professional musicians presents more than 130 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Traditionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s three Community-Embedded Musicians also offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches, annually reaching more than 200,000 people in Greater Houston.
After suspending concert activities in March 2020, the Symphony successfully completed a full 2020–21 season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams of each performance, making it one of the only orchestras in the world to do so. The Houston Symphony remains committed to livestreaming its 2023–24 Season to a broad audience in over forty-five countries and all 50 states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a sizeable audience outside its home city through this technology. The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, 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. The Symphony’s most recent recordings include a Pentatone release in January 2022 of its world premiere performances of Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra, and a Naxos release in July 2023 of its world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Madison Mann: 832.930.4065 x120, madison@theckpgroup.com