The Houston Symphony is excited to announce the newly selected recipients of our Community-Embedded Fellowship! The Community-Embedded Fellowship, a collaboration with Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, is an apprenticeship program that provides graduate music students with the opportunity to develop community engagement skills. The fellowship … Continued
Since the Houston Symphony launched its Community-Embedded Musicians initiative in 2015, the musicians holding these specialized, hybrid performer-teaching artist positions have improved thousands of students’ and community members’ quality of life through music. As highly skilled musicians with a special passion and skill for community engagement, the Community-Embedded Musicians (CEMs) work in many different settings—schools, … Continued
Most people will probably agree that this new “normal” of social-distancing and working or learning from home has required us all to find new ways to stay motivated and socially engaged. Music students across Greater Houston are accustomed to learning music in a social environment, with encouragement from their peers in school ensembles, so music … Continued
“It’s incredible that through the power of technology we can continue to interact with the students and stay connected to this community. Even though it is through a different platform, I can see that the students are very excited and eager to continue learning about the violin. In this unprecedented time of isolation, our interaction … Continued
Community-Embedded Musicians Patricia Quintero, violin, and Alexa Thomson, viola, invite student musicians to try out this piece! Alexa Thomson, viola: The Telemann Canonic Sonata No. 1 is one of our favorites to perform for audiences across Houston, and we loved the challenge of putting this together from different locations while social distancing. We have included … Continued
“To be able to perform this song creates an emotional bridge.” In a video created in their Houston homes, Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musicians Rainel Joubert, violin, and David Connor, double bass, find a way to duet in a time of social distancing. For their virtual concert, Rainel selected “Bésame Mucho,” which he and Dave have … 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
Houston has weathered many storms, but Hurricane Harvey was unprecedented. Catastrophic flooding shut down our city for over a week, and many areas are still struggling to return to normal. Houston’s Theater District was not exempt; our home, Jones Hall, was fortunately spared the worst of the flooding, although it still suffered significant damage. While … 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
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.
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