Juraj Valčuha Music Director

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The Secrets Behind the Wicked Divas’ On-Stage Magic

The Houston Symphony’s 12-13 POPS season is off to a great start this fall! After a wonderful season opener with the Midtown Men, we’re excited to welcome our next special guests Alli Mauzey and Nicole Parker to perform some Broadway favorites in our October POPS concert, Wicked Divas. I recently had the chance to interview … Continued

Catching Up with the Midtown Men

Perhaps you’ve heard some of the buzz about The Midtown Men. You’ve seen a few photos of them looking as sharp and snazzy as Frankie Valli. You may have even seen one of their fantastic and entertaining YouTube videos. But the question remains: who are these Midtown Men and what makes their show so great? … Continued

An Interview With A Legend of Zelda Fanatic

When I first heard that we might be presenting The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, I think I leapt out of my chair and proclaimed that we HAD to do it! You see, I’ve loved video games for a very long time and the Zelda series is one of my all time favorites. … Continued

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses Preview

The anticipation is palpable here at the Houston Symphony. Everyone is buzzing about this weekend’s upcoming performances of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. Check out a preview of what’s in store here: Balcony seats are now available for Friday and Saturday nights! But hurry, tickets are going quickly!

Sounds Like Fun! With Robert Franz

Conducting the “Sounds Like Fun!” concerts is really fun for me. As a person who is relatively new to Houston, the concerts have given me the opportunity to get to know the city, and more important, lots of great people throughout the metro area. One of the things that makes these concerts special to me … Continued

Moscow Tour Report- Part 5: Impressions of Contemporary Moscow

While in Moscow, our musicians had a little bit of time to explore the city before their performances on Friday and Saturday nights. Below, violist Daniel Strba offers an interesting perspective of how Moscow has progressed since his last visit there, over 20 years ago. Impressions of Contemporary Moscow By: Daniel Strba I was excited … Continued

Mosccow Tour Report- Part 4: Successful Shostakovich!

Here at the Houston Symphony, we are fortunate to have wonderful musicians who are also wonderful writers, willing to share insights from their personal experiences and performers. Below is the third and final blog post submitted by Mark Hughes, Principal Trumpet. It was written shortly after the orchestra finished its second and final performance as … Continued

Moscow Tour Report- Part 3: Red Eyes in Red Square

One of the downsides to touring is the lack of time the musicians have to adjust to different time zones. Anyone who has traveled abroad is familiar with the intense fatigue that is a fact of life during one’s first few days in another part of the world. It was this sleepiness that lead some … Continued

Moscow Tour Report- Part 3: Red Eyes in Red Square

One of the downsides to touring is the lack of time the musicians have to adjust to different time zones. Anyone who has traveled abroad is familiar with the intense fatigue that is a fact of life during one’s first few days in another part of the world. It was this sleepiness that lead some … Continued

Moscow Tour Report- Part 2: The Untold Story of the Cargo’s Journey

Often, when we see a performance by an ensemble from abroad, we think of how far the musicians have traveled to be there, and what that must be like. But sometimes we don’t realize just how big of an undertaking it is to transport an entire orchestra -and their instruments- to another continent. Below, Violinist … Continued

Moscow Tour Report- Part 1: Sleepless in Moscow

As the saying goes, “there is no rest for the weary!” Hot on the heels of our 11-12 season’s end, we at the Houston Symphony packed our bags and headed over to Moscow. We arrived safely on Wednesday and will have a little time to gather our bearings and familiarize ourselves with our surroundings before … Continued

I’ma Semi-Finalist in the Ima Hogg Competition: A Closer Look- Part 2

Installment 8: Keeping Your Eye on the Ball By: Brooklynn Adelman, Houston Symphony Intern There is a great connection between music and sports. The ability of both activities to sell out stadiums and halls, maintain a massive fan base, and bring communities together is outstanding. The dedication shown by athletes as they train for hours … Continued

I’ma Semi-Finalist in the Ima Hogg Competition: A Closer Look- Part 1

Installment 7: The Sound, er, Vision of Music By: Lauren Moore, Houston Symphony Intern Have you ever wondered what goes through a musician’s head when he performs, or even just sits down practice? Sure, some musicians are strictly business, carefully calculating the numerous technical details they’ve so diligently practiced over and over. Others simply let … Continued

I’ma Semi-Finalist in the Ima Hogg Competition: From Coast to Coast

Installment 6: Tomorrow, Houston’s very own Mercedes Smith, principal flutist of the Houston Grand Opera will be competing alongside San Francisco Bay Area native and pianist, Stephanie Ng, along with eight other musicians for the chance of a life time for a young musician – the opportunity to perform a complete concerto with the Houston … Continued