Nancy Goodearl, a member of the Houston Symphony since 1981, received a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree in performance from Northwestern University. Since 1987, she has been a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She has … Continued
In 1934, the Swiss conductor Paul Sacher married Maja Stehlin, the widow who had inherited the Roche pharmaceutical fortune. Finding himself now one of the richest men in the world, Sacher poured his wealth into one of his greatest passions: new music. In 1926, Sacher had founded the Basle Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble dedicated to … Continued
On the evening of November 13, 1943, the 25-year-old Leonard Bernstein was out celebrating the successful premiere of his first composition to appear before the New York public: I Hate Music, a charming, miniature song cycle about a child’s irreverent musings. After much carousing, Bernstein received a call informing him that the eminent conductor Bruno … Continued
On February 27, 1854, Robert Schumann attempted suicide by jumping from a bridge into the river Rhine. Some fishermen soon rescued him, but his sanity was gone. For years he had struggled with mental illness: he heard voices; the note “A” droned on in his head for hours; strange music played in his head; visions … Continued
Whether it’s a song, movie or a distant memory, there is always something that puts us in a festive mood. We surveyed our musicians to see what gets them into the holiday spirit. Season’s greetings from all of us at the Houston Symphony! Andrew Pedersen, double bass Sponsored by Barbara J. Burger What is the … Continued
What do you get for the music lover who has everything? According to new scientific research, experiences like concerts are more likely to contribute to long-term happiness than, well, a bunch of stuff. According to Cornell University psychologist Dr. Thomas Gilovich, “New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them.” Experiences, … Continued
What is the Houston Symphony thankful for this year? We surveyed our musicians and staff to find out! From being back in Jones Hall after Hurricane Harvey to playing great music for you, we have a lot to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us onstage and behind-the-scenes. WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR … Continued
On December 1, 2 and 3, Megan Hilty returns to Houston with Christmas cheer as part of our 2017 Very Merry Pops concerts. Get to know this television and Broadway star with these 20 fun and revealing questions. What is your favorite Christmas song? Traditional: “The Christmas Song.” Contemporary: “All I Want For Christmas Is … Continued
This Thanksgiving, the Houston Symphony presents one of the repertoire’s most popular orchestral works: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Discover the story behind this masterpiece inspired by The One Thousand and One Nights. On February 27, 1887, the acclaimed Russian composer Alexander Borodin was attending a party when, after dancing a waltz, he dropped dead of a heart … Continued
After graduating from Yale in 1898, the young Charles Ives moved to New York City and took up residence with other recent graduates in a series of apartments, each of which was known affectionately as “Poverty Flat.” During the decade between his graduation and marriage, Ives would pursue two careers simultaneously: one as a church … Continued
Niccolò Paganini was perhaps the most influential violinist in the history of music. His tours across Europe from 1829-1834 astonished audiences; many of his compositions were so difficult that initially only he could play them. He not only revolutionized violin playing, but also inspired composers that followed him to make virtuoso technique a central part … Continued
The Houston Symphony announced today the launch of a new, redesigned version of its website, houstonsymphony.org. Key features of the site include a cleaner, more attractive design and intuitive improvements to navigation and search for the ultimate user-friendly experience. Created with the user experience front-of-mind, the website has been streamlined for users to get the … Continued
Sergey Prokofiev composed his Fifth Symphony during the fateful summer of 1944. Though the Second World War was still raging, the tide had turned in the Allies’ favor. The Soviets were pushing back the Nazis from their borders, and the US and British Allies had landed on the beaches of Normandy in June. Prokofiev in … Continued
When Mozart set out to write three symphonies in the summer of 1788, he could not have known that they would be his last essays in the genre. He was eager to bring in much needed additional income, as the Vienna premiere of his opera Don Giovanni in the spring had not been an unequivocal success. The … Continued
1816 was a busy year for Franz Schubert. He composed approximately 200 compositions, including a mass, various other sacred choral works, his Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, an overture, two concertante works for violin and orchestra, at least two string quartets, three violin sonatas, various other chamber works, two piano sonatas, numerous dances and dozens of … Continued
This season, the Houston Symphony welcomes a new Composer-in-Residence, Jimmy López Bellido. Born in Peru, trained in Finland and currently living in San Francisco, López’ star has been on the rise in recent years, most notably with the high-profile world premiere of his opera Bel Canto at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Get to know the man behind … 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
Following the success of the recently opened St. Petersburg Conservatory, the first institution of its kind in Russia, a second conservatory opened in Moscow in 1866. Among the new professors was one of the first graduates of the St. Petersburg school: a young composer named Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. A large proportion of the Moscow Conservatory’s … Continued
Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Symphony may be the greatest graduation project of all time. Composed at the age of 18, Shostakovich’s First Symphony was written to fulfill the graduation requirements of the Leningrad Conservatory (earning him the equivalent of a college music degree), and would take the international music world by storm the following year. But … Continued