Meet Ima Hogg Competition Semi-finalist Luke Hsu! This talented violinist is currently a candidate for the prestigious AD program at the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Rodney Friend. We recently got a chance to ask Luke a few questions about himself and his musical life. Houston Symphony: Where did you grow up and how … 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.
Meet Ima Hogg Competition Semi-finalist August Ramos! This talented musician is currently beginning his senior year of double bass studies at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music under the tutelage of Tim Pitts. We recently got a chance to ask Sam a few questions about himself and his musical life. Houston Symphony: Where did you grow up … Continued
The Houston Symphony caps off its season May 26-29 with The Cosmos, the final journey in its HD Odyssey series. Producer Duncan Copp tells us how he dovetailed high-definition video of the heavens with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World. Houston Symphony: So far in the HD Odyssey trilogy, The Planets has taken … Continued
Venezuelan pianist, improviser and composer Gabriela Montero has won over Houston Symphony audiences many times. Aside from her performances as part of our Classical Subscription Series, she has also helped us celebrate special occasions with her awe-inspiring talent: she was the guest soloist for our 2014 ¡Bienvenido Andrés! concert, which began Andrés Orozco-Estrada’s tenure as … Continued
So often, we like to keep music in neat little genre boxes: rock music is one thing, classical another. This weekend, however, three decades of rock ‘n’ roll take center stage at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony’s Journey, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac & More concerts. Many rock classics will get the full orchestral treatment, … Continued
“As to my Requiem, perhaps I have also instinctively sought to escape from what is thought right and proper, after all the years of accompanying burial services on the organ! I know it all by heart. I wanted to write something different.” —Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem is one of the treasures of the choral … Continued
Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a first-rate artist of real musical command, vitality, brilliance, and intensity,” violinist Karen Gomyo is taking the world’s music halls by storm with her brilliant and insightful performances. This weekend, she joins the Houston Symphony in Mozart’s sparkling Violin Concerto No. 3. Recently, I got a chance to ask … Continued
What does the Houston Symphony have to do with the Final Four? More than you might think. A few weeks ago, Houston Symphony Chorus Manager Anna Diemer got a call from the Rice University Athletics Department. As co-sponsors of the Final Four, Rice University and the University of Houston are responsible for every detail of … Continued
Titanic. Avatar. Braveheart. Field of Dreams. Some of the biggest movies of the past 30 years have told their stories with the help of sweeping, colorful scores by the late James Horner. He entrusted some of their most poignant moments to the French horn: In Field of Dreams, for instance, the horn lent its glow to the first sight … Continued
Kirill Gerstein, virtuoso pianist and long-time friend of the Houston Symphony, returns on January 22–24 to perform a program with Andrés and the orchestra that includes Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. We spoke with Kirill recently to welcome him back to Houston. Houston Symphony Magazine: What is special to you about Ravel’s Piano … Continued
Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera is one of the most dynamic personalities in opera and classical music today: her multifaceted career includes not only a busy schedule of international performances, but also blogging, arts advocacy and arts administration. Recently, I got to ask her a few questions in advance of her upcoming performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Houston … Continued
Baritone Reginald Smith Jr. has had a busy 2015: he has traveled to Russia and across the United States for opera and concert performances and was also a winner of the 2015 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, one of the world’s most prestigious opera singing competitions (past winners have included Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas … Continued
This weekend, the Houston Symphony welcomes British pianist, composer, and author Stephen Hough to Jones Hall for performances of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, Egyptian. Recently, I had the chance to ask Mr. Hough a few questions about this concerto. Calvin Dotsey: How would you describe Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 to … Continued
This weekend, the Houston Symphony presents Tapestry: The Carole King Songbook, a tribute to one of America’s most popular and enduring singer/songwriters. Performing many of these songs will be the talented Liz Callaway, one of Broadway’s brightest stars. Liz Callaway has appeared many times on Broadway, including in Sunday in the Park with George, Evita and Cats, and … Continued
Read the program notes for this weekend’s concerts below! SIEGFRIED IDYLL Richard Wagner (1813-1883) In a Tweet: Life and art interweave in Richard Wagner’s mellifluous “musical birthday poem” for his wife. The Back Story: Richard Wagner carried on a seven-year affair with Cosima von Bulow, the wife of a disciple of his, until her divorce … 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
In 1900, Charles Ives, the dean of American maverick composers, set out to compose his second symphony some ten years after he had finished his first, a work he wrote strictly in a traditional European style as demanded by his professor, Horatio Parker, in order to complete his undergraduate music degree at Yale. This time, … Continued
This weekend, the Houston Symphony presents a never-before-seen production of Schumann’s The Pilgrimage of the Rose, featuring singers, contemporary dancers, chorus and orchestra. I recently got to ask the Houston Symphony’s new Musical Ambassador/Assistant Conductor Carlos Andrés Botero a few questions about Schumann’s choral masterpiece. Calvin Dotsey: How would you describe Schumann’s The Pilgrimage of … Continued
This weekend, 19-year-old violin wonder Simone Porter will maker her Houston Symphony debut performing Barber’s Violin Concerto. The Los Angeles Times, after referring to her as a “future star,” wrote, “Let’s strike the word ‘future.’ She sounds ready. Now.” Her performances have been described as “bold” (Seattle Times) and “virtuosic” (London Times), and she has already … Continued