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.
Tonight, Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz will lead our orchestra in a fascinating East Meets West program at Miller Outdoor Theatre. Recently, I got to ask Maestro Franz a few questions about his inspiration for this unique and interesting concert. Calvin Dotsey: For our third ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights concert this year, you have … Continued
Last week, two of Houston’s many community orchestras joined forces with Robert Franz and the Houston Symphony for two evenings of side-by-side rehearsals. The Houston Civic Symphony rehearsed with the Houston Symphony on Tuesday, September 2, and the Texas Medical Center Orchestra rehearsed with them on Wednesday, September 3. Each member of each community orchestra … Continued
Thirteen musicians, ranging in age from 13 through 18, competed in the Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition on January 4, 2014. These exceptionally talented students represented violin, viola, cello, piano, flute, clarinet and horn. Our three judges hailed from NYC, Boulder, CO and Boise, ID. These musicians performed an entire concerto by memory — a … Continued
There are times in your life when you come upon something that defies any sort of logical explanation, a person with such a gift for music that it doesn’t even seem real. I met such a person this week in Houston. Seven year old Jonathan Okseniuk is his name. Jonathan, of YouTube Beethoven 5 fame, won … Continued
I just recently conducted the Houston Symphony’s 100th Anniversary concert which was simulcast on KTRK channel 13, Houston’s local ABC affiliate, and 91.7 FM, our classical music station. The experience was grand in many ways, and an enormous lesson in trust. There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 18,000 people in attendance that night. On … Continued
Have you ever noticed how defensive we can become about our widget? We are so focused on our view of the world (our widget) that it becomes easy to assume that the piece of pie we see is the whole picture. This concept is never clearer to me than in my work in non-profit organizations. … Continued
As I have done many times in the past, I recently visited a high school in southern Texas. Their school’s choir had been chosen to sing for 3,000-4,000 audience members at our most recent Houston Symphony Family concert, Aladdin & the Arabian Nights. The air was filled with energy and anticipation. As I was being … Continued
One of my favorite things about conducting education concerts is the time just before the concert starts. I have made it my practice to stand in the lobby and greet our young concert attendees (usually with a bottle of hand sanitizer in my pocket) as they enter the lobby. I do this for a few … Continued
One of the oldest projects of the Houston Symphony League, this competition was open to student musicians 18 years of age or younger who had not yet graduated from high school and who played any standard orchestral instrument or piano. This year’s competition took place at the Moores School of Music at the University of … Continued
I have a theory that people have two modes of existence. One is to do, and the other is to think. Some people are so focused on thinking about what they can or can’t do that they simply become ineffective or inactive. Conversely, others seem to do a lot, but don’t take the time to … Continued
What is it about Handel’s Messiah that makes it such an amazing masterpiece year after year? At first blush, performing the same piece each season could become repetitive and less interesting, but it doesn’t. How can a piece of music feel different each time you perform it, even though nothing on the page has changed … Continued
November is Subscriber Appreciation Month! It is subscriber appreciation month at the Houston Symphony. All month, we are celebrating the loyalty and contributions of our many dedicated subscribers by recognizing you with inserts in our November magazine at each concert. Please know how much we value the trust you place in us to provide you … Continued
Congratulations- you’ve got tickets to the Houston Symphony! But whether you’re a multi-year subscriber or a first time single ticket buyer, you may still be unaware of all of the things the Houston Symphony has to offer in addition to your tickets, often at little to no additional charge. Check the Symphony Secrets category of … Continued
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
Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz has had a busy week conducting our Idina Menzel, Family and Detective concerts! Read on to hear about all about it … It’s been a crazy 10 days in Houston this go around … 3 concerts with Idina, 2 family shows with members of Houston Ballet, and finally, … Continued
On Sunday morning, the Houston Symphony announced its upcoming 2011-12 season of Classical, Pops and Family concerts. In line with the Symphony’s mission, enriching concerts fill each weekend with inspiration and bring innovative, first-class performances to the extensive cultural scene in Houston. Dynamic guest artists, Music Director Hans Graf and Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski … Continued
Music chose me. Yup, it’s true. I didn’t come into this world in a overly-musical family and definitely going to the symphony wasn’t part of who we were. We were a nice, middle-class family in upstate New York, living on a quiet suburban street, in a small city on the Hudson River. Then one day … Continued
Earlier this month, Associate Conductor Robert Franz spoke with Radio Disney about the 2010-2011 Weatherford Family Concert Series, which kicks off tomorrow with our Masquerade Ball. While Robert isn’t on hand this weekend (the orchestra will be led by Andreas Franco), grab the kiddies and bring them to the computer room to have Robert read … Continued
Over the next few weeks, we hope you’ll all be able to join us at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park for Summer Symphony Nights – a series of free concerts featuring exciting repertoires and the chance for an affordable night out on the town! Here’s a quick rundown of what we have to offer … Continued