
Dec. 3, 4 & 5, 2021
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker + Gil Shaham
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To celebrate the holidays, Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra share music from Tchaikovsky’s iconic Nutcracker score. Experience the full sonic color and splendor of this treasured masterpiece as never before in this special performance featuring the entire Houston Symphony. Running the gamut from radiant lyricism to jaw-dropping fireworks, Barber’s Violin Concerto is one of the most beloved in the repertoire, and no one plays it better than international superstar Gil Shaham. Shaham also joins Principal Bass Robin Kesselman for the dazzling Gran Duo Concertante by double bass virtuoso Giovanni Bottesini.
We look forward to celebrating the enchanting music of Tchaikovsky in this performance! Please note that dancers are not a part of this concert experience.
Socially distanced mezzanine seats are available for December Classical Series performances. Purchase online or call the Patron Services Center at 713.224.7575.
Health & Safety Update: Face coverings are currently required inside Jones Hall. View our health and safety guidelines.
Student Tickets: This concert is eligible for students to attend at a discounted rate. Visit our Student Tickets page for more information.
How to View the Concert Livestream Video
On the day before the concert, ticketholders will receive an email with a link to the video. We recommend you access the link at least 10 minutes before the concert begins. If you do not receive a link, please check your spam or junk folder. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|existing|,|name|:|Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada|,|bio|:||,|title|:|Music Director|,|small_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|url|:|https:\/\/houstonsymphony.org\/about-us\/conductor\/andres-orozco-estrada\/|},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Gil Shaham|,|bio|:|Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time; his flawless technique combined with his inimitable warmth and generosity of spirit has solidified his renown as an American master. The Grammy Award-winner, also named Musical America\u2019s \u201cInstrumentalist of the Year,\u201d is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with leading orchestras and conductors, and regularly gives recitals and appears with ensembles on the world\u2019s great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals.\nHighlights of recent years include the acclaimed recording and performances of J.S. Bach\u2019s complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin. In the coming seasons in addition to championing these solo works he will join his long time duo partner pianist, Akira Eguchi in recitals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.\nAppearances with orchestra regularly include the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and San Francisco Symphony as well as multi-year residencies with the Orchestras of Montreal, Stuttgart and Singapore. With orchestra, Mr. Shaham continues his exploration of \u201cViolin Concertos of the 1930s,\u201d including the works of Barber, Bartok, Berg, Korngold, Prokofiev, among many others.\nMr. Shaham has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name, earning multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d\u2019Or, and Gramophone Editor\u2019s Choice. Many of these recordings appear on Canary Classics, the label he founded in 2004. His CDs include 1930s Violin Concertos, Virtuoso Violin Works, Elgar\u2019s Violin Concerto, Hebrew Melodies, The Butterfly Lovers and many more. His most recent recording in the series 1930s Violin Concertos Vol. 2, including Prokofiev\u2019s Violin Concerto and Bartok\u2019s Violin Concerto No. 2, was nominated for a Grammy Award.\nMr. Shaham was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in 1971. He moved with his parents to Israel, where he began violin studies with Samuel Bernstein of the Rubin Academy of Music at the age of 7, receiving annual scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In 1981, he made debuts with the Jerusalem Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic, and the following year, took the first prize in Israel\u2019s Claremont Competition. He then became a scholarship student at Juilliard, and also studied at Columbia University.\nGil Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990, and in 2008 he received the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. In 2012, he was named \u201cInstrumentalist of the Year\u201d by Musical America. He plays the 1699 \u201cCountess Polignac\u201d Stradivarius, and lives in New York City with his wife, violinist Adele Anthony, and their three children.\n|,|title|:|violin|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Robin Kesselman|,|bio|:|Robin Kesselman was appointed Principal Bass of the Houston Symphony Orchestra by Music Director Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada in 2014. He has performed as Guest Principal Bass with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic, travelled internationally with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and appeared with the National, Atlanta, and Baltimore Symphonies.\nKesselman frequently performs as a soloist and chamber musician and presents recital programs and masterclasses at the top universities across the country. He has already appeared twice as soloist with the Houston Symphony, in subscription performances of the Koussevitzky\u00a0Concerto for Double Bass\u00a0and Missy Mazzoli\u2019s bass concerto\u00a0Dark with Excessive Bright. Previous season highlights include Krzysztof Penderecki\u2019s\u00a0Duo Concertante\u00a0during the composer\u2019s Carnegie Hall residency in collaboration with the Curtis Institute and Bottesini\u2019s\u00a0Concerto No. 2\u00a0with the Houston Civic Symphony. Recent festival engagements include leading the bass sections of the Grand Teton, Mainly Mozart, and Arizona Musicfest festival orchestras. He has also serves as faculty for the National Youth Orchestra \u2013 USA, Curtis Institute\u2019s Summerfest, the Richard Davis Bass Conference, and the summer residency of the Youth Philharmonic of Colombia.\nKesselman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California and an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. His primary teachers have included David Allen Moore, Harold Robinson, Edgar Meyer, Paul Ellison, Chris Hanulik, and Virginia Dixon.\n|,|title|:| double bass|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Gina Gaston|,|bio|:|Gina Gaston originally joined KTRK-TV, ABC13 in Fall 1992 to co-anchor the newly expanded, and later top-rated 13 Eyewitness News at 6 a.m. She continued as an anchor\/reporter until 1999 when she moved to MSNBC in New York. She returned to ABC13 in June 2001 to again serve as a reporter and co-anchor, but this time for the Eyewitness News at 6 p.m. and Eyewitness News at 10 p.m.\nAn integral part of ABC13\u2019s major community event coverage, Gina has co-anchored the Chevron Houston Marathon, Freedom Over Texas, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Parade and Share Your Holidays Food Drive. Her long-time support of the Houston Symphony includes her Emmy award-winning documentaries and news stories profiling Andr\u0117s Orozco-Estrada\u2019s eight-year journey as the Houston Symphony\u2019s Music Director.\u00a0She has been acknowledged for her vast community service efforts, being named a \u201cWoman on the Move,\u201d \u201cWoman of Distinction,\u201d and Houston Chronicle \u201cBest Dressed Hall of Fame.\u201d The city named December 4, 2019, Gina Gaston Day in the City of Houston.\nMajor news stories Gina has covered include the Haitian Earthquake, O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles, Elian Gonzales\u2019s departure to Cuba, the Haitian Earthquake, numerous presidential elections (including the 2000 Florida ballot recounts), and the Houston Rockets World Championships (where she met her husband, former Houston Rockets basketball star, Mario Elie).\nBefore joining 13 Eyewitness News in 1992, she worked as an anchor\/reporter at WTSP-TV in Tampa, Florida, and as an anchor\/reporter at WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and KLTV in Tyler, Texas.\nGina is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and was honored by the Associated Press Broadcasters for News Reporting.\nShe is a graduate of the University of Southern California and is a native of Santa Barbara.\u00a0Gina and Mario are the proud parents of\u00a0triplets…two sons and a daughter.\n|,|title|:|narrator|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}
F. PRICE/W. G. STILL Dances in the Canebrakes
BARBER Violin Concerto
BOTTESINI Gran duo concertante
TCHAIKOVSKY Excerpts from The Nutcracker























