May 20, 21 & 22, 2022
Music Director Designate Juraj Valčuha Conducts Beethoven 9
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Music Director Designate Juraj Valčuha leads orchestra, chorus, and vocal soloists in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Come together in Jones Hall and experience one of classical music’s most moving, uplifting, and inspiring journeys, a rallying cry to hope, humanity, and universal fellowship culminating in the exuberant “Ode to Joy.”
An internationally acclaimed conductor, Juraj Valčuha is the Houston Symphony’s next Music Director and will begin his appointment at the launch of the Symphony’s 2022–23 Season. He succeeds esteemed conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, whose tenure concludes at the end of the 2021–22 Season after eight seasons with the orchestra.
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
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Listen to a concert preview: https://houstonsymphony.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/HS212RS.04A.mp3 {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Conductor Juraj Val\u010duha is recognized for his effortless expressiveness and depth of musicianship. With sharp baton technique and natural stage presence, the impressive ease of his interpretations translate even the most complex scores into immersive experiences. His profound understanding of composer and score, taste, and naturally elegant style make him one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation.\nSince 2016 Val\u010duha has been Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples and First Guest Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. He was Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI from 2009 to 2016.\nThe 2005\u20132006 season marked the start of his international career with exciting concerts on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the U.K. with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, and in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony. His Italian debut took place at Teatro Comunale in Bologna with a sensational production of La Boh\u00e8me.\nHe has since led the Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, hr Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia London, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell\u2019Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Milan\u2019s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo. His active career in the U.S. has taken him to the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Utah. He enjoys regular collaborations with orchestras in Houston, Minnesota, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.\nInternational touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and the Philharmonie in Berlin, as well as Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Basel, and Munich, and to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and to Abu Dhabi Classics. He has also toured with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin to Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nVal\u010duha champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres including Christopher Rouses\u00b4s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester. In 2005 he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u00b4s Four Sections at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Andrew Norman, Luca Francesconi, James MacMillan, and Steven Stucky, among others.\nOn the opera stage, he has conducted Madama Butterfly, Elisir d\u2018amore, and Marriage of Figaro at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich; Faust and The Love for Three Oranges in Florence; Jenufa, Peter Grimes, and Salome in Bologna; La Boh\u00e8me in Venice; and Elektra, Carmen, Bluebeard\u2019s Castle, Die Walk\u00fcre, The Girl of the Golden West, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Katja Kabanova, and Pique Dame in Napoli.\nIn January 2020, he conducted an opera production of Tristan and Isolde at Teatro Comunale in Bologna, at the end of which the complete lockdown was introduced in most European countries. However, he was priviledged during the pandemic year to conduct many livestreamed performances with Teatro San Carlo (Tosca with Anna Netrebko and Cavalleria Rusticana with Elina Garanca and Jonas Kaufmann), RAI Orchestra in Turin, Orchestre National de France, Konzerthaus Berlin, and NDR Orchestra Hamburg. In the U.S. he was one of the few conductors to travel from Europe and make music with the Dallas, Houston, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh orchestras.\nJuraj Val\u010duha was awarded the Premio Abbiati 2018 from Italian Music critics in the category Best Conductor. \nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, he studied composition and conducting in his birth place, then at the Conservatory in St Petersburg (with Ilya Musin), and, finally, at the Conservatoire Sup\u00e9rieur de la Musique in Paris.\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Meagan Miller|,|bio|:|Born in the US, Meagan Miller is a \u201cJuillard\u201d graduate and acclaimed for the expansive colors and rich texture of her voice, as well as her compelling stage presence and nuanced portrayals at distinguished opera houses and concert halls throughout the world.\nRecent opera highlights include i.a. Br\u00fcnnhilde in Teatro Massimo di Palermo’s new production of\u00a0Siegfried, Sieglinde\/Die Walk\u00fcre at Washington National Opera, in Melbourne, Prague, and Lucerne, Senta\/Der fliegende Holl\u00e4nder at Zurich Opera and in Vienna, Elsa\/Lohengrin at Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Elisabeth\/Tannh\u00e4user at New National Theatre Tokyo, the title roles in Richard Strauss\u2019 Daphne and Ariadne auf Naxos at Vienna\u2019s State Opera, the latter work also in Beijing, Warsaw, and in a concert version at Philharmonie Berlin, Kaiserin\/Die Frau ohne Schatten at Metropolitan Opera New York, Elisabetta\/Don Carlo at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Minnie\/La fanciulla del West at Michigan Opera Theatre and Op\u00e9ra Monte Carlo, Marta in a new production of d\u2019Albert\u2019s Tiefland at Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Capitole Toulouse, Marie\/Marietta in Korngold\u2019s Die tote Stadt at State Opera Hamburg, Boston, and Tokyo, as well as Feldmarschallin in the new production Der Rosenkavalier in Wroclaw.\nConcerts led her renowned orchestras, houses and festivals, including the Carnegie Hall New York, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Hollywood Bowl, as well the Lucerne Festival, Edinburgh Festival, and the Enescu Festival. Furthermore, Meagan Miller sang Strauss\u2019 Orchesterlieder with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest at Amsterdam\u2019s Concertgebouw, Verdi\u2019s Messa da Requiem in Prague, and Mahler\u2019s 8th symphony in Graz, Linz, and Orange. Also an accomplished recitalist and noted interpreter of new American music, she has premiered numerous works written specifically for her voice.\nMeagan Miller collaborated with conductors, such as Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin, Jeffrey Tate, Simone Young, Alain Altinoglu, Christoph von Dohn\u00e1ny, Ulf Schirmer, Vladimir Jurowski, Jun M\u00e4rkl, Alexander Joel, Axel Kober, Donald Runnicles, Pinchas Steinberg, Markus Stenz, Constantin Trinks, and Jaap van Zweden.\nEngagements of previous seasons include i.a. Minnie\/La fanciulla del West, Sieglinde\/Die Walk\u00fcre, as well as her role debut as Isolde in Wagner\u2019s Tristan und Isolde at Opera Leipzig, each under the baton of Ulf Schirmer.\nIn the\u00a0 2021\/22 season\u00a0Meagan Miller appears in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and in Tristan und Isolde at the Leipzig Opera.\n|,|title|:|soprano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Sasha Cooke |,|bio|:|Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been called a \u201cluminous standout\u201d (<em>New York Times<\/em>) and \u201cequal parts poise, radiance and elegant directness\u201d (<em>Opera News<\/em>). Sasha is sought after by the world\u2019s leading orchestras, opera companies, and chamber music ensembles for her versatile repertoire and commitment to new music.\nIn the 2021-22 season, Sasha returned to the Metropolitan Opera both for her role debut as Cherubino in\u00a0<em>Le nozze di Figaro<\/em>, under the baton of James Gaffigan, and as Eduige in\u00a0<em>Rodelinda<\/em>, under the baton of Harry Bicket. On the concert stage, she joined the Minnesota Orchestra for Mahler\u2019s\u00a0<em>Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen<\/em>\u00a0and subsequently for Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 8, the latter conducted by Osmo V\u00e4nsk\u00e4. Additionally, she performed Michael Tilson Thomas\u2019s\u00a0<em>Meditations on Rilke<\/em>\u00a0with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; Nadia Boulanger\u2019s\u00a0<em>Faust et H\u00e9l\u00e8ne\u00a0<\/em>with the Houston Symphony, led by Fabien Gabel; Berlioz\u2019s\u00a0<em>B\u00e9atrice et B\u00e9n\u00e9dict\u00a0<\/em>with the Festival de la C\u00f4te Saint-Andr\u00e9, led by John Nelson; Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 9 with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 2, <em>Resurrection,\u00a0<\/em>with the Oregon Symphony; Jake Heggie\u2019s\u00a0<em>The Work at Hand\u00a0<\/em>and Elgar\u2019s\u00a0<em>Sea Pictures\u00a0<\/em>with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, led by Gemma New; Mahler\u2019s\u00a0<em>Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen\u00a0<\/em>with the New World Symphony; and a holiday concert with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Finally, she gave a solo recital at the Tucson Desert Song Festival, joined by pianist Myra Huang, where she premiered a new work by Jennifer Higdon.\nThis season also marks the release of her CD,\u00a0<em>how do I find you<\/em>, on the Pentatone label. The recording, which features songs by Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli, and Jimmy Lopez-Bellido, among others, is intended as a tribute to both the struggles and hopes of artists wrought by the pandemic. All 17 songs were written in 2020. Sasha performed the world premiere on January 30, 2022, as part of the San Francisco Symphony\u2019s Great Performers Series, before giving subsequent recitals at the Shriver Hall Concert Series and elsewhere, with pianist Kirill Kuzmin.\n|,|title|:|mezzo-soprano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Eric Cutler|,|bio|:|Eric\u00a0Cutler\u00a0has won acclaim in such theaters as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Salzburg Festival, Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Royal de La Monnaie in Brussels, Teatro dell\u2019Opera in Rome, Canadian Opera Company, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Australia, Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve, Glyndebourne Festival and Santa Fe Opera.\nConsidered one of the most important \u201cjugendlich-dramatisch\u201d tenors of our day, Cutler made his debut in the title role of Wagner\u2019s\u00a0Lohengrin\u00a0at La Monnaie in the 2017\/18 season, after which he appeared at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden as Erik in\u00a0Der fliegende Holl\u00e4nder. He also appeared in Hamburg as Florestan in\u00a0Fidelio\u00a0and sang his first performances of Bacchus in\u00a0Ariadne auf Naxos\u00a0at the 2018 Aix-en-Provence Festival. In the 2018\/19 season, he sang his first Kaiser in Strauss\u2019s\u00a0Die Frau one Schatten\u00a0under Kent Nagano at the Hamburg State Opera, where he also appeared as Apollo in\u00a0Daphne. Cutler also returned to the Houston Grand Opera as Erik and added the title role in\u00a0Idomeneo\u00a0to his repertoire at the Teatro Real in Madrid under Ivor Bolton. In 2019,\u00a0Cutler sang his first performances of Mahler\u2019s\u00a0Das Lied von der Erde\u00a0with the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich under Francois-Xavier Roth, followed by a concert of the same work with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Manfred\u00a0Honeck. Other recent\u00a0engagements have included\u00a0Fidelio\u00a0in Stuttgart,\u00a0Les Contes d\u2019Hoffmann\u00a0in Madrid, Adolar in\u00a0Euryanthe\u00a0in Frankfurt, and the title role in Berlioz\u2019s\u00a0La Damnation de Faust\u00a0in Bordeaux.\nIn the 2019\/20 season, Cutler will appear at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre Royal de La Monnaie in the title role of\u00a0Les Contes D\u2019Hoffmann, after which he will appear at the Semperoper Dresden in the same role.\u00a0He will sing Florestan in a new production of the 1806 second version of\u00a0Fidelio\u00a0at the Theater an der Wien under Manfred Honeck, with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and with the Orchestra de Paris under Simone Young.\u00a0Cutler\u00a0will also sing\u00a0La Damnation de Faust\u00a0with the Hamburg Symphony under Sylvain Cambreling. In the summer of 2020, he will make his role debut\u00a0as the Prince in\u00a0Rusalka\u00a0at the Santa Fe Opera.\u00a0Cutler\u00a0will also sing\u00a0Das Lied Von der Erde\u00a0at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples under Juraj Val\u010duha. In future seasons,\u00a0the tenor will make his debut at the Bayreuth Festival and the Vienna State Opera. He will also return to the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Real, Zurich Opera and in Geneva.\nEric Cutler is a native of Adel, Iowa and an alumnus of Luther College and the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s Lindemann Young Artists Development Program. The winner of the 2005 Richard Tucker Award, as well as earlier Study and Career Grants from the Tucker Foundation, Cutler began his career in the Bel Canto and Lyric Tenor Repertoire. He was praised internationally for his performances in all the major tenor roles of Mozart, as Edgardo in\u00a0Lucia di Lammermoor, Arturo in\u00a0I Puritani\u00a0and Alfredo in\u00a0La Traviata, as well in the French lyric repertoire as Nadir in\u00a0Les P\u00eacheurs de Perles\u00a0and Rom\u00e9o in\u00a0Rom\u00e9o et Juliette. He scored a triumph as Raoul in\u00a0Les Huguenots\u00a0at La Monnaie in Brussels, after which he began his development into the jugendlich repertoire under the tutelage of Michael Paul, who remains his vocal mentor today.\n|,|title|:|tenor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Mark S. Doss|,|bio|:|Grammy Award Winner, Mark S. Doss opened the 2021\/22 season with a return to the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de la Monnaie as William Daley in the world premiere of Kris Defoort\u2019s The Time of Our Singing, followed by concerts of Opera Highlights with Dallas Opera, Beethoven\u2019s 9th with the Minnesota Orchestra, and in the roles of Creon and the Messenger in The Opera Company of Philadelphia\u2019s Oedipus Rex by Stravinsky. After Houston he will make a return to La Fenice in Venice for Balstrode in Peter Grimes.\nMr. Doss\u2019s recent engagements include Alfio (Cavalleria Rusticana) at the Royal Opera House, Nicholas Lens\u2019 Shell Shock at The Philharmonie de Paris, Daland (Der fliegende Holl\u00e4nder) at Dallas Opera, Rigoletto and Scarpia (Tosca) with Welsh National Opera, and Cadmus in Henze’s The Bassarids in concert with the Spanish RTE Orchestra and Kent Nagano.\nMr. Doss\u2019s illustrious career has taken the bass-baritone to the most prestigious houses worldwide, which include Milan\u2019s La Scala, where he appeared as Escamillo (Carmen), Argante (Rinaldo), Jaroslav Prus (The Makropulos Case), Jochanaan (Salome), and Amonasro (Aida); the Staatsoper Berlin as Jochanaan, Mephistopheles in Gounod\u2019s Faust at the Santa Fe Opera, Oper Frankfurt, and Opera de Oviedo; Premysl in Jan\u00e1\u010dek’s \u0160\u00e1rka with La Fenice, Jochanaan with Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Arena di Verona as Escamillo, Balstrode with the Teatro Regio di Torino, Jochanaan, Balstrode, and the title role in The Flying Dutchman at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Macbeth at the Dorset Opera Festival; Amonasro, Jochanaan, and Simone in Zemlinsky\u2019s The Florentine Tragedy for Teatro Regio Torino; Escamillo, Amonasro, and the leading baritone role in Nicholas Lens\u2019 Shell Shock for La Monnaie in Brussels. At the Opera di Roma he was Cadmus in Henze’s The Bassarids. At the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan he took on Germont (La Traviata), and he sang the Four Villains (The Tales of Hoffmann) with the New National Opera in Tokyo.\nA Grammy Award Winner for his participation in Handel\u2019s Semele (Best Opera Recording), he also is a recipient of the National Institute for Music Theatre\u2019s George London Opera Prize, and Planet Africa\u2019s Entertainment Award.\n|,|title|:|bass-baritone|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Houston Symphony Chorus|,|bio|:||,|title|:|Betsy Cook Weber, director|,|small_image|:false,|bio_image|:false,|full_image|:false}]}
C. SIMON An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9, Choral
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