Concerts

data-filter="[2024 10|2024 10|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][October|October|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Grammy Award winner James Ehnes sets toes tapping and spirits soaring with Dvořák’s exuberant Violin Concerto. Discover a new favorite composer as Juraj Valčuha shares music of Vítězslava Kaprálová, who left a powerful stamp on the music world despite her tragically early death at the age of 25. Blazing with triumphant fanfares and powered by an extra-large brass section, 12 trumpets strong, Janáček’s Sinfonietta closes the program with festive flourish. https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/38vpgdmbls What Critics are Saying “A violinist in a class of his own.”   —The Times, London What to Expect: A virtuoso performance from one of the world’s greatest violinists A lively celebration of great Czech composers So many trumpets! (Most orchestral works call for 2 or 3, but in Janáček’s Sinfonietta, you’ll see a staggering 12.) Classic rock fans will recognize Janáček’s Sinfonietta from its use in Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Knife-Edge.” {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Music Director 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 translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 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\u201306 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La boh\u00e8me in Bologna.\nHe has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.\nHe enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nIn Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.\nJuraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse\u2019s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly\u2019s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u2019s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.\nIncluding his engagements in Houston, the 2023\u201324 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed Fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenufa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.\nIn the 2024\u20132025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss\u00b4 Salom\u00e9 as well as the Paris Op\u00e9ra Bastille with Janacek\u00b4s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky\u00b4s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.\nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, 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|:|James Ehnes|,|bio|:|James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians on the international stage. Gifted with stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism, and unfaltering musicality, he is a favorite guest at the world\u2019s most celebrated concert halls.\nThroughout the 2024-25 Season, James will be artist-in-residence with Melbourne Symphony and will tour Asia, where he will perform the complete Beethoven sonatas at Kioi Hall, Tokyo, as well as performances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Singapore Symphony Orchestras.\nAlongside his concerto work, James maintains a busy recital schedule around the world. A devoted chamber musician, he is the leader of the Ehnes Quartet and the artistic director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.\nJames has an extensive discography and has won many awards, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and 11 Juno Awards. In 2021, he received the coveted Gramophone Artist of the Year title, which celebrated recent contributions to the recording industry, including an online recital series entitled Recitals from Home, released in June 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and concert hall closures. He recorded the six Bach Sonatas and Partitas and six Sonatas of Ysa\u00ffe from his home with state-of-the-art recording equipment and released six episodes over a two-month period. James was described by Le Devoir as being “at the absolute forefront of the streaming evolution.”\nJames began violin studies at age 5, became a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin at age 9, and made his orchestra debut with L\u2019Orchestre symphonique de Montr\u00e9al at 13. He continued his studies with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his 1997 graduation. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music where he is a visiting professor. He was recently appointed professor of violin at Indiana University\u2019s Jacobs School of Music. He plays the \u201cMarsick\u201d Stradivarius of 1715.\n|,|title|:|violin|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} KAPRÁLOVÁ  Military Sinfonietta DVOŘÁK  Violin Concerto JANÁČEK  Sinfonietta

data-filter="[2024 10|][cynthia-woods-mitchell-pavilion|][October|][[{|term_id|:2223,|name|:|Free Concerts|,|slug|:|free-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2223,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:43,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Spooky symphony songs are only half the story. The other terrible tale we have to tell is of the thousands of little costumed ghouls and goblins that will descend upon our plazas and even parade across our stage! Come October 17, you and your family are invited to a free Houston Symphony show that will haunt your memory for decades to come. Expect trick or treating in the plazas, songs that are just the right amount of scary, and fun spread out over every inch of The Pavilion. This is undoubtedly the best way to kick off the Halloween season.   Tickets and venue Enjoy an amazing summer night at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion! Click here to learn more about this event. This will be a free event and no tickets are required. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is located at 2005 Lake Robbins Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380 {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Gonzalo Farias|,|bio|:|An engaging orchestral conductor, award-winning pianist, and passionate educator, Gonzalo Farias is the Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony. In an ever-changing world, Gonzalo desires to establish music-making as a way of rethinking our place in society by cultivating respect, trust, and cooperation among all people in our community.\nGonzalo previously served as associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, associate conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, assistant conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and conducting fellow at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his \u201cclear, engaging\u201d style \u201cwith a lyrical, almost Zen-like quality,\u201d Gonzalo has been established \u201cas a focused, musical artist who knows what he wants and how to get it\u2014with grace and substance.\u201d As former music director of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra, he embraced the city of Joliet and its Hispanic residents of the greater Chicago area with pre-concert lectures, Latin-based repertoire, and a unique side-by-side bilingual narration of Bizet\u2019s Carmen.\nGonzalo was recently selected to conduct at the esteemed Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, the most important showcase for conductors in America. Designed by the League of American Orchestras, the National Conductor Preview chooses the most promising talents in the world for their podium gift and commitment to the future of American orchestras. He was also appointed by the National Endowment for the Arts as a reviewing member for the Grant for Art Projects, judging applications from diverse music institutions to support the latest and most important artistic endeavors in the United States.\nDuring the summers, Gonzalo has worked with Jaap Van Zweden and Johannes Schlaefli at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland as well as with Neeme and Paavo J\u00e4rvi at the P\u00e4rnu Music Festival. In the United States, he was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Bruno Walter Memorial Conducting Scholarship at the Cabrillo Music Festival and named Emergent Conductor by Victor Yampolsky at the Peninsula Music Festival. He also attended the Pierre Monteux Festival, where he received the Bernard Osher Scholar Prize. Out of 566 applicants from 78 countries, he was chosen as one of 24 finalists in the prestigious 2018 Malko Conducting Competition with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by the Gramophone magazine critics, Farias offered one the \u201cmost fluent, honest, open-hearted and pointed performances.\u201d\nGonzalo was born in Santiago de Chile, where he began his piano studies at age five. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree at the P.C. University of Chile and then continued his graduate piano studies at the New England Conservatory as a full-scholarship student of Wha-Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. He won first prize at the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition and prizes at the Maria Canals and Luis Sigall Piano Competitions. As a conductor, he attended the University of Illinois working with Donald Schleicher, the Peabody Conservatory with Marin Alsop, and worked privately with Larry Rachleff and Otto-Werner Mueller.\nBesides having a fond love for piano, chamber, and contemporary music, Gonzalo is a passionate supporter of second-order cybernetics to help understand communication and how complex systems organize, coordinate, and interconnect with one another. This includes the interdependent and recursive nature of musical experiences in which performers and audiences alike interact, respond, and co-create each other\u2019s space. His final doctoral thesis, Logical Predictions and Cybernetics, explores the case of Cornelius Cardew\u2019s \u201cThe Great Learning\u201d to redefine music activity as a self-organized organization. In addition, he has a warm affection for his formal studies of Zen Buddhism, which has been a major influence on his approach to music and life.\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}

data-filter="[2024 10|][jones-hall|][October|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Friday Night Frights: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Phantom of the Opera Chills and thrills await in this hair-raising double feature of two of the greatest silent films of all time, with live accompaniment by organist Brett Miller. Get ready to party like it’s the Roaring ‘20s as we bring you the unique magic of silent movies, as they were meant to be seen. Halloween costumes are encouraged! “The first true horror film.” – Roger Ebert Called “The first true horror film.” by critic Roger Ebert, and hailed as one of the greatest films—silent or otherwise—of all time, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is an absolute must-see for horror fans. With dark, nightmarish imagery that’s as unsettling today as when it first came out in 1920, the film follows an insane hypnotist on his macabre journey of murder and mayhem, and has a plot twist you won’t see coming. “It creates beneath the opera one of the most grotesque places in the cinema.” – Roger Ebert Starring legendary “Man of a Thousand Faces” Lon Chaney,The Phantom of the Opera saturates the screen with moody, Gothic imagery as it tells a spine-tingling and suspenseful tale of love, art, and obsession—a story later transformed into the most popular Broadway musical in history. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Brett Miller|,|bio|:|As one of the youngest in a rare art form, Brett Miller is an active organist, conductor, and arranger who specializes in the art of silent film accompaniment. As an award-winning organist, Brett has continued his academic involvement and advocacy for the education and preservation of silent films through performing\n\u201clive to picture.\u201d In 2021, he was appointed music director of the Empire Film and Media Ensemble, a non-profit based in Rochester, New York, that advocates for the education, performance, and production of film music. He was recently appointed artistic director of the organization. Brett shares a close relationship between the ensemble and the Beal Institute of Film Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music.\nHis recent scores have been recorded with organizations such as the Eye Filmmuseum, the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation, Kino Lober Classics, and Milestone Films. He has been featured at various film festivals and has played events in conjunction with film preservationists from the Library of Congress and George Eastman House. In 2023, Brett played to a sold-out performance of Nosferatu at Marian Anderson Hall in conjunction with the Philadelphia Orchestra.\nSeason highlights include performances for the Houston Symphony, The Boston Pops, The Great Auditorium at Ocean Grove, Atlantic City\u2019s Boardwalk Hall, and the Historic Colonial Theater.\nBrett studied organ with renowned organist Jelani Eddington and piano with Beth Crompton and Joseph Rackers of the Eastman School of Music. He studied film accompaniment with Ben Model and Bernie Anderson. A native of Bedminster, Pennsylvania, Brett is an alumnus of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Institute. He currently studies at the Eastman School of Music pursuing his masters in orchestral conducting with Neil Varon.\n|,|title|:|organist|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}

data-filter="[2024 10|][jones-hall|][October|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" “It’s astounding!” Pop Culture’s most famous horror musical descends on Jones Hall for an evening of eerie revelry. This interactive screening of Tim Curry’s campy cult classic includes a shadow cast and appearance by actress Patricia Quinn, who originated the fiery role of Magenta. Then, plan to stay late for a FREE after party that’ll leave you doing the Time Warp until midnight. Audience participation and costumes strongly encouraged (yes, there will be a contest!) This performance is an interactive film screening only and does not feature the Houston Symphony. Recommended for ages 17+ https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/g3pdjtea6q VIP Seating & Meet and Greet with Patricia Quinn: Extend your experience at the Symphony with special VIP seating for this show. Meet and Greet with Patricia Quinn, who originated the role of Magenta from the 1975 cult classic film. (Meet and Greet tickets not sold separately) Click here to learn how to buy these tickets Get VIP Seating + Meet and Greet Access false

data-filter="[2024 11|2024 11|2024 11|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][November|November|November|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Let your imagination take flight with music inspired by fairy tales, legend, and adventure. Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture will have you picturing gleaming castles and knights on horseback, while music from Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel enchants from “once upon a time” to “happily ever after.” For the grand finale, tag along on the colorful, sometimes comical exploits of Miguel de Cervantes’s “Man of La Mancha” in Strauss’s action-packed Don Quixote, spotlighting Principal Cello Brinton Averil Smith and Principal Viola Joan DerHovsepian. https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/x8rjl54efh What to Expect: Music inspired by fairy tales, legend, and adventure Knights, magicians, giants (and/or windmills): be transported to the whimsical world of Don Quixote In Don Quixote, composer Richard Strauss uses humorous, colorful touches to bring each adventure to vivid life—most notably, Quixote’s encounter with the army of the “Great Emperor Alifanfaron” (in reality, a flock of sheep, represented by bleating woodwinds and brass!) {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Sir Donald Runnicles|,|bio|:||,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Joan DerHovsepian|,|bio|:|Joan DerHovsepian is the newly appointed Principal Viola of the Houston Symphony after winning the international audition held in May 2023. She first joined the viola section of the Houston Symphony in 1999, hired by Christoph Eschenbach, won the audition for Associate Principal Viola in the fall of 2010 during the tenure of Hans Graf, and now begins serving as Principal with Music Director Juraj Val\u010duha. Recent solo performances with the Houston Symphony include Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with Concertmaster Yoonshin Song in October 2022 and Bruch Double Concerto with Principal 2nd Violin MuChen Hsieh in March 2022. Joan was formerly Principal Viola of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as guest principal viola with the Chicago and Cincinnati symphonies.\nJoan is Artist Teacher of Viola at Rice University\u2019s Shepherd School of Music, instructing students in viola orchestral repertoire and independent study. Students who have come through her course have gone on to win positions in the Cincinnati Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Houston Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra, National Arts Center Orchestra, National Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Pittsburgh Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Washington National Opera, among others. She is regular guest faculty for the New World Symphony and has given masterclasses in the study of orchestral excerpts for viola students of the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory and the University of Melbourne Conservatorium.\nRecent festival and chamber music appearances include the Seattle Chamber Music Society, Mainly Mozart Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Mimir Chamber Music Festival (Ft. Worth TX and Melbourne Australia), Music in Context, Peninsula Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute and Lake Lure Chamber Music Festival.\nShe was the violist of the award winning Everest Quartet, top prize winners at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Joan was the second prize recipient of the Primrose International Viola Competition. She attended the Eastman School of Music studying with violist James Dunham, and the Hochschule f\u00fcr Musik in Freiburg Germany, with violist Kim Kashkashian.\n|,|title|:|viola|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Brinton Averil Smith|,|bio|:|Critics have described American cellist Brinton Averil Smith as a \u201cvirtuoso cellist with few equals,\u201d hailing him as \u201ca proponent of old-school string playing such as that of Piatigorsky and Heifetz.\u201d Gramophone praised Brinton in his debut recording of Mikl\u00f3s R\u00f3zsa\u2019s Cello Concerto as a \u201chugely eloquent, impassioned soloist,\u201d writing \u201cThe sheer bravura of Smith\u2019s reading is infectious.\u201d BBC Music magazine wrote of his recent Naxos recording of Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco\u2019s Cello Concerto, \u201chis is a cast iron technique of verve and refinement put entirely at the service of the music\u2026 The artistry on display here is breathtaking,\u201d while David Hurwitz of Classics Today wrote, \u201cSmith plays the living daylights out of it. His full tone, impeccable intonation, and fleet passage work\u2013never for a moment ungainly or stressed\u2013lets the music soar.\u201d Gramophone also wrote of Smith\u2019s most recent Naxos recording, Exiles in Paradise, which explores the rich legacy of the \u00e9migr\u00e9 composers who gathered in Hollywood in the mid-20th century, \u201cSmith plays the bejesus out of it, making child\u2019s play of the rapid-fire spiccatos and almost impossible-to-control harmonics. \u2026and teems with old-school elegance and just the right dose of schmaltz.\u201d\nBrinton\u2019s North American engagements have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and recital and concerto engagements throughout the country, while his broadcast performances include CBS\u2019s Sunday Morning and regular appearances on NPR\u2019s Performance Today and Symphonycast. He has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Houston Symphony since joining the orchestra as principal cellist in 2005. Prior to this, he was the first musician chosen by Lorin Maazel to join the New York Philharmonic and the principal cellist of the Fort Worth and San Diego Symphony Orchestras. His live concert performances on YouTube have been viewed more than one million times, including more than 250,000 views of a live encore of Paganini\u2019s 24th Caprice. Devoted to expanding the cello repertoire, Brinton performs a wide variety of violin, piano, and vocal transcriptions, and gave the North American premiers of rediscovered cello works of Jean Sibelius and Alexander Zemlinsky as well as the world premiere of Castelnuovo-Tedesco\u2019s Sonata for violin and cello. He also gave the first professional performance of Castelnuovo-Tedesco\u2019s cello concerto since its 1935 premiere with Arturo Toscanini and Gregor Piatigorsky.\nAn active chamber musician, Brinton has collaborated with violinist Gil Shaham on numerous occasions, including Carnegie Hall\u2019s Gil Shaham and Friends series. He has also collaborated with cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Harrell; pianists Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Jeffrey Kahane, and Kirill Gerstein; violinists James Ehnes, Cho-Liang Lin, and Sarah Chang; soprano Dawn Upshaw; and members of the Beaux Arts Trio; and the Guarneri, Emerson, Juilliard, Cleveland, and Berg quartets. He has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Marlboro Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Sarasota Music Festival, the Seattle Chamber Music Society, the Mainly Mozart Festival, the Brevard Music Festival, and the Texas Music Festival. Brinton is currently an associate professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and a faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival.\nThe son of a mathematician and a pianist, Brinton Averil Smith was admitted to Arizona State University at age 10, where he took courses in mathematics and German and, at age 17, completed a B.A. in mathematics. He then became a student of Eleonore Schoenfeld at the University of Southern California, where he was also a teaching assistant in the mathematics department, and completed work for an M.A. in mathematics at age 19. He subsequently studied with the legendary cellist Zara Nelsova at The Juilliard School. While there, he was a prize winner in several consecutive Juilliard concerto competitions and the Leonard Rose International Cello Competition and received a doctor of musical arts degree, writing on the playing of Emanuel Feuermann. Brinton lives in Houston with his wife, the pianist Evelyn Chen, and their enormous but benevolent dog. Their daughter, Calista, is a soprano studying at Northwestern University. His cello was made by Gaetano Pasta in Brescia, c.1710.\nVisit www.brintonaverilsmith.com\n|,|title|:|cello|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} WAGNER  Tannhäuser: Overture HUMPERDINCK  Selections from Hansel and Gretel R. STRAUSS  Don Quixote

data-filter="[2024 11|2024 11|2024 11|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][November|November|November|][[{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:8,|name|:|POPS Series|,|slug|:|pops-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:8,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:45,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing! Inspired by legendary musical hot spots like The Cotton Club and The Savoy, this electrifying concert will transport you to Harlem’s hippest nightclub, when Duke Ellington’s orchestra was the house band and Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ethel Waters showcased the biggest jazz hits of the day. What to Expect: Travel through time, back to the smoke-filled speakeasies, glamorous nightclubs, and swingin’ dance halls of the Jazz Age and Swing Era Guest artists channel your favorite jazz legends, from the pitch-perfect voice of Ella Fitzgerald to the hi-de-ho swagger of Cab Calloway. There’s even a tap dancer! Dress in your sharpest vintage attire as we bring the vivacious spirit of the 1920s–40s to life {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Byron Stripling|,|bio|:|With a contagious smile and captivating charm, conductor, trumpet virtuoso, singer, and actor Byron Stripling ignites audiences across the globe. He was named principal pops conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2020 and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2024. He also serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Byron\u2019s baton has led countless orchestras throughout the United States and Canada, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood and orchestras from San Diego to Sarasota.\nSince his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, Byron has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with more than 100 orchestras around the world. As a soloist with the Boston Pops, Byron has frequently performed under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being the featured soloist on the PBS television special, Evening at Pops, with conductors John Williams and Lockhart. \nAn accomplished actor and singer, Byron starred in the lead role of the Broadway-bound musical, Satchmo; had a cameo performance in the television movie, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles; and performed in the 42nd Street production of From Second Avenue to Broadway.\nTelevision viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of the Grammy Awards, commercials, and theme songs. In addition to multiple recordings with his quintet, work with artists from Tony Bennett to Whitney Houston, his prolific recording career includes hundreds of albums with the greatest pops, Broadway, soul, and jazz artists. \nByron earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra. He has also played and recorded with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, Buck Clayton, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the GRP All Star Big Band.\nEducated at the Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy, one of his greatest joys is to return to both as a guest lecturer.\nA resident of Ohio, Byron lives in the country with his wife Alexis, a former dancer, writer, and poet, and their beautiful daughters.\n|,|title|:|conductor, trumpet, and vocalist|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Carmen Bradford|,|bio|:|Carmen Bradford is jazz royalty, a 2024 Grammy Award winner for Basie Swings the Blues \u2013 the Count Basie Orchestra. The five-time Grammy nominee is also the recipient of the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Jazz Vocalist Award. Her body of work reflects her experience, versatility, and technical brilliance in this uniquely American art form. \nBorn in Austin, Texas, and raised in Altadena, California, Carmen is the daughter of legendary cornetist and composer Bobby Bradford and world-renown jazz vocalist, composer, and author Melba Joyce, and granddaughter of Melvin Moore (who sang with Lucky Millender\u2019s Big Band, Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band, and the Ink Spots). \nCarmen was discovered by Count Basie when she was 22; she became the featured vocalist with his legendary orchestra for nine years and continues to perform with the Count Basie Orchestra. With the orchestra, her Grammy nominations include two in the 1980s and a third, Big Boss Band, with guitarist George Benson. (She and Benson performed \u201cHow Do You Keep the Music Playing,” on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.) The fourth is 2022\u2019s Live at Birdland. \nCarmen has performed and recorded with a diverse group of artists and orchestras. She teamed with singer\/composer Kenny Rankin for the Benny Carter Songbook Project, performing with him, “And All That Jazz.” \nIn 1992, she released her debut album, Finally Yours (Evidence Records), to critical acclaim. Her second solo album, With Respect (Evidence) in 1995, established her as one of jazz music’s most diverse and exciting vocal stylists. \nHome with You (Azica Records), is a warm and beautiful collection of vocal and piano duets with jazz great Shelly Berg. The 2008 release of Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola: Sherrie Maricle & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra featuring Carmen Bradford, returned Carmen to her big band roots. \u201cWhen the Count Basie Orchestra calls me,\u201d she says, \u201cI go.\u201d \nCarmen was the voice on the 2016 album Imagination Nation, a tribute to Nelson Mandela by South African trumpeter Darren English. This critically acclaimed album won the Pledge for Peace award from the Global Peace Song Awards and was named Best in Jazz.\n|,|title|:|vocalist|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Leo Manzari|,|bio|:|Originally from Washington, D.C., Leo Manzari is a Lucille Lortel Award-nominated tap dancer, headlining in various productions, such as the touring and Off-Broadway productions of Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life, featured guest artist on So You Think You Can Dance, Kennedy Center\u2019s 50th Inaugural Celebration of JFK and Marvin Gaye, Dorrance Dance\u2019s Nutcracker Suite, The Mo’nique Show, The Kate, TEDMED, PBS News Hour, The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, and ABC’s The View. He was featured as a solo tap dancer in Hozier\u2019s music video \u201cAlmost (Sweet Music)\u201d and guest starred with Anderson Paak\u2019s band The Free Nationals for various virtual events. \nNow residing in Los Angeles, California, Leo headlines alongside Byron Stripling and Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, Carmen Bradford, collaborating with multiple POPS orchestras around the world, including the Houston Symphony, Winnipeg Orchestra, Florida Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and The Philly POPS. Other credentials include a recurring role in Season 6 of Showtime’s Homeland, and lead writer and vocalist of his original music, which can be found at www.leomanzari.com.\n@leomanzari\n|,|title|:|vocalist and tap dancer|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}

data-filter="[2024 11|2024 11|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][November|November|][[{|term_id|:1035,|name|:|Family Series|,|slug|:|family-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1035,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:20,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Tap your toes, stamp your feet, and sing along as you journey through quintessential American genres like jazz, blues, gospel, and even patriotic tunes! Charismatic singer and trumpeter Byron Stripling will have your little ones singing, dancing, and clapping along in this fun and interactive concert filled with music and stories. Get ready to hear beloved favorites that everyone knows and loves! Subscribe to all four PNC Family Series concerts and save 26%! | Subscribe now → {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Byron Stripling|,|bio|:|With a contagious smile and captivating charm, conductor, trumpet virtuoso, singer, and actor Byron Stripling ignites audiences across the globe. He was named principal pops conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2020 and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2024. He also serves as artistic director and conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Byron\u2019s baton has led countless orchestras throughout the United States and Canada, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood and orchestras from San Diego to Sarasota.\nSince his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, Byron has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with more than 100 orchestras around the world. As a soloist with the Boston Pops, Byron has frequently performed under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being the featured soloist on the PBS television special, Evening at Pops, with conductors John Williams and Lockhart. \nAn accomplished actor and singer, Byron starred in the lead role of the Broadway-bound musical, Satchmo; had a cameo performance in the television movie, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles; and performed in the 42nd Street production of From Second Avenue to Broadway.\nTelevision viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of the Grammy Awards, commercials, and theme songs. In addition to multiple recordings with his quintet, work with artists from Tony Bennett to Whitney Houston, his prolific recording career includes hundreds of albums with the greatest pops, Broadway, soul, and jazz artists. \nByron earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra. He has also played and recorded with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, Buck Clayton, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the GRP All Star Big Band.\nEducated at the Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy, one of his greatest joys is to return to both as a guest lecturer.\nA resident of Ohio, Byron lives in the country with his wife Alexis, a former dancer, writer, and poet, and their beautiful daughters.\n|,|title|:|conductor, trumpet, and vocalist|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}

data-filter="[2024 11|][jones-hall|][November|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Michael Tilson Thomas—one of the world’s most highly acclaimed conductors, and longtime Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony—leads the Houston Symphony and Chorus in a one-night-only performance of Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony. https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/tl405pn3s5 {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Michael Tilson Thomas|,|bio|:||,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Angel Blue|,|bio|:|Angel Blue has emerged in recent seasons as one of the most influential sopranos before the public today. The two-time Grammy Award winner, 2020 Beverly Sills Award recipient, and the 2022 Richard Tucker Award winner is celebrated worldwide for her honeyed soprano and affecting deliveries of many of the most beloved roles in the operatic repertory, such as Violetta in Verdi’s\u00a0La traviata, Bess in Gershwin\u2019s\u00a0Porgy and Bess, Mim\u00ed in Puccini\u2019s\u00a0La boh\u00e9me, and Destiny\/Loneliness\/Greta in Terrence Blanchard\u2019s\u00a0Fire Shut Up in My Bones.\nThe 2024-25 Season is one of Angel\u2019s most impressive to date, with a staggering itinerary of operatic title roles and concert programs on acclaimed stages worldwide. Beginning in London with the hugely popular Last Night of the Proms, she returns to her home stage at the Metropolitan Opera, where she spends a major portion of her season. In the fall, she plays Margarita Xirgu in Osvaldo Golijov\u2019s first opera,\u00a0Ainadamar,\u00a0and in two separate stints over the winter and spring, she makes her long-anticipated debut as\u00a0Aida\u00a0conducted by Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin.\nMaestro N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin also plays a vital role in Angel\u2019s concert schedule, when she joins the conductor and the Rotterdam Philharmonic on tour in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. She makes two company debuts, as Mim\u00ec in the Bayerische Staatsoper\u2019s production of\u00a0La boh\u00e9me\u00a0and as the titular role in Verdi\u2019s\u00a0Luisa Miller\u2014also a role debut. She appears twice at Carnegie Hall, first in recital with the legendary pianist Lang Lang, and again with the Met Opera Orchestra and N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin. Concert engagements include Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas and the Houston Symphony, a solo recital at the Los Angeles Opera, and\u00a0Aida\u00a0in concert at the Baltimore Symphony conducted by Jonathon Heyward.\nAngel Blue has performed in more than 40 countries, including Hungary, Kazakhstan, India, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, South Korea, China, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Brazil, and Mexico. She was raised in California and completed her musical studies at UCLA. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.\n|,|title|:|soprano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Tamara Mumford|,|bio|:|American mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford has gained a reputation as an exciting and in-demand singer appearing with many of the finest orchestras and opera houses in the United States and Europe. This season, she returns to The Metropolitan Opera for Die Zauberfl\u00f6te and the new production of Salome, the Dallas Symphony for continued performances of Erda in The Ring Cycle, and to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She also makes appearances with the Houston Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic.\n\u00a0A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Tamara has appeared in more than 200 performances with the company, including productions of Kaija Saariaho\u2019s L\u2019Amour de loin, Anna Bolena, Rigoletto, Cavalleria Rusticana, Nixon in China, Die Zauberfl\u00f6te, and The Magic Flute. Other recent opera engagements have included the premiere of The Thirteenth Child at the Santa Fe Opera; Tancredi with Teatro Nuovo; Aureliano in Palmira and Lucrezia Borgia at the Caramoor Festival; Henze\u2019s Phaedra, The Rape of Lucretia, and the world premiere of Daniel Schnyder’s Yardbird at Opera Philadelphia;\u00a0and L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival and the BBC Proms.\nAlso an active concert performer and recitalist, Tamara appeared with Gustavo Dudamel and the\u00a0Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra\u00a0in multiple US and European tours. Other concert engagements have included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Netherland Radio Philharmonic, and at the Hollywood Bowl and the Ravinia and Tanglewood festivals.\u00a0Her recordings include Handel’s Messiah with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Momon Tabernacle Choir), Beethoven’s Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony (Avie), and both Mahler Symphony No. 8 and John Adams\u2019s The Gospel According to the Other Mary with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon).\n|,|title|:|mezzo-soprano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Stephen Costello|,|bio|:|Philadelphia-born tenor Stephen Costello quickly established a reputation as a \u201cfirst-class talent\u201d (Opera News) after coming to national attention in 2007, when at age 26, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut on the company\u2019s season-opener. Two years later, he won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award, and he has since appeared at many of the world\u2019s most important opera houses and music festivals. As Opera News noted in a recent Spotlight spread, \u201cthe all-American tenor\u201d is now \u201cat the top of his game.\u201d\nIn the 2024-25 Season, Stephen returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Duca di Mantua in Rigoletto and Greenhorn in Moby Dick, as well as singing Romeo at Opernhaus Z\u00fcrich and the title role of Don Carlo at Bayerische Staatsoper. In concert, he performs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Michael Tilson Thomas and the Houston Symphony, performs a gala concert with Kristine Opolais in Mexico, and sings a series of recitals alongside pianist Anthony Manoli with Arizona Opera.\nLast season, Stephen sang Don Jos\u00e9 in Carmen at Bayerische Staatsoper, Rodolfo in La boh\u00e8me at The Metropolitan Opera (including his 100th performance at the Met), Verdi\u2019s Requiem at Opernhaus Z\u00fcrich, Rodolfo in La boh\u00e8me with Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin and the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia and at the Vail Festival, and debuts in the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca, first in concert with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and then on the stage at National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan.\nIn March 2018, Stephen opened a memorial concert at the Royal Opera House in honor of Dmitri Hvorostovsky, singing alongside, among others, Anna Netrebko, El\u012bna Garan\u010da, and Angela Gheorghiu.\nIn addition to winning the 2009 Richard Tucker Award and receiving further grants from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Stephen won first prize in the 2006 George London Foundation Awards Competition, first prize and audience prize in the Giargiari Bel Canto Competition, and first prize in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Competition. He is a graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts.\n|,|title|:|tenor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Ryan McKinny|,|bio|:|Recognized by Opera News as \u201cone of the finest singers of his generation,\u201d American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny has earned his reputation as an artist with something to say. His relentless curiosity informs riveting character portrayals and beautifully crafted performances, reminding audiences of their shared humanity with characters on stage and screen.\nThis season, Ryan\u2019s Joseph De Rocher, hailed by the Washington Post for his \u201cfigurative and literal muscular force\u201d and \u201crichly human performance\u201d in Dead Man Walking, appears on the big screen opposite Joyce DiDonato for the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s Summer HD Festival in Lincoln Center Plaza. He brings his commanding bass-baritone to a role debut as Jan Nyman in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek\u2019s Breaking the Waves at Houston Grand Opera, and he makes his company debut at Des Moines Metro Opera as the title character in Wagner\u2019s The Flying Dutchman. Additional performances include Verdi\u2019s Requiem with Colorado Symphony and Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony with Toledo Symphony and The Philadelphia Orchestra.\nRyan has recently appeared as the title character in Don Giovanni (Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra), Escamillo in Carmen (Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Hamburg), Bluebeard in Bluebeard\u2019s Castle (Boston Lyric Opera), and Mozart\u2019s Figaro (Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Seattle Opera, Metropolitan Opera). Other operatic triumphs include Amfortas in Parsifal (Bayreuth Festival, Argentina\u2019s Teatro C\u00f3lon, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Dutch National Opera); Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Seattle Opera, Canadian Opera Company); the titular Dutchman in Der fliegende Holl\u00e4nder (Staatsoper Hamburg, Milwaukee Symphony, Glimmerglass Festival, Hawaii Opera Theater); Scarpia in Tosca (Los Angeles Opera); Adams\u2019s Girls of the Golden West (Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, Dutch National Opera); and Jochanaan in Salome (Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera).\nRyan has appeared with major orchestras, including Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the batons of conductors such as Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, and Marin Alsop. In 2024, he was featured on commercial recordings with both the National Symphony and LA Philharmonic.\n|,|title|:|bass-baritone|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Houston Symphony Chorus|,|bio|:|The Houston Symphony Chorus is the official choral unit of the Houston Symphony and consists of highly skilled and talented volunteer singers. Over the years, members of this historic ensemble have learned and performed the world\u2019s great choral orchestral masterworks under the batons of Juraj Val\u010duha, Andr\u00e9s Orozco Estrada, Hans Graf, Christoph Eschenbach, Robert Shaw, and Helmuth Rilling, among many others.\nIn addition, the Chorus enjoys participating in the Houston Symphony\u2019s popular programming under the batons of conductors such as Steven Reineke and Michael Krajewski. Recently, the ensemble sang the closing subscription concerts with the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic. Singers are selected for specific programs for which they have indicated interest. A singer might choose to perform in all 45 concerts, as was the case in a recent season, or might elect to participate in a single series. The Houston Symphony Chorus holds auditions by appointment and welcomes inquiries from interested singers.\n|,|title|:|chorus|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} BEETHOVEN  Symphony No. 9

data-filter="[2024 11|2024 11|2024 11|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][November|November|November|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Back by popular demand! Watch as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is projected in its entirety on the big screen, accompanied by Danny Elfman’s darkly charming score played live by the orchestra. Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/njks95xey1 Kids save 50%! Kids 6–12 save 50% on tickets with the purchase of at least one adult ticket. Valid on Price Levels 1–3, plus Premium Aisle and Center Aisle. The option for kids’ tickets will display automatically in these price levels, and no promo code is necessary. Limit four per order. Available while supplies last. false

data-filter="[2024 11|2024 11|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][November|November|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Members of the Houston Symphony shine in smaller-ensemble works by three of music’s most enduringly popular composers, Bach, Mozart, and Brahms. Marvel at the dazzling invention of Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 1, performed by Concertmaster Yoonshin Song. Then, bask in the glorious melodies and effervescent charm of sparkling serenades by Mozart and Brahms. https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/pblaq79yc7 What to Expect: Enjoy glorious, inspiring works by three of history’s best-loved composers This concert is a rare opportunity to hear members of the Houston Symphony shine, up close and personal, in works written for small groups of musicians Perfect for first-time attendees, or those looking for a special date night! {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Yoonshin Song|,|bio|:|Yoonshin Song was appointed as Concertmaster of the Houston Symphony in August 2019. Prior to that she has held the same position with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons. In Europe, Yoonshin has served as guest concertmaster of the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iv\u00e1n Fischer for several years, and she has led the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra under numerous top-tiered conductors, such as Sir Simon Rattle, Klaus M\u00e4kel\u00e4, Daniel Harding, Mikhail Pletnev, and Antonio Pappano. She also served as guest concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra.\nBeyond her first chair duties, Yoonshin has performed as a soloist with many orchestras around the world, including the Houston Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, the Paul Constantinescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, among many others.\nShe has also participated as a soloist and a chamber musician in various roles in leading music festivals, including the ones in Verbier, Lucerne, Samos and Bayreuth in Europe, the Marlboro, Great Lakes, and Deer Valley in the United States.\nYoonshin has earned many prestigious prizes throughout her career, including top prize awards in the Lipizer International Violin Competition, the Lipinski and Wieniawski International Violin Competition, the Henry Marteau International Violin Competition, and first prize at the Stradivarius International Competition in the United States.\nShe studied under the tutelage of Donald Weilerstein at the New England Conservatory and with Robert Mann, Glenn Dicterow, and Lisa Kim at the Manhattan School of Music.\n|,|title|:|violin and leader|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Jonathan Fischer|,|bio|:|Jonathan Fischer joined the Houston Symphony as principal oboe in September 2012 and was invited to join the faculty of the University of Houston in September 2014. Prior to his appointment with the Houston Symphony, Fischer served as associate principal oboe with the San Francisco Symphony for nine seasons. He has also held positions with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Savannah Symphony, and the New World Symphony. Fischer has performed as a guest principal with many of the nation\u2019s leading orchestras including the Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis and Atlanta Symphonies, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, New World Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.\nFischer currently teaches at the University of Houston\u2019s Moores School of Music and Texas Music Festival. He has taught and performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Oberlin Conservatory. He has given masterclasses at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the San Francisco Conservatory, Rice University, and University of Michigan, and has been a coach at the New World Symphony. He holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Woodhams.\nA native of South Carolina, Fischer now enjoys living in the Heights with his dog, a Louisiana Catahoula mix.\n|,|title|:|oboe|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Colin Gatwood|,|bio|:|Colin Gatwood was born in Cleveland, Ohio but grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where his father was principal oboist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and his mother, a violinist, was a freelance musician and teacher. He began his musical studies on the piano at age 5, but by the time he was nine, he had begun taking oboe lessons from his father.\nGatwood is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. His first orchestra job was with the Pittsburgh Symphony, playing second oboe for four years. From there, he went on to join the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra in Mexico, and in 1991, he won the position of second oboe with the Houston Symphony.\n|,|title|:|oboe|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Christian Schubert|,|bio|:|Christian Schubert has been the second clarinet of the Houston Symphony since 1996 when he was appointed by former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach. A native of Burbank, California, he studied at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in music performance. His principal teachers have been Kalman Bloch, Robert Marcellus, and Larry Combs.\nPrior to arriving in Houston, Schubert played with numerous Chicago-area ensembles, including the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, and The Chicago Ensemble. As a teacher, he has served on the music faculties of North Park University in Chicago and the University of Houston\u2019s Moores School of Music. Currently, he maintains a private teaching studio in Pearland.\nIn his time away from teaching and performing, Schubert owns and operates a recording engineering company, Schubert Recording Services, specializing in the quality digital recording of classical music. In his time away from work, he is the devoted father of two daughters.\n|,|title|:|clarinet|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Rian Craypo|,|bio|:|Principal bassoonist Rian Craypo has been with the Houston Symphony since 2007. Born in Virginia, she moved to Texas at 10 months of age and grew up east of Austin in a small intentional community.\nAfter studying at the University of Texas at Austin with Kristin Wolfe Jensen, she attended Rice University, where she received her master\u2019s degree under former Houston Symphony Principal Bassoon Benjamin Kamins.\nIn 2001, she was awarded a Federation of German\/American Clubs Scholarship, which led to a year of study and performances in Germany and was a finalist in the Gillet-Fox International Bassoon Competition in both 2004 and 2006. Rian serves on the board of Third Space Music, which presents Houston Symphony musicians several times a year in intimate and engaging chamber settings. Rian is also the author of a book about bassoon reed making, published in 2017. She and her husband Sean have three children.\n|,|title|:|bassoon|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Elise Wagner|,|bio|:|Elise Wagner has been a member of the Houston Symphony bassoon section since September 2008. She also performs with the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, Sarasota Opera Orchestra, and Lake Tahoe Music Festival. She was also awarded fellowships to the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival.\nWhen performing outside of the orchestra, Wagner is an advocate for modern music and a chamber musician. Wagner was part of the world premiere of \u201cWho am I?\u201d, a composition commissioned by the Foundation for Modern Music in March 2013. Following the premiere performance in Houston, she also performed the work at La Mama Theater in New York City in February 2014. As an active chamber musician, Wagner performs regularly with the Greenbriar Consortium and the St. Cecelia Chamber Music Series.\nIn addition to her performance schedule, Wagner is a faculty member at the University of Houston, the Texas Music Festival, and the American Festival for the Arts. When not playing bassoon, she can be found biking, running, on the golf course, or making reeds.\nA native of Monroe, Wisconsin, Wagner earned her master\u2019s degree at Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with Nancy Goeres, principal bassoon of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She earned her bachelor\u2019s degree at Temple University under the instruction of Daniel Matsukawa, principal bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra.\n|,|title|:|bassoon|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|William VerMeulen|,|bio|:|Hailed as \u201cone of today\u2019s superstars of the international brass scene,\u201d William VerMeulen leads a varied musical life of soloist, orchestral principal, chamber musician, master teacher, and music publisher. VerMeulen has been principal horn of the Houston Symphony since 1990 and has performed as a guest principal horn with the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Prior to joining the Houston Symphony, he was employed with the orchestras of Columbus, Honolulu, and Kansas City.\nVerMeulen has been an artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and participates as a performer and on faculty with the finest music festivals and chamber music presenters, among which include the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Aspen Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Banff Centre, Da Camera of Houston, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Joshua Bell and Friends, Tanglewood, Sarasota Music Festival, Strings Music Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, New World Symphony, Domaine Forget, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony where he also serves as principal horn.\nVerMeulen has performed to critical acclaim on four continents as a soloist and chamber musician and is a popular artist at International Horn Society Symposiums where he was a member of the advisory council. He serves as a board member of the International Horn Competition of America. Along with the dozens of orchestral recordings in his discography are numerous solo and chamber recordings, including the complete Mozart Horn Concerti with Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony, Texas Horns featuring the Dallas and Houston horn sections, and \u201cThe Christmas Horn\u201d which features VerMeulen combined with his students from Rice University, conducted by Dale Clevenger. He has recorded live the Brahms Trio op. 40, Mozart Quintet K. 407, Beethoven Septet, Ravel Tombeau de Couperin for wind quintet, Schubert Octet, Spohr Nonet, Ligeti Bagatelles, and the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. A champion of new music, VerMeulen has had numerous pieces written for him including concerti by esteemed American composers Samuel Adler, Pierre Jalbert, Tony DiLorenzo, and the horn cantata \u201cCanticum Sacrum\u201d by Robert Bradshaw. He recorded the Canto XI by Samuel Adler for a CD called First Chairs. Among his awards and honors, VerMeulen received first prize at the 1980 International Horn Society Soloist Competition and the Shapiro Award for Most Outstanding Brass Player at the Tanglewood Festival.\nRegarded as one of the most influential horn teachers of all time, VerMeulen is a professor of horn at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and brass artist-in-residence at the Royal Conservatory of Music\u2019s Glenn Gould School. His students perform in numerous major orchestras throughout the world including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Canadian Brass, Cleveland Orchestra, and the San Francisco, Cincinnati, Montreal, St. Louis, Toronto, Detroit, Dallas, and Houston Symphonies. Over 250 positions of employment have been offered to his students. In 1985, he was invited to the White House to receive a Distinguished Teacher of America Certificate of Excellence from President Reagan and the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.\nVerMeulen received his training from Dale Clevenger at Northwestern University and the Interlochen Arts Academy and is founder and president of VerMeulen Music, L.L.C., which offers music and products for horn players worldwide at www.vermeulenmusic.com\nVerMeulen is married to Houston Opera and Ballet violinist Sylvia VerMeulen, and they have two lovely children, Michael and Nicole. In his rare free time, he enjoys having good friends over to share in his passion for fine cooking and wine.\n|,|title|:|horn|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Ian Mayton|,|bio|:|Ian Mayton, a native of Durham, North Carolina, was appointed fourth horn of the Houston Symphony by Music Director Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada in November 2014. Mayton has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony. After completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Mayton spent a year in the Master of Music program at Rice University\u2019s Shepherd School of Music studying with William VerMeulen.\n|,|title|:|horn|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Mark Nuccio|,|bio|:|Critics have praised clarinetist Mark Nuccio for his solo and chamber appearances, describing him as \u201cthe evening\u2019s highlight,\u201d full of \u201cmystery and insight,\u201d and \u201cshaping his phrases beautifully with a rich, expressive tone.\u201d (New York Times)\nMark was named Principal Clarinet of the Houston Symphony in 2016. Prior to that, he was a member of the New York Philharmonic for 17 years and held positions in Pittsburgh, Denver, Savannah, and Florida. He has performed concerti multiple times with Houston and the NYP, among others; and while in New York, he was a regular performer at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the 92nd Street Y.\nTeaching is his proudest work. He has served as a faculty member, currently at the Frost School of Music (University of Miami), and previously at Northwestern University, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, and Duquesne University. During the summers, he performs and teaches at music festivals in Brevard, North Carolina, and Sarasota. Florida, among others.\nMark Nuccio is a performing artist\/clinician for Buffet Music Group and an advising artist and clinician for D\u2019Addario.\nVisit his website at www.marknuccio.com.\n|,|title|:|clarinet|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} J.S. BACH  Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor MOZART  Serenade No. 12 for Winds in C minor, K. 388, Nachtmusik BRAHMS  Serenade No. 1 in D major

data-filter="[2024 11|2024 11|2024 12|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][November|November|December|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Massive in scale and visionary in scope, Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto redefined what a piano concerto could be, reaching dazzling new heights unsurpassed to this day. The extraordinary Yefim Bronfman performs this powerful and uplifting masterpiece on Thanksgiving weekend in a program also featuring Schubert’s ever-popular Unfinished Symphony. https://david-early-1.wistia.com/medias/pdxtpia7tc What to Expect: Savor a three-course feast for the senses as we share popular works of Beethoven and more! Piano powerhouse Yefim Bronfman tackles Beethoven’s awe-inspiring Emperor Concerto Escape the Black Friday-weekend stress and share beautiful music with your family and friends {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Music Director 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 translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 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\u201306 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La boh\u00e8me in Bologna.\nHe has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.\nHe enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nIn Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.\nJuraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse\u2019s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly\u2019s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u2019s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.\nIncluding his engagements in Houston, the 2023\u201324 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed Fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenufa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.\nIn the 2024\u20132025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss\u00b4 Salom\u00e9 as well as the Paris Op\u00e9ra Bastille with Janacek\u00b4s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky\u00b4s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.\nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, 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|:|Yefim Bronfman|,|bio|:|Internationally recognized as one of today’s most acclaimed and admired pianists, Yefim Bronfman stands among a handful of artists regularly sought by festivals, orchestras, conductors, and recital series. His commanding technique, power, and exceptional lyrical gifts are consistently acknowledged by the press and audiences alike.\nA frequent touring partner with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors, the 2024-25 Season begins with the Pittsburgh and NDR Hamburg symphonies on tour in Europe followed by China and Japan with the Vienna Philharmonic. With orchestras in the United States, he returns to Houston, Cleveland, New York, Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, Sarasota, and Pittsburgh; in Europe, he returns to Hamburg, Helsinki, Berlin, Lyon, and Vienna. In advance of a spring Carnegie Hall recital, his program can be heard in Austin, St. Louis, Stillwater, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Washington, D.C., Amsterdam, Rome, Lisbon, and Spain. Two special projects are scheduled in this season\u2014duos with flutist Emmanuel Pahud in Europe in the fall and trios with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Pablo Ferrandez in the United States in spring.\nBorn in Tashkent in the Soviet Union, Yefim Bronfman immigrated to Israel with his family in 1973, where he studied with pianist Arie Vardi, head of the Rubin Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University. In the United States, he studied at The Juilliard School, Marlboro School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, under Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher, and Rudolf Serkin. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, in 2010 he was further honored as the recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane prize in piano performance from Northwestern University and in 2015 with an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.\n|,|title|:|piano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} SCHUBERT  Symphony No. 8, Unfinished BERG  Three Pieces for Orchestra BEETHOVEN  Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor

data-filter="[2024 12|][jones-hall|][December|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Take a musical trip to Vienna in a performance highlighting delightful chamber music works by Mozart, Haydn, and more, presented as part of our multi-week Vienna Calling Festival. Featuring members of the Houston Symphony in small ensembles, this concert allows for a unique, up-close experience to the musicians and the music. Concerts take place in a casual setting on the newly expanded Janice H. Barrow Piano Tier at Jones Hall. Enjoy cocktail hour at the Round Bar before your concert.   Chamber Series Pass Get access to all 4 Chamber Series Concerts for $249! Learn More about Chamber Series Pass or Buy Chamber Series Pass {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Annie Kuan-Yu Chen|,|bio|:|A native of Taiwan, Annie Chen began her musical studies at age 6 on piano and at age 8 on violin. At age 14, she moved to the United States to continue her music education at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts and the New England Conservatory Preparatory Program in Boston.\nChen has been a participant of numerous summer music festivals including the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Music Academy of the West, where she was a winner of the 2011 concerto competition, and the Tanglewood Music Center. She has toured with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and was a regular member of Discovery Ensemble, a Boston-based chamber orchestra that provides outreach concerts to inner-city schools with no music programs. She has also been featured as a soloist with the Dorchester Symphony Orchestra.\nChen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston and a master\u2019s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she held the Shepherd School Distinguished Fellowship in Violin. Her principal teachers have included Lynn Chang, James Buswell, and Kathleen Winkler.\n|,|title|:|violin(Haydn, Mozart)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Yank\u0131 Karata\u015f|,|bio|:|A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Yank\u0131 Karata\u015f joined the Houston Symphony in April 2024. Prior to her appointment, she was a violin fellow at the New World Symphony and performed with many orchestras including the San Diego Symphony, Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic, and Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra.\nShe moved to the United States in 2014 and received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at Stony Brook University studying with Hagai Shaham, Philip Setzer, and Arnaud Sussmann. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul Conservatory, studying with Pelin Halkaci Akin and graduating with the highest honors.\nAn avid chamber musician, Yank\u0131 studied under the Emerson String Quartet Intensive program and won the Lauren V. Ackerman Chamber Music Prize performing Ligeti\u2019s Horn Trio. Additionally, she\u2019s had the privilege of performing alongside artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Lawrence Dutton, Paul Watkins, Colin Carr, and Arnaud Sussmann during her studies. As a soloist, Yank\u0131 played various concertos with the Mersin University Academic Chamber Orchestra, Mimar Sinan Symphony, and Stony Brook Symphony.\nOutside of performing, Yank\u0131 has maintained and enjoyed her private teaching studio for many years and plans to keep teaching an integral part of her life.\n \n|,|title|:|violin (Haydn, Mozart)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Samuel Pedersen|,|bio|:|Samuel Pedersen was appointed to the Houston Symphony viola section in April 2022. Prior to joining, he was a member of the New World Symphony and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Other engagements have been with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Music Festival, Houston Grand Opera, and New York Philharmonic as a Global Academy fellow.\nIn addition to spending one summer as an orchestral fellow, Pedersen was a member of the New Fromm Players for two years at the Tanglewood Music Center. It was there that he dedicated time to the preparation and performance of contemporary repertoire, working alongside leading composers in the field. Highlights include the U.S. Premiere of Julian Anderson\u2019s Third String Quartet as well as the World Premiere of Augusta Read Thomas\u2019 Magic Box, for String Quartet and Percussion Quartet. His chamber music studies include mentors such as Norman Fischer, Andrew Jennings, Dawn Upshaw, and members of the Juilliard, Brentano and Pacifica quartets. Previous summers have been spent performing at the Madeline Island, National Repertory Orchestra, and Bowdoin music festivals.\nPedersen was raised in Batavia, IL. He holds a master\u2019s degree from Rice University and a bachelor\u2019s degree from DePaul University. Principal teachers include Ivo van der Werff and Rami Solomonow, with additional instruction from Lawrence Neuman and Joan DerHovsepian.\nOutside of the orchestra, Pedersen enjoys cycling, frisbee, and spending time with his brother, Andrew, member of the Houston Symphony double bass section.\n|,|title|:|viola(Haydn, Mozart)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Jeremy Kreutz|,|bio|:|Originally from Loveland, Colorado, Jeremy Kreutz was appointed a member of the Houston Symphony in 2020 by Music Director Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada. Prior to joining the orchestra, he worked under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Christoph Eschenbach, David Robertson, Robert Spano, Larry Rachleff, and Valery Gergiev. His primary studies were completed with Darrett Adkins at the Oberlin Conservatory, and Desmond Hoebig at Rice University\u2019s Shepherd School.\nKreutz has performed both domestically and abroad as an orchestral and chamber musician, including engagements with the Aspen Music Festival, Round Top Institute, National Youth Orchestra of the USA, and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. An avid chamber musician, he has studied with members of the Juilliard, Borromeo, Mir\u00f3, Verona, and Cleveland Quartets, and was a two time fellow at the Kneisel Hall Festival in Maine. In the summer of 2017, he was invited to perform alongside members of the International Contemporary Ensemble as part of the Ojai Festival, premiering works by Vijay Iyer and Courtney Bryan. While at Oberlin, he was featured in the premiere of Jesse Jones\u2019 Snippet Variations, recorded for the Oberlin Music label.\nKreutz began learning the cello at age 11 in his local public school system, where his father taught the orchestral program for 30 years. He continued his studies in high school with cellist Katherine Azari. He considers community engagement an incredibly important aspect of his life, and has worked with public schools in Colorado, Ohio, Texas, and Illinois, as well as Colorado\u2019s El Sistema program. Outside of music, he enjoys exploring Houston\u2019s vibrant food culture and marathons of competition reality shows.\n|,|title|:|cello(Haydn, Mozart)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Jonathan Fischer|,|bio|:|Jonathan Fischer joined the Houston Symphony as principal oboe in September 2012 and was invited to join the faculty of the University of Houston in September 2014. Prior to his appointment with the Houston Symphony, Fischer served as associate principal oboe with the San Francisco Symphony for nine seasons. He has also held positions with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Savannah Symphony, and the New World Symphony. Fischer has performed as a guest principal with many of the nation\u2019s leading orchestras including the Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis and Atlanta Symphonies, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, New World Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.\nFischer currently teaches at the University of Houston\u2019s Moores School of Music and Texas Music Festival. He has taught and performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Oberlin Conservatory. He has given masterclasses at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the San Francisco Conservatory, Rice University, and University of Michigan, and has been a coach at the New World Symphony. He holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Woodhams.\nA native of South Carolina, Fischer now enjoys living in the Heights with his dog, a Louisiana Catahoula mix.\n|,|title|:|oboe(Mozart)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Anne Leek|,|bio|:|Anne Leek was educated at Juilliard where she received her bachelor of music, master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees. During her time in New York, she performed on a recital in Carnegie Hall sponsored by the Artists International Contest, which she won. During the 1980s, Leek was Solo Principal Oboe of the Mannheim Orchestra in Germany.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony, she played a two year position as principal oboe in the Pittsburgh Symphony, under the baton of Lorin Maazel. Along with her career as an orchestral musician, Leek has taught at Indiana University, Arizona State University and has taught at the University of Houston. As a recital soloist and chamber musician, she has appeared in numerous major cities across the world.\n|,|title|:|oboe(Beethoven)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Ian Mayton|,|bio|:|Ian Mayton, a native of Durham, North Carolina, was appointed fourth horn of the Houston Symphony by Music Director Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada in November 2014. Mayton has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony. After completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Mayton spent a year in the Master of Music program at Rice University\u2019s Shepherd School of Music studying with William VerMeulen.\n|,|title|:|horn(Beethoven)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Isaac Schultz|,|bio|:|Associate principal bassoonist Isaac Schultz, a native of Exeter, New Hampshire, earned his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with Benjamin Kamins. While at Rice, Isaac was a fellow at the Music Academy of the West and the Aspen Music School. In 2015, he was a prize winner at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition and a finalist at the Coleman Competition. Away from music, he\u00a0enjoys rock climbing and other outdoor activities.\n|,|title|:|bassoon(Beethoven)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Nathan Cloeter|,|bio|:|Nathan Cloeter, a native of Lake Jackson, Texas, was appointed as Assistant Principal\/Utility Horn of the Houston Symphony in 2023 by Music Director Juraj Val\u010duha. He has previously performed with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and the Naples Philharmonic, and he has spent summers as a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center. While a fellow at Tanglewood, he earned many plaudits for a performance as the solo horn of Mahler\u2019s Fifth Symphony conducted by Andris Nelsons. Cloeter holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Rice University\u2019s Shepherd School of Music where he studied with William VerMeulen.\n|,|title|:|horn(Beethoven)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Brian Mangrum|,|bio|:|Brian Mangrum joined the Houston Symphony as third horn in 2023. He previously served as principal horn with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for five seasons. He has also performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and as guest principal horn with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Brian was awarded first prize of the brass category in the 2017 Montreal Symphony’s Manuvie Competition.\nIn the summers, Brian has played at the Rockport Music Festival, the Sun Valley Music Festival, and is an alum of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he was a New Horizons Fellow.\nBrian grew up in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied with Denys Der\u00f4me, John Milner, and John Zirbel. He received his bachelor’s degree from Rice University in 2018, where he was a student of William VerMeulen. In his time off, Brian enjoys being outdoors and cooking for friends.\n|,|title|:|horn(Beethoven)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} HAYDN String Quartet No. 30 in E-flat major, Opus 33, No. 2 (The Joke) MOZART Quartet for Oboe and Strings in F major, K.370 BEETHOVEN/HESS Quintet in E-flat major for Oboe, Bassoon and Three Horns

data-filter="[2024 12|][jones-hall|][December|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Jazz things up this Christmas season as the phenomenal Houston Jazz Orchestra and vocal ensemble SASS perform festive favorites guaranteed to make your holidays swing! Including “Joy to the World,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Jingle Bells,” “O Holy Night,” and much more. What to Expect: The perfect kickoff to the holidays Get in the spirit of the season with jazzy takes on your favorite holiday songs Sparkling decorations adorn Jones Hall, including a 25-foot Christmas tree—ideal for capturing the perfect selfies! false

data-filter="[2024 12|2024 12|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][December|December|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Waltz your way into the holidays with glittering musical delights by Johann and Josef Strauss! From sprightly polkas to the iconic “Blue Danube” Waltz, this concert is guaranteed to have you dancing in your seat. What to Expect: Ring in the holiday season with delightful Viennese waltzes, including the famous “Blue Danube” Waltz Each waltz is approximately 8–10 minutes long, making this concert a great option for families, or those looking to try a classical concert for the first time! Sparkling decorations adorn Jones Hall, including a 25-foot Christmas tree—ideal for capturing the perfect selfies! {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Music Director 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 translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 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\u201306 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La boh\u00e8me in Bologna.\nHe has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.\nHe enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nIn Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.\nJuraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse\u2019s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly\u2019s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u2019s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.\nIncluding his engagements in Houston, the 2023\u201324 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed Fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenufa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.\nIn the 2024\u20132025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss\u00b4 Salom\u00e9 as well as the Paris Op\u00e9ra Bastille with Janacek\u00b4s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky\u00b4s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.\nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, 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 |}],|without|:[]} JOHANN STRAUSS JR. Kaiser-Walzer Bauern-Polka Egyptischer Marsch JOSEF STRAUSS Die Libelle Moulinet-Polka JOHANN STRAUSS JR. Perpetuum Mobile JOSEF STRAUSS Feuerfest! JOHANN STRAUSS JR. Die Fledermaus Overture Der Zigeunerbaron Overture Im Krapfenwald’l Éljen a Magyar! Persischer Marsch Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka Unter Donner und Blitz JOSEF STRAUSS Jockey-Polka JOHANN STRAUSS JR. An der schönen blauen Donau

data-filter="[2024 12|][jones-hall|][December|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" It’s hard to think of an artist more universally beloved than Yo-Yo Ma. The extraordinary 19-time Grammy Award-winner joins the Houston Symphony for Dvořák’s heart-achingly beautiful Cello Concerto in this one-night-only event at Jones Hall. Please note that tickets for this concert will be delivered via mail only. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Music Director 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 translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 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\u201306 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La boh\u00e8me in Bologna.\nHe has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.\nHe enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nIn Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.\nJuraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse\u2019s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly\u2019s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u2019s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.\nIncluding his engagements in Houston, the 2023\u201324 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed Fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenufa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.\nIn the 2024\u20132025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss\u00b4 Salom\u00e9 as well as the Paris Op\u00e9ra Bastille with Janacek\u00b4s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky\u00b4s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.\nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, 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|:|Yo-Yo Ma|,|bio|:|Yo-Yo Ma\u2019s multi-faceted career is testament to his belief in culture\u2019s power to generate trust and understanding. Whether performing new or familiar works for cello, bringing communities together to explore culture\u2019s role in society, or engaging unexpected musical forms, Yo-Yo strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity.\nMost recently, Yo-Yo began Our Common Nature, a cultural journey to celebrate the ways that nature can reunite us in pursuit of a shared future. Our Common Nature follows the Bach Project, a 36-community, six-continent tour of J. S. Bach\u2019s cello suites paired with local cultural programming. Both endeavors reflect Yo-Yo\u2019s lifelong commitment to stretching the boundaries of genre and tradition to understand how music helps us to imagine and build a stronger society.\nYo-Yo is an advocate for a future guided by humanity, trust, and understanding. Among his many roles, Yo-Yo is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, the first artist ever appointed to the World Economic Forum\u2019s board of trustees, a member of the board of Nia Tero, the US-based nonprofit working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples and movements worldwide, and the founder of the global music collective Silkroad.\nHis discography of more than 120 albums (including 19 Grammy Award winners) ranges from iconic renditions of the Western classical canon to recordings that defy categorization, such as \u201cHush\u201d with Bobby McFerrin and the \u201cGoat Rodeo Sessions\u201d with Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Chris Thile. Yo-Yo\u2019s recent releases include \u201cSix Evolutions,\u201d his third recording of Bach\u2019s cello suites, and \u201cSongs of Comfort and Hope,\u201d created and recorded with pianist Kathryn Stott in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yo-Yo\u2019s latest album, \u201cBeethoven for Three: Symphony No. 4 and Op. 97 \u2018Archduke,\u2019\u201d is the third in a new series of Beethoven recordings with pianist Emanuel Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos.\nYo-Yo was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age four and three years later moved with his family to New York City, where he continued his cello studies at the Juilliard School before pursuing a liberal arts education at Harvard. He has received numerous awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the National Medal of the Arts (2001), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010), Kennedy Center Honors (2011), the Polar Music Prize (2012), and the Birgit Nilsson Prize (2022). He has performed for nine American presidents, most recently on the occasion of President Biden\u2019s inauguration.\nYo-Yo and his wife have two children. He plays three instruments: a 2003 instrument made by Moes & Moes, a 1733 Montagnana cello from Venice, and the 1712 Davidoff Stradivarius.\n|,|title|:|cello|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} J. STRAUSS  Die Fledermaus Overture DVOŘÁK  Cello Concerto

data-filter="[2024 12|2024 12|2024 12|2024 12|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][December|December|December|December|][[{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:8,|name|:|POPS Series|,|slug|:|pops-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:8,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:45,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Jingle all the way to Jones Hall for Houston’s beloved holiday music tradition, Very Merry Pops! From treasured carols to a special visit from Santa himself, there’s no better way to get in the spirit of the season. “Considered by some to be the finest Elphaba that Wicked ever had” (Theater Pizzazz), Broadway sensation Jessica Vosk brings her energy, humor, and gravity-defying voice to your yuletide favorites. What to Expect: Revel in the holiday spirit with your favorite carols and holiday tunes, brought to vibrant life by a merry chorus, a Broadway vocal soloist, and full orchestra Sparkling decorations adorn Jones Hall, including a 25-foot Christmas tree—ideal for capturing the perfect selfies! Here Comes Santa Claus! This festive, family-friendly performance includes a visit from a very special visitor from the North Pole. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Steven Reineke|,|bio|:|Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America\u2019s leading conductors of popular music. In addition to his role as Principal POPS Conductor of the Houston Symphony, this season, he celebrates his 10th\u00a0anniversary as music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Houston Symphony Chorus|,|bio|:|The Houston Symphony Chorus is one of Houston\u2019s oldest and most distinguished musical organizations.\nOver the years, the Chorus has sung with dozens of the world\u2019s most notable conductors, including Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada, Steven Reineke, Michael Krajewski, Robert Shaw, Andr\u00e9 Previn, Leopold Stokowski, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir John Barbirolli, Ferenc Fricsay, Lawrence Foster, and Hans Graf, to name only a very few.\nIn addition to performances in Jones Hall, the Symphony\u2019s home venue, the Chorus has also delighted audiences in various concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico.\nRecent reactions to its performances include:\nClassical\/Chorus: \u201c\u2026beautifully balanced, modulated sound that seamlessly blended with the orchestra.\u201d\n\u2014Review of\u00a0A German Requiem, Houston Chronicle, May 8, 2018\nClassical\/Chorus: \u201c\u2026 the chorus was magnificent.\u201d\n\u2014Review of\u00a0Stabat Mater, Houston Chronicle, September 27, 2018\nThe Chorus consists entirely of volunteer singers who have considerable musical skill, vocal talent, and choral experience. They audition for placement each year.\u00a0 The Chorus performance schedule is possibly the busiest in the country, consisting of up to fourteen different sets of repertoire for a total of 45 concerts.\n|,|title|:||,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}

data-filter="[2024 12|2024 12|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][December|December|][[{|term_id|:1035,|name|:|Family Series|,|slug|:|family-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1035,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:20,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" “He’s making a list and checking it twice!” Santa stops by Jones Hall to spread lots of Christmas cheer! Make special memories with the Symphony’s annual holiday concert for kids. One of our most popular events of the year, the concert will include a host of kid-friendly holiday songs, plus free hot chocolate, interactive lobby activities, and a chance to visit with Santa. Subscribe to all four PNC Family Series concerts and save 26%! | Subscribe now → {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Gonzalo Farias|,|bio|:|An engaging orchestral conductor, award-winning pianist, and passionate educator, Gonzalo Farias is the Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony. In an ever-changing world, Gonzalo\u2019s desire is to establish music-making as a way of rethinking our place in society by cultivating respect, trust, and cooperation among all people in our community.\nGonzalo Farias served previously as the Associate Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, the Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, the Assistant Conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Conducting Fellow at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Praised by his \u201cclear, engaging\u201d style \u201cwith a lyrical, almost Zen-like quality\u201d, Farias has been established \u201cas a focused, musical artist who knows what he wants and how to get it – with grace and substance.\u201d As former Music Director of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra, Farias embraced the city of Joliet and its Hispanic residents of the greater Chicago area with pre-concert lectures, Latin-based repertoire, and a unique side-by-side bilingual narration of Bizet\u2019s Carmen.\nFarias was recently selected to conduct at the esteemed Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, the most important showcase for conductors in America. Designed by the League of American Orchestras, the National Conductor Preview chooses the most promising talents in the world for their podium gift and commitment to the future of American orchestras. Farias was also appointed by the National Endowment for the Arts as a reviewing member for the Grant for Art Projects, judging applications from diverse music institutions to support the latest and most important artistic endeavors in the US. \nDuring the summers, Farias has worked with Jaap Van Zweden and Johannes Schlaefli at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland as well as with Neeme and Paavo J\u00e4rvi at the P\u00e4rnu Music Festival. In the United States, he was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Bruno Walter Memorial Conducting Scholarship at the Cabrillo Music Festival and named \u201cEmergent Conductor\u201d by Victor Yampolsky at the Peninsula Music Festival. He also attended the Pierre Monteux Festival where he received the Bernard Osher Scholar Prize. Out of 566 applicants and 78 countries, he was chosen as one of 24 finalists in the prestigious 2018 Malko Conducting Competition with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by the Gramophone magazine critics, Farias offered one the \u201cmost fluent, honest, open-hearted and pointed performances\u201d. \nFarias was born in Santiago de Chile, where he began his piano studies at age five. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree at the P.C. University of Chile and then continued his graduate piano studies at the New England Conservatory as a full-scholarship student of Wha-Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. He has won first prize at the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition and awards at the Maria Canals and Luis Sigall Piano Competitions. As a conductor, Farias attended the University of Illinois working with Donald Schleicher, the Peabody Conservatory with Marin Alsop, and worked privately with Larry Rachleff and Otto-Werner Mueller. \nBesides having a fond love for piano, chamber, and contemporary music, Farias is a passionate supporter of second-order cybernetics as a way to help understand communication and how complex systems organize, coordinate, and interconnect with one another. This includes the interdependent and recursive nature of musical experiences, in which performers and audiences alike interact, respond, and co-create each other\u2019s space. His final Doctoral thesis \u201cLogical Predictions and Cybernetics\u201d explores the case of Cornelius Cardew\u2019s \u201cThe Great Learning\u201d to redefine music activity as a self-organized organization. In addition to that, he has a warm affection for his formal studies of Zen Buddhism, which has been a major influence on his approach to music and life. \n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} ARR. P. CAMPBELLA Christmas Celebration Overture HERBERT/McALISTER March of the Toys from Babes in Toylan TCHAIKOVSKY Suite from The Nutcracker, Opus 71a: II.c) Danse Russe, Trépak OLERIDGE-TAYLOR/BAYNES Christmas Overture STEPHENSON “I Saw Three Ships/Jeanette, Isabella” ARR. L. RICHMAN Hanukkah Festival Overture [with cut TBC] JARAMILLO/A. RODRÍGUEZ “I Saw Three Ships/Jeanette, Isabella” STEPHENSON México, Ángel y Pastor ADAM/LUCK “O Holy Night” ANDERSON Sleigh Ride ARR. R. WENDEL “A Merry Christmas Sing-Along”

data-filter="[2024 12|2024 12|2024 12|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][December|December|December|][[{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Jones Hall will be filled with joyous refrains and exultant arias, including the iconic “Hallelujah” Chorus, in this powerful presentation of the greatest story ever told. What concertgoers are saying: “Attending the Symphony, especially with choral performances, is a moment of magic.” —Carolyn B. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Jonathan Cohen|,|bio|:|Jonathan Cohen has forged a remarkable career as a conductor, cellist, and keyboardist. Well-known for his passion and commitment to chamber music, Jonathan is equally at home in such diverse activities as baroque opera and the classical symphonic repertoire. He is artistic director of Handel and Haydn Society, artistic director of Arcangelo, music director of Les Violons du Roy, and artistic director of Tetbury Festival. In 2025, he becomes artistic advisor to the London Handel Festival.\nThroughout the 2024-25 Season, Jonathan returns to Kammerorchester Basel and directs performances of St. Matthew Passion with both Rotterdam Philharmonic and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He returns to Glyndebourne Festival for a revival of Barrie Kosky\u2019s production of Handel\u2019s Saul. He leads both the Handel and Haydn Society and Houston Symphony in Messiah; and with Handel and Haydn, he conducts Haydn\u2019s The Seasons, Mozart\u2019s Requiem, and Beethoven\u2019s Mass in C.\nJonathan founded Arcangelo in 2010 to create high quality bespoke projects. The ensemble was the first named Baroque Ensemble in Residence at Wigmore Hall, where it enjoys a continuing close association, and has toured to Philharmonie Berlin, Vienna Konzerthaus, Barbican Centre, K\u00f6lner Philharmonie, Salzburg Festival, and MA Festival Bruges, with three appearances at the BBC Proms, including the premiere of Handel\u2019s Theodora (2018) and a televised performance of Bach\u2019s St. Matthew Passion (2021). It is Principal Ensemble in Residence at the London Handel Festival in 2025.\nArcangelo\u2019s founding commitment to the recording studio has produced 30 critically lauded albums, including Arias for Guadagni and Bach Cantatas with Iestyn Davies (Hyperion, Gramophone Award 2012 and 2017), Mozart\u2019s Violin Concertos with Vilde Frang (Warner, ECHO Klassik Award 2015), C.P.E. Bach\u2019s Cello Concertos with Nicolas Altstaedt (Hyperion, BBC Music Magazine Award 2017), Buxtehude Trio Sonatas Op.1 (Alpha Classics, Grammy 2018 nominee), Tiranno with Kate Lindsey (Alpha, Sunday Times Records of the Year 2021). Arcangelo\u2019s latest recordings include Handel\u2019s Theodora, Sacroprofano with Tim Mead, Handel\u2019s Chandos Anthems (Alpha, releasing 2025), and a landmark project with Nicolas Altstaedt to make the first survey on period instruments of Boccherini Cello Concertos (Alpha).\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Jo\u00e9lle Harvey|,|bio|:|A\u00a0native of Bolivar, New York, American soprano Jo\u00e9lle Harvey has built a reputation as one of the finest singers of her generation, performing major roles on stages such as the Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, Z\u00fcrich Opera, Teatro La Fenice, and the Festival d\u2019Aix-en-Provence.\nJo\u00e9lle begins a richly-varied 2024-25 Season with Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque for Haydn\u2019s Creation, returning to Chicago later in the season for the composer\u2019s Paukenmesse with the Chicago Symphony (Manfred Honeck conducting). She sings Mozart\u2019s Requiem with the St. Louis Symphony (St\u00e9phane Den\u00e8ve), a program of Poulenc and Ravel in a return to the Milwaukee Symphony, and Mahler\u2019s 2nd Symphony Resurrection for conductor Robin Ticciati\u2019s final season with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. The season promises performances of Handel\u2019s Messiah with the Houston Symphony, selections from Bach\u2019s Christmas Oratorio with the Cincinnati Symphony, Bach\u2019s Easter Oratorio and Magnificatwith the Cleveland Orchestra, St. John Passion with Orchestra of St. Luke\u2019s and Bernard Labadie, and Handel cantatas with Boston\u2019s Handel and Haydn Society and Jonathan Cohen. During Summer 2025, she returns to the role of Anne Trulove in Chas Rader-Shieber\u2019s new production of The Rake\u2019s Progress at Des Moines Opera. Future seasons include leading roles with the Bayerische Staatsoper and Santa Fe Opera.\nThe soprano began the 2023-24 Season with an appearance at London\u2019s Wigmore Hall, performing the role of Tirsi in Handel\u2019s Clori, Tirsi e Fileno, with Harry Bicket leading The English Concert. She sang Handel\u2019s Messiah with the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, North Carolina Symphony and Handel and Haydn Society, and Faure\u2019s Requiemwith the National Symphony Orchestra. Season debuts included the Houston Symphony for Orff\u2019s Carmina burana, and the New World Symphony for Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony. Notably, Jo\u00e9lle joined two long-tenured music directors for their farewell seasons: Louis Langr\u00e9e, leading the Cincinnati Symphony in Brahms\u2019 Ein deutsches Requiem, and the Kansas City Symphony\u2019s Michael Stern, in performances of Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 2.\n|,|title|:|soprano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Jennifer Johnson Cano|,|bio|:|Jennifer Johnson Cano\u2019s performance in Santa Fe Opera\u2019s recent premiere of The Righteous earned her accolades from The New York Times, which noted how she \u201cvoluptuously captured\u201d the pain and strength of her character. The Wall Street Journal described her as \u201criveting,\u201d and Opera News has described her as a \u201cmatchless interpreter of contemporary opera.\u201d\nHer 2024\u201325 Season highlights include roles in Die Walk\u00fcre and G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra\u2019s productions of Wagner\u2019s Ring Cycle, Bruckner\u2019s Te Deum with the Orchestre M\u00e9tropolitain, Haydn\u2019s Mass in Time of Warat the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as holiday performances of Bach\u2019s Christmas Oratorio with the Cincinnati Symphony and Handel\u2019s Messiah with the Houston Symphony. She also performs in Arizona Opera\u2019s production of Aidaand in A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream with Opera Theatre of St. Louis.\nJennifer undertakes a\u00a0balance of orchestral, opera, and chamber music performances each season.\u00a0Recent highlights include performances with Houston Grand Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the FLUX Quartet. She has collaborated on numerous projects with The Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-M\u00f6st, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel in both the United States and Europe. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, and Atlanta Symphony.\nHighlights of Jennifer\u2019s operatic career have included the roles of Donna Elvira, Carmen, and Offred with Boston Lyric Opera; performances of\u00a0El Ni\u00f1o\u00a0with the London Symphony Orchestra; and Carmen with New Orleans Opera. She has appeared in more than 100 performances on the stage at The Metropolitan Opera since her debut 14 years ago. Jennifer debuted the role of Virginia Woolf in the world premiere of Kevin Puts\u2019s The Hours with The Philadelphia Orchestra about which The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, \u201c\u2026her mezzo-soprano tone was deeply alluring.\u201d\nJennifer joined the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera after winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Among her honors are winner of the Young Concert Artist International Auditions, a\u00a0Sara Tucker Study Grant, a Richard Tucker Career Grant, and a George London Award.\n|,|title|:|mezzo-soprano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Andrew Haji|,|bio|:|Tenor Andrew Haji is one of the most sought-after voices on concert and operatic stages across North America and Europe. His upcoming season includes debuts with the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Dresdner Philharmonie, Kansas City Symphony, and NDR Hannover. Additionally, he makes returns to the Houston Symphony, Carnegie Hall with Orchestra of St. Luke\u2019s, and Boston\u2019s Handel and Haydn Society. On the opera stage, Andrew debuts the titular role of Mozart\u2019s La clemenza di Tito for Pacific Opera Victoria. He continues to frequently collaborate with conductors of note, including Manfred Honeck, Bernard Labadie, Jonathan Cohen, Andrew Manze, Rafael Payare, and Alexander Shelley.\nDuring the 2023-24 Season, he appeared with the Seattle Symphony and Grand Philharmonic Choir (Bach\u2019s Johannes Passion), Victoria Symphony (Handel\u2019s Messiah), Calgary Symphony (Bruckner\u2019s Te Deum), Carnegie Hall (Bach\u2019s Weihnachtsoratorium), Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (Verdi\u2019s Requiem) and at the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 9), where he last appeared as Don Ottavio in Mozart\u2019s Don Giovanni. \nIn 2023-23, Andrew made international debuts with the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan in his signature role of Nemorino in L\u2019elisir d\u2019amore, and the Edinburgh Festival for Handel\u2019s Saul. He appeared as MacDuff (Macbeth) for Calgary Opera, as Alfredo (La traviata) with the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, and as Rodolfo (La boh\u00e8me) for Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur des M\u00e9lomanes. he starred in various digital and streaming productions through the 2020-21 Season, including Mozart\u2019s Requiem for the Canadian Opera Company, and as Rinuccio in the company\u2019s streamed production of Puccini\u2019s Gianni Schicchi.\nOther notable appearances include Les Violons du Roy (Bach Cantatas), Chorus Niagara (Beethoven\u2019s Missa Solemnis), Orchestre symphonique de Montr\u00e9al (Haydn\u2019s Creation), the Victoria Symphony (Mozart\u2019s Requiem), Edmonton Opera (La boh\u00e8me), Calgary Opera (La traviata), Victoria Symphony (Beethoven\u2019s Ninth), and with the Elora Festival (Bach\u2019s Mass in B minor). He has received awards from the Marilyn Horne Song Competition, the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, and was the winner of the Grand Prix at the 50thInternational Vocal Competition in \u2018s-Hertogenbosch, and the Montreal International Music Competition\u2019s Oratorio Prize.\n|,|title|:|tenor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Michael Sumuel|,|bio|:|In the 24\/25 season, American bass-baritone Michael Sumuel, lauded as having \u201cvocals that are smooth and ingratiating\u201d (Daily Camera) will return to the Metropolitan Opera to sing the title role in Le nozze di Figaro, sing his first performances of Porgy in Porgy and Bess with Washington National Opera, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Canadian Opera Company and LA Opera. An accomplished and in demand concert artist, Mr. Sumuel will make his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performing Mozart\u2019s Coronation Mass, perform the Faur\u00e9 Requiem with the San Francisco Symphony, Bach\u2019s Christmas Oratorio with Music of the Baroque and Dame Jane Glover, Mozart\u2019s Requiem with the Salzburg Camarata, again with Dame Jane Glover, and Handel\u2019s Messiah with Jonathan Cohen and the Houston Symphony.\nOperatic highlights include the Metropolitan Opera (Reginald in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X and Belcore, L\u2019Elisir d\u2019Amore), San Francisco Opera (Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro; Escamillo, Carmen; Elviro, Xerxes), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Masetto, Don Giovanni), Houston Grand Opera (Belcore, Sharpless, Marcello, Papageno in Die Zauberfl\u00f6te and Frank in Die Fledermaus), Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Sharpless, Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Theseus in A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream), Norwegian National Opera (Alidoro in La cenerentola and Escamillo), Seattle Opera (Figaro; Leporello, Don Giovanni), Detroit Opera (Forester, The Cunning Little Vixen and Elviro), Santa Fe Opera (Escamillo), and LA Opera (Jesus in The St. Matthew Passion).\nIn concert, previous work has included\u00a0Messiah\u00a0with\u00a0San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, the United States Naval Academy, New Jersey Symphony, Phoenix Symphony and University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, Mozart\u2019s Mass in C Minor with Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Lukes, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Beethoven\u2019s Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Seattle Symphony, and Mozart\u2019s Requiem with the New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Music of the Baroque, Orchestra of St. Luke\u2019s and North Carolina Symphony. Other repertoire includes Beethoven\u2019s Missa Solemnis (Pittsburgh Symphony and Grant Park Music Festival), Bach\u2019s Christmas Oratorio (Les violons du Roy), Christus and bass solos in Bach\u2019s The Passion According to St. John (Seattle Symphony), the Faur\u00e9 Requiem (National Symphony Orchestra), Haydn\u2019s Theresienmesse (Grant Park Music Festival), Bach\u2019s Easter Oratorio (Music of the Baroque), Puccini\u2019s Messa di Gloria (San Diego Symphony), the bass solos Bach\u2019s St. John Passion (Music of the Baroque), Haydn\u2019s Lord Nelson Mass (Pacific Chorale), the bass solos in Bach\u2019s St. Matthew Passion as well as the Magnificat (Music of the Baroque, Mercury Houston) and finally, Bach cantatas BWV 61 and 140 (Handel and Haydn Society). Frequent conductor collaborators include Dame Jane Glover, Jonathan Cohen, Bernard Labadie, James Conlon, Zubin Mehta, Patrick Summers, Jaap van Zweden, Marc Minkowski and more.\nMr. Sumuel\u2019s competition accolades include being awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant, Metropolitan Opera National Council audition Grand Finalist and a winner of the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. A Texas native, he is an alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera and the Filene Young Artist program at Wolf Trap Opera. He currently resides in San Francisco with his wife and son.\n|,|title|:|bass-baritone|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Houston Symphony Chorus|,|bio|:|The Houston Symphony Chorus is one of Houston\u2019s oldest and most distinguished musical organizations.\nOver the years, the Chorus has sung with dozens of the world\u2019s most notable conductors, including Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada, Steven Reineke, Michael Krajewski, Robert Shaw, Andr\u00e9 Previn, Leopold Stokowski, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir John Barbirolli, Ferenc Fricsay, Lawrence Foster, and Hans Graf, to name only a very few.\nIn addition to performances in Jones Hall, the Symphony\u2019s home venue, the Chorus has also delighted audiences in various concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico.\nRecent reactions to its performances include:\nClassical\/Chorus: \u201c\u2026beautifully balanced, modulated sound that seamlessly blended with the orchestra.\u201d\n\u2014Review of\u00a0A German Requiem, Houston Chronicle, May 8, 2018\nClassical\/Chorus: \u201c\u2026 the chorus was magnificent.\u201d\n\u2014Review of\u00a0Stabat Mater, Houston Chronicle, September 27, 2018\nThe Chorus consists entirely of volunteer singers who have considerable musical skill, vocal talent, and choral experience. They audition for placement each year.\u00a0 The Chorus performance schedule is possibly the busiest in the country, consisting of up to fourteen different sets of repertoire for a total of 45 concerts.\nThe Chorus has enjoyed the leadership of seven directors: Alfred Urbach (1946\u20131986), A. Clyde Roller (1967\u20131968), Wayne Bedford (1968\u20131969), Don Strong (1969\u20131977), Virginia Babikian (1977\u20131986), Charles Hausmann (1986\u20132014), and Dr. Betsy Cook Weber (2014\u20132022).\u00a0 Because of Dr. Hausmann\u2019s extraordinarily long service, he was named Director Emeritus upon his retirement.\nOver the years, the Chorus has sung with dozens of the world\u2019s most notable conductors, including Andr\u00e9s Orozco-Estrada, Steven Reineke, Michael Krajewski, Robert Shaw, Andr\u00e9 Previn, Leopold Stokowski, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir John Barbirolli, Ferenc Fricsay, Lawrence Foster, and Hans Graf, to name only a very few.\nIn addition to performances in Jones Hall, the Symphony\u2019s home venue, the Chorus has also delighted audiences in various concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, and Mexico.\nRecent reactions to its performances include:\nClassical\/Chorus: \u201c\u2026beautifully balanced, modulated sound that seamlessly blended with the orchestra.\u201d\n\u2014Review of\u00a0A German Requiem, Houston Chronicle, May 8, 2018\nClassical\/Chorus: \u201c\u2026 the chorus was magnificent.\u201d\n\u2014Review of\u00a0Stabat Mater, Houston Chronicle, September 27, 2018\nThe Chorus consists entirely of volunteer singers who have considerable musical skill, vocal talent, and choral experience. They audition for placement each year.\u00a0 The Chorus performance schedule is possibly the busiest in the country, consisting of up to fourteen different sets of repertoire for a total of 45 concerts.\n|,|title|:|chorus|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} HANDEL  Messiah

data-filter="[2024 12|][jones-hall|][December|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Join members of the Houston Symphony brass section for a fun-filled, family-friendly concert packed with plenty of holiday cheer! From exquisite classical selections to festive tunes and traditional carols, these are the sounds that make the season sing. What to Expect: A joyful celebration filled with music you know and love Feel the power of the Houston Symphony’s brass section, up-close and personal, in this unique holiday event A heartwarming concert the whole family will enjoy false

data-filter="[2024 12|][jones-hall|][December|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" José Hernández and his world-renowned, platinum-selling Mariachi Sol de México perform treasured holiday classics and favorites from the mariachi songbook in this holiday fiesta. What to Expect: The perfect kickoff to Christmas week! A fun-filled holiday fiesta filled with beloved holiday songs and mariachi favorites An uplifting, family-friendly concert guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit false

data-filter="[2025 01|2025 01|2025 01|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][January|January|January|][[{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:8,|name|:|POPS Series|,|slug|:|pops-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:8,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:45,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" What better way to toast 2025 than with the always fun and fabulous Pink Martini? The world-famous “little orchestra,” featuring original lead singer China Forbes, will get you in the mood to party with a fresh, fizzy cocktail of multi-lingual delights, from music of Brazilian Samba to jaunty Parisian café songs to retro jazz and old-fashioned pop. Performance does not include the Houston Symphony. What to Expect: An upbeat, high-energy evening of entertainment from one-of-a-kind international sensation, Pink Martini Joyful, dance-friendly songs to make your new year swing A dynamic, multi-lingual fusion of musical genres from around the world false

data-filter="[2025 01|2025 01|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][January|January|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Tap into your inner hero and envision yourself on an epic quest as the orchestra performs Bruckner’s sweeping and expansive Symphony No. 4. Drawing inspiration from the romance and adventure of medieval times, Bruckner 4 captivates from the opening horn call to the heart-pounding, brass-filled finale. A momentous weekend is in store as we celebrate two special milestones: the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birthday; and the upcoming 85th birthday of our beloved former Music Director, Christoph Eschenbach. What to Expect: An epic experience An immersive musical world capturing the romance and adventure of medieval times Celebrate a Houston legend! Our beloved former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach returns to lead these concerts, right before his 85th birthday. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Christoph Eschenbach|,|bio|:|Christoph Eschenbach is a phenomenon among the top league of international conductors. Universally acclaimed as a conductor and pianist, he firmly belongs to the European intellectual line of musical tradition, combined with a rare emotional intensity, producing performances revered by concert-goers worldwide. Renowned for the breadth of his repertoire and the depth of his interpretations, he has held directorships with many leading orchestras\u2014including the Houston Symphony from 1988 to 1999\u2014and gained the highest musical honors.\u00a0\u00a0\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} BRUCKNER  Symphony No. 4, Romantic

data-filter="[2025 01|][jones-hall|][January|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Killer Mike is more than just a rapper—he’s a cultural icon. From his groundbreaking collaborations with Run the Jewels to his solo endeavors, Killer Mike’s music resonates with authenticity, raw energy, and a fearless commitment to speaking truth to power. Experience his music like never before as you hear tracks from his newest, three-time Grammy-winning album Michael, and more, accompanied by the epic sounds of the Mighty Midnight Revival and the Houston Symphony live.   About The Artist Atlanta’s favorite son Killer Mike gets recognized as many things — a rapper, an advocate for the disenfranchised, an entrepreneur, a Bernie Sanders whisperer, and for his widely lauded advocacy work on political and social causes — which yielded him Billboard’s inaugural 2020 Change Maker Award. Most recently his critically lauded 2023 album MICHAEL earned him three Grammy Awards (Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song & Performance for “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS”) for its complex portrait of Black southern masculinity. The honors marked his first awards from the Academy since taking home the Grammy for Best Rap Performance Duo or Group for his 2001 collaboration with Outkast, “The Whole World.” While Killer Mike has been an active solo artist for over 20 years, releasing numerous studio projects while also collaborating with some of the biggest names in hip-hop (including Outkast, Jay-Z, Big Boi, T.I., Black Thought, and more), he is also widely renowned as half of the popular hip-hop super duo, Run The Jewels, with whom he has released four studio albums alongside his partner in rhyme EL-P. Their most recent, 2020’s RTJ4, soared to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and was met with widespread critical acclaim, landing at #1 on NME’s The Best 50 Albums of 2020 list. Named the 2020 Spin Magazine Artist of the Year, Run The Jewels have won eleven Libera Awards, including the 2021 A2IM Humanitarian Award, took home four Clio Awards, including two Gold-winning Music Marketing campaigns, and received a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song. In addition to his success as a musician, Killer Mike has gained wide recognition beyond the industry. He has acted in several films, including Baby Driver, Idlewild, and ATL and showed up TV cameos on Ozark and Billions. He also provided voiceover for the 2021 Netflix film America: The Motion Picture and is the host of multiple series including the Emmy Award winning PBS show Love & Respect with Killer Mike, Facebook’s Roll’N with Killer Mike, and Netflix’s Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, while also turning in regular speaking appearances on Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Real Time with Bill Maher. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Steven Reineke|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke is one of North America\u2019s leading conductors of popular music. He is in his second decade as music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.\nSteven is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.\nOn stage, he creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock including: Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, among others.\nIn 2024, he led the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on PBS\u2019s Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS on Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album Illmatic. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio\u2019s All Things Considered leading the NSO\u2014in a first for the show\u2019s 45-year history\u2014performing live music excerpts between news segments.\nAs the creator of hundreds orchestral arrangements, Steven\u2019s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Casey at the Bat are frequently performed in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony\u2019s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan\u2019s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are perennially performed by concert bands.\nA native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Killer Mike|,|bio|:|Atlanta’s favorite son Killer Mike gets recognized as many things \u2014 a rapper, an advocate for the disenfranchised, an entrepreneur, a Bernie Sanders whisperer, and for his widely lauded advocacy work on political and social causes \u2014 which yielded him Billboard’s inaugural 2020 Change Maker Award. Most recently his critically lauded 2023 album MICHAEL earned him three Grammy Awards (Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song & Performance for “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS”) for its complex portrait of Black southern masculinity. The honors marked his first awards from the Academy since taking home the Grammy for Best Rap Performance Duo or Group for his 2001 collaboration with Outkast, “The Whole World.”\nWhile Killer Mike has been an active solo artist for over 20 years, releasing numerous studio projects while also collaborating with some of the biggest names in hip-hop (including Outkast, Jay-Z, Big Boi, T.I., Black Thought, and more), he is also widely renowned as half of the popular hip-hop super duo, Run The Jewels, with whom he has released four studio albums alongside his partner in rhyme EL-P. Their most recent, 2020’s RTJ4, soared to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and was met with widespread critical acclaim, landing at #1 on NME’s The Best 50 Albums of 2020 list. Named the 2020 Spin Magazine Artist of the Year, Run The Jewels have won eleven Libera Awards, including the 2021 A2IM Humanitarian Award, took home four Clio Awards, including two Gold-winning Music Marketing campaigns, and received a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song.\nIn addition to his success as a musician, Killer Mike has gained wide recognition beyond the industry. He has acted in several films, including Baby Driver, Idlewild, and ATL and showed up TV cameos on Ozark and Billions. He also provided voiceover for the 2021 Netflix film America: The Motion Picture and is the host of multiple series including the Emmy Award winning PBS show Love & Respect with Killer Mike, Facebook’s Roll’N with Killer Mike, and Netflix’s Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, while also turning in regular speaking appearances on Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Real Time with Bill Maher.\n|,|title|:|artist|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}

data-filter="[2025 01|2025 01|2025 01|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][January|January|January|][[{|term_id|:1598,|name|:|Symphony Specials|,|slug|:|symphony-specials|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:1598,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:40,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Relive the magic of your favorite wizard in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ in Concert. Based on the third installment of the classic saga, the thrilling tale is accompanied by the music of a live symphony orchestra as Harry soars across the big screen. From the moment Harry uses the Marauder’s Map to when the Patronus Charm bursts from his wand, you’ll be transported back into the world you love. WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. false

data-filter="[2025 01|2025 01|2025 01|][jones-hall|jones-hall|jones-hall|][January|January|January|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Filled with irresistible melodies and staggering virtuoso demands, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is one of the best-known and best-loved concertos of all time—and it’s in good hands with the Symphony’s Concertmaster, Yoonshin Song. Known for beautiful melodies and a haunting ending that fades into silence, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 channels an entire world of emotion. Exploring the meeting point of beauty and chaos, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir’s Metacosmos is “a rumbling, shimmering sound sculpture that completely envelopes and astonishes” (NPR Music). What to Expect: Beloved works of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Dazzling violin virtuosity and beautiful melodies Saturday ticketholders enjoy a free After-Party: dance to a DJ, mingle with Symphony musicians, and more! {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Tabita Berglund|,|bio|:||,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Yoonshin Song|,|bio|:|Yoonshin Song was appointed as Concertmaster of the Houston Symphony in August 2019. Prior to that she has held the same position with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for seven seasons. In Europe, Yoonshin has served as guest concertmaster of the Budapest Festival Orchestra under Iv\u00e1n Fischer for several years, and she has led the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra under numerous top-tiered conductors, such as Sir Simon Rattle, Klaus M\u00e4kel\u00e4, Daniel Harding, Mikhail Pletnev, and Antonio Pappano. She also served as guest concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra.\nBeyond her first chair duties, Yoonshin has performed as a soloist with many orchestras around the world, including the Houston Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, the Paul Constantinescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and the KBS Symphony Orchestra, among many others.\nShe has also participated as a soloist and a chamber musician in various roles in leading music festivals, including the ones in Verbier, Lucerne, Samos and Bayreuth in Europe, the Marlboro, Great Lakes, and Deer Valley in the United States.\nYoonshin has earned many prestigious prizes throughout her career, including top prize awards in the Lipizer International Violin Competition, the Lipinski and Wieniawski International Violin Competition, the Henry Marteau International Violin Competition, and first prize at the Stradivarius International Competition in the United States.\nShe studied under the tutelage of Donald Weilerstein at the New England Conservatory and with Robert Mann, Glenn Dicterow, and Lisa Kim at the Manhattan School of Music.\n|,|title|:|violin|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]} A. THORVALDSDÓTTIR  Metacosmos BEETHOVEN  Violin Concerto TCHAIKOVSKY  Symphony No. 6, Pathétique

data-filter="[2025 02|2025 02|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][February|February|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|},{|term_id|:2184,|name|:|Livestream|,|slug|:|livestream-concerts|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2184,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:109,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" Nothing says “drama” like Italian opera—and while vocal arias may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of composers like Verdi, Puccini, and Rossini, they poured some of their most breathtakingly beautiful melodies into the orchestral music they created for their operas. In this concert, Music Director Juraj Valčuha and the orchestra share a treasure trove of overtures and interludes from Madama Butterfly, Macbeth, and more, capped off by Rossini’s famous William Tell Overture. What to Expect: Music of drama, power, and passion Gear up for Rodeo Season with a live performance of Rossini’s iconic William Tell Overture (The Lone Ranger Theme) Nothing says “amore” like Italian opera! Set the stage for a romantic evening out, just in time for Valentine’s Day {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Music Director 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 translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 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\u201306 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La boh\u00e8me in Bologna.\nHe has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.\nHe enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nIn Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.\nJuraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse\u2019s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly\u2019s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u2019s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.\nIncluding his engagements in Houston, the 2023\u201324 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed Fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenufa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.\nIn the 2024\u20132025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss\u00b4 Salom\u00e9 as well as the Paris Op\u00e9ra Bastille with Janacek\u00b4s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky\u00b4s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.\nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, 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 |}],|without|:[]} RESPIGHI  Belfagor: Overture CASSELLA  La donna serpente: Suite No. 2 VERDI  Macbeth: Act III Ballet Music PUCCINI  Manon Lescaut: Intermezzo from Act III PUCCINI  Suor Angelica: Intermezzo PUCCINI  Madama Butterfly: Intermezzo ROSSINI  William Tell: Overture

data-filter="[2025 02|2025 02|][jones-hall|jones-hall|][February|February|][[{|term_id|:7,|name|:|Classical Series|,|slug|:|classical-series|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:7,|taxonomy|:|series|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:158,|filter|:|raw|}]][{|term_id|:2320,|name|:|2024\u201325|,|slug|:|2024-25|,|term_group|:0,|term_taxonomy_id|:2320,|taxonomy|:|season|,|description|:||,|parent|:0,|count|:62,|filter|:|raw|}]" A dark, mysterious castle. A husband keeping secrets. Seven locked doors, each masking a blood-stained surprise. It may sound like the perfect setup for a horror movie, but it’s actually the starting point for one of the greatest operas of the 20th century, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. Buckle up for an evening of chills, thrills, and astonishing theatrical power as the story unfolds before you. We’ll set the stage with musical highlights from other landmark operas of the 20th and 21st century. What to Expect: Prepare for suspense, chills, and psychological thrills with opera’s ultimate horror story World-renowned singers bring the story to life For those looking for an “Anti-Valentine’s” activity, look no further than Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. Sketchy husbands? Blood and gore? Check, check, and check. {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Houston Symphony Music Director 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 translates even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.\nBefore joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 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\u201306 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La boh\u00e8me in Bologna.\nHe has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montr\u00e9al Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.\nHe enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, D\u00fcsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.\nIn Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.\nJuraj champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse\u2019s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey\u2019s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly\u2019s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich\u2019s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.\nIncluding his engagements in Houston, the 2023\u201324 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed Fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenufa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.\nIn the 2024\u20132025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss\u00b4 Salom\u00e9 as well as the Paris Op\u00e9ra Bastille with Janacek\u00b4s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky\u00b4s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.\nBorn in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, 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|:|G\u00e1bor Bretz|,|bio|:||,|title|:|baritone (Bluebeard)|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Ekaterina Gubanova|,|bio|:||,|title|:|mezzo-soprano (Judith)|,|small_image|:false,|bio_image|:false,|full_image|:false}]} U. CHIN  Alice in Wonderland: Prelude to the Mad Tea Party PROKOFIEV  The Love for Three Oranges: Symphonic Suite BRITTEN  Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes BARTÓK  Duke Bluebeard’s Castle