Prelude Discussions

About Prelude Discussions

As part of our Classical Series, audiences are invited to attend Prelude pre-concert discussions—free, informal talks held in the hall approximately 45 minutes before each performance. Hosted by Calvin Dotsey, these sessions feature insights from members of the Symphony’s artistic team, guest artists, and musicians. Together, they explore the stories behind the music, share context about the composers, and explain how each work contributes to the program as a whole.

Each discussion lasts about 15 minutes, and all patrons are welcome to attend. After the talk concludes, audience members will be asked to exit the hall briefly before re-entering to take their assigned seats for the concert.

About Calvin Dotsey, pre-concert lecturer

A believer in the power of orchestral music to enrich the lives of diverse audiences, Calvin Dotsey is passionate about welcoming new listeners into the concert hall and introducing them to the world of classical music.

He has served as the Houston Symphony’s program annotator since the 2017–18 Season and as the host of the Symphony’s pre-concert Prelude talks since the 2021–22 Season. From 2014 to 2020, he served in the Houston Symphony’s marketing department, focusing on digital marketing and print publications.

During his full-time employment with the Symphony, he served as the writer and executive producer of the Houston Symphony’s podcast, On the Music; led a series of donor talks and a public presentation at MFAH as part of the Symphony’s 2020 Schumann Festival; and wrote and executed the Symphony’s “Tweetcerts” at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Calvin received a Bachelor of Arts in Music, cum laude, from Columbia College, Columbia University in 2010. During his time at Columbia, he studied music composition with Fred Lerdahl and Arthur Kampela, was a violinist in the Columbia University Orchestra and Columbia Bach Society, performed chamber music in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and composed a work which premiered at Merkin Hall.

Calvin continues to perform as a violinist with the Houston Civic Symphony, which he also supports as a board member. In 2023, he received a Master of Business Administration from Rice University, where he founded the Rice Business Arts Club, a social organization which introduces Rice Business students from all over the world to Houston’s vibrant arts scene. In addition to his musical activities, Calvin has served in a corporate strategy role for Sysco Corporation since 2023.

A native Houstonian, Calvin attended his first Houston Symphony concert in elementary school in 2000. He studied violin with Shirley Koch at Parker Elementary School and played in the orchestras at Lanier Middle School and Bellaire High School under the direction of Charles Titsworth and Kathryn Brown, respectively. He also studied violin privately with Jessica Mathaes, who has served as concertmaster of the Austin Symphony since 2005.