InTune | December 2022

InTUNE

Home Alone Film with Live Orchestra

Handel’s Messiah Very Merry Pops Ho-Ho-Holiday!

Your Houston Symphony

Welcome to the Houston Symphony Your Symphony Experience

Juraj Valčuha, Music Director Orchestra Roster Society Board of Trustees Administrative Staff Student Concerts

By the Numbers Holiday Traditions

Programs

Home Alone—Film with Live Orchestra Handel’s Messiah Very Merry Pops Ho-Ho-Holiday!

Our Supporters

Houston Symphony Donors Young Associates Council Corporate, Foundation & Gov. Partners Houston Symphony Endowment Legacy Society Musician Sponsorships

welcome to the houston symphony

concerts and programs in our community and for our schools—reach more than 400,000 Houstonians each year. Our livestreamed performances have engaged more than 100,000 people in all 50 states and in more than 40 countries around the world since we started livestreaming in May 2020. I hope you’ll consider making a tax-deductible gift to support your Houston Symphony—for more information, please see page 52.

Welcome to the holidays at the Houston Symphony! December is always a special time of year here at Jones Hall, a time for music, friends, family, and celebration. We kick off the month with that perennial favorite, Home Alone, with the orchestra playing John Williams’s delightful score live to the beloved Macaulay Culkin film on Saturday, December 3. The next weekend, we stage our annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, with an incredible cast of soloists and guest conductor Matthew Halls—get ready for all of its beloved arias and choruses, including the always rousing “Hallelujah.” On December 17, we offer another program for families, Ho-Ho-Holiday!, with music from Frozen and The Polar Express and a holiday sing-along. We finish our celebrations with Very Merry Pops and the return of conductor Michael Krajewski. Along with N’Kenge’s stunning vocals and the resplendent Houston Symphony Chorus, it’s a wonderful way to mark the season.

This time of the year is also the season for giving. As a charitable organization, we here at the Symphony rely on the generosity of our audiences and our community members, who donate two-thirds of our annual revenue. The programs those donations support—not only our concerts at Jones Hall, but also our free

And be sure and join us again in the New Year. We kick off 2023 with two festivals curated by our Music Director, Juraj Valčuha— (Jan. 13–22), featuring pieces by Stravinsky and Bartók that were met with shock and outrage; and Songs of the Earth connections between Asian and European musical traditions through works by Mahler, Ravel, Debussy, Tōru Takemitsu, Qigang Chen, and more. We’ll ring in the new year with Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke for (Jan. 6–8), take families on a journey to space (Feb. 25), and enjoy a recital with our Artistic Partner, the legendary Itzhak Perlman (Feb. 26). There’s so much great music in store, and we hope to share it with you.

Thanks very much for being with us today, and I hope we’ll see you again soon at the Symphony.

All my best,

John Mangum Executive Director/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

Dear Music Lovers,

Rea

Charitable Trust

Nina Astin Winkler Charitable Trust

your symphony experience

JONES HALL

Since the opening of Jones Hall in 1966, millions of arts patrons have enjoyed countless musical and stage performances at the venue. Dominating an entire city block, Jones Hall features a stunning travertine marble facade, 66-foot ceilings, and a brilliantly lit grand entrance. Jones Hall is a monument to the memory of Jesse Holman Jones, a towering figure in Houston during the first half of the 20 th century.

DEVICES

We strive to provide the best possible auditory experience of our world-class orchestra. Noise from phones, candy wrappers, and talking is distracting to the performers on stage and those around you. Please help us make everyone’s concert enjoyable by silencing electronic devices now and remaining quiet during the performance.

FOOD & DRINK POLICY

The Encore Café and in-hall bars are open for Symphony performances, and food and drink will be permitted in bar areas. Food is not permitted inside the auditorium. Patrons may bring drinks into the auditorium for Bank of America POPS Series concerts and Symphony Specials. Drinks are not permitted inside the auditorium for Classical concerts.

LOST & FOUND

For lost and found inquiries, please contact Patron Experience Coordinator Freddie Piegsa during the performance. He also can be reached at freddie.piegsa@houstonsymphony.org. You also may contact Houston First after the performances at 832.487.7050

ETIQUETTE

For Classical concerts, if a work has several movements it is traditional to hold applause until the end of the last movement. If you are unsure when a piece ends, check the program or wait for the conductor to face the audience. If you feel truly inspired, however, do not be afraid to applaud! Brief applause between movements after an exceptional performance is always appreciated.

CHILDREN

Children ages six and up are welcome to all Classical, Bank of America POPS, and Symphony Special concerts. Children of all ages are welcome at PNC Family Series performances. Children must have a ticket for all ticketed events.

LATE SEATING

Each performance typically allows for late seating, which is scheduled in intervals and determined by the conductor. Our ushers and Patron Experience Coordinator will instruct you on when late seating is allowed.

TICKETS

Subscribers to six or more Classical or Bank of America POPS concerts, as well as PNC Family Subscribers, may exchange their tickets at no cost. Tickets to Symphony Specials or single ticket purchases are ineligible for exchange or refund.

If you are unable to make a performance, your ticket may be donated prior to the concert for a tax-donation receipt. Donations and exchanges may be made in person, over the phone, or online.

Juraj valČuha

Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Conductor Juraj Valčuha is recognized for his effortless expressiveness and depth of musicianship. With sharp baton technique and natural stage presence, the impressive ease of his interpretations translate even the most complex scores into immersive experiences. His profound understanding of composer and score, taste, and naturally elegant style make him one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation.

Since 2016, Valčuha has been music director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, and first guest conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. He was chief conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI from 2009 to 2016.

The 2005–06 Season marked the start of his international career with exciting concerts on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the U.K. with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, and in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony. His Italian debut took place at Teatro Comunale in Bologna with a sensational production of La bohème.

He has since led the Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,

Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia London, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montréal Symphony, and NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo. His active career in the United States has taken him to the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Utah. He enjoys regular collaborations with orchestras in Houston, Minnesota, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.

International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and the Philharmonie in Berlin, as well as Cologne, Düsseldorf, Zurich, Basel, and Munich, and to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest and the Abu Dhabi Classics. He has also toured with the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin to Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100 th anniversary of the Baltic nations.

Valčuha champions the compositions of living composers and aims to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouses’s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Steven Mackey’s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly’s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich’s Four Sections at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Andrew Norman, Luca Francesconi, James MacMillan, and Steven Stucky, among others.

On the opera stage, he has conducted Madama Butterfly, Elisir d‘amore, and Marriage of Figaro at the Bavarian State Opera Munich; Elektra and Turandot

at the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Faust and The Love for Three Oranges in Florence; Jenůfa, Peter Grimes, Salome, Tristan und Isolde, and Ariadne auf Naxos in Bologna; Peter Grimes in Venice; and Elektra, Carmen, Bluebeard’s Castle, Die Walküre, The Girl of the Golden West, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Katja Kabanova, and Pique Dame in Naples.

Juraj Valčuha was awarded the Premio Abbiati 2018 from Italian Music critics in the Best Conductor category.

His engagements in the 2022–23 Season will take him to the Houston, Pittsburgh and San Francisco Orchestras, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the Orchestre National de France. He will conduct Verdi’s Don Carlo at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and La bohème and Tristan und Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera Munich.

Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Juraj studied composition and conducting in his birth place, then at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg (with Ilya Musin), and finally, at the Conservatoire Supérieur de la Musique in Paris.

jurajvalcuha.com

ORCHESTRA ROSTER

Juraj Valčuha

Music Director

Roy and Lillie Cullen

FIRST VIOLIN

Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster Max Levine Chair

Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster Ellen E. Kelley Chair

Chair

DOUBLE BASS

Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation Chair

Marina Brubaker

Tong Yan MiHee Chung Sophia Silivos Rodica Gonzalez

Ferenc Illenyi Si-Yang Lao Kurt Johnson Christopher Neal Sergei Galperin

SECOND VIOLIN

MuChen Hsieh, Principal Amy Semes, Associate Principal Annie Kuan-Yu Chen Mihaela Frusina

Jing Zheng Martha Chapman*

Tianjie Lu* Anastasia Ehrlich Tina Zhang Boson Mo Julia Schilz+ Teresa Wang+

VIOLA

Joan DerHovsepian, Acting Principal Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal Sheldon Person Fay Shapiro Phyllis Herdliska Keoni Bolding Samuel Pedersen Meredith Harris+ Suzanne LeFevre+

CELLO

Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Janice and Thomas Barrow Chair

Christopher French, Associate Principal Anthony Kitai Louis-Marie Fardet

Jeffrey Butler Maki Kubota

Xiao Wong Charles Seo Jeremy Kreutz

COMMUNITY-EMBEDDED MUSICIANS

David Connor, double bass Rainel Joubert, violin

ASSOCIATE LIBRARIAN

Luke Bryson

ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN Hae-a Lee

Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate Yue Bao, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Assistant Conductor

Allen Hightower, Director Houston Symphony Chorus

Robin Kesselman, Principal Timothy Dilenschneider, Associate Principal Mark Shapiro Eric Larson

Andrew Pedersen Burke Shaw

Donald Howey

FLUTE

Aralee Dorough, Principal General Maurice Hirsch Chair

Matthew Roitstein*, Associate Principal Judy Dines

Acting Associate Principal Mark Teplitsky+ Kathryn Ladner

PICCOLO Kathryn Ladner

OBOE

Jonathan Fischer, Principal Lucy Binyon Stude Chair Anne Leek, Associate Principal Colin Gatwood Adam Dinitz

ENGLISH HORN Adam Dinitz

CLARINET

Mark Nuccio, Principal Bobbie Nau Chair Thomas LeGrand, Associate Principal Christian Schubert Alexander Potiomkin

E-FLAT CLARINET Thomas LeGrand

BASS CLARINET Alexander Potiomkin Tassie and Constantine S. Nicandros Chair

BASSOON

Rian Craypo, Principal Isaac Schultz, Associate Principal Elise Wagner Adam Trussell

STAGE PERSONNEL

Stefan Stout, Stage Manager

José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager Nicholas DiFonzo and Justin Herriford, Stage Technicians Giancarlo Minotti, Recording Assistant

CONTRABASSOON

Adam Trussell

HORN

William VerMeulen, Principal Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Endowed Chair

Robert Johnson, Associate Principal Brian Thomas Nancy Goodearl Ian Mayton Jesse Clevenger+

TRUMPET

Mark Hughes, Principal George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Chair

John Parker, Associate Principal Robert Walp, Assistant Principal Richard Harris

TROMBONE

Bradley White, Acting Principal Ryan Rongone+ Phillip Freeman

BASS TROMBONE Phillip Freeman

TUBA Dave Kirk, Principal

TIMPANI

Leonardo Soto, Principal Matthew Strauss, Associate Principal

PERCUSSION

Brian Del Signore, Principal Mark Griffith Matthew Strauss HARP (Vacant)

KEYBOARD Scott Holshouser, Principal

LIBRARIAN Jeanne Case, Principal

SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

John Rydman President

Janet F. Clark Chair

Jonathan Ayre Chair, Finance

Brad W. Corson Chair, Governance & Leadership

Manuel Delgado Chair, Marketing & Communications

Evan B. Glick Chair, Popular Programming

Lidiya Gold Chair, Development

Sippi Khurana Chair, Education

Barbara J. Burger President-Elect

Mike S. Stude Chairman Emeritus

Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events

Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning

Ed Schneider Chair, Community Partnerships

Miles O. Smith Chair, Artistic & Orchestra Affairs

Jesse B. Tutor Chair, Audit

Steven P. Mach ^ Immediate Past Chairman

Paul Morico General Counsel Barbara McCelvey Secretary

Bobby Tudor^ At-Large Member

Cheryl Byington^ President, Houston Symphony League

James H. Lee III^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment

Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative

John Mangum^ Executive Director/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative

Adam Trussell^ Musician Representative

Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative

Katie Salvatore^ Assistant Secretary

^Ex-Officio

GOVERNING DIRECTORS

Jonathan Ayre

Marcia Backus

Gary Beauchamp

Tony Bradfield

Eric Brueggeman

Bill Bullock

Barbara J. Burger

Janet F. Clark

Lidiya Gold

William D. Hunt

Rick Jaramillo

Sippi Khurana, M.D. Carey Kirkpatrick

Kenny Kurtzman

Isabel Stude Lummis

Cora Sue Mach**

Rodney Margolis** Jay Marks**

Mary Lynn Marks

Elissa Martin

Barbara McCelvey

Paul R. Morico Robert Orr

Chris Powers

John Rydman** Miles O. Smith

Anthony Speier William J. Toomey II Bobby Tudor** Betty Tutor** Jesse B. Tutor** Judith Vincent Gretchen Watkins Robert Weiner Margaret Alkek Williams**

EX-OFFICIO

Cheryl Byington

Brad W. Corson

Manuel Delgado

Joan DerHovsepian Evan B. Glick

Mark Hughes

James H. Lee III Steven P. Mach

John Mangum

Mark Nuccio

Katie Salvatore Ed Schneider

Adam Trussell

Juraj Valčuha

TRUSTEES

Janice Barrow **

David J. Beck

James M. Bell Jr.

Devinder Bhatia, M.D.

Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl

Nancy Shelton Bratic

Terry Ann Brown**

Ralph Burch

Dougal Cameron

John T. Cater**

Robert Chanon

Michael H. Clark

Virginia Clark

Evan D. Collins, M.D., MBA

Brad W. Corson

Andrew Davis, Ph.D.

Denise Davis

Manuel Delgado

Tracy Dieterich

Bob Duff

Joan Duff

Connie Dyer

Jeffrey B. Firestone

Eugene A. Fong

Aggie L. Foster

Julia Anderson Frankel

Ronald G. Franklin

Evan B. Glick

Gary L. Hollingsworth

Stephen Incavo, M.D.

Brian James

I. Ray Kirk, M.D.

David Krieger

Andrew Go Lee, M.D.

Ulyesse J. LeGrange**

Matthew Loden

Steven P. Mach

Michael Mann, M.D.

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY

Mrs. Edwin B. Parker

Miss Ima Hogg

Mrs. H. M. Garwood

Joseph A. Mullen, M.D.

Joseph S. Smith

Walter H. Walne

H. R. Cullen Gen. Maurice Hirsch

Charles F. Jones

Fayez Sarofim

John T. Cater

Richard G. Merrill Ellen Elizardi Kelley

John D. Platt

E.C. Vandagrift Jr. J. Hugh Roff Jr.

SOCIETY

Jack Matzer

Jackie Wolens Mazow

Alexander K. McLanahan**

Marilyn Miles

Shane A. Miller

Aprill Nelson

Tammy Tran Nguyen

Leslie Nossaman

Scott Nyquist

Edward Osterberg Jr.

David Pruner

Gloria G. Pryzant

Miwa Sakashita

Ed Schneider

Helen Shaffer**

Robert B. Sloan, D.D., Theol.

Jim R. Smith

Quentin Smith Mike S. Stude **

Ishwaria Subbiah, M.D.

Shirley W. Toomim

Margaret Waisman, M.D. Fredric A. Weber

Mrs. S. Conrad Weil

Vicki West

Steven J. Williams

David J. Wuthrich Ellen A. Yarrell

Robert Yekovich

EX-OFFICIO

John Steven Cisneros, Ed.D.

Kusum Patel

Frank F. Wilson IV

Jessie Woods

**Lifetime Trustee

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY LEAGUE

Miss Ima Hogg

Mrs. John F. Grant

Mrs. J. R. Parten

Mrs. Andrew E. Rutter

Mrs. Aubrey Leno Carter

Mrs. Stuart Sherar

Mrs. Julian Barrows

Ms. Hazel Ledbetter

Mrs. Albert P. Jones

Mrs. Ben A. Calhoun

Mrs. James Griffith Lawhon

Mrs. Olaf LaCour Olsen

Mrs. Ralph Ellis Gunn

Mrs. Leon Jaworski

Mrs. Garrett R. Tucker Jr.

Mrs. M. T. Launius Jr.

Mrs. Thompson McCleary

Mrs. Theodore W. Cooper Mrs. Allen W. Carruth

Mrs. David Hannah Jr.

Mary Louis Kister

Mrs. Edward W. Kelley Jr. Mrs. John W. Herndon Mrs. Charles Franzen

Mrs. Harold R. DeMoss Jr. Mrs. Edward H. Soderstrom

Mrs. Lilly Kucera Andress

Ms. Marilou Bonner

Mrs. W. Harold Sellers

Mrs. Harry H. Gendel

Mrs. Robert M. Eury

Mrs. E. C. Vandagrift Jr. Mrs. J. Stephen Marks

Terry Ann Brown

FOUNDATION FOR JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES

Robert M. Hermance

Gene McDavid

Janice H. Barrow

Barry C. Burkholder

Rodney H. Margolis

Jeffrey B. Early Michael E. Shannon Ed Wulfe

Nancy Strohmer

Mary Ann McKeithan

Ann Cavanaugh

Mrs. James A. Shaffer

Lucy H. Lewis

Catherine McNamara

Shirley McGregor Pearson

Paula Jarrett

Cora Sue Mach

Kathi Rovere

Norma Jean Brown

Barbara McCelvey

Lori Sorcic Jansen

Nancy B. Willerson

Jane Clark

Nancy Littlejohn

Donna Shen

Jesse B. Tutor

Robert B. Tudor III

Robert A. Peiser Steven P. Mach Janet F. Clark

Dr. Susan Snider Osterberg

Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein

Vicki West

Mrs. Jesse Tutor Darlene Clark

Beth Wolff

Maureen Higdon

Fran Fawcett Peterson

Leslie Siller

Janet F. Clark Ronald G. Franklin Barbara McCelvey

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP

John Mangum, Executive Director/CEO, Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer

Nancy Giles, Chief Development Officer

Gwen Watkins, Chief of Marketing and External Relations

DEVELOPMENT

Lauren Buchanan, Development Communications Manager

Timothy Dillow, Director, Corporate Relations and Development Operations

Amanda T. Dinitz, Major Gifts Officer

Zitlaly Jimenez, Annual Fund Manager

Hadia Mawlawi, Senior Associate, Endowment and Planned Giving

Meghan Miller, Special Events Associate

Samantha S. Olinsky, Major Gifts Officer

Tim Richey, Director, Individual Giving

Katie Salvatore, Development Officer and Board Liaison

Ika Soemampauw, Development Associate, Administration

Christine Ann Stevens, Director, Major Gifts

Lena Streetman, Research Analyst

Stacey Swift, Director, Special Events

Sarah Thompson, Institutional Giving Associate

Christina Trunzo, Director, Foundation Relations

Alexa Ustaszewski, Development Ticket Concierge

FINANCE | ADMINISTRATION | IT | HR

Henry Cantu, Finance Accountant

Kimberly Cegielski, Staff Accountant

Tiffany Gentry, Junior System Administrator

Richard Jackson, Database Administrator

Joel James, Director of Human Resources

Tanya Lovetro, Director of Budgeting and Financial Reporting

Morgana Rickard, Controller

Gabriela Rivera, Senior Accountant

Pam Romo, Office Manager/HR Coordinator

Lee Whatley, Senior Director, IT and Analytics

MARKETING AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Education and Community Engagement

Pam Blaine, Chief of Education and Community Engagement

Allison Conlan, Director, Community Engagement

Jennifer Lanham, Student Concerts Coordinator Marketing and Communications

Mark Bailes, Marketing Revenue Manager

Olivia Cantrell, Marketing Assistant

Heather Fails, Manager, Ticketing Database

Kathryn Judd, Director, Marketing

Yoo-Ell Lee, Junior Graphic Designer

Fiona Legesse-Sinha, Graphic Design Manager

Ciara Macaulay, Creative Director

Bianca Montanez, Content Marketing Coordinator

Eric Skelly, Senior Director, Communications

Paula Wilson, Digital Marketing Coordinator Patron Services

Freddie Piegsa, Patron Experience Coordinator

John B. Pollard II, Assistant Manager, Patron Services

Jenny Zuniga, Director, Patron Services

OPERATIONS | ARTISTIC

Stephanie Alla, Associate Director of Artistic Planning

Lila Atchison, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager

Becky Brown, Director, Operations

Luke Bryson, Associate Librarian

Janwin Overstreet-Goode, Chorus Manager

Michael Gorman, Orchestra Personnel Manager

Lauren Moore, Associate Director of Digital Concert Production

José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager

Brad Sayles, Senior Recording Engineer

Claudia Schmitz, Artist Liaison and Assistant to the Music Director

Stefan Stout, Stage Manager

Carlin Truong, Chorus Manager

Meredith Williams, Associate Director, Operations

Rebecca Zabinski, Director, Artistic Planning

CONCERTS STUDENT

The 2022–23 Student Concert Series is back in full swing! Jones Hall recently welcomed back thousands of students for a series of exciting and educational Symphony concerts. As students wrap up their first semester and prepare for winter break, the Houston Symphony is gearing up for even more concerts in the new year. The Student Concert Series, available to upper elementary students (grades 4-5) and middle school students (grades 6-8), allows students in the Greater Houston area to attend interactive Houston Symphony orchestra performances for free or at a heavily discounted rate. Performances take place during the school day and aim to inspire students to begin or continue playing an instrument.

This series kicked off on October 12 with an Upper Elementary Concert at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Upper Elementary Concerts allow students to learn about the orchestra while building their active listening skills. This season’s program, entitled Sounds of the Orchestra: Groove, Listen and Move!, includes

orchestral music from a wide array of composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn, John Williams, Duke Ellington, and more. The Middle School Concerts, presented by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, began on November 30 with a concert in Jones Hall. These concerts are designed for students who are currently in their school’s band or orchestra programs, aiming to encourage them to continue playing their instruments. The program features works that explore various ways composers can use the orchestra to show the beat and structure melodies—from solos to musical conversations, to imitation, and fugue.

For many students, the Houston Symphony Student Concerts are their first time attending an orchestra concert. Last year, more than 18,000 students were able to attend an orchestra concert at Jones Hall and out of those students, 64 percent were economically disadvantaged. This season, we anticipate the Student Concert Series will serve more than 42,000 students across the Greater Houston area. Your support makes it possible for thousands of students in the Greater Houston area to experience the joy of live music, regardless of their socioeconomic status. A donation of just $50 can send one student to a concert, and a donation of $100 can send two students. Visit houstonsymphony.org/donate or email giving@ houstonsymphony.org to learn more about how you can support the Student Concert Series and other Houston Symphony Education and Community Engagement initiatives.

Featured Program

HOME ALONE— FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor Kinder HIGH SCHOOL for the PERFORMING and VISUAL ARTS Vocal Department Julia Hall, vocal department chair

Program Bios

Saturday, December 3 Jones Hall

2:30 p.m. Saturday, December 3 Jones Hall 7:30 p.m.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Vocal Department

Julia Hall, vocal department chair

Partner

The Vocal Department at Kinder HSPVA includes 105 auditioned vocal majors who are members of either Chorale or Concert Singers. Upper-level singers perform in a specialized Chamber or Pop/Jazz style ensemble. Over their four years, vocalists study class voice, perform in yearly voice recitals, and take academic music classes. They consistently earn membership in TMEA Region and All-State choirs, earn Sweepstakes at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading evaluations, and perform throughout the city. In 2017, the non-varsity treble choir was honored to be a TMEA Invited Choir. HSPVA Madrigals has twice won the American Classics Madrigal and Chamber festival and has been named a choir of distinction many times. Chorale has won first place in the American Classics Celebration of Excellence and was named first runner up in Spring 2022.

work in many genres and settings. Equally at home with opera, symphonic repertoire, film with live orchestra, music theatre, and composition, his work has taken him around the globe where he has conducted the major orchestras of North America, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Tokyo Philharmonic.

Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor

Constantine Kitsopoulos has established himself as a dynamic conductor known for his ability to

In addition to Constantine’s engagements as guest conductor, he is music director of the Festival of the Arts Boca and general director of Chatham Opera. As the general director of the New York

Program Bio

Grand Opera, he is working with the company to bring opera, free and open to the public, back to New York’s Central Park.

This season, he makes his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and will conduct return engagements with the New York Philharmonic; Philadelphia Orchestra; Houston, Detroit, Phoenix, Vancouver, New Jersey, and San Francisco symphonies.

Highlights of previous seasons include return engagements here and with other leading orchestras; as well as the New York and Louisiana Philharmonics. He also conducted Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at Indiana University Opera Theatre.

Constantine has developed semistaged productions of Mozart’s

Corporate Spotlight

The Magic Flute, for which he has written a new translation; Don Giovanni; and La bohème. He has conducted IU Opera Theatre’s productions of Falstaff, Die Fledermaus, A View from the Bridge, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Most Happy Fella, South Pacific, Oklahoma!, The Music Man, and The Last Savage. He was assistant chorus master at New York City Opera, 1984 1989.

On Broadway, he has been music director of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (cast album on PS Classics), A Catered Affair (cast album on PS Classics), Coram Boy, Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La bohème (cast album on DreamWorks Records), Swan Lake, and Les Misérables. He was music director

of ACT’s production of Weill/ Brecht’s Happy End and made the only English-language recording for Sh-K-Boom Records.

Constantine studied piano with Marienka Michna, Chandler Gregg, Edward Edson, and Sophia Rosoff. He studied conducting with Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Commissiona, Gustav Meier, and his principal teacher Vincent La Selva. 

PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States. Through its Main Street bank model, PNC Bank is organized around its customers and communities to build strong relationships and deliver retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, and asset management.

PNC expanded into the Greater Houston area in 2018 and, over the last several years, the bank has recruited top-tier talent, invested millions back into the community, and grown its business locally. With the bank’s recent acquisition of BBVA USA, PNC’s presence locally and its commitment to Houston will only continue to accelerate.

Part of PNC’s regional approach is the bank’s unwavering commitment to support and bolster the communities it serves, which here in Houston includes the Houston Symphony. Through the Houston Symphony’s PNC Family Series, PNC seeks to provide increased and equitable access to the arts for all—even the youngest concertgoers. Across PNC’s footprint, the bank has invested in and engaged with the arts as a core philanthropic focus because PNC understands that the arts enrich lives and build stronger, more vibrant communities.

Handel’s Messiah

Matthew Halls, conductor *Karina Gauvin, soprano Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Lawrence Wiliford, tenor *Tyler Duncan, baritone Houston Symphony Chorus Allen Hightower, director

Air (Tenor), Ev’ry valley shall be exalted

Chorus, And the Glory of the Lord

Accompagnato (Bass), Thus saith the Lord of Hosts

Air (Alto), But who may abide the day of His coming

Chorus, And He shall purify Recitative (Alto), Behold, a virgin shall conceive—

Air (Alto) and Chorus, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion

Accompagnato (Bass), For behold, darkness shall cover the earth

Air (Bass), The people that walked in darkness

Chorus, For unto us a Child is Born

Pifa Recitative (Soprano), There were shepherds abiding in the field—

Accompagnato (Soprano), And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them Recitative (Soprano), And the angel said unto them—

Accompagnato (Soprano), And suddenly there was with the angel—

Chorus, Glory to God in the highest

Air (Soprano), Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion Recitative (Alto), Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d—

Duet (Soprano and Alto), He shall feed his flock like a shepherd

Chorus, His yoke is easy, His burthen is light

INTERMISSION Part the Second

Chorus, Behold the Lamb of God

Air (Alto), He was despised and rejected

Chorus, Surely, He hath borne our griefs—

Chorus, And with His stripes we are healed—

Chorus, All we like sheep have gone astray

Accompagnato (Tenor), All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn

Chorus, He trusted in God

Accompagnato (Tenor), Thy rebuke hath broken His heart

Arioso (Tenor), Behold, and see if there be any sorrow

Accompagnato (Soprano), He was cut off out of the land of the living—

Air (Soprano), But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell

Chorus, The Lord gave the word

Air (Soprano), How beautiful are the feet

Air (Bass), Why do the nations so furiously rage together—

Chorus, Let us break their bonds asunder Recitative (Tenor), He that dwelleth in Heaven—

Air (Tenor), Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron

Chorus, Hallelujah Part the Third

Air (Soprano), I know that my Redeemer liveth

Chorus, Since by man came death

Accompagnato (Bass), Behold, I tell you a mystery

Air (Bass), The trumpet shall sound

Air (Soprano), If God be for us

Chorus, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain— Amen

Houston Symphony

About the Music

Friday, December 9 Jones Hall

7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 10 Jones Hall & Livestream 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 11 Jones Hall 2:30 p.m.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Livestream of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger

The printed music for Handel’s Messiah was donated by the Edith F. Bondi Foundation in memory of Edith F. Bondi and Great Uncle Conductor Simon Parmet.

Program Notes

HANDEL Messiah

In the 18th century, the measure of success for every composer was opera. Handel spent his journeyman years in Hamburg and Italy, and his success as a composer of Italian operas—the Italians hailed his Agrippina with cries of “Viva il caro Sassone” (Long live the beloved Saxon)— brought him to London, where his opera Rinaldo premiered in 1711. For the next three decades, he composed more than 30 operas for various theaters there, but by the mid-1730s, the audience for his operas was shrinking and London’s operatic scene was characterized by intrigue and competition. Handel’s operatic seasons were increasingly unprofitable and fraught with strife; at the same time, the public demonstrated a keen interest in his English-language oratorios. These works combined sacred subjects with the techniques of dramatic composition Handel had mastered during his long career as an operatic composer, and many of them included the kind of elaborate choral writing characteristic of the composer’s sacred and occasional output.

Handel took a last stab at opera with Deidamia, which opened in January 1741 at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre, where Handel was mounting his 1740–41 season. Deidamia held the stage for only three performances; the one on February 10 was the last performance of a Handel opera under his direction.

Aware of Deidamia’s disappointing reception, one of Handel’s old collaborators, Charles Jennens, tried to whet the composer’s appetite for a new project. Jennens had already written the libretto for the oratorio Saul and the text for the third part of L’allegro, il penseroso, ed il moderato; in a letter dated July 10, 1741, he wrote, “Handel says he will do nothing next Winter, but I hope I shall perswade him to set another Scripture Collection I have made for him, & perform it for his own Benefit in Passion Week. I hope he will lay out his whole Genius & Skill upon it, that the Composition may excel all his former Compositions, as the Subject excels every other Subject. The Subject is Messiah.”

Program Notes

So, we have Handel, in the summer of 1741, facing an uncertain future in London and contemplating taking a winter off, with Jennens’s scripture collection kicking around his house on Brook Street. An invitation from Ireland to participate in a charitable season of oratorio concerts “for the relief of prisoners in several gaols, and for the support of Mercer’s Hospital in Stephen’s Street, and of the charitable infirmary on the Inns Quay” couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, and Handel decided to spend the 1741–42 season in Dublin. He composed Messiah in August and September, while still in London. The modest forces employed indicate that Handel intended the work to travel. (Handel’s oratorios for London, Saul for example, typically display more lavish orchestration.) Handel most likely did not work closely with Jennens during composition; in fact, the writer was surprised to learn the composer was planning a Dublin premiere. “I heard with great pleasure at my arrival in Town, that Handel had set the Oratorio of Messiah,” Jennens wrote in a letter dated December 2, “but it was some Mortification to hear that instead of performing it here he was gone into Ireland with it.”

Handel started his Dublin season on December 23 with a performance of L’allegro at the Great Music Hall in Fishamble Street, the site of all of his Dublin concerts. The premiere of Messiah on April 13, 1742, marked the culmination of his time there. It was a resounding success. The Dublin Journal reported that at the open rehearsal, the work “was performed so well, that it gave universal Satisfaction to all present; and was allowed by the greatest Judges to be the finest Composition of Musick that ever was heard…” and heaped similar praise on the premiere: “Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded the admiring crouded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick, and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear.” The work has since established itself as the most popular of its kind, affirming the genius of Handel’s pursuit of English-language oratorio. He never wrote another opera after Deidamia, but Handel followed Messiah with 15 further Englishlanguage oratorios. We have Messiah to thank for paving the way for such disparate works as Haydn’s Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, and John Adams’s El Niño. Handel’s Messiah is in three parts. Part One describes the advent and birth of Christ, with the chorus “For unto us” demarcating the transition from one to the other. Part Two details the life of Christ, his resurrection, his ascension to heaven, the preaching of the gospel by his apostles, and a vision of his ultimate victory. Part Three celebrates the redemption of humankind—its eventual resurrection and receipt of eternal life—brought about by Christ’s death.

The work opens with a “Sinfony,” Handel’s first use of the operatic French overture form (dotted grave introduction followed by a contrapuntal allegro moderato) in one of his oratorios. The work’s richest accompanied recitative follows, with a vocal line whose heightened expression and use of repetition takes the number into arioso territory. The vigor of the ensuing aria, “Ev’ry valley,” with its word-painting for

HANDEL Messiah

“the crooked straight, and the rough places plain,” sets the tone for the first half of Part One, as Jennens lays out a series of prophetic texts anticipating the coming of Christ; Handel matches them with music of great variety, contrast, and inventiveness. Throughout Part I, the music seems to be moving toward D major, from the D-minor alto aria “But who may abide” through the D-major alto aria and chorus “O thou that tellest,” to the chorus “Glory to God,” where the trumpets enter for the first time to reinforce D major.

In Part Two, Handel wanders away from D major in a sequence of numbers depicting the suffering of Christ on earth. For example, one of Messiah’s most moving numbers, the alto aria “He was despised,” is in E-flat major, as far away as Handel could get from D major. The key choice allows for a deeply humane portrayal of Christ—the warmth and nobility of the strings in the opening ritornello is certainly Handel at his most eloquent—while simultaneously underscoring the distance the “man of sorrows” depicted in the aria has to travel to reach the triumphant D major of the “Hallelujah” chorus’s celebration of Christ enthroned alongside God that closes Part Two. The custom of standing during the chorus dates from the first London performance of Messiah, which took place on March 23, 1743. The 18th-century Scottish essayist and poet James Beattie explains the origins of the tradition in a 1780 letter: “When Handel’s ‘Messiah’ was first performed, the audience was exceedingly struck and affected by the music in general; but when that chorus struck up, ‘For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth,’ they were so transported they all, together with the king (who happened to be present), started up, and remained standing till the chorus ended: and hence it became the fashion in England for the audience to stand while that part of the music is performing.”

Part Three opens with one of the most astoundingly conceived arias in Handel’s output. Throughout Messiah, Handel comes up with original musical solutions to the problems posed to an 18th-century composer by Biblical texts. Where 18th-century poetry typically presents one constant affect or emotion, the Bible’s ancient verses delight in contrast, and Handel had to rethink musical forms rooted in 18th-century poetry to set Messiah’s Biblical texts. In the case of “I know that my redeemer liveth,” Handel takes three contrasting ideas—“I know that my redeemer liveth,” “And tho’ worms destroy this body,” and “For now is Christ risen”— and crafts a sort of rondo form, with “I know that my redeemer liveth” functioning as the main theme, and the sections beginning with “And tho’ worms destroy this body” and “For now is Christ risen” acting as contrasting material. But the whole is constructed so artfully, with such expressive unity, that Handel’s formal innovation is (probably properly) overlooked, his art transcending his craft.

“I know that my redeemer liveth” again places us far afield from D major (the aria is in E major), but Handel soon brings back D major in “The trumpet shall sound,” an aria that could have come straight from the opera house. Its three-part, A-B-A structure (in this case, dal segno rather than da capo) and its obbligato trumpet are exactly what an opera audience would expect for a triumph aria.

Messiah closes with a resplendent chorus that brings together all

Program Notes

HANDEL

Messiah Program Bios

of the musical and dramatic threads running through the work. It is the grandest chorus Handel ever wrote, with an opening combining solemnity and celebration followed by a fugal “Amen” of overwhelming power. It marks the culmination of a work that has become an icon of western culture—even if you know nothing else about classical music, you know the “Hallelujah” chorus. Edward Synge, the Bishop of Elphin and one of the leading Irish ideologues of the 18th century, captured this in his summation of the work: “As Mr. Handel in his oratorio’s greatly excells all other Composers I am acquainted with, So in the famous one, called The Messiah he seems to have excell’d himself. The whole is beyond any thing I had a notion of till I Read and heard it. It Seems to be a Species of Musick different from any other, and this is particularly remarkable of it. That tho’ the Composition is very Masterly & artificial, yet the Harmony is So great and open, as to please all who have Ears & will hear, learned & unlearn’d.” —John Mangum

Matthew Halls, conductor

Mathew Halls was named chief conductor-designate of Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic in September 2022. He returned to Tampere this autumn to conduct Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony, before debuting with the Orchestre de chambre de Paris and Minnesota Orchestra, and continuing long-standing partnerships with the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Houston Symphony, and Indianapolis Symphony.

Matthew regularly guest conducts the Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Iceland Symphony, Wiener Symphoniker, Finnish Radio Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, among others. Recent highlights include Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony with the Toronto Symphony, the U.S. premiere of James MacMillan’s Fourth Symphony with Pittsburgh Symphony (Matthew previously conducted the world premiere of MacMillan’s European Requiem), and his Chicago Symphony debut.

With a background in periodperformance, Matthew was one of the first to guest conduct Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s Concentus Musicus Wien. His discography includes Bach’s Harpsichord Concertos directed from the keyboard, the premiere recording of Handel’s Parnasso in Festa (which won the Stanley Sadie Handel prize) and Bach’s Easter and Ascension

Oratorios. In the theatre, his operatic credits range from Handel’s Ariodante to Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. 

Karina Guavin, soprano

Recognized for her work in the Baroque repertoire, Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin sings Mahler, Britten, and the music of the late 20 th and 21st centuries with equal success. She has received prestigious distinctions, including

the title of Soloist of the Year awarded by the Communauté internationale des radios publiques de langue française, first prize in the CBC Radio competition for young performers, and the Virginia Parker Prize and Maggie Teyte Memorial Prize in London. Her 2022 23 Season includes performances with the Houston Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Quebec Symphony, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and Les Violons du Roy.

Recently, Karina made appearances in the United States and Canada as soloist with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, Philadelphia Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She also toured widely in Europe, giving concerts and recitals in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Britain, including a performance at Wigmore Hall.

She has sung with the world’s greatest symphony and baroque orchestras under the direction of leading conductors and has enjoyed notable opera successes throughout Europe and the United States. In addition, she has sung in recital with pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, Michael McMahon, and Roger Vignoles.

Karina performed Seleuce in Handel’s Tolomeo with Alan Curtis, with whom she recorded Handel operas on ARCHIV/Deutsche Grammophon, Virgin, and Naïve labels, among others. Her recorded performances with the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra have earned her two Grammy nominations.

Karina Gauvin has an extensive

discography—more than 30 titles— and she has won numerous awards, including a Chamber Music America Award for Fête Galante, with pianist Marc-André Hamelin, and several Opus Prizes. Other recording projects include a European tour and a recording of Handel’s Ariodante for EMI Virgin Classics; a European tour and a recording of Giulio Cesare for Naïve, both with Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco; and Britten’s Les Illuminations with Les Violons du Roy, under the direction of Jean-Marie Zeitouni. In addition, she has completed an album in honor of Anna Maria Strada del Po, with Alexander Weimann and the Arion Ensemble. 

Royal Opera and Netherlands Opera débuts in George Benjamin’s new opera, Lessons in Love and Violence, the recording of which received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording.

Krisztina’s career has seen her on all the major opera and concert stages across Canada. She regularly performs with the Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera, Tapestry Opera, Early Music Vancouver, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.

She has twice been nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Dora Awards, and performed in Kopernikus (Claude Vivier) with Against the Grain Theatre (Toronto), which won a Dora Award for Best Ensemble.

Her discography includes New Jewish Music, Vol. 3 (Analekta), Ana Sokolovic-Sirens (Naxos), and Talisker Players Where Words and Music Meet (Centrediscs).

Krisztina Szabó, mezzosoprano

Hungarian-Canadian mezzosoprano Krisztina Szabó is highly sought after in North America and Europe as an artist of supreme musicianship and stagecraft. She is known for her interpretation of Baroque music as well as her promotion and performance of contemporary Canadian works.

Krisztina has performed with San Francisco Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, and Wexford Festival Opera. In 2018, she made her

Digital projects include Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (Judith) with Canadian Opera Company, Tafelmusik’s The Voice of Vivaldi, Festival of the Sound’s Arias and Antics, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with Vancouver Opera, An Italian Baroque Festive Celebration with Early Music Vancouver; recitals for the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Behind the Keys with Vancouver Bach Choir; and Tapestry Opera’s S.O.S. Sketch Opera Singers

Krisztina is assistant professor of voice and opera at the University of British Columbia School of Music.

Lawrence Wiliford, tenor

Lauded for his luminous projection, lyrical sensitivity, and brilliant coloratura, American-Canadian tenor Lawrence Wiliford is in high demand in concert, opera, and recital repertoire. In 2021 22, he appeared in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with Calgary Philharmonic; and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, Opus 31 with Hamilton Philharmonic. In the 2022 23 Season, he joins both the Houston Symphony and National Arts Centre Orchestra for Messiah, returns to Early Music Vancouver for selections by Heinrich Schütz, and performs J.S. Bach Mass in B minor with the Grand Philharmonic Choir.

In recent seasons, Lawrence performed Mozart’s Requiem with the Seattle Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, and the Milwaukee Symphony; Messiah with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Tucson Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, The Phoenix Symphony; and Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Additional concert appearances of note include Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Music of the Baroque, Louisiana Philharmonic, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Naciónal de Mexico, Oregon Bach Festival, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Vancouver Chamber Choir; St. Matthew Passion with the Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestre Métropolitain, and Toronto Bach Consort; Mozart’s Requiem with the Indianapolis Symphony, Tafelmusik, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra; Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 at the Oregon Bach Festival; Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the National Arts Center Orchestra; and Beethoven’s Mass in C major and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Houston Symphony.

Lawrence holds a bachelor of music degree in church music from St. Olaf College, a master of music in vocal performance from the University of Toronto, and a master of arts in media production from Toronto Metropolitan University. He studied at Tanglewood, the Internationale Bachakademie of Stuttgart, the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival, and the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program. He is a graduate of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio.

Tyler Duncan, baritone

With a voice described as “honeycoloured and warm, yet robust and commanding” (The Globe and Mail), baritone Tyler Duncan has performed worldwide to great acclaim in both opera and concert repertoire. Throughout his varied career, he has appeared with several of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony.

Tyler recently performed C.P.E. Bach’s Magnificat with the Handel and Haydn Society, Beethoven’s 9 th Symphony with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions with the Oregon Bach Festival, and Haydn’s Creation with Music of the Baroque. In addition to these concerts in Houston, upcoming engagements include Handel’s Messiah with the New Jersey Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Orchestra Nova Scotia; Apollo e Dafne and Bach’s Ich habe genug with Arizona Early Music’s Tucson Baroque Music Festival; Brahms’s Requiem with Johnstown Symphony; and concerts with Bard Music Festival, Brooklyn Art Song Society, and Aspect Chamber Concerts.

He returns to The Metropolitan Opera for its new production of Terence Blanchard’s Champion.

Past concert engagements of note include Stravinsky’s Canticum Sacrum with the San Francisco Symphony, Messiah with the New York Philharmonic and Ottoawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium with the Minnesota Orchestra, Beethoven’s Mass in C with Kansas City Symphony, Schubert Lieder at the Wigmore Hall with pianist Graham Johnson, Bach’s Ich habe genug with Les Violins du Roy, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Lviv Philharmonic, a selection

of Bach Cantatas and Jeffery Ryan’s Afghanistan Requiem with Calgary Philharmonic, Orff’s Carmina Burana with Quebec and San Diego Symphonies, Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte with Vancouver Symphony, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and Shostakovich’s Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti with The Orchestra Now at the Met Museum. He has appeared at several music festivals, including the Händel Festival in Halle, Verbier Festival, Bard Festival, Vancouver Early Music Festival, Montreal Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Grant Park Festival, Lanaudière Festival, Berkshire Choral Festival, and New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival. 

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houston symphony chorus

Allen Hightower, Director

Janwin Overstreet-Goode Chorus Manager Carlin Truong Chorus Manager Scott Holshouser Pianist Tony Sessions Librarian/Stage Manager

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’s great choral-orchestral masterworks under the batons of Juraj Valčuha, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Hans Graf, Christoph Eschenbach, Robert Shaw, and Helmuth Rilling, among many others.

In addition, the Chorus enjoys participating in the Houston Symphony’s 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.

ALLEN HIGHTOWER

Dr. Allen Hightower, a seventh-generation Texan, is interim director of the Houston Symphony Chorus beginning in the 2022 23 Season. He is the director of choral studies at the University of North Texas, where he leads the master’s and doctoral programs in choral conducting and oversees a comprehensive choral program of eight ensembles. He serves as conductor of UNT’s A Cappella Choir, Grand Chorus, and the early music vocal ensemble Vox Aquilae.

As a teacher and conductor, Allen has visited 30 states, Asia, and Europe. His students hold leadership positions as choral conductors in public schools, colleges, universities, churches, and community choirs throughout the United States. Prior to joining UNT, Allen held the Weston Noble Endowed Chair in Music at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where he was conductor of the renowned Nordic Choir and artistic director of Christmas at Luther. Previously, he served as professor of music and director of choral studies at Sam Houston State University and taught at the high school level in the Houston and Odessa areas.

Outside the academic setting, Allen was Houston Masterworks Chorus and Orchestra’s artistic director, leading an annual concert series of choral/ orchestral masterworks. As a deeply committed church musician, he has served churches in Texas, California, and Minnesota. Currently, he is on the music staff of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, and is the church music vice-president of the Texas Choral Directors Association.

Allen earned his undergraduate degree in music education and piano from Sam Houston State University, a master’s in choral conducting from the Eastman School of Music, a master’s in orchestral conducting from Baylor University, and his doctorate in conducting from the University of California, Los Angeles. He pursued additional studies in orchestral and choral conducting at the University of Southern California, at Westminster Choir College, and the Oregon Bach Festival. After winning first prize in the graduate division of the American Choral Directors Association’s Conducting Competition in 1997, he was assistant to Paul Salamunovich, conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Allen lives in McKinney, Texas, with his wife, Dr. Kristin Hightower, and their daughters, Caroline and Julianne.

Allen Hightower, Chorus Preparation

Janwin Overstreet-Goode, Rehearsal Conductor

Clay West, Rehearsal Conductor

Criselda Bocanegra, Soprano Section Leader

Carolyn Rogan, Alto Section Leader

Jonathan Bordelon, Tenor Section Leader

Stephen M. James, Bass Section Leader

CHORUS ROSTER

Christin Michelle Abbott* Steve Abercia* Melissa Adams+ Mary Ann Addis+* Bob Alban+ David Alfaro-Lopez* Ramona R. Alms+ Kelsie Beatrice Andrews* Mark Anstrom+ Keith Anthis+* Joe A. Anzaldua+ Jennifer Appleby* Allison Rebecca Arnold* Kendall Aleksandra Banasiak+*

Joshua Lee Barber+ Franco Basili+* Mansi Asit Baxi* Justin Becker+

David Campbell Blassingame+ Randy Boatright+*

Criselda Bocanegra+* Jonathan Bordelon+ Timothy Boyer+ Nancy Shelton Bratic+ Jennifer Breneman*

Leanna Elkins* Nicole Elliott* Chris Fair*

Carlin Truong, Chorus Preparation

Franco Basili, Rehearsal Conductor

Criselda Bocanegra, Soprano Section Leader

Jennifer Breneman, Alto Section Leader

Lee Estes Williams, Tenor Section Leader

Keith Anthis, Bass Section Leader

Kirsten Michelle Brents* Hannah Brewton* Patricia Bumpus+* Cassie Campbell* Shelby Capozzoli+ Danielle Charvoz+ Tatiana Chavanelle*

William Kauper Cheadle* Nancy Christopherson+* Nicole Colby+

Violaine Cornu+ Sylvia Genevieve Dee+ Konstantina Erato Dimitropoulou*

Michael Dorn+* Steve Dukes* Randy Alan Eckman+ Paul Albert Ehrsam*

Ethan Michael Fasnacht+* Megan Thalia Ferrari* Amanda Fetter-Matthys* Ian Fetterley* Julia FitzGerald+* Kathryn O’Rourke Fry+ Joseph Frybert* Rachel Marie Gehman+* Michael G. Gilbert+ Robert Lee Gomez+* Daniel Gorelick* Melisa Gultan+* Julia C. Hall+ Susan Hall* L. Scott Hassett* Matthew C Henderson+ Beth Ann Hibbs* Marlea Hoover Hodgin+ Chase Matthew Holub+ MaryKate Hotaling+* Catherine Howard+ George E. Howe* Sylvia J. Hysong* Stephen M. James+ Elise A. Kappelmann* Mark Kim+*

Karen King-Ellis* Nobuhide Kobori+* Elizabeth Kragas+ Kat Kunz+* Sia Janice Kuresa+ Yoka Larasati*

Brian K. Lassinger+* Marguerite Latterner* Benjamin Luss+ Brendan Lutes+ Virginia Ruth Lynn* Lisa Marut-Shriver+ Ken Mathews+* Scott Mermelstein+

Melissa Miles* James K Moore* Lydia Musher+ Robert Nash+ Benedict Tri Nguyen* Marie Parisot Olsen* Bill Parker+*

Jennifer S Paulson+* Justin M. Popkowski+ Julianne Preddy+ Lauren Price+

Greg Railsback+* Linda A Renner+* Douglas Rodenberger+* Carolyn Rogan+* James Romig+* Jennifer Romig+* Missy Roth* Scott Roth*

Emily Elizabeth Sanders+ David Santiago Alberto+* Tiffany Lam Sau* Angela Bongat Seaman+* Tony Sessions+* Allen Silagan+ Ashley Sorensen* Mark C Standridge* Carol Strawn+ Lauren Suchy+ Todd Swann+ Paul Van Dorn+ Mary Voigt+* Sarai Villatoro+ Beth Anne Weidler+ Clay West+

Crystal Lynn White+ Lance Thomas Wilcox* John Hardy Williams+* Lee Estes Williams+* David Frank Zurawski+*

+ Messiah * Very Merry Pops

VERY MERRY POPS CHORUS LEADERSHIP

MESSIAH CHORUS LEADERSHIP

Featured Program

Very merry pops

Program to be announced from the stage

Michael Krajewski, conductor N’Kenge, vocalist

Houston Symphony Chorus Carlin Truong, chorus preparation Allen Hightower, director

About the Music

Thursday, December 15

Jones Hall

7:30 p.m. Saturday, December 17 Jones Hall & Livestream 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 18 Jones Hall 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

PROGRAM INSIGHT

• Michael Krajewski started the Houston Symphony’s holiday tradition of Very Merry Pops concerts in December 2000. This year marks the show’s 23rd year.

• If you were to receive all the gifts in The 12 Days of Christmas, you would have a total of 364 gifts at the end of the 12 days.

Grand Guarantor Joella & Steven P. Mach Sponsor

Livestream of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger

• Classically trained at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, N’Kenge’s vocal and musical range spans five octaves and 11 languages.

• Most recently, N’Kenge played the role of The Moon, her first aerial role, in the Olivier Award-winning musical Caroline, or Change

• One of N’Kenge’s upcoming projects includes developing a TV musical series titled Black Butterfly along with award-winning writer Mary McCallum.

Program Bios

classical luminaries such as vocalist Marilyn Horne, flutist James Galway, pianist Alicia de Larrocha, and guitarists Pepe and Angel Romero.

heralded by The New York Times as “a classically trained diva that can stretch from Broadway to Pop, Soul and Opera.”

Known for his entertaining programs and engaging personality, Michael Krajewski is a much sought-after pops conductor in the United States, Canada, and abroad.

His 20-year relationship with the Houston Symphony included 17 years as Principal Pops Conductor. He also served as principal pops conductor of the Long Beach Symphony for 11 years, principal pops conductor of the Atlanta Symphony for eight years, music director of the Philly Pops for six years, and principal pops conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony for 25 years.

Michael’s busy schedule as a guest conductor includes concerts with major and regional orchestras across the United States. In Canada, he has appeared with the orchestras of Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, and KitchenerWaterloo. Overseas, he has performed in Ireland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Malaysia, and China.

Michael has conducted concerts featuring notable musicians and entertainers from many diverse music styles. He has worked with

In the field of popular music, he has performed with Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel, Kenny Loggins, Ben Folds, Rufus Wainright, Jason Alexander, Patti Austin, Sandi Patty, Megan Hilty, Matthew Morrison, Doc Severinsen, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Chieftains, Chicago, Pink Martini, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

Born in Detroit, Michael studied music education at Wayne State University and conducting at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He was an Antal Dorati Fellowship Conductor with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and subsequently served as the DSO’s assistant conductor for four years. Michael now lives in Florida with his wife, Darcy. In his spare time, he enjoys travel, photography, and solving crossword puzzles. 

After making her Broadway debut in Sondheim on Sondheim, she originated the role of Mary Wells in Motown: The Musical, which the New York Post called “ELECTRIFYING.”

As a vocal soloist, N’Kenge has performed jazz, pop, and opera concerts on renowned stages around the globe, from Italy’s Opera Estate to Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and Madison Square Garden. She has performed for presidents and dignitaries, including President Clinton and President Obama.

N’Kenge, vocalist

Grammy, Tony, and Emmynominated and International Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, actress, and producer N’Kenge’s incredible range is virtually unmatched. She has been

N’Kenge has won nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical for her roles in the Elton John/Tim Rice musical, Aida, and in Marion Caffey’s 3 Mo’ Divas. She starred in the Broadway revival of the Tony Award-nominated and Olivier Award-winning musical Caroline, or Change at the legendary Studio 54. Later this year, she will star in the Broadwaybound musical she conceived and produced on the life and legacy of the groundbreaking actress Dorothy Dandridge. She wrote and created Forever Summer—A Tribute to Donna Summer that is slated for a premiere at Carnegie Hall next season. And the new TV musical series, Black Butterfly, is one she created as well as co-wrote with award-winning writer Mary McCallum and is co-producing with TV producer Gina Goff.

With all her life achievements and accolades, the incredible multitalented N’Kenge shows no signs of slowing down.

Michael Krajewski, conductor

Featured Program

PNC Family Series HO-HOHOLIDAY!

Lucas Waldin, conductor Chelsea Cymone, vocalist Cypress Falls High School Choir Deidre Douglas, director Jersey Village High School Choir Gregory Moore, director

Program to be announced from the stage

Program Bios

Saturday, December 17

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Jones Hall 10:00 & 11:30 a.m.

Cypress Falls High School A Cappella Choir

Deidre Douglas, director

Grand Guarantor

Underwriter Vivian L. Smith Foundation Partner

The Houston Symphony’s Education, Family and Community Engagement concerts are supported in part by the Margarett and Alice Brown Endowment Fund for Education

The Cypress Falls A cappella Choir is a dynamic group of students with a reputation of being hard workers, eager to take on challenges, and quick to share their passion and love of music. Diversity, creativity, fun personalities, and “spirit” are infused in the character of this fine group of men and women. Historically, A cappella Choir participants have been National Merit Scholars, talented athletes and cheerleaders, and members of honor societies, District, Region, and All-State choirs, drill team, band, and various school clubs and organizations. Adding their spirit and passion to each performance is a long-standing tradition of this national and state-recognized varsity group. Their continuous goal is to dedicate themselves to a high standard of musical excellence.

Jersey Village High School A Cappella Choir

Gregory Moore, director

The Jersey Village High School A cappella Choir, celebrating its 50th year, is a diverse group of hard-working students committed to choral excellence. The group includes many talented scholars, athletes, cheerleaders, debaters, thespians, dancers, band and orchestra members, artists, and much more. These students share their love of music with each other and the community in multiple events throughout the year, building character and friendships along the way. Over the years, the Jersey Village A cappella Choir has won statewide competitions, achieved highly acclaimed recognition, and performed in numerous locations throughout the country. In addition, the program has graduated countless students that would go on to become successful music educators and performers. This strong tradition continues.

Program Bios

Lucas Waldin, conductor

Lucas Waldin is a dynamic and versatile conductor whose performances have delighted audiences across North America. He has collaborated with some of today’s most exciting artists, including Carly Rae Jepsen, The Barenaked Ladies, Crash Test Dummies, Ben Folds, The Canadian Brass, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, in addition to conducting presentations of Disney in Concert, Blue Planet Live, Cirque de la Symphonie, and the groundbreaking symphonic debut of R&B duo Dvsn as part of the global Red Bull Music Festival.

Lucas has been a guest conductor for numerous orchestras in the United States and Canada, including the Houston Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

A native of Toronto, Ontario,

Lucas holds degrees in flute and conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music. 

Chelsea Cymone, vocalist

The ability to command the stage as a vocalist or feature artist is not something every singer possesses. Chelsea Cymone does! A Houston native, Chelsea has been singing since she was five years old. With a foundation deeply rooted in the Baptist Church, she has been influenced by her family of singers throughout her life.

She developed her love for classical music as a student of Houston Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) and understood music from all aspects as an artist and as a performer.

Chelsea attended Prairie View A&M University’s school of music on scholarship with a concentration in operatic performance and quickly became a shining star. She began to explore other musical options, singing locally as a background vocalist. As she honed her gifts, other doors began to open.

Chelsea made her debut as a featured soloist with the Houston Symphony in 2018 in several POPS performances. This relationship has helped sustain her as a well-rounded vocalist. She has performed several times as the featured artist for the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner’s Christmas and Thanksgiving parades. She has performed as a background vocalist for Motown Gospel’s artist Gene Moore, Chante’ Moore, Mya, Michelle Williams of Destinys’s Child, Regina Belle, Kenny Latimore, and Ernest Walker entertainment. She is currently touring with Grammynominated artist Ella Mai.

With a desire to contribute a fresh sense of artistry to the music industry, Chelsea aspires to be one of the most soughtafter entertainers, vocalists, songwriters, and vocal producers while simultaneously working on original music. She has the ability to do both while helping other artists pursue their dreams. She loves the stage and appreciates every opportunity to share her most vulnerable self with the audience as she pours her heart into every performance.

BY THE NUMBERS HOUSTON SYMPHONY

cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Houston Symphony quickly pivoted to livestream content. It was clear the pandemic would have a significant impact on cultural institutions all over the world, forcing cancellations and closures, so in response, we launched our Living Room Series in May 2020. These livestreamed hour-long recitals spotlighted individual musicians from the orchestra performing from their homes. Following the success of that series, the Symphony returned to the stage in July 2020 with the launch of Live from Jones Hall, a concert series that featured livestreams of Jones Hall performances every Saturday night at 8 p.m. Although we have resumed normal in-person performances, we have decided to continue our Saturday night livestreams for the foreseeable future to make the joy of music accessible to a wider audience, in the Greater Houston area and beyond!

Our Donors

Annual Support

The Houston Symphony gratefully acknowledges those who support our artistic, educational, and community engagement programs through their generosity to our Annual Fund and Special Events. For more information, please contact Tim Richey, Director, Individual Giving, at tim.richey@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8531.

As of November 30, 2022

$100,000+

Gary & Marian Beauchamp/ The Beauchamp Foundation

Drs. Dennis & Susan Carlyle Joan & Bob Duff ** Drs. M.S. & Marie-Luise Kalsi

Cora Sue & Harry Mach ** Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Edith and Robert Zinn

$150,000+

Janice Barrow

Barbara J. Burger Janet F. Clark

Dr. Sippi & Mr. Ajay Khurana** Rochelle* & Max Levit

Barbara & Pat McCelvey** Bobbie Nau

John and Lindy Rydman/ Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Mike Stude

Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Margaret Alkek Williams

$25,000+

Farida Abjani

Ann & Jonathan Ayre** Dr. Gudrun H. Becker Eric D. Brueggeman

Ralph Burch

Michael H. Clark & Sallie Morian

Valerie Palmquist Dieterich & Tracy Dieterich Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Elsenbrook Ms. Carolyn Faulk Nanette B. Finger*

$15,000+

Marcie & Nick Alexos

Nina K. Andrews

Dr. Saúl & Ursula Balagura

Anne Morgan Barrett

Nancy & Walter Bratic

Mr. Gordon J. Brodfuehrer

Terry Ann Brown

Mr. Robert Bunch and Ms. Lilia Khakimova

Jane Cizik

Dr. Evan D. Collins

Roger & Debby Cutler

Dr. Alex Dell

Mr. & Mrs. Marvy A. Finger

Ms. Elia Gabbanelli

Steve & Mary Gangelhoff

Gary L. Hollingsworth and Kenneth J. Hyde Catherine & Brian James Mr. and Mrs. Parker Johnson Cheryl Boblitt and Bill King Mr. and Mrs. David B. Krieger Mr. & Mrs. U. J. LeGrange Cindy E. Levit Joella & Steven P. Mach Beth Madison Mrs. Carolyn & Dr. Michael Mann

$50,000+

Mr. Robert Boblitt Jr. Robin Angly & Miles Smith Albert & Anne Chao

Virginia A. Clark** Aggie L. Foster & Steve Simon

Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn Mr. and Mrs. Bashar Kalai John L. Nau III

Mr. & Mrs. J. Stephen Marks**

Terry Thomas

Hallie A. Vanderhider

Shirley W. Toomim

Stephen & Kristine Wallace

Robert G. Weiner & Toni Blankmann

Clare Attwell Glassell

Evan B. Glick

Mr. & Mrs. Fred L. Gorman

Claudia and David Hatcher

Mark & Ragna Henrichs

Mrs. James E. Hooks

Rebecca & Bobby Jee

Joan Kaplan

Gwen & Dan Kellogg

Dr. & Mrs. I. Ray Kirk

Dr. William & Alice Kopp

Mr. & Mrs. David B. Krieger

Ms. Nancey G. Lobb

John & Regina Mangum

Jay & Shirley* Marks

Mr. and Mrs. Jarrod Martin

Barry & Rosalyn Margolis Family Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis Muffy & Mike McLanahan Katie & Bob Orr Oliver Wyman Laurie A. Rachford Alana R. Spiwak & Sam L. Stolbun Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tsuru Dr. John R. Stroehlein and Miwa Sakashita

Michelle & Jack Matzer

Elizabeth McIngvale PHD

Dr. Eric McLaughlin & Mr. Eliodoro Castillo

Marvin & Martha McMurrey

Tammy & Wayne Nguyen Scott and Judy Nyquist

Dr. Susan Osterberg and Mr. Edward C. Osterberg Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan E. Parker

Mr. David Peavy and Mr. Stephen McCauley

Gloria & Joe Pryzant Allan & Jean Quiat Ron and Demi Rand Ed & Janet Rinehart

** Education and Community Engagement Donor * Deceased

Judith Vincent

Steven & Nancy Williams

Jeanie Kilroy Wilson & Wallace S. Wilson Mr. Jay Steinfeld & Mrs. Barbara Winthrop** Ellen A. Yarrell** Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber Anonymous

Mrs. Sybil F. Roos

Mr. Glen A. Rosenbaum

Donna Scott & Mitch Glassman

Margaret and Joel Shannon

Tad and Suzanne Smith

Anthony and Lori Speier

Drs. Carol & Michael Stelling

Margaret Waisman, M.D. & Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D. Dede Weil

Vicki West

Our Donors

Edward H. Andrews III

Dr. Angela R. Apollo

Mr. & Mrs. David J. Beck

Edward and Janette Blackburne

Mr. Bill Bullock

James & Dale Brannon Cheryl & Sam* Byington

Dr. Robert N. Chanon

Coneway Family Foundation Brad & Joan Corson

Andrew Davis & Corey Tu Mike & Debra Dishberger Vicky Dominguez

Connie Dyer

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey B. Firestone Eugene Fong

$10,000+ $5,000+

Dr. and Mrs. George J. Abdo

Lilly and Thurmon Andress**

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey B. Aron** Mr. Jeff Autor

Ms. Jacqueline Baly Mrs. Bonnie Bauer Kimberly and James Bell Joan H. Bitar, M.D.

Anne Boss Mrs. Vada Boyle

James and Judy Bozeman Mr. Chester Brooke and Dr. Nancy Poindexter Barbara A. Brooks

Ms. Deborah Butler

Marilyn Caplovitz

Dr. Ye-Mon Chen and Mrs. Chaing-Lin Chen Darleen and Jack Christiansen

Barbara A. Clark and Edgar A. Bering

Donna M. Collins

Mr. and Mrs. Byron Cooley Mr. and Mrs. Larry Corbin Ms. Miquel A. Correll Mr. and Mrs. Denis A. DeBakey

Ms. Elisabeth DeWitts

Kathy and Frank Dilenschneider Drs. Rosalind and Gary Dworkin

David and Carolyn Edgar Mr. William P. Elbel and Ms. Mary J. Schroeder

The Ensell Family

Mr. Parrish N. Erwin Jr.

Paula and Louis Faillace Ms. Ursula H. Felmet

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Franco Mr. and Mrs. Walter Finger Bill and Diana Freeman

Ms. Eugenia C. George Suzan and Julius Glickman

Mrs. Mary Foster-DeSimone and Mr. Don DeSimone

Ron Franklin & Janet Gurwitch

Mr. & Mrs. Russell M. Frankel

Nancy D. Giles

Mr. & Mrs. Jerry L. Hamaker

Ms. Katherine Hill

Marzena & Jacek Jaminski

Dr. Charles Johnson & Tammie Johnson

Ms. Carey Kirkpatrick

Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Leeke Marilyn G. Lummis

Mr. and Mrs. Ransom C. Lummis Sue Ann Lurcott Cindy Mao and Michael Ma

Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm L. Mazow

Terry & Kandee McGill Rita & Paul Morico

Ms. Leslie Nossaman

The Carl M. Padgett Family Sandra Paige, Veritas Title Partners

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Pastorek Dave & Alie Pruner

Lila Rauch

Mr. and Mrs. George A. Rizzo Jr.

Mr. Floyd W. Robinson Linda & Jerry Rubenstein

Toni Oplt & Ed Schneider Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Laura & Mike Shannon

Dr. & Mrs. Robert B. Sloan Houston Christian University

Mr. & Mrs. Jim R. Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Karl Strobl

Mr. William W. Stubbs

Mrs. Marguerite M. Swartz Cecilia & Luciano Vasconcellos

Mr. and Mrs. Tony Williford Jay & Gretchen Watkins

Doug & Kay Wilson

Ms. Beth Wolff ** Scott and Lori Wulfe Nina & Michael Zilkha Anonymous (3)

Joseph E. Goetz & Mrs. Grace Ho Jo and Billie Jo Graves The Greentree Fund Mrs. Tami A. Grubb Mr. and Mrs. Frank Herzog Mrs. Ann G. Hightower Mr. and Mrs. William D. Hunt Steve and Kerry Incavo Mr. Michael Jang Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Jankovic Stephen Jeu and Susanna Calvo Phil and Josephine John Beverly Johnson Mr. and Mrs. John F. Joity Debbie and Frank Jones Dr. Rita Justice Ms. Linda R. Katz Mr. Mark Klitzke and Dr. Angela Chen Mr. Kenneth E. Kurtzman Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Ladin Golda Anne Leonard Richard Loewenstern Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Matiuk

Ms. Kathy McCraigh John & Dorothy McDonald Mr. and Mrs. Michael McGuire

Alison and Ara Malkhassian Mr. and Mrs. William B. McNamara

Mr. and Mrs. D. Bradley McWilliams Mr. Stephen Mendoza

Stephen & Marilyn Miles Dr. and Mrs. Miguel Miro Quesada

Ginni and Richard Mithoff Dr. and Mrs. Jack Moore Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Moynier Aprill Nelson Mr. and Mrs. Robert E.

Nelson Bobbie Newman

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey B. Newton Jenni and Todd Olges Katherine and Jonathan Palmer Mr. and Mrs. Raul Pavon Michael P. and Shirley Pearson Mr. Robert J. Pilegge Dr. and Mrs. Taj Popatia Heather and Chris Powers Tim and Katherine Pownell Roland and Linda Pringle Cris and Elisa Pye Kathryn and Richard Rabinow Bradley L. Radoff and Monica Hoz De Vila Dr. and Mrs. George H. Ransford Jan Rhodes Jill & Allyn Risley Dr. Douglas and Alicia Rodenberger Harold H. Sandstead, M.D. Mr. Tony W. Schlicht Garry and Margaret Schoonover Dr. Mark A. Schusterman Kathy & Ed Segner Susan and Ed Septimus Donna and Tim Shen Mr. and Mrs. Steven Sherman Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Smith Sam and Linda Snyder Georgiana Stanley Mr. and Mrs. Keith Stevenson Wesley L. Story Drs. Ishwaria and Vivek Subbiah Stephanie and Bill Swingle Susan L. Thompson Eric and Carol Timmreck Nanako and Dale Tingleaf

Pamalah* and Stephen Tipps

James F. Trippett

Mr. and Mrs. David Vannauker Mr. and Mrs. David Walstad General and Mrs. Jasper Welch

Nancy B. Willerson **

Ms. Barbara E. Williams

Doug Williams and Janice Robertson

Loretta and Lawrence Williams

Ms. Tara Wilson Woodell Family Foundation Mrs. Lorraine Wulfe

Robert and Michele Yekovich Mr. and Mrs. Edward R. Ziegler

Erla & Harry Zuber Anonymous (5)

Our Donors

Pat and John Anderson

Mr. Tom Anderson

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen J. Banks Drs. Henry and Louise Bethea

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Bickel George Boerger Robert and Gwen Bray Joe Brazzatti Mr. and Mrs. Bruce G. Buhler Justice Brett and Erin Busby Kori and Chris Caddell Mr. Steve Carroll and Ms. Rachel Dolbier Mr. and Mrs. Brady F. Carruth Drs. David A. Cech and Mary R. Schwartz Matt Chuchla

Jimmy and Lynn Coe

Richard Collins

Consurgo Sunshine Ms. Jeanette Coon and Thomas Collins James Cross Mrs. Myriam Degreve Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Delgado Joseph and Rebecca Demeter

Jeanette and John DiFilippo Ms. Cynthia Diller Mrs. Edward N. Earle Mrs. Julie Earley David and Carolyn Edgar Aubrey & Sylvia Farb Edwin Friedrichs and Darlene Clark**

Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Fusillo Ms. Lucy Gebhart Wendy Germani Alyson and Elliot Gershenson Kathy and Albrecht Goethe Ms. Lidiya Gold Susan and Kevin Golden Marcos Gonzalez

Mr. and Mrs. Herb Goodman Julianne and David Gorte Mr. and Mrs. Mark Grace Mr. William Gray and Mrs. Clare Fontenot-Gray Mr. Mario Gudmundsson

Eric and Angelea Halen Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Hall Dr. and Mrs. Carlos R. Hamilton Jr. Ms. Deborah Happ and Mr. Richard Rost Mr. & Mrs. Houston Haymon Maureen Y. Higdon** Katherine and Archibald Govan Hill IV Mr. Stanley Hoffberger Mr. and Mrs. John Homier Mr. Daniel Irion

Laura and Rick C. Jaramillo Mady and Ken Kades Jane and Kevin Kremer Mr. and Mrs. Richard Langenstein

Mr. William W. Lindley Mr. and Mrs. Stephen A. Lubanko Mr. and Mrs. Peter MacGregor

Mr. and Mrs. Wallis Marsh Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Mason David and Heidi Massin Mary Ann and David McKeithan Ms. Kristen Meneilly Larry and Lyn Miller Mrs. Suzanne Miller David Mincberg & Lainie Gordon

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Molloy Denise Monteleone Jo Ann and Marvin Mueller Mr. and Mrs. Richard Murphy Jessica & Erick Navas Ms. Barbara Nussmann Macky Osorio Rochelle and Sheldon Oster Mr. Joe Pacetti-De'Medici

Nancy Parra Kusum & K. Cody Patel Linda Tarpley Peterson Mr. and Mrs. Arnaud Pichon Dr. and Mrs. James L. Pool Dr. Vanitha Pothuri Mrs. Dana Puddy Clinton and Leigh Rappole Mr. and Mrs. J.B. Reimer Mrs. Adelina Romero Mr. and Mrs. John Ryder Mr. Robert T. Sakowitz

Harold H. Sandstead, M.D. Gina and Saib Saour

Lawrence P. Schanzmeyer Dr. Mark A. Schusterman

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Schwarzbach

Mr. and Mrs. Dilanka Seimon

Becky Shaw

Mr. and Dr. Adrian D. Shelley Arthur E. and Ellen Shelton

Leslie Siller**

Hinda Simon

Ms. Diana Skerl

Mr. and Mrs. Cooper Smith

David Smith and Elizabeth A. Fagan Mr. Michael Smith

Richard and Mary Spies

Jeaneen and Tim Stastny Meredith and Ralph Stone

Mr. and Mrs. Hans Strohmer

Mr. and Ms. Kerr Taylor

Juliana and Stephen Tew

Jean and Doug Thomas

Courtney & Bill Toomey Sal and Denise Torrisi

Dr. Brad and Mrs. Frances Urquhart

Patricia Van Allan

Dean Walker

H. Richard Walton

Nancy Ames and Danny Ward Alton and Carolyn Warren Ms. Katherine Warren

Dr. and Mrs. Richard T. Weiss Dr. Robert Wilkins and Dr. Mary Ann ReynoldsWilkins Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Williams Jerry and Gerlind Wolinksy Anonymous (2)

Young Associates Council

The Houston Symphony’s Young Associates Council (YAC) is a philanthropic membership group for young professionals, music aficionados, and performing arts supporters interested in exploring symphonic music within Houston’s flourishing artistic landscape. YAC members are afforded exclusive opportunities to participate in musically focused events that take place not only in Jones Hall, but also in the city’s most sought-after venues, private homes, and friendly neighborhood hangouts. From behind-the-scenes interactions with the musicians of the Houston Symphony to jaw-dropping private performances by world-class virtuosos, the Houston Symphony’s Young Associates Council offers incomparable insight and accessibility to the music and musicians that are shaping the next era of orchestral music.

Kusum Patel, Chair

Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl, Vice Chair

Laurel Flores, Communications Chair Jeff Hiller, Membership Chair

Christopher P. Armstrong and Laura Schaffer

Ann and Jonathan Ayre

Lauren and Mark Bahorich

Tim Ong and Michael Baugh

Kimberly and James Bell Jr. Emily Bivona and Ryan Manser

Carrie and Sverre Brandsberg-Dahl# Eric Brueggeman

Ryan Cantrell

Haydée del Calvo and Esteban Montero Kendall and Jim Cross Denise Davis Valerie Palmquist Dieterich and Tracy Dieterich Vicky Dominguez

Jamie Everett Claudio Gutierrez Elaine and Jeff Hiller#

Mariana and James O. Huff III Carey Kirkpatrick

Joel Luks

Elissa and Jarrod Martin Kelser McMiller#

Shane Miller

Emily and Joseph MorrelPorter Hedges LLP Stephanie Weber and Paul Muri Aprill Nelson#

Toni Oplt and Ed Schneider

Kusum and K. Cody Patel# Liana and Andrew Schwaitzberg#

Nadhisha and Dilanka Seimon Aerin and Quentin Smith# Justin Stenberg# Ishwaria and Vivek Subbiah

Amber Ali

Amanda Beatriz

Laura and William Black

Lindsay Buchanan#

Adair and Kevin Brueggeman

Greta Carlson

David Chaluh

Lincoln Chen

Megan and John Degenstein

Chante Westmoreland Dillard

Laurel Flores#

Carolyn and Patrick Gaidos

Kallie Gallagher

Patrick B. Garvey

Amy Goodpasture

Rebecca and Andrew Gould

Nicholas Gruy

Ashley and John Horstman C. Birk Hutchens

Mariya Idenova

Jonathan Jan Anna Kaplan

Allegra Lilly and Robin Kesselman

Serene Lee

Kirby and David Lodholz# Gwen and Jay McMurrey Miriam Meriwani

Zoe Miller

David Moyer

Trevor Myers

Lee Bar-Eli and Cliff Nash

Lauren Paine

Blake Plaster

Clarice Jacobson and Brian Rosenzweig

Chicovia Scott

Leonardo Soto Maria Spadaro

Bryce Swinford

Elise Wagner#

Genevera Allen and Michael Weylandt

Hannah Whitney Marquis Wincher Leonard and Kristin Wood Owen Zhang

For more information, please contact Katie Salvatore, Development Officer & Board Liaison, at katie.salvatore@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8544. # Steering Committee

Corporate, Foundation & Government Partners

The Houston Symphony is proud to recognize the leadership support of our corporate, foundation, and government partners that allows the orchestra to reach new heights in musical performance, education, and community engagement, for Greater Houston and the Gulf Coast Region.

CORPORATE PARTNERS (as of November 30, 2022)

Principal Corporate Guarantor ($250,000 and above)

Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods / Spec’s Charitable Foundation**

Grand Guarantor ($150,000 and above)

ConocoPhillips**

Guarantor ($100,000 and above)

Bank of America

Boston Consulting Group* Frost Bank

Underwriter ($50,000 and above)

Accordant Advisors* Baker Botts L.L.P.*

Cameron Management* Chevron** CKP Group* Engie**

Houston Christian University

Sponsor ($25,000 and above)

EOG Resources

The Events Company* H-E-B/H-E-B Tournament of Champions**

Partner ($15,000 and above)

City Kitchen* Faberge Gorman’s Uniform Service

Supporter ($10,000 and above)

Houston First Corporation* Macy’s** Mark Kamin & Associates New Timmy Chan Corporation

Benefactor ($5,000 and above)

Bank of Texas

Beck Redden LLP

BHP

Frankly Organic Vodka

Patron (Gifts below $5,000)

Amazon Baker Hughes BeDESIGN* Christian Dior Gulf Coast Distillers *

Houston Public MediaNews 88.7 FM; Channel 8 PBS*

Houston Methodist* Kalsi Engineering PaperCity*

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo**

Kinder Morgan Foundation** Kirkland & Ellis

The Lancaster Hotel* Occidental** PNC**

Marine Foods Express, Ltd. Neiman Marcus*

One Market Square Garage*

Jackson & Company* Locke Lord LLP

Nordstrom** Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, L.L.P.

Quantum Energy Partners

KTRK ABC-13*

Shell USA, Inc.** Tenenbaum Jewelers*

Rand Group, LLC* Sewell Truist United Airlines* Vinson & Elkins LLP

Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC Univision Houston & Amor 06.5FM

Lockton Companies of Houston USI Southwest

Silver Eagle Beverages* Sire Spirits Beth Wolff Realtors Zenfilm*

Mutiny Wine Room

Russell Reynolds Associates, Inc. University of St. Thomas*

KPMG US Foundation, Inc. Mercantil ONEOK, Inc. Quantum Bass Center*

SEI, Global Institutional Group

For information on becoming a corporate partner, please contact Timothy Dillow, Director, Corporate Relations, at timothy.dillow@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8538.

Wortham Insurance & Risk Management

Smith, Graham & Company

Stewart Title Company TAM International, Inc.

* Includes in-kind support **Education and Community Engagement Support

Corporate, Foundation & Government Partners

FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

Diamond Guarantor ($1,000,000 and above)

The Brown Foundation, Inc. Houston Symphony Endowment**

Premier Guarantor ($500,000 and above)

The Alkek and Williams Foundation

Grand Guarantor ($150,000 and above)

City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board**

The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts

Guarantor ($100,000 and above)

The Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation

Underwriter ($50,000 and above)

Beauchamp Foundation

The Elkins Foundation The Fondren Foundation

Sponsor ($25,000 and above)

William S. & Lora Jean Kilroy Foundation

The Vivian L. Smith Foundation**

Partner ($15,000 and above)

Ruth & Ted Bauer Family Foundation***

The Melbern G. & Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation**

Supporter ($10,000 and above)

Edward H. Andrews

The Carleen & Alde Fridge Foundation

Benefactor ($5,000 and above)

Leon Jaworski Foundation

Patron (Gifts below $5,000)

The Lubrizol Foundation

The Scurlock Foundation

(As of November 30, 2022)

Houston Symphony League The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance The Cullen Foundation

The Hearst Foundation** The Humphreys Foundation MD Anderson Foundation National Endowment for the Arts

The Houston Arts Combined Endowment Fund

Houston Symphony Chorus Endowment LTR Lewis Cloverdale Foundation

The C. Howard Pieper Foundation

Texas Commission on the Arts**

John P. McGovern Foundation** The Powell Foundation**

The William Stamps Farish Fund

William E. & Natoma Pyle Harvey Charitable Foundation**

Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation The Hood-Barrow Foundation

George & Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Petrello Family Foundation

The Schissler Foundation The Vaughn Foundation

The Pierce Runnells Foundation Sterling-Turner Foundation Strake Foundation**

The Radoff Family Foundation

Keith & Mattie Stevenson Foundation

For information about becoming a foundation or government partner, please contact Christina Trunzo, Director, Foundation Relations, at christina.trunzo@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8530.

**Education and Community Engagement Support

Houston Symphony Endowment

The Houston Symphony Endowment is a separate nonprofit organization that invests contributions for the benefit of the Houston Symphony Society.

Create your named endowed fund or endow a musican chair through a planned gift such as a bequest. Your gift will not only help strengthen the financial sustainability of the orchestra, but also create a way for your family and friends to celebrate your commitment to the Houston Symphony by the fund in your honor.

For more information, please contact Christine Ann Stevens, Director of Major Gifts, at christine.stevens@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8521.

TRUSTEES

James H. Lee III, President David Krieger

ENDOWMENT FUNDS $250,000+

Janice H. and Thomas D. Barrow Chair

Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Cello

The Brown Foundation Guest Pianist Fund

The Brown Foundation Miller Outdoor Theatre Fund in memory of Hanni and Stewart Orton, Legacy Society Co-Founders

Margarett and Alice Brown Fund for Education

Janet F. Clark Fund

Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Juraj Valčuha, Music Director

The Cullen Foundation Maestro’s Fund

The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Fund for Creative Initiatives

The Margaret and James Elkins Foundation Fund

The Virginia Lee Elverson Trust Fund

Fondren Foundation Chair Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster

William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs

William Dee Hunt Lynn Mathre

Jerome Simon Scott Wise

The General and Mrs. Maurice Hirsch

Memorial Concert Fund in memory of Theresa Meyer and Jules Hirsch, beloved parents of General Maurice Hirsch, and Rosetta Hirsch Weil and Josie Hirsch Bloch, beloved sisters of General Maurice Hirsch

General Maurice Hirsch Chair Aralee Dorough, Principal Flute

Houston Symphony Chorus Fund

Joan and Marvin Kaplan Fund

Ellen E. Kelley Chair Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster

Max Levine Chair Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster

Mary R. Lewis Fund for Piano Performance

M.D. Anderson Foundation Fund

Mary Lynn and Steve Marks Fund Barbara and Pat McCelvey Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Endowed Chair

William VerMeulen, Principal Horn

Monroe L. Mendelsohn Jr. Fund

George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Summer Concerts Fund

Bobbie Nau Chair Mark Nuccio, Principal Clarinet

C. Howard Pieper Foundation Fund

Walter W. Sapp Fund, Legacy Society Co-Founder

Fayez Sarofim Guest Violinist Fund through the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts

The Schissler Foundation Fund

Spec’s Charitable Foundation Salute to Educators Concert Fund

The Micijah S. Stude Special Production Fund

Bobby and Phoebe Tudor Fund

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair John Mangum, Executive Director/CEO

The Wortham Foundation Classical Series Fund in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham

Legacy Society

The Legacy Society honors those who have included the Houston Symphony Endowment in their long-term estate plans through a bequest in a will, life-income gifts, or other deferred-giving arrangements.

For more information, please contact Christine Ann Stevens, Director of Major Gifts, at christine.stevens@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8521.

CRESCENDO

CIRCLE $100,000+ (As of November 10, 2022)

Dr. and Mrs. George J. Abdo

Priscilla R. Angly

Jonathan and Ann Ayre Myra W. Barber

Janice Barrow

Jim Barton

James Bell

Joe Anne Berwick*

Joan H. Bitar, MD James and S. Dale Brannon Walter and Nancy Bratic Joe Brazzatti

Terry Ann Brown Mary Kathryn Campion and Stephen Liston Drs. Dennis and Susan Carlyle Janet F. Clark

Virginia A. Clark Mr. William E. Colburn Andria N. Elkins

Farida Abjani

Dr. Antonio Arana*

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey B. Aron George* and Betty Bashen Dr. Joan Hacken Bitar

Dorothy B. Black* Kerry Levine Bollmann Ermy Borlenghi Bonfield

Zu Broadwater

Dr. Joan K. Bruchas* and Mr. H. Philip Cowdin* Mr. Christopher and Mrs. Erin Brunner

Eugene R. Bruns Cheryl and Sam* Byington Sylvia J. Carroll

Dr. Robert N. Chanon

William J. Clayton and Margaret A. Hughes

Mr. and Mrs. Byron Cooley

The Honorable* and Mrs. William Crassas

Dr. Lida S. Dahm

Leslie Barry Davidson

Susan Feickert

Ginny Garrett

Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Gendel Michael B. George

Mauro H. Gimenez and Connie A. Coulomb

Bill Grieves*

Mr. Robert M. Griswold

Jean and Jack* Ellis

The Aubrey* and Sylvia Farb Family

Helen Hudspeth Flores*

Eugene Fong Mrs. Aggie L. Foster Stephen and Mariglyn Glenn Evan B. Glick Jo A. and Billie Jo Graves

Mario Gudmundsson

Deborah Happ and Richard Rost

Marilyn and Bob Hermance Dr. Charles and Tammie Johnson Dr. Rita Justice

Mr. and Mrs. U. J. LeGrange Joella and Steven P. Mach Martha and Alexander Matiuk Michelle and Jack Matzer

Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm L. Mazow Bill and Karinne McCullough Muffy and Mike McLanahan Dr. Georgette M. Michko Dr. Robert M. Mihalo* Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Mueller Drs. John and Dorothy Oehler

Gloria G. Pryzant Constance E. Roy Donna Scott Charles and Andrea Seay Mr. and Mrs. James A. Shaffer Michael J. Shawiak Jule* and Albert* Smith Louis* and Mary Kay Snyder Ronald Mikita* & Rex Spikes

Frank Shroeder Stanford in memory of Dr. Walter O. Stanford

Mike and Anita* Stude

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Elba L. Villarreal

Margaret Waisman, M.D. and Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D.

Mr. and Mrs. Fredric A. Weber

Robert G. Weiner & Toni Blankmann

Vicki West in honor of Hans Graf Susan Gail Wood Jo Dee Wright Ellen A. Yarrell

Anonymous (2)

Randolph Lee Groninger Claudio J. Gutierrez

Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Hamaker Gloria L. Herman*

Timothy Hogan and Elaine Anthony Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth Dr. Edward J. and Mrs. Patti* Hurwitz Dr. Kenneth Hyde Brian and Catherine James Barbara and Raymond Kalmans

Dr. James E. and Betty W. Key

Dr. and Mrs. I. Ray Kirk Mrs. Frances E. Leland Samuel J. Levine Mrs. Lucy Lewis Sandra Magers

David Ray Malone and David J. Sloat

Mr. and Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis

Jay and Shirley* Marks James G. Matthews Mary Ann and David McKeithan

Dr. Tracey Samuels and Mr. Robert McNamara

Mr. and Mrs. D. Bradley McWilliams Catherine Jane Merchant Marilyn Ross Miles and Stephen Warren Miles Foundation Sidney and Ione Moran Janet Moynihan* Richard and Juliet Moynihan Gretchen Ann Myers Patience Myers John N. Neighbors* in memory of Jean Marie Neighbors Mr.* and Mrs. Richard C. Nelson Bobbie Newman John and Leslie Niemand Leslie Nossaman Dave G. Nussmann* John Onstott Macky Osorio Edward C. Osterberg Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Edmund and Megan Pantuliano Imogen “Immy” Papadopoulos Christine and Red Pastorek Peter* and Nina Peropoulos Linda Tarpley Peterson Sara M. Peterson Darla Powell Phillips

Jenny and Tadjin Popatia

Geraldine Smith Priest Dana Puddy Patrick T. Quinn

Lila Rauch Ed and Janet Rinehart Mr. Floyd W. Robinson

Walter Ross

Dr. and Mrs. Kazuo Shimada Lisa and Jerry Simon Tad and Suzanne Smith

Sherry Snyder

Marie Speziale

Emily H. and David K. Terry Stephen G. Tipps Steve Tostengard, in memory of Ardyce Tostengard

Jana Vander Lee Bill and Agnete Vaughan Dean B. Walker

Stephen and Kristine Wallace

Geoffrey Westergaard

Nancy B. Willerson

Jennifer R. Wittman

Lorraine and Ed* Wulfe David and Tara Wuthrich

Katherine and Mark Yzaguirre Edith and Robert Zinn Anonymous (8)

Musician Sponsorships

Donors at the Sponsorship Circle level and above are provided the opportunity to be recognized as sponsoring a Houston Symphony Musician.

For more information, please contact Samantha S. Olinsky, Major Gifts Officer, at samantha.olinsky@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8534.

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura Charles Seo, Cello

Janice Barrow

Sophia Silivos, First Violin

Gary and Marian Beauchamp/ The Beauchamp Foundation Martha Chapman, Second Violin

Nancy and Walter Bratic Christopher Neal, First Violin

Mr. Gordon J. Brodfuehrer Maki Kubota, Cello

Mr. Robert Bunch and Ms. Lilia Khakimova

Alexander Potiomkin, Bass Clarinet and Clarinet

Ralph Burch

Robin Kesselman, Principal Double Bass

Barbara J. Burger Andrew Pedersen, Double Bass

Mary Kathryn Campion, PhD Rodica Gonzalez, First Violin

Drs. Dennis and Susan Carlyle Louis-Marie Fardet, Cello

Jane Cizik

Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster

Janet F. Clark

MuChen Hsieh, Principal Second Violin

Michael H. Clark and Sallie Morian

Assistant Principal Viola

Virginia A. Clark

Christian Harvey, Shepherd School-Houston Symphony Brown Foundation CommunityEmbedded Fellow

Roger and Debby Cutler

Tong Yan, First Violin

Joan and Bob Duff

Robert Johnson, Associate Principal Horn

Steve and Mary Gangelhoff

Judy Dines, Flute

Stephen and Mariglyn Glenn Christian Schubert, Clarinet

Evan B. Glick

Tong Yan, First Violin

Mr. and Mrs. Fred L. Gorman

Christopher French, Associate Principal Cello

Mark and Ragna Henrichs

Donald Howey, Double Bass

Gary L. Hollingsworth and Kenneth J. Hyde

Robert Walp, Assistant Principal Trumpet

Drs. M.S. and Marie-Luise Kalsi Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster

Joan Kaplan

Mark Nuccio, Principal Clarinet

Dr. Sippi and Mr. Ajay Khurana

David Connor, Double Bass –Community-Embedded Musician

Dr. and Mrs. I. Ray Kirk

John C. Parker, Associate Principal Trumpet

Dr. William and Alice Kopp Leonardo Soto, Principal Timpani

Rochelle and Max Levit Sergei Galperin, First Violin

Cora Sue and Harry Mach Joan DerHovsepian, Acting Principal Viola

Joella and Steven P. Mach Eric Larson, Double Bass

Mrs. Carolyn and Dr. Michael Mann Ian Mayton, Horn

Mr. and Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster

Mr. and Mrs. J. Stephen Marks

Brian Del Signore, Principal Percussion

Mr. Jay Marks

Sergei Galperin, First Violin Michelle and Jack Matzer Kurt Johnson, First Violin Barbara and Pat McCelvey Adam Dinitz, English Horn Muffy and Mike McLanahan William VerMeulen, Principal Horn

Dr. Eric McLaughlin and Mr. Eliodoro Castillo Jonathan Fischer, Principal Oboe Martha and Marvin McMurrey Rodica Gonzalez, First Violin Rita and Paul Morico Elise Wagner, Bassoon Scott and Judy Nyquist Sheldon Person, Viola Dr. Susan Osterberg and Mr. Edward C. Osterberg Jr. MiHee Chung, First Violin Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan E. Parker

Nancy Goodearl, Horn Gloria and Joe Pryzant Matthew Strauss, Percussion Allan and Jean Quiat Richard Harris, Trumpet Laurie A. Rachford

Timothy Dilenschneider, Associate Principal Double Bass Ron and Demi Rand Annie Chen, Second Violin Ed & Janet Rinehart

Amy Semes, Associate Principal Violin Mrs. Sybil F. Roos Mark Hughes, Principal Trumpet

Mr. Glen A. Rosenbaum Aralee Dorough, Principal Flute

John and Lindy Rydman / Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods

Anthony Kitai, Cello

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Shaffer Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster

Margaret and Joel Shannon

Rainel Joubert, Violin–Community-Embedded Musician

Tad and Suzanne Smith

Marina Brubaker, First Violin

Alana R. Spiwak and Sam L. Stolbun

Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal Viola

Mike Stude

Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Cello

Bobby and Phoebe Tudor Bradley White, Acting Principal Trombone

Judith Vincent

Matthew Roitstein, Associate Principal Flute

Margaret Waisman, M.D. and Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D. Mark Griffith, Percussion

Stephen and Kristine Wallace Rian Craypo, Principal Bassoon

Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber Position Open, Harp Robert G. Weiner and Toni Blankman

Anastasia Ehrlich, Second Violin

Vicki West

Rodica Gonzalez, First Violin

Steven and Nancy Williams

MiHee Chung, First Violin

Jeanie Kilroy Wilson and Wallace S. Wilson

Xiao Wong, Cello

Nina and Michael Zilkha Kurt Johnson, First Violin

share the sounds of the season!

Who doesn’t feel the joy from the soaring voices of the “Hallelujah” chorus or the warmth of traditional carols full of yuletide cheer?

Music is truly a powerful conveyer of depth, emotion, and nostalgia. Help share the sounds of the season that only your Houston Symphony can create with a gift to the Annual Fund today!

Donors provide two-thirds of our annual budget each season. Please consider a gift to the Houston Symphony this holiday season and give the gift of music to our community.

Thank You and Happy Holidays!

Scan here to learn more about the different ways to give this season

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2023 BRIGITTE KALAI, FARIDA ABJANI, CHERYL BOBLITT, BILL KING AUCTION CHAIR | BETTY TUTOR

JOIN THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY FOR A GLAMOROUS EVENING AT THE POST OAK HOTEL CELEBRATING THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD!

The evening will feature a red carpet, a silent auction filled with extravagant items, a gourmet dinner with wine pairings, music and dancing, and tributes to classic movies of the 1930s and ’40s. Proceeds from the event and auction benefit the Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement initiatives.

Please contact Stacey Swift, Director of Special Events, at stacey.swift@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8523 for information. We hope to see you there!

Houston Methodist strives to provide high-quality health care to all patients in a spiritual environment. Houston Methodist includes seven hospitals in the Houston area, delivering care closer to home. Its flagship, Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, was named to U.S. News & World Report’s prestigious Honor Roll and the No. 1 hospital in Texas and Houston.

In addition to being the official health care provider for the Houston Symphony, Houston Methodist offers unique benefits to artists through its Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM). As the only center of its kind in the country, CPAM is composed of a specialized group of more than 100 elite physicians collaboratively working to address the specific demands placed on artists.

Powered by the latest generation, state-of-the-art generator, e Village of River Oaks provides its residents the safety and security to weather whatever mother nature has in store. As the only senior living company in Houston with the newest high-powered generators, residents are able to live with peace of mind knowing their safety and comfort is prioritized.

holiday traditions

with the houston symphony orchestra & chorus

I love spending all day Christmas Eve at my church (St. Martin’s Episcopal) playing services.

My husband, Jim, and I love to make traditional Italian cookies called pizzelles during the Christmas season. They’re thin, pressed cookies that look a little like snowflakes and are dusted with powdered sugar. All of our friends know to expect them as gifts during December!

For Thanksgiving, we always invite the ‘stray’ musicians without a family in town to join us—lots of music talk, lots of wine, and lots of fun! We also have a party for our cello section and their families every December—the least I can do for one of the best cello sections on the planet! “

“ “

I love a Christmas tree with lots of lights. One of the last things is to put the abominable snowman from ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ on top of the tree. I always revert to about six-years-old and start screaming.

We like to sing at nursing homes Christmas morning, right after breakfast and before opening gifts at home. It makes the day a little bit more special. My disease has prevented us from participating in this some years, but that is the hope each Christmas morning.

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My family loves to drive around and see beautiful holiday lights, bake my mom’s famous Christmas cookies, and watch classic holiday movies. And this year, we’ll add Very Merry Pops to the list!

Mark Hughes

Principal Trumpet George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Chair

Brinton Averil Smith Principal Cello Janice and Thomas Barrow Chair

Grace Roman Chorus Member

Allison Arnold Chorus Member

Colin Gatwood Oboe

Ashley Sorenson Chorus Member

Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana Street houstonsymphony.org