Gershwin
Concerto In FCirque de la Symphonie Juraj Valčuha Inaugural Weekend: Verdi Requiem Joshua Bell Shostakovich+ 5 InTUNE September 2022
4Houston Symphony GREENWOOD KING 3201 KIRBY DRIVE / 1616 S. VOSS RD., SUITE 900 / 1801 HEIGHTS BLVD. HOUSTON, TEXAS a place to find your home Pine Valley River Oaks, $3..6 mil. Colleen 713.858.6699Sherlock Tanglewood,Huckleberry$3.3+ mil. Sharon 713.822.3895Ballas Roaring Brook Hunters Creek, $2.4+ mil. Debbie 713.870.4645Levine Bayou Tanglewood,Glen$1.9+ mil. Susan Branda Martin 832.794.9662 RiverPelhamOaks, $1.8+ mil. Cameron Ansari, 713.240.2611 Teresa Byrne-Dodge UpperLakeKirby, $1.5+ mil. Caroline King Billipp 713.670.4214 RiverChiltonOaks, $5.7+ mil. Alex Heins, 713.417.4793 Kristin Tillman, 281.785.3566 Chevy Chase River Oaks, $5.4+ mil. Pama 832.715.7995Abercrombie PineyClaymorePoint,$4.9+ mil. Sharon 713.822.3895Ballas HuntersThamerCreek, $4.9+ mil. Tim 713.320.5881Surratt Winston Woods Close-in Memorial, $3.8+ mil. Colleen 713.858.6699Sherlock Sunset Blvd. West University, $3.6+ mil. Kathy 713.822.1749Arcidiacono WE’RE LOCAL WE’RE GLOBAL®
2 INTUNE September 2022 Welcome to the Houston Symphony 2 Your Symphony Experience 4 Juraj Valčuha, Music Director 6 Orchestra Roster 8 Society Board of Trustees 10 Administrative Staff 12 Neighborhood Concerts 13 Programs Cirque de la Symphonie 14 Verdi Requiem 20 Joshua Bell + Shostakovich 5 32 Gershwin Concerto in F 38 Houston Symphony Chorus 30 Houston Symphony Donors 45 Young Associates Council 48 Corporate, Foundation, & Gov. Partners 49 Houston Symphony Endowment 51 Legacy Society 52 Musician Sponsorships 53 Orchestra Support Series with HISD 54 2022 Wine Dinner and Collector’s Auction 58
This season, we begin a new era. We welcome Juraj Valčuha as our new Music Director. And the concerts this month give a sense of where our musical journey is headed. Cornerstones of the repertoire, such as the Verdi Requiem and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, rub shoulders with new works by Nico Muhly—a world premiere celebrating this new partnership between conductor and orchestra—Adolphus Hailstork and Shawn Okpebholo. Great artists will continue to join the orchestra—Joshua Bell in Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, Jeffrey Kahane as soloist and conductor. The Symphony will continue to lead the way in presenting innovative projects, exemplified by Cirque de la Symphonie, our Bank of America POPS season opener with our own Steven Reineke.
WELCOME TO THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY
I look forward to seeing you at the concerts!
Dear Music Lovers,
An artistic leadership change at the Houston Symphony is a rare and exciting moment. The Houston Symphony is one of our country’s, and, indeed, the world’s, great orchestras. In our 109 years, we have only had 15 Music Directors, including legendary conductors such as Leopold Stokowski and Sir John Barbirolli, as well as Christoph Eschenbach, one of the greatest artists of our own time.
Curiosity is central to our plans, and we invite you to join us on this journey of discovery. Every concert is a chance to explore what music has to offer to all of us. Music inspires, and it brings us together. Sharing emotions through live music is a one-of-a-kind experience. We can’t wait to share all of the great musical moments this season has in store with you, our audience.
John ExecutiveMangumDirector/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
2Houston Symphony
CONGRATULATIONS ALLEN HIGHTOWER PROFESSOR & DIRECTOR OF CHORAL STUDIES | UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS COLLEGE OF MUSIC DIRECTOR THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY CHORUS, 2022-2023 music.unt.edu
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, 66foot 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 20th century.
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.
Please silence all electronic devices before the performance. Photography and audio/video recordings of these performances are strictly prohibited.
For lost and found inquiries, please contact Patron Experience Coordinator Freddie Piegsa during the performance. He also can be reached at piegsa@houstonsymphony.org.freddie.You also
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.
LATE SEATING
TICKETS
ETIQUETTE
your experiencesymphony
4
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.
8Houston Symphony
JONES HALL
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.
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may contact Houston First after the performances at 832.487.7050
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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.
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 Ifrefund.youare
9 INTUNE August 2022 SEASON SPONSORS ROUPG R AND Great PerformersGold Classics Favorite Masters POPS Series SERIES SPONSORS Preferred Jewelry Partner Official Health Care Provider Official Television Partner Official AirlinePrincipal Corporate Guarantor Family Series Official Brand Partner Summer Series INTUNE September
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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.
Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
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 Minnesota, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco.
Juraj 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
Since 2016, Juraj 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.
He also has toured with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin to Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.
6Houston
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, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and to Abu Dhabi Classics.
Juraj valČuHa
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.
He has since led the Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic,
MusicSymphonyDirector
the Pittsburgh Symphony and Steven Mackey’s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester. 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.
In January 2020, he conducted an opera production of Tristan and Isolde at Teatro Comunale in Bologna, at the end of which the complete lockdown was introduced in most European countries. However, he was privileged, during the pandemic year, to conduct many livestreamed performances with Teatro San Carlo (Tosca with Anna Netrebko and Cavalleria Rusticana with Elina Garanča and Jonas Kaufmann), RAI Orchestra in Turin, Orchestre National de France, Konzerthaus Berlin, and NDR Orchestra Hamburg. In the United States, he was one of the few conductors to travel from Europe and make music with the Dallas, Houston, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh orchestras.
7 INTUNE September 2022
On the opera stage, he has conducted Madama Butterfly, L’elisir d’amore, and Marriage of Figaro at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich; Faust and The Love for Three Oranges in Florence; Jenufa, Peter Grimes, and Salome in Bologna; La bohème in Venice; and Elektra, Carmen, Bluebeard’s Castle, Die Walküre, The Girl of the Golden West, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Kát’a Kabanová, and Pique Dame in Napoli.
Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, he studied composition and conducting in his birth place, then at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg (with Ilya Musin), and, finally, at the Conservatoire Supérieur de la Musique in Paris.
12Houston Symphony FIRST VIOLIN Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster Max Levine Chair Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster Ellen E. Kelley Chair Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation Chair Marina Brubaker Tong SergeiSi-YangSophiaMiHeeYanChungSilivosRodicaGonzalezFerencIllenyiLaoKurtJohnsonChristopherNealGalperin SECOND VIOLIN MuChen Hsieh, Principal Amy Semes, Associate Principal Annie Kuan-Yu Chen Mihaela Frusina Jing TeresaTinaTianjieMarthaZhengChapman*Lu*AnastasiaEhrlichZhangBosonMo**JuliaSchilz+Wang+ VIOLA Joan DerHovsepian, Acting Principal Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal Sheldon Person Fay SuzanneSamuelKeoniPhyllisShapiroHerdliskaBolding**Pedersen**MeredithHarris+LeFevre+ CELLO Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Janice and Thomas Barrow Chair Christopher French, Associate Principal Anthony JeremyJeffreyLouis-MarieKitaiFardetButlerMakiKubotaXiaoWongCharlesSeoKreutz DOUBLE BASS Robin Kesselman, Principal Timothy AndrewEricMarkAssociateDilenschneider,PrincipalShapiroLarsonPedersenBurkeShawDonaldHowey FLUTE Aralee Dorough, Principal General Maurice Hirsch Chair Matthew JudyAssociateRoitstein*,PrincipalDinesActingAssociatePrincipalMarkTeplitsky+KathrynLadner PICCOLO Kathryn Ladner OBOE Jonathan Fischer, Principal Lucy Binyon Stude Chair Anne Leek, Associate Principal Colin AdamGatwoodDinitz ENGLISH HORN Adam Dinitz CLARINET Mark Nuccio, Principal Thomas LeGrand, Associate Principal Christian AlexanderSchubertPotiomkin E-FLAT CLARINET Thomas LeGrand BASS CLARINET Alexander Potiomkin Tassie and Constantine S. Nicandros Chair BASSOON Rian Craypo, Principal Isaac Schultz, Associate Principal Elise AdamWagnerTrussell CONTRABASSOON Adam Trussell HORN William VerMeulen, Principal Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Endowed Chair Robert Johnson, Associate Principal Brian JesseIanNancyThomasGoodearlMaytonClevenger+ 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 PhillipRongone+Freeman BASS TROMBONE Phillip Freeman TUBA Dave Kirk, Principal TIMPANI Leonardo Soto, Principal MatthewAssociateStrauss,Principal PERCUSSION Brian Del Signore, Principal Mark MatthewGriffithStrauss HARP (Vacant) KEYBOARD Scott Holshouser, Principal LIBRARIAN Jeanne Case, Principal MUSICIANSCOMMUNITY-EMBEDDED David Connor, double bass Rainel Joubert, violin ASSOCIATE LIBRARIAN Luke Bryson ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN Hae-a Lee STAGE PERSONNEL Stefan Stout, Stage Manager José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager Nicholas DiFonzo and Justin Herriford, Stage GiancarloTechniciansMinotti,Recording Assistant Juraj Valčuha *on **rotatingleave chairs + contracted substitute ROSTERORCHESTRA Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair 8 Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor Yue Bao, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Assistant Conductor
INTUNE August 2022 BeethovenPlaysPerlmanItzhak October 20, 22, & 23 Gold Classics Andrea Mayes Senior Director of Charitable Solutions a 713-333-2203mayes@ghcf.org We inspire and create meaningful and positive change with our donors and for our community. We are Greater Houston’s premier partner for donor advised funds, disaster relief, family philanthropy, and more. Deepen Your Impact in Houston. Open your donor advised fund online today! 515www.ghcf.orgPostOak Blvd., Suite 1000 Houston, Texas, 77027 For More Information:
Janet F. Clark Chair
Sippi Khurana Chair, Education
Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative
Jesse B. Tutor Chair, Audit
10
John Mangum^ Executive Director/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Mike S. Stude Chairman Emeritus Paul Morico General Counsel Barbara McCelvey Secretary
Manuel Delgado Chair, Marketing & Communications
Ed Schneider Chair, Community Partnerships
Brad W. Corson Chair, Governance & Leadership
Katie Salvatore^ Assistant Secretary
SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
GOVERNING DIRECTORS
Joan DerHovsepian Evan B. Glick Mark JurajEdKatieMarkJohnStevenJamesKathrynHughesLadnerH.LeeIIIP.MachMangumNuccioSalvatoreSchneiderValčuha
Steven P. Mach^ Immediate Past Chairman
Jonathan Ayre Marcia Backus
Miles O. Smith Chair, Artistic & Orchestra Affairs
Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning
Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative
JohnChrisRobertPaulBarbaraElissaMaryJayRodneyCoraIsabelRochelleKurtzmanLevit,Ph.D.StudeLummisSueMach**Margolis**Marks**LynnMarksMartinMcCelveyR.MoricoOrrPowersRydman**
Miles O. Smith Anthony Speier William J. Toomey II Bobby Tudor** Betty Tutor** Jesse B. Tutor** Judith MargaretRobertGretchenVincentWatkinsWeinerAlkekWilliams**
Lidiya Gold Chair, Development
Manuel Delgado
Kathryn Ladner^ Musician Representative
Kenny
Evan B. Glick Chair, Popular Programming
14Houston Symphony 2022–23 SEASON
Gary Beauchamp
John Rydman President
Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events
Tony Bradfield
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Bill
EX-OFFICIO
Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
James H. Lee III^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment
Jonathan Ayre Chair, Finance
Barbara J. Burger President-Elect
Cheryl Byington^ President, Houston Symphony League
Bobby Tudor^ At-Large Member
^Ex-Officio
Eric Brueggeman
Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative
Cheryl Byington Brad W. Corson
CareySippiRickWilliamLidiyaJanetBarbaraBullockJ.BurgerF.ClarkGoldD.HuntJaramilloKhurana,M.D.Kirkpatrick
Mrs. Andrew E. Rutter
Janice Barrow ** David J. Beck
Tracy Dieterich
OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY SOCIETY
Jesse B. Tutor
Steven P. Mach
Denise Davis
John Steven Cisneros, Ed.D. Kusum Patel
Mrs. Olaf LaCour Olsen
Mrs. Theodore W. Cooper
Miss Ima Hogg
Mrs. Aubrey Leno Carter
James M. Bell Jr. Devinder Bhatia, M.D. Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl Nancy Shelton Bratic
Ms. Marilou Bonner
Mrs. Robert M. Eury
Mrs. E. C. Vandagrift Jr.
Ann DonnaNancyJaneNancyLoriBarbaraNormaKathiCoraPaulaShirleyCatherineLucyMrs.CavanaughJamesA.ShafferH.LewisMcNamaraMcGregorPearsonJarrettSueMachRovereJeanBrownMcCelveySorcicJansenB.WillersonClarkLittlejohnShen
Mrs. Edward W. Kelley Jr.
Mrs. John W. Herndon
Mrs. S. Conrad Weil
PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY LEAGUE
Barbara McCelvey
Mrs. Lilly Kucera Andress
Ms. Hazel Ledbetter
Vicki West
Darlene Clark
Mrs. J. Stephen Marks
11 INTUNE September
FOUNDATION FOR
Mrs. Julian Barrows
Vicki RobertEllenDavidStevenWestJ.WilliamsJ.WuthrichA.YarrellYekovich
Mrs. Charles Franzen
Mrs. Leon Jaworski
Ronald G. Franklin
JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES
Manuel Delgado
Jessie Woods
H. R. Cullen
Fayez Sarofim John T. J.E.C.JohnEllenRichardCaterG.MerrillElizardiKelleyD.PlattVandagriftJr.HughRoffJr.
Joseph A. Mullen, M.D. Joseph S. Smith
Terry Ann Brown
15 INTUNE August 2022
Mrs. Edwin B. Parker
Mary Ann McKeithan
Beth LeslieFranMaureenWolffHigdonFawcettPetersonSiller
Mrs. Garrett R. Tucker Jr.
Brad W. Corson
Mrs. James Griffith Lawhon
Alexander K. McLanahan** Marilyn Miles Shane A. Miller
Bob MichaelStevenMatthewUlyesseAndrewDavidI.BrianStephenGaryEvanRonaldJuliaAggieEugeneJeffreyConnieJoanDuffDuffDyerB.FirestoneA.FongL.FosterAndersonFrankelG.FranklinB.GlickL.HollingsworthIncavo,M.D.JamesRayKirk,M.D.KriegerGoLee,M.D.J.LeGrange**LodenP.MachMann,M.D.
EdMichaelJeffreyRodneyBarryJaniceMcDavidH.BarrowC.BurkholderH.MargolisB.EarlyE.ShannonWulfe
Mrs. Thompson McCleary
Mrs. Ralph Ellis Gunn
Robert B. Tudor III
Mrs. Harry H. Gendel
Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein
Mrs. H. M. Garwood
Dr. Susan Snider Osterberg
Nancy Strohmer
RobertHelenEdMiwaGloriaDavidEdwardScottLeslieTammyNelsonTranNguyenNossamanNyquistOsterbergJr.PrunerG.PryzantSakashitaSchneiderShaffer**B.Sloan,D.D., Theol. Jim R. MikeQuentinSmithSmithS.Stude **
Frank F. Wilson IV
Charles F. Jones
Mrs. David Hannah Jr.
Ishwaria Subbiah, M.D. Shirley W. Toomim
Robert A. Peiser
Margaret Waisman, M.D. Fredric A. Weber
Janet F. Clark
Janet F. Clark
Mrs. Harold R. DeMoss Jr.
Mrs. Allen W. Carruth
Andrew Davis, Ph.D.
**Lifetime Trustee
Mrs. Albert P. Jones
Aprill
Robert M. Hermance Gene
Mrs. M. T. Launius Jr.
Mrs. W. Harold Sellers
Terry Ann Brown** Ralph EvanVirginiaMichaelRobertJohnDougalBurchCameronT.Cater**ChanonH.ClarkClarkD.Collins,M.D., MBA
Mrs. Stuart Sherar
Mrs. Edward H. Soderstrom
Jack JackieMatzerWolens Mazow
PASTTRUSTEESPRESIDENTS
Gen. Maurice Hirsch
Mrs. J. R. Parten
Mary Louis Kister
Miss Ima Hogg
Mrs. John F. Grant
Walter H. Walne
Mrs. Jesse Tutor
EX-OFFICIO
Mrs. Ben A. Calhoun
Joel James, Director of Human Resources
OPERATIONS | ARTISTIC
Stacey Swift, Director, Special Events
Nancy Giles, Chief Development Officer
Alexa Ustaszewski, Development Ticket Concierge
Zitlaly Jimenez, Annual Fund Manager
Meredith Williams, Associate Director, Operations
Kimberly Cegielski, Staff Accountant
Vanessa Rivera, Digital Marketing Manager
Lauren Buchanan, Development Communications Manager
SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP
Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer
Gwen Watkins, Chief Marketing Officer
Gabriela Rivera, Senior Accountant
Meghan Miller, Special Events Associate
Janwin Overstreet-Goode, Chorus Manager
Rebecca Zabinski, Director, Artistic Planning
Pam Blaine, Chief of Education and Community Engagement
Lesley Sabol, Director, Popular Programming
Timothy Dillow, Director, Corporate Relations
Amanda T. Dinitz, Major Gifts Officer
Sarah Thompson, Institutional Giving Associate Christina Trunzo, Director, Foundation Relations
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Yoo-Ell Lee, Junior Graphic Designer
Pam Romo, Office Manager/HR Coordinator
16Houston Symphony
Ciara Macaulay, Creative Director
Tanya Lovetro, Director of Budgeting and Financial Reporting
Olivia Cantrell, Marketing Assistant
12
AlexDEVELOPMENTdeAguiarReuter, Senior Associate, Endowment and Administration
Allison Conlan, Director, Education
Mark Bailes, Marketing Revenue Manager
Christine Ann Stevens, Director Major Gifts Lena Streetman, Research Analyst
Luke Bryson, Associate Librarian
Tiffany Gentry, Junior System Administrator
Paula Wilson, Digital Marketing Coordinator
Lila Atchison, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager
Lauren Moore, Associate Director of Digital Concert Production
Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial Officer
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Jenny Zuniga, Director, Patron Services
Becky Brown, Director, Operations
Erika Jordan, Director, Individual Giving
Brad Sayles, Senior Recording Engineer
Kathryn Judd, Director, Marketing
Fiona Legesse-Sinha, Graphic Design Manager
Stephanie Calascione, Artistic Operations Manager
Heather Fails, Manager, Ticketing Database
Carlin Truong, Chorus Manager
Rovion Reed, Associate Director, Education & Community Engagement
MARKETING | COMMUNICATIONS | PATRON SERVICES
Lee Whatley, Senior Director, IT and Analytics
José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager
Freddie Piegsa, Patron Experience Coordinator
Ikayani Soemampauw, Development Associate, Gifts & Records
Samantha S. Olinsky, Major Gifts Officer
Stefan Stout, Stage Manager
FINANCE | ADMINISTRATION | IT | HR
John Mangum, Executive Director/CEO, Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Morgana Rickard, Controller
Michael Gorman, Orchestra Personnel Manager
Bianca Montanez, Content Marketing Coordinator
Katie Salvatore, Development Officer and Board Liaison
Eric Skelly, Senior CommunicationsDirector,
John B. Pollard II, Assistant Manager, Patron Services
Richard Jackson, Database Administrator
This season, we will host a residency program at the DeLUXE Theater in the Fifth Ward. The afterschool program will serve elementary school children and be led by our Community-Embedded Musicians. Look for more information on this new program in a future issue of InTune
13 INTUNE September 2022
Each summer, as part of our commitment to serving our community, the orchestra offers a Neighborhood Concert Series that sees our world-class musicians perform free concerts at venues throughout the city, bringing access to symphonic music to all. Concert venues are in nearby neighborhoods that are part of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Complete Communities initiative. For many who attend, this is their first experience with the Houston Symphony and an introduction to classical music.
In attendance at the Community of Faith Church performance was Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who honored the Houston Symphony with a congressional proclamation for our work in the community to bring people together through the power of music.
To bring symphony musicians into smaller, intimate venues that could not accommodate a full orchestra, two chamber concerts were held at the Community of Faith Church and the DeLUXE Theater. The concert at Community of Faith Church featured a trumpet quartet while the DeLUXE Theater concert featured a woodwind duo with piano accompaniment. One audience member at the DeLUXE Theater
Houston Symphony Executive Director/CEO John Mangum, Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at the Community of Faith performance
CONCERTSNEIGHBORHOOD
A young concertgoer gets hands-on experience with a violin at the pre-concert Instrument Petting Zoo
Neighborhood Concert Series Host, Jasmine Renee Thomas
During the 2022–23 Season, the Houston Symphony offered three full orchestra performances as part of the Neighborhood Concert Series. These concerts took place at the Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Kashmere High School, and Waltrip High School. Each concert was led by Yue Bao, the Symphony’s Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Assistant Conductor, and hosted by teaching artist Jasmine Renee Thomas.
Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Conducting Fellow, Yue Bao, conducts the Houston Symphony
concert commented, “It was a great experience, especially when we were told the stories behind the music being played. I also enjoyed hearing from the chamber members. I think it was great and very informative. Thank you all for the experience.”
14HoustonFeaturedSymphony Program CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE Steven Reineke, conductor 0:06 SHOSTAKOVICH - Festive Overture, Opus 96 0:03 ABREU/DRAGON BARKER - Tico-Tico no Fubá 0:06 RACHMANINOFF - Vocalise, Opus 34, No. 14 0:02 BIZET/GUIRAUD - Les toréadors from Suite No. 1 from Carmen 0:02 BIZET/GUIRAUD - Danse bohême from Suite No. 2 from Carmen 0:05 SMETANA/RIESENFELD - Dance of the Comedians from The Bartered Bride 0:05 WAGNER/HUTSCHENRUYTER - The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre INTERMISSION0:04TCHAIKOVSKY - Danse des cygnes from Swan Lake, Opus 20a 0:05 GLINKA- Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila 0:03 RIMSKY-KORSAKOV - Dance of the Buffoons from The Snow Maiden 0:02 ROSSINI-RESPIGHI/SARGENT - Tarentella from La boutique fantasque 0:07 TCHAIKOVSKY - Valse from Swan Lake, Opus 20a 0:01 OFFENBACH/BINDER - Can-Can from Orpheus in the Underworld 0:12 RAVEL - Boléro
• Cirque de la Symphonie performances rarely feature more than two acrobats on stage at once to ensure perfect complementary balance between the physical stunts and musical virtuosity.
LivestreamSeriesof Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger
• The performing troupe has collaborated with more than 100 orchestras worldwide, including performances in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and throughout the United States.
About the Music
• The idea for Cirque de la Symphonie dates back to the 1990s when founder William H. Allen was traveling with Russian circus performers.
Sunday, September 11 Jones Hall 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 10 Jones Hall 8:00 p.m.
• Cirque de la Symphonie was developed in conjunction with former Principal POPS Conductor Michael Krajewski, and the first performance occurred at Jones Hall with the Houston Symphony in 2006.
• The music of Cirque de la Symphonie features some of classical music’s most recognizable pieces, including “Can-Can,” Boléro, music from Carmen and Swan Lake, and many more fan favorites.
Jones Hall
PROGRAM NOTES
16Houston Symphony
8:00 p.m.
Friday, September 9
PROGRAM INSIGHT
Part of the POPS
Cirque de la Symphonie is an exciting production that brings the magic of cirque to the music hall. For more than 10 years, it has thrilled and dazzled veteran concertgoers and new patrons as they experience accomplished aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers, balancers, and strongmen perform to live symphony music. Performers include world record holders, international competition gold-medal winners, Olympians, and some of the most experienced cirque talent ever seen. Their routines are uniquely adapted to stage accommodations shared with the orchestra, and each artist’s performance is choreographed to the music arranged in collaboration with the conductor. When the artists of Cirque de la Symphonie perform in front of the full orchestra, an incredible fusion of these two great art forms takes place. The aerialists and acrobats turn the concert into a three-dimensional entertainment extravaganza, and the musicians’ enthusiasm is palpable.
Program Bios
Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. In addition to his role as Principal POPS Conductor of the Houston Symphony, this season, he celebrates his 10 th anniversary as music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Atlanta, Cincinnati, Edmonton, San Francisco, and
His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands
OnSarasota.stage, he has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television, and rock, including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on NPR’s All Things
Steven Reineke, conductor
Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra, in a first for the show’s 45-year history, performing live music excerpts between news segments. In 2018, Steven led the same orchestra and hip hop legend Nas performing his seminal album, Illmatic, on PBS’s Great Performances.
Christine Van Loo, ChristineperformerVan
As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare commemorated the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras.
Loo is a seven-time consecutive National Champion, Female Olympic Athlete of the Year, and Athlete of the Decade in acrobatic gymnastics. She was inducted into the USSA (acrogymnastics) Hall of Fame and the World Acrobatics Society Gallery of Honor. As a professional aerialist and acrobat, she has performed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, at the Grammy Awards (with No Doubt and with Ricky Martin), at the American Music Awards (with Aerosmith), the Miss Universe pageant, and Paul McCartney’s European tour. She was a trainer and performer with NBC’s Celebrity Circus, and she choreographed the aerials for Britney Spears’ World Tour and the Stars on Ice U.S. tour. Christine provides performancesspell-bindingofaerial silks, rope, lira, and trapeze with Cirque de la Symphonie.
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Aworldwide.nativeofOhio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, where he earned Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He lives in New York City with his husband, Eric Gabbard.
Elena Tsarkova, the “Lady in White,” is a graduate of the famed Moscow Circus School and first-place winner of the prestigious National Russian Circus Festival. From “Master of Sports” in gymnastics, Elena developed into a unique and graceful performer with the Big Apple Circus, Switzerland’s Circus Knie, and Germany’s Circus Roncalli. Her combination of contortion, balance, and graceful dance moves made her a major star with Cirque de la Mur in Florida and Circus Circus in Las Vegas. Elena’s experience with major stage and theater productions offers a professional background that allows for a truly elegant performance with the orchestra.
Bios
ProgramSymphony
Vitalii Buza, performer
Vitalii Buza began his gymnastic training in the Republic of Moldova and soon competed as an elite gymnast with the Russian national team. At age 16, Vitalii joined the Moscow State Circus as a professional acrobat and toured throughout Europe. After a move to the United States, he starred in productions at Sea World, Universal Studios, and Walt Disney World. He has been featured in numerous TV ads and won a role in the Walt Disney movie Enchanted Vitalii also performed at the 2006 Latin Grammy Awards, the 2007 NFL Pro Bowl, 2010 Academy Awards, and the 2011 Latin Billboard Awards. He has performed for celebrities and at major corporate events. Vitalii excels in multiple cirque acts, such as duo hand-balancing, straps, Cyr wheel, spinning cube, Chinese pole, and the Russian bar.
Vladimir VladimirperformerTsarkov,Tsarkovprovides a spell-binding performance with combinations of mime and juggling feats. A favorite of audience members of all ages, his Red Harlequin act features rings, balls, and electric batons, and he’s been known to teach the maestro a trick or two! He is a veteran of Circus Circus, Cirque Ingenieux, and various global entertainment productions. Vladimir graduated from Russia’s prestigious State College of Circus and Theater Arts and won the gold medal at the Cirque de Demain International Festival in France. His performance with the orchestra is pure entertainment.
Elena Tsarkova, performer
18Houston
Aleksandr Deev began training at the circus school in Moscow, Russia, at age 12 and went on to study at the Moscow University of Circus and Variety Art. His skills quickly landed him roles in major movie productions and television commercials, along with performances in the Kremlin. His circus work extended to Ukraine and beyond while still a teenager, working with the Moscow Circus and other special projects. He toured the United States with the Moscow State Circus and found many new opportunities, including Cirque Dreams’ shows at Busch Gardens and Six Flags. Aleks has starred in productions at Beau Rivage Casino, the South Seas Resort Captiva Island and Circus Fantasia, and Hawaii Circus. His multiple talents include the spinning cube and electrifying performances on the German Wheel.
Vitaliy Prikhodko and Pavel Korshunov, who make up AcroDuo, display amazing strength and balance. Vitaliy is a native of Ukraine, where he graduated from Kiev State Circus College. He began his career with the National Circus of Ukraine, winning first place at the New Ukrainian Circus Festival. His acrobatic experience includes worldwide tours with Nikulin’s Moscow Circus. Pavel, a native of Voronezh, Russia, is a three-time national champion of Russia, two-time World Champion and two-time Champion of the World Cup in acrobatic sport. A former veteran with Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai, Pavel is a multitalented performer on straps, Russian swing, trampoline, and acrobatics.
performancesAcroDuo’swithCirque de la Symphonie create spontaneous eruptions of applause and emotion.
19 INTUNE September 2022
Aleksandr Deev, performer
Program Bios
Vitaliy Prikhodko and Pavel Korshunov, performers
20Houston FeaturedSymphonyProgram Opening Night Concert & Gala September 16, 2022 For gala information HoustonSymphony.org/OpeningNightvisit or call 713.337.8523 Concert Sponsor and Lead Corporate Gala Underwriter Juraj Valčuha VERDIWEEKEND:INAUGURALREQUIEM Juraj Valčuha, conductor Ana María Martínez, soprano Marina Prudenskaya, mezzo-soprano Jonathan Tetelman, tenor Dmitry Belosselskiy, bass Houston Symphony Chorus Allen Hightower, director 1:23 VERDI – Requiem I. Requiem: Andante II. Dies Irae: Allegro agitato III. Offertorio: Andante mosso IV. Sanctus: Allegro V. Agnus Dei: Andante VI. Lux aeterna: Allegro moderato VII. Libera me, Domine: Moderato
REQUIEM Giuseppe Verdi
PROGRAM INSIGHT
On November 13, 1868, Gioacchino Rossini, composer of The Barber of Seville, William Tell, and many other classic operas, passed away. Upon receiving the news, Giuseppe Verdi was seized by patriotic fervor: he published an open letter calling upon “the most distinguished Italian composers [...] to compose a Requiem Mass,” a choral work based on traditional texts for Catholic funerals and memorial services, “to be performed on the anniversary of [Rossini’s] death.” Idealistically, Verdi demanded that the composers and performers donate their services, that the piece be performed only at a particular church in Bologna, and that after the premiere the score “should be sealed and placed in the archives [...] from which it should never be taken.”
Friday, September 16
This weekend, Juraj Valčuha opens the 2022–23 Classical Series with his first concerts as the Houston Symphony’s new music director. For this special occasion, Juraj has chosen Verdi’s Requiem, a monumental masterpiece for chorus, orchestra, and vocal soloists. When considering repertoire for these momentous performances, it was important to him to find a piece that would have everyone participating on stage: the full complement of the Houston Symphony Chorus and the orchestra. These concerts are also the Chorus’s first performances under the leadership of distinguished new director Dr. Allen Hightower, who also serves as director of choral studies at the University of North Texas. Verdi’s Requiem is a dramatic work, the most operatic of all requiems. Juraj’s selection of this piece draws a natural connection between his most recent musical home, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy, and his new musical home, Houston.
Saturday, September 17 Jones Hall & Livestream 8:00 p.m.
About the Music
22Houston Symphony
Sunday, September 18 Jones Hall 2:30 p.m.
Jones Hall 8:00 p.m.
Remarkably, a committee was formed and composers were found to compose this composite Requiem. Verdi wrote the Libera me (the finale), and the rest was dutifully composed by others. The project only foundered when Bologna’s opera house refused to allow its musicians to participate
Program Notes
The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc., in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham
REQUIEM Giuseppe ProgramVerdi Notes
In 1871, Alberto Mazzucato, a professor at the Milan conservatory, wrote to Verdi after studying his unpublished Libera me. He found within it “the most beautiful, the greatest, and most colossally poetic page that can be imagined,” to which Verdi responded, “...those words of yours would almost have instilled in me the desire to finish, later, the entire Mass [...]” But, thinking of the many famous Requiems by Mozart, Cherubini, Berlioz, and others, Verdi concluded, “There are so many, many Requiem Masses!!! It is useless to add one more.”
We then launch into the fires of the Dies irae, the longest and weightiest part of the Requiem. The text is a 13th-century poem describing the apocalypse according to Christian eschatology. This fearsome music
Still, the idea of composing a complete Requiem lingered in Verdi’s mind. In April 1873, he requested the return of his Libera me manuscript. The following month, another of his cultural heroes passed away: the novelist Alessandro Manzoni. Thanks to this twist of fate, Verdi’s Requiem would officially commemorate Manzoni rather than Rossini. Verdi completed it in April 1874, and the premiere took place at the church of San Marco in Milan on the anniversary of Manzoni’s death. At Verdi’s insistence, the Archbishop granted special permission for women singers to perform in the church, provided they wore black veils.
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The initial reception was enthusiastic, with one notable exception; the German conductor Hans von Bülow published a damning review titled “Opera in Church Clothing,” arguing that the supposedly profane, operatic style of Verdi’s Requiem was unsuitable for sacred music. In an age when religious music tended to be restrained, perhaps what shocked Bülow and some others as inappropriate was not so much the Requiem’s resemblance to opera as its extreme emotions. In The Romantic Generation, scholar Charles Rosen acutely observed, “[...] nineteenthcentury religious forms tended to induce timidity in composers [...] as if the nobility of the enterprise made their most obvious talents unworthy.” The “one oasis,” he notes, was “the requiem. [...] Perhaps the terror of dying was the only part of religion that easily captured the imagination.”
(Verdi almost got the rest of his wish, however: the score was indeed “sealed and placed in the archives” until its first performance in 1988).
Whatever Verdi’s motives, his Requiem encompases grief, despair, hope, and joy in their rawest forms. Musically, its seven movements can be divided into two groups: the Requiem e Kyrie and Dies irae form the first; and the Offertorio, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Lux aeterna, and Libera me form the second. The opening Requiem is slow and meditative, drawing listeners into a deep gloom. The Kyrie begins when the soloists enter, led by the tenor.
Livestream of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger
Part of the Gold Classics by The Cullen Foundation Maestro’s Fund
24Houston
Bios
Please view p.6 for his bio
Grammy Award winner Ana María Martínez is considered to be one of the foremost sopranos of her time. In addition to an international career that spans the world’s most important opera houses and concert halls, she continues to explore her role as a leader in the industry and as an advocate and educator to the next generation of musicians. To that end, in 2019, she joined Houston Grand Opera as its first artistic advisor. Following a two-year appointment as artist-inresidence at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, in July
twice in the Dies irae: once partially (omitting the pounding opening) and once completely. The first reappearance divides the Dies irae into two halves. In the first half, the chorus and soloists narrate harrowing images of Judgment Day; in the second, the soloists speak in the first person, assuming the roles of repentant sinners. The one exception is perhaps the bass, who frequently takes on a stern, paternal character. The other singers’ childlike directness reminds one of the many father-child relationships in Verdi’s operas: Rigoletto and Gilda, Germont and Alfredo, Amonasro and Aida. The music grows more hopeful as the soloists contemplate divine mercy, until the fiery opening returns again.
ProgramSymphony
Ana María Martínez,reappearssoprano
REQUIEM
Giuseppe ProgramVerdi Notes
The second half of the Requiem offers comfort, solace, and even joy after the tribulations of the Dies irae: in the Offertorio, the central episode, the “Hostias,” is especially affecting; the Sanctus, a celebratory fugue, divides the chorus into two groups in a stunning display of complex, interweaving ideas. In contrast, the Agnus Dei is based on a single, tranquil melody. A shadow once again passes over the music in the Lux aeterna when the bass sings “Requiem aeternam,” but the mezzo-soprano responds with comfort, singing “Let eternal light shine upon them.”
Juraj Valčuha , conductor
The Requiem concludes with the Libera me, the music Verdi first composed for Rossini. After the soprano’s dramatic opening, the fiery Dies irae music makes a final appearance, dying away to the words and melody that began the entire work: “Requiem aeternam.” A defiant fugue follows, climaxing in a powerful statement, “Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna” (“Save me, Lord, from eternal death”), as if the singers now demand salvation. The Requiem then fades to a peaceful, yet for many listeners, unresolved conclusion. Perhaps reflecting his own religious agnosticism, Verdi ends the Requiem with a question mark: will we be saved?
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Jonathan Tetelman, tenor
She has collaborated with conductors Daniel Barenboim, Marek Janowski, Mariss Jansons, Hartmut Haenchen, Simone Young, Sebastian Weigle, Fabio Luisi, Daniel Harding, and Christian Thielemann.
2021, she became a professor in the school’s voice department.
A winner of the 15th Annual OPERA NEWS Awards, Ana María’s repertoire encompasses opera’s most intriguing and diverse leading ladies, and she engages audiences season after season with signature roles, spellbinding debuts, and myriad captivating recordings. In addition to starring roles on the opera stage, she engages in such diverse opportunities as voicing the role of opera singer Alessandra in season three of Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, to performing in tribute to operatic legend Justino Díaz at the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), to proudly representing her birthplace of Puerto Rico as an honoree and performer in the 62nd Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. She is honored to have been a 2021 recipient of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hispanic Heritage Award in the Arts, and to be named one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 20202021 by Houston Woman Magazine.
In the 2021-22 season, Marina performed as Kundry in Parsifal at Deutsche Oper Berlin under Axel Kober, Oper Leipzig with Ulf Schirmer, and Opéra de Paris with Gustavo Dudamel at the conductor`s stand. Further guest performances took her to the Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, and the Leipzig Opera. Upcoming engagements in the current and next season include, among others, Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth at the Prague State Opera; Venus in Tannhäuser at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin; Fricka in the new Ring at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; and concert engagements under the batons of Marek Janowski, Hartmut Haenchen, Alain Altinoglu, and Daniel Barenboim.
On stage, Ana Maria is known for her stunning portrayals of the title roles of Rusalka, Carmen, and Florencia in Florencia en el Amazonas, as well as Mimi in La bohème, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Solea in El Gato Montes, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Nedda in Pagliacci, Liù in Turandot, Marguerite in Faust, Alice Ford in Falstaff, Desdemona in Otello, and Amelia in Simon Boccanegra. These roles have taken her to leading opera houses throughout North and South America and Europe.
Die Walküre and Waltraute in Götterdämmerung
the dramatic mezzo-soprano roles of Wagner and Strauss to Verdi´s Requiem and his leading mezzosoprano roles: Amneris, Eboli, and Lady Macbeth.
Marina rolesFestspiele,Easterd’Aix-en-Provence,Zurich,ThéâtreOpera,deStaatsoperPetersburg,MariinskiOperaworldwide,toGuestmusicawards,Berlin.StaatsoperanBerlin.asNuremberg,theSheStanislavskystudies,St.thePrudenskaya,Russianmezzo-sopranoPrudenskaya,mezzo-soprano,MarinastudiedsingingatconservatoryinhernativePetersburg.FollowinghershewasengagedbytheTheatreinMoscow.hassincebeenamemberofensembleattheStaatstheaterStaatsoperStuttgart,wellastheDeutscheOperSince2013,shehasbeenensemblememberoftheUnterdenLindenInadditiontoseveralothershewontheGermanARDcompetitionin2003.performancesledhergreathousesandfestivalsincludingtheRoyalHouseCoventGarden,TheatreinSt.TeatroRealdeMadrid,Hamburg,OpéraParis,WashingtonNationalViennaStateOpera,Grand-deGenève,andOperaaswellastheFestivalSalzburgFestival,andtheBayreutherwhereshetookontheofFrickain
This season, Jonathan Tetelman makes several exciting house and role debuts. He first returns to the role of Alfredo in La traviata with San Francisco Opera, reprises Cavaradossi in Tosca with Deutsche Opera Berlin and Houston Grand Opera, makes his role and Wiener Staatsoper debut as Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana, and his Salzburg Festival and role
Marina`s repertoire ranges from
26Houston Symphony
Last season, Jonathan sang Stiffelio with Opéra national du Rhin, Jacopo Foscari alongside Placido Domingo in I due Foscari with Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Loris Ipanow in Fedora with Oper Frankfurt, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Theater an der Wien, and starred as Rodolfo in an operatic film of La bohéme in a coproduction with Radiotelevisione italiana and Opera di Roma.
Dmitry Belosselskiy is one of the most exciting basses of his generation. He has taken the operatic world by storm and is celebrated by audiences and critics
DmitryBayreuth.has
established a remarkable career and has performed at the world’s finest opera houses and concert venues, including Metropolitan Opera New York, Teatro alla Scala, Salzburger Festspiele, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Wiener Staatsoper, Opéra de Paris, Chorégies d’Orange, Maggio
concerts of Verdi’s Requiem with the Houston Symphony are the start of Dmitry’s 2022-23 season and will be followed with the role of Phillippe II in Don Carlo at the Chicago Lyric Opera. He will start the new year at Teatro alla Scala in Milan with performances of I Vespri Siciliani, after which he will return to Wiener Staatsoper for Wozzeck and to the Metropolitan Opera New York for Der fliegende Hollaender, Aida and Don Giovanni. He will spend his summer at the Wagnerfestspiele
On the concert stage, Jonathan has sung, among others, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the San Francisco Symphony and with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, joined soprano Kristine Opolais in a gala performance in Moscow, and performed with the Copenhagen Philharmonic for a Verdi Gala.
Dmitry Belosselskiy, bass
debut as Macbeth. He returns to Semperoper Dresden for Rodolfo in La bohéme, reprises his acclaimed performances of Paolo in Francesca da Rimini with Deutsche Oper Berlin, and sings Loris Ipanow in Fedora with Ópera Las Palmas. In concert, he returns to Verdi’s Requiem in debuts with the Houston Symphony and Orchestre de Paris, and joins soprano Angela Gheorghiu in Brussels and Paris.
School of Music, Mannes College, and earned his undergraduate degree from Manhattan School of Music. Born in Castro, Chile, he grew up in central New Jersey.
Jonathan completed graduate performance studies at The New
Musicale WagnerfestspieleFiorentino,in Bayreuth, Opernhaus Zurich, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Theater an der Wien, Washington National Opera, Canadian Opera Company Toronto, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, and Bayerische Staatsoper Munich. He has also appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as on the stages of Avery Fisher Hall, New York; Harris Theater, Chicago; John Hancock Hall, Boston; Festspiele.Opera;SeoulMacauGewandhausorchesterLuxembourg;PhilharmonieWienerKonzerthaus;Leipzig;InternationalMusicFestival;ArtsCenter;PalmBeachandBregenzer
Thesealike.
Jonathan recently made his Royal Opera House at Covent Garden debut as Alfredo in La traviata and Rodolfo in La bohème; sang Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca with Teatro Regio Torino, Semperoper Dresden, and Gran Teatre del Liceu; made his role debut as B.F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opéra national de Montpellier; sang the title role of Werther with Gran Teatro Nacional de Lima and Opera del Teatro Solis; Rodolfo in La bohème with Komische Oper Berlin, English National Opera, and Fujian Grand Theatre in China; and Duca in Rigoletto with Berkshire Opera Festival.
Corporate Spotlight
31 INTUNE September 2022
The company’s partnership with the Houston Symphony is just one example of how it gives back to the community. As one of the world’s largest independent oil and gas production companies, ConocoPhillips is committed to being a great neighbor and responsible citizen in the communities in which it lives and works.
ConocoPhillips has been a proud Houston Symphony supporter for more than half a century, and a champion of the organization’s efforts to promote music education, cultural relevance, and Houston’s vibrant arts community. 2022 marks its 36th consecutive year as the Opening Night Concert Sponsor and Lead Corporate Gala Underwriter, allowing the Symphony to launch its season with a fitting celebration.
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.
Pianist Tony Sessions Librarian/Stage Manager Allen Hightower, Director
chorussymphonyhouston
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.
Janwin Overstreet-Goode Chorus Manager Carlin Truong Chorus 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 Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Hans Graf, Christoph Eschenbach, Robert Shaw, and Helmut 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 SingersRepublic.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 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 HIGHTOWER
30Houston Symphony
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.
Allen lives in McKinney, Texas, with his wife, Dr. Kristin Hightower, and their daughters, Caroline and Julianne.
Scott Holshouser
32 INTUNE September 2022 CHORUS ROSTER Christin Michelle Abbott Steve SteveMichaelKevinDimitropoulouKonstantinaLoganSylviaRebeccaViolaineNicoleNancyIshaniWilliamElizabethDanielleJamesAlisaPatriciaJamesMischaKirstenJenniferNancySaraEmilyJonathanCriseldaRandyDavidJustinMansiFrancoEllisJoshuaFarrahJoeKeithMarkBobMaryMelissaAberciaAdamsAnnAddisAlbanAnstromAnthisA.AnzalduaOliviaAu-YeungLeeBarberBardinBasiliAsitBaxiBeckerCampbellBlassingameBoatrightABocanegraJosephBordelonBoudreauxShawBrannonSheltonBraticBrenemanMichelleBrentsIoneBrinkmeyerJeromeBueBumpusJeanetteCabreraTobinCalvertThereseCharvozChavezKauperCheadleChowdhuryChristophersonColbyCornuDarbyGenevieveDeePierceDeLaFuenteEratoDoDornDukes Leanna Elkins Nicole Elliott Chris Fair Ethan Michael Fasnacht Julia FitzGerald Jim KathrynFriedhoferO’Rourke Fry Joseph S. Frybert Rachel Marie Gehman Rex RobertGillitLee Gomez Daniel BenedictRobertLydiaJamesTravisMelissaKenLisaBenjaminYokaSiaKatElizabethStephanieDavidNobuhideMichaelChristopherEliseJillStephenSylviaCatherineChaseBethMeganMatthewSusanJuliaMelisaJohn-AlanGorelickGourdineGultanC.HallHallCHendersonHenryAnnHibbsMatthewHolubHowardJ.HysongMarkJamesJensenA.KappelmannAlanKerstenKesslerKoboriRayKolacnyJr.IsabelKopeskyKragasKunzJaniceKuresaLarasatiLussMarut-ShriverMathewsMilesNealMohleKMooreMusherNashTriNguyen Eliza Catherine Nicholson Christine Marie Oakes David M. Opheim Janwin Overstreet-Goode Bill JenniferParkerS Paulson Noah KarenGregLaurenAriellaPeakPerlmanPriceRailsbackRamirez Cabrera Linda A DavidGraceLeeJohnLanceCrystalBethJacquelynMarySaraiPhillipPaulCarlinLisaAndreaToddCarolMarkCoreyDeanTonyAngelaAlexanderTiffanyEmilyScottMissyJenniferJamesCarolynDouglasRennerRodenbergerRoganRomigRomigRothRothElizabethSandersLamSauJamesSchaafBongatSeamanSessionsAllenSilaganAndrewSmithCStandridgeStrawnSwannLaurenTrabaninoRaiTrewinTruongVanDornDavidVelardeVillatoroVoigtVondetteAnneWeidlerLynnWhiteThomasWilcoxHardyWilliamsEstesWilliamsGeorgeZeiniehFrankZurawski
32Houston Symphony Joshua bell Shostakovich+ 5 Juraj Valčuha, conductor Joshua Bell, violin 0:10 N.MUHLY – Bright Idea* 0:31 SIBELIUS – Violin Concerto in D minor, Opus 47 i Allegro moderato ii Adagio di molto iii Allegro, ma non tanto INTERMISSION0:46SHOSTAKOVICH – Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Opus 47 i Moderato ii Allegretto iii Largo iv Allegro non troppo *World premiere, Houston Symphony commission Featured Program
PROGRAM INSIGHT
8:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 25 Jones Hall 2:30 p.m.
I treat the orchestra like a single body moving through a series of bright and sonically intense spaces, sometimes taking time to look around, and other times racing through and catching glimpses of things in the distance and in the extreme foreground. I wanted to make sure the listener’s focal point is constantly shifting, so instead of zooming in on one instrument for a prolonged passage, the ear races around the orchestra with, I hope, a sense of joy and discovery. —Nico Muhly
Saturday, September 24 Jones Hall & Livestream 8:00 p.m.
Bright Idea is a fast and energetic piece for one of Juraj Valčuha’s inaugural concerts as music director of the Houston Symphony. I thought it would be appropriate to start the piece with the musicians closest to him on the podium—the inside stands of strings—before letting the music spread out into the rest of the ensemble. The piece is structured as a series of physical gestures, ranging from a single high note in a single violin exploding downwards into the full orchestra, a chord suddenly frozen in time, or a perpetual-motion machine played by the woodwinds.
34Houston Friday,SymphonySeptember
N. MUHLY
23 Jones Hall
About the Music
This weekend, new music director Juraj Valčuha teams up with worldrenowned violinist Joshua Bell for a program that spotlights the Houston Symphony’s enduring commitment to new music. Under music director Leopold Stokowski, the Houston Symphony gave the U.S. premiere of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 in 1957—only months after the composer completed it—and released the first-ever commercial recording of the work the following year. Every music director since has performed Shostakovich’s music, including the powerful Fifth Symphony featured on this program. This commitment to orchestral music as a living, evolving art form continues this weekend with Bright Idea, a neverbefore-heard work by Nico Muhly, one of America’s leading composers today. Years from now, we hope music lovers will look back on these performances and see the Houston Symphony leading another exciting moment in music history.
Bright Idea
Program Notes
The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc., in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham
Part of the Favorite Masters by
The soloist soars to a high note, only to fall back to earth as the music darkens. A powerful orchestral theme leads to a cadenza, an extended passage for the soloist alone. With only a few interjections from the orchestra, this virtuoso solo forms the center of the movement, only ending when a bassoon returns with the opening melody. A reprise of the movement’s main ideas leads to a dramatic conclusion.
Violin Concerto in D minor, Opus 47
Sibelius began work on the concerto in 1902. In a letter to a friend, his wife Aino provided a glimpse into its genesis: “He’s awake night after night, plays wonderful things, and can’t tear himself away from the marvelous music he plays—there are so many ideas that one can’t believe it is true, all of them so rich in possibilities for development, so full of life. […] I am sitting at his writing desk—he is at the piano—there’s a nice fire. It is Thoughnight.”the audience responded warmly at the February 1904 premiere, Sibelius was dissatisfied. He revised the concerto in the summer of 1905, giving us the masterpiece we know today.
After a brief introduction, the soloist begins the second movement with a long melody reminiscent of Sibelius’s songs for voice and piano. A brooding central section then builds to the return of the opening theme.
Margaret Alkek Williams Spotlight
Jean Sibelius’s first musical instruction came in the form of piano lessons from his Aunt Julia. He was a troublesome student, however; his habit of improvising instead of practicing his etudes would often earn him “raps across the knuckles.” It was only as a teenager that he discovered the violin, writing, “When I play, I am filled with a strange feeling; it is as though the insides of the music opened up to me.” He dreamed of becoming a virtuoso violinist, but his late start and susceptibility to stage fright prevented his dream from coming true; years later, however, his love of the instrument would find an outlet in his Violin Concerto.
35 INTUNE September 2022
Its resolute beginning is marked by vigorous, long-short rhythms. The soloist’s high-flying runs lead to a contrasting, foot-stomping melody for the orchestra, a theme that likely prompted Donald Tovey to dub the movement a “polonaise for polar bears.” These main ideas cycle through the movement as the soloist’s feats build to a vibrant, lifeaffirming conclusion.
SIBELIUS
The concerto captivates from its first notes: Above muted strings, the soloist spins a haunting melody that soon gives way to virtuoso flights above a stormy accompaniment. As the orchestra fades into the background, the clarinets hint at a lyrical new theme; the soloist then plays the full melody espressivo and affettuoso (expressive and loving). A viola echoes the soloist—perhaps evoking an operatic duet between a soprano and tenor.
The last movement, a fresh, rustic polonaise (a dance with a 1-2-3, 1-2-3 beat pattern), ranks among the most challenging violin concerto finales. Sibelius remarked, “It must be played with absolute mastery.”
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Program Notes
in D minor, Opus
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony
36Houston Symphony
The next year, he unveiled his Symphony No. 5. Intense, but building to a seemingly triumphant ending, it helped restore Shostakovich to favor. But many hear its close as menacing rather than optimistic; to them, the symphony paints a powerful picture of the stresses Shostakovich endured. See what you think.
A fierce, jagged theme ricochets between the violins and the low strings. But Shostakovich quickly turns inward. Hushed violins spin out a melody that grows restless and plaintive, and after the rest of the orchestra builds on it, the violins introduce another eloquent theme. Its gently pulsing rhythm gives it an undercurrent of tension. The tension boils over when the piano and low strings begin to pound. Aggressiveness seizes the orchestra, and the trumpets lead a biting, militant march. The opening theme thunders in, taking the movement to its ferocious climax. When that dies away, a glimmer of warmth appears: The horn sings out a peaceful, major-key version of the violins’ ethereal theme from before the explosion. The solace fades, and the movement’s close is quiet but
Theunsettled.cellos
Thanks to his music’s wryness and impact, Dmitri Shostakovich clinched his place as Russia’s leading young composer by the time he was 30. Then Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin attended a performance of Shostakovich’s powerful opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District Soviet officialdom, which was busy purging people the regime deemed disobedient, denounced the work as “muddle instead of music.” The attack traumatized Shostakovich.
and basses launch the second movement lustily, but mockery soon takes over. The piercing E-flat clarinet rings out over the winds, and the trumpets swagger into the spotlight. A lumbering duo for bassoon and contrabassoon lends a ghostly tinge. The strings’ richness sets the tone for the slow movement. Divided into eight parts, the strings enter gradually, spinning out layer upon layer of brooding, soulful melody. A solo oboe sounds forlorn by comparison, and its melody contributes to a wrenching surge of lyricism. After that catharsis, the movement ends quietly. But more drama remains.
Booming drums and glaring brasses open the finale, and a quick-time march grows even more hard-driving and tumultuous. The trumpet proclaims an imperious new theme, and the strings cry it out wildly—until the music crashes to a halt. The French horn gives the theme a softer profile, and the music takes on a lamenting intensity. But the march theme sneaks back in, and it expands into a massive, relentless force. No. 5 Program47
Notes
Joshua Bell, violin
Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Joshua began the violin at age 4, and at 12, began studies with his mentor, Josef Gingold. At age 14, he debuted with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and made his Carnegie Hall debut at 17 with the St. Louis Symphony. At age 18, he signed with his first label, London Decca, and received the Avery Fisher Career Grant. In the years following, Joshua has been named 2010 “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America, a 2007 “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum, nominated for six Grammy awards, and received the 2007 Avery Fisher Prize. He has also received the 2003 Indiana Governor’s Arts Award and a Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 1991 from the Jacobs School of Music. In 2000, he was named an “Indiana Living
JoshuaLegend.”has
, conductor
performed for three American presidents and the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. He participated in President Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities’ first cultural mission to Cuba, joining Cuban and American musicians on a 2017 Live from Lincoln Center Emmynominated PBS special, Joshua Bell: Seasons of Cuba, celebrating renewed cultural diplomacy between Cuba and the United States.
Please view p.6 for his bio
Program Bios
37 INTUNE September 2022
Joshua’s highlights in the 2022–23 season include leading the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on tour in South America to Sao Paulo, Bogotá, and Montevideo to Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. He appears in guest performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Sofia Philharmonic, and Franz Schubert Filharmonia as well as a European tour with pianist Peter Dugan. In the United States, in addition to these concerts, he performs alongside the New York Philharmonic, as well as the San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and New Jersey Symphony
JurajOrchestras.Valčuha
With a career spanning almost four decades, Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell is one of the most celebrated artists of his era. Having performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, he maintains engagements as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor, and music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
38Houston FeaturedSymphonyProgram concertogershwin in f Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and piano 0:07 S. OKPEBHOLO – ZOOM! for Strings and Percussion 0:14 A. HAILSTORK – Survive, (Symphony No. 4) i Still Holding On: Moderato 0:20 BARBER – Symphony No. 1 Opus 9 INTERMISSION 0:29 GERSHWIN – Piano Concerto in F i Allegro ii Adagio—Andante con moto iii Allegro agitato
Award-winning conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane returns to Jones Hall for an exciting program of groundbreaking works by American composers. The concerts open with ZOOM!, composed by Shawn Okpebholo in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic. Taking its name from the ubiquitous video conference software, this vibrant and playful score explores what it means to be together even when apart. An homage to the pioneering African American composer William Grant Still, Augustus Hailstork’s Still Holding On was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2019. In 1937, Samuel Barber’s gripping First Symphony became the first symphonic work by an American composer to be performed at the prestigious Salzburg Festival. The program concludes when Kahane conducts from the keyboard in Gershwin’s jazzy Piano Concerto in F, a sequel to Rhapsody in Blue that proved “there was plenty more where that had come from.”
PROGRAM INSIGHT Program Notes
HeCincinnati.hassince
S. OKPEBHOLO ZOOM! for Strings and Percussion
30 Jones Hall
Friday,SymphonySeptember
About the Music
Born in Lexington, Kentucky, to a Nigerian father and African American mother, Shawn Okpebholo first discovered music when his family began attending a Salvation Army Church when he was 7 years old. From the beginning, he was drawn to composition; around the same time, he composed his first song. As he grew older, he began more formal studies with musicians in the congregation, setting him on the path to a doctoral degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of
8:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 1 Jones Hall & Livestream 8:00 p.m. Sunday, October 2 Jones Hall 2:30 p.m.
40Houston
become a prominent voice in the classical music world; his works have been featured nationally on public television and radio and performed at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the National Cathedral. Musically, he draws inspiration from his African and African American heritage, the classical canon, and his faith; he notes the music of American composer Charles Ives as a particular influence. Okpebholo shed some further light on his creative process in a 2019 interview: “As a composer, I often strive to create interesting harmonies and
compelling counterpoint, and as a listener, I appreciate that as well. [...] My compositions are not mere abstract constructions—music for music’s sake, if you will (not that that is a bad thing). But rather, my works are about something: inspired by, a response to, a study of, rooted in, etc.” In addition to fulfilling many commissions, he currently serves as professor of music composition and theory at Wheaton College-Conservatory of Music; he and his family make their home outside Chicago.
This“Afro-American.”composition is the first movement of my (in-process) Fourth Symphony. The remaining movements to follow are “Still Working,” and “Still Crossing That Bridge.” This first movement opens with a quiet, short, introduction followed by a duet for oboe and cello (two instruments Still played). A suspenseful transition section leads to the conclusion which features the African American spiritual HOLD ON. Adolphus Hailstork
S. OKPEBHOLO ZOOM! for Strings and Percussion
41 INTUNE September 2022
Still Holding On
Program Notes
A. HAILSTORK
The premiere, on February 17, 2019 was to be at a concert announced as a salute to William Grant Still (1895 – 1978), the “dean” of African American composers. I decided to reference some of the motives found in Still’s famous and pioneering Symphony No. 1, the
Part of the Great Performers by Livestream of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger
ROUPG
R AND
The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc., in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham
SURVIVE was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as part of its 100th anniversary celebration.
Commissioned by the United States Air Force Band for its elite string ensemble, ZOOM! dates from 2020 and is part of a body of works composed in response to a unique historical moment: the global COVID-19 pandemic. With his characteristic optimism, Okpebolo produced a composition that is “energetic, moves quickly, and radiates joy,” noting that “[...] even during this era, there is hope a universal anticipation of a return to normalcy an idea I wanted to artistically evoke in ZOOM! ” Regarding the title, he sought “a word, phrase, or idea” that would fit the times. “‘Zoom’ quickly rose to the top of the list,” reflecting both “the rapid development of vaccines” and “the video conferencing platform of the same name.” Structurally, the piece has a three part, A-B-A structure. After an introduction featuring castanets (perhaps a playful reference to the sound of keystrokes on a laptop), the strings enter with dancing, rhythmically inventive music. According to the composer, the slower central section, marked “Contemplative” in the score, “evokes the dichotomy of being together while apart: unsatisfying in one aspect, yet, cherished.” The castanets signal the return of the energetic opening music, and the piece ends with what must be the musical equivalent of a wink.
Indeed, one can scarcely believe a work of such depth passes in less than 20 minutes. Inspired by Sibelius’s Seventh Symphony, Barber fused the traditional four movements of a symphony into one. The work begins with a trenchant, motto-like idea high in the violins. This “motto” permeates the symphony and sets its dark, brooding mood. Soon after, the music becomes quieter as the English horn and violas sing a long melody above harmonies that shift from light to shadow. The ensuing development builds to a powerful climax before dying away.
The long, singing melody introduced in the “first movement” then reappears in the oboe as the main theme of a poignant “slow movement.” Listen for the trio of solo cellos that begins the gradual crescendo to the first three notes of the motto in the trombones.
Immediately, the “fourth movement” starts with a variation of the motto theme low in the cellos and basses. In a nod to the finale of Brahm’s Fourth Symphony, this becomes the basis for a passacaglia, a kind of theme and variations based on a repeated bass line. As more instruments enter, the passacaglia builds to the symphony’s arresting conclusion.
During the summer of 1935, Samuel Barber was in the midst of a meteoric rise to fame; he had recently received a prestigious Rome Prize, which required him to relocate to an American artists’ colony in the Italian capital for at least five months. Before leaving, Barber and his friend, lover, and fellow composer Gian Carlo Menotti made a visit to the Poconos in a Ford they nicknamed “Frescobaldi,” gifted to Barber by his patroness, philanthropist Mary Curtis Bok. “It is grand to be in the woods again; I am composing and reading a great deal,” he wrote to her.
He had begun his First Symphony, and work proceeded apace; by October, he wrote to Menotti from Rome: “My symphony [...] is just about finished. But I am surveying the last hundred yards with a canny eye before taking the final spurt. It is not easy to end things.” Indeed, Barber would not complete the symphony until February. Soon performed throughout Europe and the United States, the symphony was warmly embraced by audiences, critics, and musicians. Bruno Walter, who began his conducting career as Gustav Mahler’s protégé, called it “astonishing [...] no-one is composing today who handles form that way.”
BARBER Symphony No. 1, Opus 9 Program Notes 42Houston Symphony
The violins then play a fleet, scherzando passage based on a sped-up version of the motto. In a normal four-movement symphony, this would be the “second movement.” In 1942, Barber completely rewrote this section, giving us the version performed today, full of rhythmic games that keep listeners guessing what comes next. After climaxing with a return of the motto, a cheeky bassoon continues pattering away as if unaware the time for such music has passed.
GERSHWIN Piano Concerto in F
After a percussive opening gesture, the concerto begins with the longshort rhythms of the Charleston, which Gershwin meant to evoke “the young, enthusiastic spirit of American life.” The pianist then enters with a more introspective, lyrical theme. These two main ideas are developed throughout a movement marked by sudden, mercurial changes of mood and tempo. The pianist’s initial theme makes a soaring return in the strings near the end.
The second movement approaches the intimate world of chamber music, featuring solos for trumpet, oboe, flute, and violin in addition to those for the piano. Described by Gershwin as “almost Mozartian in its simplicity” and possessed of “a poetic, nocturnal tone,” the main theme takes the form of a bluesy solo for muted trumpet accompanied by a trio of clarinets. This main theme alternates with two contrasting episodes: the first is a faster, more playful one that begins when the piano enters; the second introduces a singing “big tune” in the strings.
For the finale, Gershwin created what he called “an orgy of rhythms,” a showcase for the pianist’s virtuoso technique. The driving repeated notes of the toccata-like main theme alternate with reminiscences of themes from the first and second movements, culminating in a grand return of the lyrical theme the soloist first played at the beginning of the concerto.
Program Notes
Amid a busy schedule of composing hit Broadway and West End musicals, George Gershwin found time to fulfill a commission for a new Piano Concerto in 1925. He had made a name for himself in the concert hall the year before with his epochal fusion of jazz and classical music, Rhapsody in Blue. Regarding his new concerto, Gershwin said, “Many persons had thought that the Rhapsody was only a happy accident. Well, I went out, for one thing, to show them that there was plenty more where that had come from.” The 27-year-old Gershwin performed the solo part himself at the world premiere with the New York Symphony. The World reported, “The truth is that George Gershwin is a genius […] He alone actually expresses us. He is the present, with all its audacity, impertinence, its feverish delight in its motion, its lapses into rhythmically exotic melancholy.”
43 INTUNE September 2022
In 2017, Jeffrey completed his 20 th and final season as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and is now the orchestra’s conductor laureate. He served as music director of the Colorado Symphony 2005-06 through 2009-10 and for 10 seasons was music director of the Santa Rosa Symphony. In 2016, he was appointed music director of the Sarasota Music Festival; he served as the orchestra’s artistic advisor for two seasons.
In addition to these concerts, recent and upcoming engagements include a fifth play/conduct with the New York Philharmonic, and he performs/conducts with the
Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and Equallypianoathome
ProgramSymphony
Indianapolis, Vancouver, Milwaukee, Colorado, and San Diego symphonies; concerto appearances with the Toronto, Cincinnati, New World, New Jersey, Oregon, and Utah symphonies; and appearances at the Aspen, Mostly Mozart, Oregon Bach, and Ravinia festivals.
44Houston
at the piano or on
A Los Angeles native and graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Jeffrey was first prize winner at the 1983 Rubinstein Competition, a finalist at the 1981 Van Cliburn Competition, and the recipient of a 1983 Avery Fisher Career Grant. An avid linguist who fluently reads a number of ancient and modern languages, he received a master’s degree in classics from the University of Colorado in 2011. He is currently a professor of keyboard studies at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.
Bio
the podium, Jeffrey Kahane is recognized around the world for his mastery of a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to the music of our time.
Jeffrey has appeared as soloist and conductor with most major U.S. orchestras and is a popular artist at all the foremost U.S. summer festivals. Since making his Carnegie Hall debut in 1983, he has given recitals in many of the nation’s music centers. A highly respected chamber musician, he collaborates with today’s most important chamber ensembles.
Jeffrey recently conducted two Kurt Weill operas—a rare fully staged production of Weill’s last Broadway opera, Lost in the Stars, during his final LACO season; and a concert version of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny with the Hamburg Symphony.
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Mr. and Mrs. Gary Greaser
HindaArthurMr.Mr.Dr.LawrenceGinaHaroldMr.Mrs.Mr.ClintonMrs.Dr.Dr.Mr.LindaNancyMr.RochelleMackyJessicaMr.JoRichardDeniseMr.DavidMrs.LarryErnieKarinneandMcCullough**andMarthaMcWilliamsandLynMillerSuzanneMillerMincberg&LainieGordonandMrs.ThomasL.MolloyMonteleoneandJulietMoynihanAnnandMarvinMuellerandMrs.RichardMurphy&ErickNavasOsorioandSheldonOsterJoePacetti-De'MediciParraTarpleyPetersonandMrs.ArnaudPichonandMrs.JamesL.PoolVanithaPothuriDanaPuddyandLeighRappoleandMrs.J.B.ReimerAdelinaRomeroandMrs.JohnRyderH.Sandstead,M.D.andSaibSaourP.SchanzmeyerMarkA.SchustermanandMrs.DilankaSeimonandDr.AdrianD.ShelleyE.andEllenSheltonSimon
Ms. Diana Skerl
David Smith and Elizabeth A. Fagan
Matt JimmyChuchlaandLynn Coe
Mr. and Ms. Kerr Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Williams
AnonymousZiegler (2) Donors
$2,500+ Our
Juliana and Stephen Tew Jean and Doug Thomas
Mr. Steve Carroll and Ms. Rachel Dolbier
Dr. Brad and Mrs. Frances
Katherine and Archibald Govan Hill IV
Wendy Germani
Mady and Ken Kades
Richard and Mary Spies
Mr. Michael Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. DavidMasonand Heidi Massin
Julianne and David Gorte Mr. and Mrs. Mark Grace
Mr. William W. Lindley Mr. and Mrs. MacGregorPeter
* Deceased
Mr. and Mrs. John Homier Laura and Rick C. Jaramillo
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce G. Buhler
Richard
Ms. Lidiya Gold Susan and Kevin Golden Marcos Gonzalez Mr. and Mrs. Herb Goodman
Mr. and Mrs. Jarrod Martin
47 INTUNE September 2022 ** Education and Community Engagement Donor
Mr. Stanley Hoffberger
Drs. Henry and Louise Bethea
Mr. and Mrs. Edward R.
Tim Ong and Michael Baugh Kimberly and James Bell Jr. Emily Bivona and Ryan
Emily and Joseph MorrelPorter Hedges LLP Stephanie Weber and Paul AprillMuriNelson#
EricCarrieManserandSverreBrandsberg-Dahl#Brueggeman
Kusum Patel, Chair Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl, Vice Chair
Laura and William Black Lindsay Buchanan# Adair and Kevin Brueggeman Greta Carlson
Carolyn and Patrick Gaidos
Laurel Flores, Communications Chair Jeff Hiller, Membership Chair
Amanda Beatriz
Valerie Palmquist Dieterich and Tracy Dieterich Vicky ElaineClaudioJamieDominguezEverettGutierrezandJeffHiller#
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.
Anna Kaplan
YOUNG ASSOCIATE PREMIUM $2,500+
Christopher P. Armstrong and Laura Schaffer
# Steering Committee
Clarice Jacobson and Brian OwenLeonardHannahGeneveraIsabelaEliseLeonardoRosenzweigSotoWagner#WalkinAllenandMichaelWeylandtWhitneyandKristinWoodZhang
Patrick B. Garvey Amy RebeccaGoodpastureandAndrew Gould
David MeganJacksonChaluhDavisandJohn Degenstein Chante Westmoreland Dillard Laurel Flores#
YOUNG ASSOCIATE $1,500+
Associates Council
YoungSymphony
YOUNG ASSOCIATE LEADERSHIP
Ann and Jonathan Ayre Lauren and Mark Bahorich
Haydée del Calvo and Esteban Montero Kendall and Jim Cross Denise Davis
Nicholas Gruy Ashley and John Horstman
Zoe LeeTrevorMillerMyersBar-Eliand Cliff Nash Lauren Paine Blake Plaster
Mariana and James O. Huff III Carey Kirkpatrick Joel ElissaLuksand
Toni Oplt and Ed Schneider
Aerin and Quentin Smith# Justin IshwariaStenberg#andVivek Subbiah
Allegra Lilly and Robin KirbyKesselmanandDavid Lodholz# Gwen and Jay McMurrey Miriam Meriwani
Mariya Idenova
Kusum and K. Cody Patel# Liana and NadhishaSchwaitzberg#AndrewandDilanka Seimon
For more information, please contact Katie Salvatore, Development Officer & Board Liaison, at katie.salvatore@houstonsymphony.org, 713.337.8544.
C. Birk Hutchens
48Houston
Jarrod Martin Kelser McMiller#
Shane Miller
KTRK PhillipsABC-13*66**
Bank of America Frost HoustonBankMethodist*
City Gorman’sKitchen*Uniform Service Jackson & Company*
Quantum Bass Center* SEI, Global Institutional Group
Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods / Spec’s Charitable Foundation**
Kalsi TenenbaumPaperCity*EngineeringJewelers*
Corporate, Foundation, & Government Partners
49 INTUNE September 2022
Houston Public MediaNews 88.7 FM; Channel 8 PBS*
Wortham Insurance & Risk Management
Smith, Graham & Company Stewart Title Company TAM International, Inc.
Accordant Advisors* Baker Botts L.L.P.* Boston Consulting Group* Cameron Engie**CKPChevron**Management*Group*
Locke Lord LLP Lockton Companies of Houston USI Southwest
GulfChristianBeDESIGN*BakerAmazonHughesDiorCoastDistillers
RandPNC**Group, LLC* Shell Oil Company** VinsonTruistSewell & Elkins LLP
CORPORATE PARTNERS (as of August 31, 2022)
For information on becoming a corporate partner, please contact Timothy Dillow, Director, Corporate Relations, at timothy.dillow@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8538.
Sponsor ($25,000 and above)
Silver Eagle Beverages* Sire Spirits Beth Wolff Realtors Zenfilm*
Houston Baptist University Houston Livestock Show & KinderRodeo**Morgan Foundation** Kirkland & Ellis The Lancaster Hotel* Occidental**
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.
Underwriter ($50,000 and above)
ConocoPhillips**
Grand Guarantor ($150,000 and above)
Supporter ($10,000 and above)
Guarantor ($100,000 and above)
Marine Foods Express, Ltd. Neiman Marcus* One Market Square Garage*
Orrick,Nordstrom**Herrington & Sutcliffe, L.L.P. Quantum Energy Partners
Russell Reynolds Associates, UniversityInc. of St. Thomas*
United Airlines*
Benefactor ($5,000 and above)
Houston First Corporation* MarkMacy’s**Kamin & Associates New Timmy CorporationChan
Partner ($15,000 and above)
KPMG US Foundation, Inc. Mercantil ONEOK, Inc.
Principal Corporate Guarantor ($250,000 and above)
* Includes in-kind support **Education and Community Engagement Support
Silver Eagle Distributors Houston, LLC Univision Houston & Amor 06.5FM
Bank of Texas Beck Redden LLP FranklyBHP Organic Vodka
Patron (Gifts below $5,000)
*
EOG Resources The Events H-E-B/H-E-BCompany*TournamentofChampions**
The Radoff FoundationFamily
Ruth & Ted Bauer Family BarbaraFoundation**BushLiteracyFoundation**
The Brown Foundation, Inc.
The Alkek and FoundationWilliams
Premier Guarantor ($500,000 and above)
The Melbern G. & Susanne M. WilliamFoundation**GlasscockE.&NatomaPyleHarveyCharitableFoundation**
Benefactor ($5,000 and above)
John P. TheTheFoundation**McGovernPowellFoundation**RobbinsFoundation**
Partner ($15,000 and above)
City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance The Cullen Foundation
50Houston Corporate,Symphony
FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT AGENCIES (as of August 31, 2022)
Houston Symphony Chorus LTREndowmentLewisCloverdaleFoundation
Patron (Gifts below $5,000)
The Carleen & Alde Fridge Foundation
Beauchamp Foundation The Elkins Foundation The Fondren Foundation
Guarantor ($100,000 and above)
The Martine and Dan Drackett FoundationFamily
William S. & Lora Jean Kilroy TheFoundationVivianL.SmithFoundation**
Keith & Mattie Stevenson Foundation
The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts
The William Stamps Farish Fund
George & Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Petrello Family Foundation
**Education and Community Engagement Support
Sponsor ($25,000 and above)
Underwriter ($50,000 and above)
Diamond Guarantor ($1,000,000 and above)
City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board** The Hearst Foundation**
Foundation, & Government Partners
Texas Commission on the Arts**
The Houston Arts Combined Endowment Fund
Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation
Houston HoustonEndowment**SymphonySymphony League
The Hood-Barrow Foundation The Schissler Foundation The Vaughn Foundation
The Humphreys Foundation MD Anderson Foundation National Endowment for the Arts
The Pierce StrakeSterling-TurnerFoundationRunnellsFoundationFoundation**
Edward H. Andrews
Supporter ($10,000 and above)
The Wortham Foundation, Inc.
Leon Jaworski Foundation
The Lubrizol Foundation The Scurlock 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.
The Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation
The C. Howard Pieper Foundation
Grand Guarantor ($150,000 and above)
Janet F. Clark Fund
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs
The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Fund for Creative Initiatives
General Maurice Hirsch Chair Aralee Dorough, Principal Flute
The Margaret and James Elkins Foundation Fund
Violinist Fund through the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts
Spec’s Charitable Foundation Salute to Educators Concert Fund
Walter W. Sapp Fund, Legacy Society
Max Levine Chair Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster
Janice H. and Thomas D. Barrow Chair Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Cello
William Dee Hunt Lynn Mathre
Houston Symphony Endowment
For more information, please contact Alex de Aguiar Reuter, Senior Associate, Endowment & Administration, at alex.reuter@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8532.
Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair Juraj Valčuha, Music Director
The Brown Foundation Guest Pianist Fund
The Houston Symphony Endowment is a separate nonprofit organization that invests contributions to earn income for the benefit of the Houston Symphony Society.
The Cullen Foundation Maestro’s Fund
FayezCo-FounderSarofimGuest
The Schissler Foundation Fund
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair John Mangum, Executive Director/CEO
Houston Symphony Chorus Fund Joan and Marvin Kaplan Fund Ellen E. Kelley Chair Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster
MargarettCo-FoundersandAlice Brown Fund for Education
Fondren Foundation Chair Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster
TRUSTEESENDOWMENT
Mary Lynn and Steve Marks Fund Barbara and Pat McCelvey Fund
FUNDS $250,000+
George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Summer Concerts Fund
Mary R. Lewis Fund for Piano M.D.PerformanceAndersonFoundation Fund
The Virginia Lee Elverson Trust Fund
C. Howard Pieper Foundation Fund
Jerome Simon Scott Wise
BobbyFundand Phoebe Tudor Fund
The Micijah S. Stude Special Production
The Wortham Foundation Classical Series Fund in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham
You can create an endowed fund or chair through a direct contribution or via planned gift such as a bequest. The fund can be designated for general purposes, or to endow an orchestra chair. Your gift will not only help strengthen the financial stability of the orchestra, but also create a way for your family and friends to celebrate your commitment to the Houston Symphony by contributing to the fund in your honor.
James H. Lee III, President David Krieger
The Brown Foundation Miller Outdoor Theatre Fund in memory of Hanni and Stewart Orton, Legacy Society
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
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Endowed Chair William VerMeulen, Principal Horn
Monroe L. Mendelsohn Jr. Fund
51 INTUNE September 2022
For more information, please contact Alex de Aguiar Reuter, Senior Associate, Endowment & Administration, at alex.reuter@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8532.
Bill and Karinne McCullough Muffy and Mike McLanahan
Dr. Joan Hacken Bitar Dorothy B. Black* Kerry Levine Bollmann Ermy Borlenghi Bonfield Zu Broadwater
Mike and Anita* Stude
Gretchen Ann Myers Patience Myers John N. Neighbors* in memory of Jean Marie Neighbors Mr.* and Mrs. Richard C. DarlaSaraLindaPeter*ChristineImogenMr.EdwardMackyJohnDaveLeslieJohnBobbieNelsonNewmanandLeslieNiemandNossamanG.Nussmann*OnstottOsorioC.OsterbergJr.andMrs.EdmundandMeganPantuliano“Immy”PapadopoulosandRedPastorekandNinaPeropoulosTarpleyPetersonM.PetersonPowellPhillips
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey B. Aron George* and Betty Bashen
SteveStephenEmilyMarieSherryTadLisaDr.WalterMr.EdLilaPatrickPuddyT.QuinnRauchandJanetRinehartFloydW.RobinsonRossandMrs.KazuoShimadaandJerrySimonandSuzanneSmithSnyderSpezialeH.andDavidK.TerryG.TippsTostengard,
Jana Vander Lee Bill and Agnete Vaughan Dean B. Walker
in memory of Ardyce Tostengard
William J. Clayton and Margaret A. Hughes
Michael B. George Mauro H. Gimenez and Connie A. Coulomb
Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Elba L. MargaretVillarrealWaisman, M.D. and Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D.
Mr. Christopher and Mrs. Erin Brunner Eugene R. Bruns
Cheryl and Sam* Byington
Stephen and Kristine Wallace Geoffrey Westergaard
Nancy B. Willerson
Leslie Barry Davidson Susan Feickert
Ginny Garrett
Farida Abjani
Dr. Lida S. Dahm
Mr. Robert M. Griswold
Janice Barrow
The Aubrey* and Sylvia Farb Family Helen Hudspeth Flores*
Drs. Dennis and Susan JeanAndriaMr.VirginiaJanetCarlyleF.ClarkA.ClarkWilliamE.ColburnN.ElkinsandJack*Ellis
Dr. Robert N. Chanon
Stephen and Mariglyn Glenn Evan B. Glick Jo A. and Billie Jo Graves Mario MichelleJoellaMr.Dr.Dr.MarilynJacquelynDeborahGudmundssonHappandRichardRostHarrisonandThomasDamgaardandBobHermanceCharlesandTammieJohnsonRitaJusticeandMrs.U.J.LeGrangeandStevenP.MachandJackMatzer
Randolph Lee Groninger Claudio J. Gutierrez
Lorraine and Ed* Wulfe
David and Tara Wuthrich
Walter and Nancy Bratic Joe MaryTerryBrazzattiAnnBrownKathrynCampion and Stephen Liston
Dr. and Mrs. George J. Abdo Priscilla R. Angly Jonathan and Ann Ayre Myra W. Barber
Mr. and Mrs. Fredric A. RobertWeberG.Weiner & Toni VickiBlankmannWest in honor of Hans Graf Susan Gail Wood Jo Dee Wright Ellen A. AnonymousYarrell(2)
Mr. and Mrs. Byron Cooley
Jenny and Tadjin Popatia Geraldine Smith Priest Dana
Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Gendel
Dr. Georgette M. Michko
Sylvia J. Carroll
Bill Grieves*
Dr.MaryJamesJayMr.DavidSandraMrs.SamuelMrs.Dr.Dr.BarbaraBrianDr.Dr.Dr.TimothyGloriaHamakerL.Herman*HoganandElaineAnthonyGaryL.HollingsworthEdwardJ.andMrs.Patti*HurwitzKennethHydeandCatherineJamesandRaymondKalmansJamesE.andBettyW.KeyandMrs.I.RayKirkFrancesE.LelandJ.LevineLucyLewisMagersRayMaloneandDavidJ.SloatandMrs.RodneyH.MargolisandShirley*MarksG.MatthewsAnnandDavidMcKeithanTraceySamuelsandMr.RobertMcNamara
Katherine and Mark Yzaguirre Edith and Robert Zinn Anonymous (8)
*Deceased
Frank Shroeder Stanford in memory of Dr. Walter O. Stanford
Dr. Robert M. Mihalo* Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H.
Dr. Joan K. Bruchas* and Mr. H. Philip Cowdin*
Drs.MuellerJohnand Dorothy CharlesDonnaConstanceGloriaOehlerG.PryzantE.RoyScottandAndrea Seay Mr. and Mrs. James A. RonaldLouis*Jule*MichaelShafferJ.ShawiakandAlbert*SmithandMaryKaySnyderMikita*&RexSpikes
Jim JamesJoeJamesBartonBellAnneBerwick*andS.Dale Brannon
Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm L. Mazow
Dr. Antonio Arana*
Jennifer R. Wittman
The Honorable* and Mrs. William Crassas
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry L.
Eugene Fong
52Houston
LegacySymphony Society
CRESCENDO CIRCLE $100,000+
Mr. and Mrs. D. Bradley CatherineMcWilliamsJane Merchant Marilyn Ross Miles and Stephen Warren Miles SidneyFoundationandIone Moran Janet RichardMoynihan*andJuliet Moynihan
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.
Mrs. Aggie L. Foster
Stephen and Kristine Wallace Rian Craypo, Principal Bassoon
Vicki West
Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal Viola
Robin PrincipalKesselman,DoubleBass
Mr. Gordon J. Brodfuehrer Maki Kubota, Cello
Mary Kathryn Campion, PhD Rodica Gonzalez, First Violin
Eric Larson, Double Bass
Musician Sponsorships
Rodica Gonzalez, First Violin
Sophia Silivos, First Violin
Roger and Debby Cutler Tong Yan, First Violin
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Shaffer Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster
Mr. and Mrs. J. Stephen Marks Brian Del Signore, Principal Percussion
Dr. and Mrs. I. Ray Kirk John C. Parker, Associate Principal Trumpet
Joan and Bob Duff Robert Johnson, Associate Principal Horn
Mr. Jay Marks
Ralph Burch
Robert G. Weiner and Toni Blankman
Marina Brubaker, First Violin Alana R. Spiwak and Sam L. Stolbun
Anastasia Ehrlich, Second Violin
Steven and Nancy Williams
Steve and Mary Gangelhoff Judy Dines, Flute
Dr. Saul and Ursula Balagura Charles Seo, Cello
Mr. Glen A. Rosenbaum Aralee Dorough, Principal Flute
Donors at the Sponsorship Circle level and above are provided the opportunity to be recognized as sponsoring a Houston Symphony Musician.
Dr. William and Alice Kopp Leonardo Soto, Principal Timpani
Tad and Suzanne Smith
Nancy and Walter Bratic Christopher Neal, First Violin
Qi Ming, ConcertmasterAssistant
Assistant Principal Viola
Ian Mayton, Horn
Robert Walp, Assistant Principal Trumpet
Mark Nuccio, Principal Clarinet
Joella and Steven P. Mach
53 INTUNE September 2022
Bobby and Phoebe Tudor Bradley White, Acting Principal Trombone
Drs. M.S. and Marie-Luise Kalsi Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster
EmbeddedFoundationSymphonySchool-HoustonBrownCommunity-MusicianFellow
Xiao Wong, Cello
Cora Sue and Harry Mach
Janet F. Clark
Joan DerHovsepian, Acting Principal Viola
Margaret and Joel Shannon Rainel Joubert, MusicianCommunity-EmbeddedViolin–
Mr. and Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis
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
MiHee Chung, First Violin
Mr. Robert Bunch and Ms. Lilia Khakimova Alexander Potiomkin, Bass Clarinet and Clarinet
Mr. and Mrs. Fred L. Gorman Christopher French, Associate Principal Cello
Drs. Dennis and Susan Carlyle Louis-Marie Fardet, Cello Jane Cizik
Mrs. Carolyn and Dr. Michael Mann
John and Lindy Rydman / Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods
Michael H. Clark and Sallie Morian
Jeanie Kilroy Wilson and Wallace S. Wilson
Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster
Nina and Michael Zilkha Kurt Johnson, First Violin
MuChen Hsieh, Principal Second Violin
Gary L. Hollingsworth and Kenneth J. Hyde
For more information, please contact Samantha S. Olinsky, Major Gifts Officer, at samantha.olinsky@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8534.
Gary and Marian Beauchamp/ The Beauchamp Foundation Martha Chapman, Second Violin
Dr. Sippi and Mr. Ajay Khurana
Nancy Goodearl, Horn Gloria and Joe Pryzant Matthew Strauss, Percussion Allan and Jean Quiat Richard Harris, Trumpet Ron and Demi Rand Annie Chen, Second Violin Ed & Janet Rinehart Amy Semes, Associate Principal Violin Mrs. Sybil F. Roos Mark Hughes, Principal Trumpet
Joan Kaplan
David Connor, Double Bass –MusicianCommunity-Embedded
Rochelle and Max Levit Sergei Galperin, First Violin
Barbara J. Burger Andrew Pedersen, Double Bass
Anthony Kitai, Cello
Mike Stude Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Cello
Margaret Waisman, M.D. and Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D. Mark Griffith, Percussion
Dr. Eric McLaughlin and Mr. Eliodoro Castillo Jonathan Fischer, Principal Oboe
Stephen and Mariglyn Glenn Christian Schubert, Clarinet
Evan B. Glick
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
Janice Barrow
Tong Yan, First Violin
Judith Vincent Matthew Roitstein, Associate Principal Flute
Virginia A. Clark Shepherd
Houston Symphony 54
Starting with our 2021–22 Season, the Houston Symphony began a new initiative that aims to improve the quality of strings programs with the Houston Independent School District. The initiative, led by our Community-Embedded Musicians (CEMs), fills an important gap for HISD orchestra teachers—many of whom have extensive training in leading a school band ensemble, but lack the specialized skills needed to provide students with high-level strings instruction.
David Connor demonstrates the proper way to hold a bow to an HISD orchestra teacher
CEM David Connor during a classroom observation session with orchestra instructors and students at Crespo Elementary School
WITHSERIESSUPPORTORCHESTRAHISD
Feedback from orchestra teachers who attended these sessions makes it clear the Orchestra Support Series provided valuable support for their students. One attendee shared their experience, “I personally wanted to say thank you to all involved in the Houston Symphony Orchestra Support Series. The development was very well structured, informative, and overall, a positive learning experience. The instructors were patient, hands on, and clear with all information taught regarding string pedagogy. I look forward to further professional development hosted by the Houston Symphony orchestra and truly think HISD directors can benefit from this.”
Learning from our success, the Houston Symphony will continue the Orchestra Support Series with HISD during our 2022-23 Season, not only providing a series of four workshops to provide orchestra teachers with the fundamental techniques for playing and teaching string instruments, but additionally holding a series of classroom observations for each of the participating schools.
CEM Rainel Joubert leads a session on string instruction for HISD teachers
During the 2021–22 Season, CEMs David Connor and Rainel Joubert held 22 in-depth sessions that supported 23 HISD teachers—48% of the total orchestra instructors in the district with professional development, including 12 non-strings specialists. These sessions provided critical support to the teachers, providing instruction on the fundamentals of violin and bass instruction, and supporting the instruction of 1,800 students in orchestra programs throughout the district. Additionally, the program saw CEMs interact directly with 200 orchestra students through classroom observations and demonstrations.
60Houston Symphony PERFORMANCE CALENDAR Bank of America POPS Series S SpecialsPNCFamily Series Classical Series SSS SS
61 INTUNE August 2022
A P OF R F O R E VE RY HOM E
COLO
PO
Custom i ze you r stei n wa y to matc h the de s ig n of any room . 2001 W. Gray St. Houston, Texas 77019 (713) www.steinwaypianos.com520-1853
Wine Auction Chair Bob Weiner
62 INTUNE August 202258Houston Symphony
Lindy Rydman and John Rydman, Board President
Wine Dinner Chairs Bob and Joan Duff
The 2022 Wine Dinner and Collector’s Auction, expertly chaired by Joan and Bob Duff, returned to Jones Hall with the dinner on stage and the extensive collector’s auction throughout the grand lobby. The event raised $670,000 for the Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement initiatives.
The evening began with a wine and champagne reception in the lobby, where guests explored the well-curated Collector’s Auction. This year’s auction selection was assembled by a committee chaired by Bob Weiner, a discerning and knowledgeable wine lover, who has served as chair of the auction since 2010. Thanks to Bob and the committee’s hard work and resourcefulness, guests bid on hundreds of rare and special wines, spirits, experiences, jewelry, and art.
2022 WINE DINNER AND COLLECTOR’S AUCTION
This record-breaking Wine Dinner and Collector’s Auction was truly a special and unforgettable night. To secure tables and tickets to this season’s event, chaired by Bobbie Nau on April 21, 2023, please call or email Stacey Swift at 713.337.8523 or stacey.swift@houstonsymphony.org, or visit the special events page on our website.
JURAJ VALčUHA
“What I look forward to the most is the music. I am looking forward to making music with the orches tra, presenting great concerts, connecting with the audience. But, after this work, I will have the possibility to explore Houston. Of course, I need to go to the Space Center. I am very interested in the Menil Collection, and not only for the collection but also for the architecture by Renzo Piano. I have also heard so much about the food and restaurant scene. Soon I will have the opportunity to walk around, to see, to discover, to talk with people, and to learn more about this city.”
Executive Director/CEO John Mangum and Juraj Valčuha enjoying a meal.
64Houston WELCOMESymphony TO OUR NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR
Former Houston Symphony Music Director Christoph Eschenbach and Music Director Juraj Valčuha pose for a photo in Ravello, Italy.
Juraj Valčuha signing his contract with the Houston Symphony in Berlin in June 2021.
“My first appearance as a conductor was in Bratislava, and I was conducting a performance of a septet I composed. I took great pleasure in conducting my own music, but I discovered that when you have a short amount of time to prepare difficult music, the conductor is there to help and make the entire performance a success.”
53
Juraj Valčuha’s globe-trotting Houston Symphony hat in Ravello, Italy.
ROY AND LILLIE CULLEN CHAIR
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA AT THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY!
We also welcome back Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke to kickoff our Bank of America POPS Series with the much anticipated Cirque de la Symphonie program featuring thrilling acrobatics performed with our orchestra on stage.
Gifts of all sizes are needed and valued and will unlock special benefits just for you. Join one of our donor groups
Welcome Maestro Valčuha to Houston with a gift to our Annual Fund!
CELEBRATEtoday!
Scan the QR code for more information. You can also houstonsymphony.org/donatevisit or call us at 713.337.8559 to learn more about how you can become involved.
INTUNE September
65 INTUNE August 202260
Thank you for joining us at Jones Hall for this concert featuring your Houston Symphony. Excitement is in the air as we welcome new Music Director Juraj Valčuha, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair. His inaugural season explores great masterpieces from the classical cannon, new and rarely performed works, and dramatic works for voice and orchestra, all while spotlighting the virtuosity of our musicians.
Donors to the Houston Symphony Annual Fund make these programs possible. Ticket buyers, subscribers, donors, and volunteers are the lifeblood of our nonprofit organization. We depend on your support to bring the best live orchestral music to Houston throughout the year.
Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana Street houstonsymphony.org
