Concert: Monzer Hourani and the Moores School Symphony Orchestra

SCHUBERT AND BEETHOVEN

SATURDAY APRIL 29TH, 2023 AT 7:30 PM

Moores Opera House

FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, DIRECTOR OF ORCHESTRAS MONZER HOURANI, GUEST CONDUCTOR

A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Welcome to the Moores Opera House. Situated in the one of the largest and most diverse cities in the nation, the McGovern College of the Arts is dedicated to the success of our students and faculty in the visual and performing arts. Tonight you are in the home of the Moores School of Music, our comprehensive music school offering programs in all areas of music education, performance, and scholarship.

The McGovern College’s mission is to make an impact on the world through the arts; our values are based on mutual respect, on building understanding across time and cultures, and on educating productive citizens who will constructively contribute to their communities.

Our rich learning environment, situated within one of the nation’s leading urban public research universities, has led our graduates to extraordinary careers in the arts and beyond.

We invite you to become a member of the Moores Society and support student scholarships and programs by visiting uh.edu/music. Be sure to monitor the College’s events calendar regularly for one of our many upcoming performances, productions, or exhibitions, at uh.edu/artstickets.

Enjoy the concert!

Sincerely,

Andrew Davis Dean and Professor of Music Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair

MONZER HOURANI, conductor

MONZER HOURANI attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he earned degrees in Structural Engineering and Architectural Studies in 1969. In 1971, Mr. Hourani founded M. Hourani and Associates Consulting Engineers and other companies. He was involved in engineering innovations of many building techniques and engineering concepts that have had great impact on the construction and economy of the building industry in the U.S. A major accomplishment as an engineer was Mr. Hourani’s development of the state-ofthe-art system in post-tension foundation, for which he was awarded Engineer of the Year in Houston (1973). His other inventions include an oil skimmer for major oil spills, the patented Hurricane Window Brace for wind forces over category 4 or 5, and most recently the Biodefense Indoor Air Protection System, IVP. He received the 2021 Outstanding Award of Excellence and Newsmaker of the Year for 2020 from Engineering News-Record for his warp speed invention to help fight COVID-19.

As the CEO and founder of Medistar Corporation, Monzer Hourani currently directs the successful operations of one of the most dynamic medical real estate development companies in the U.S. Medistar develops all types of healthcare facilities throughout the U.S., primarily acute-care hospitals, teaching hospitals, long-term acute care facilities, integrated medical facilities, ambulatory and outpatient buildings, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, medical office buildings, cancer treatment centers and imaging centers. Medistar is also very involved in mixed-use developments throughout the U.S. The philosophy which Mr. Hourani has always followed in each of his development endeavors is to develop, design and construct very economical and modern buildings while maintaining a superior, quality product and to complement the latest advances in technology and medicine.

Monzer Hourani would like to dedicate this evening’s Schubert and Beethoven concert to John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, and Phillip Ray, Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs and Chief Business Officer for The Texas A&M University System. With these gentlemen, Texas A&M University is endowed with great leadership and has a tremendous impact on higher education, in all fields, in the State of Texas and beyond - indeed a shining star of learning.

MOORES SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, Director of Orchestras

MONZER HOURANI, Guest Conductor

SATURDAY

April 29, 2023 at 7:30

Moores Opera House

PROGRAM

Remarks

Dr. Andrew Davis, Dean, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts

Franz Anton Krager, Director of Orchestras

Symphony No 8 in B minor, D759 “Unfinished” Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

I. Allegro moderato

II. Andante con moto

…BRIEF PAUSE…

Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

III. Allegro. A tempo

IV. Allegro

PROGRAM NOTES

Franz Schubert Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”

Schubert’s Eighth Symphony is perhaps his bestknown piece. Certainly much ink has been spilled in speculation of why the composer never finished the final two movements. Some leading hypotheses paint the composer as almost distracted; Brian Newbould argues that the intended finale was instead used for Rosamunde, and another suggestion finds his attention diverted toward the Wanderer Fantasy. Others colorfully posit that Schubert’s first bout with syphilis took place as he was writing the first two movements, and poisoned the whole symphony by association. In any case, subsequent musicologists and composers have put forward various “completions” usually based on abandoned sketches for a scherzo and the (completed) Rosamunde entr’acte, with varying degrees of success.

The symphony was begun in 1822. Schubert completed the first two movements, and a couple pages of sketches for a following scherzo. The following year he sent the two finished movements to a friend who had helped arrange for the composer to receive an honorary diploma from the Graz Music Society. This friend kept the music to himself for decades, only showing it to a conductor friend in 1865, the year in which it received a belated premiere in Vienna.

PROGRAM NOTES

Ludwig Van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (Movement III and IV)

Beethoven’s Fifth is likely the best-known symphony ever written, and its opening motif has inspired everything from ringtones to disco remixes. Work on the symphony spanned the years 1804 to 1808, with the composer frequently distracted by work on parallel projects, including the sixth symphony. A premiere finally took place in 1808 at the Theater an der Wien, in a concert lasting over four hours and including the Sixth Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, movements from the C Major Mass, a concert aria, solo improvisations, and the Choral Fantasy.

The third movement eschews the traditional Minuet & Trio form for a scherzo, but there is no joking whimsy here. Rather, Beethoven writes a winding theme played by the cellos and basses, the tempo at times easing before launching into a stern brass fanfare. Contrast is provided later in the movement, as Beethoven writes some of the quietest of all his symphonic output.

After a buildup of energy, the composer launches without pause into the final movement, also marked Allegro. Here, after three movements of turmoil, he turns to triumph as the sections of the orchestra trade the rising and falling figures among themselves. This exuberant finish caps a compelling journey across the symphony’s four movements, bringing listeners from darkness to light.

MOORES SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, Director of Orchestras

FLUTES

CANDI ROHN, principal

KATHERINE GARCIA

DONALD RABIN

TAYLOR SILVA

PICCOLO

DONALD RABIN, principal

OBOES

MATTHEW HARMS, principal

MADELINE FLAKE

MATTHEW GLATTFELDER

CLARINETS

ZULY CÁRDENAS, co-principal

ANDREW WANG, co-principal

ADAM JONES

JHOSER SALAZAR

BASSOONS

HALEY HOUK, co-principal

DIMA SAVITSKI, co-principal

ANYA JOHNSON

MADISON WEAVER

CONTRABASSOON

DIMA SAVITSKI, principal

HORNS

KATIE ANGIELCZYK, co-principal

NICOLAS SILVA, co-principal

JORDAN ELLISOR

HENRY HAMRE

DAVID HOLTGREWE

PATRICK SANFORD

TRUMPETS

NICK ENGLE, co-principal

JHOAN GARCIA, co-principal

AUDREY FOSTER

RYAN MCARTHUR

CONNOR THURMAN

TENOR TROMBONES

STEVEN LUONG, principal

ALEC EADS

BASS TROMBONE

AGUSTIN MARTINEZ, principal

TUBAS

JOSHUA GANSLE, co-principal

JORDAN SIMMONS, co-principal

TIMPANI/ PERCUSSION

XOCHITL VASQUEZ, co-principal

ASHTON CARTER, co-principal

MARIO CASTRO

MICHAEL CHEN

ANNE HARRIS

VIOLINS

HANNA HRYBKOVA, concertmaster

MING-WEI HSIEH, associate concertmaster

RICARDO JIMENEZ MONTOYA, assistant concertmaster

ISABELLA BENGOCHEA, principal second

BERNINI CHAN, assistant principal second

JESSIKA ALBUQUERQUE

HOSSEIN AMINZADEH

JONATHAN ANDINO

SAMANTHA ARIZPE

XIAODONG CAO

JAVIER CASTRO

JASON CHAVIERS

LAURA CIVIDINO

RAUL COLMENERO

DUSTIN CUNNINGHAM

JORDAN EFIRD

ALEXANDER GARCIA

LIZBETH GARCIA

INGRID GERLING

EMILY GLADSTONE

NICOLE GONZALEZ

MIRANDA HOLLINGSWORTH

BRIAN HOWE

GILYOUNG KANG

ALLEN LI

ZURIEL LONGORIA

MARCIO MARTINEZ

MADISYN MUNOZ

SHAYLA NGUYEN

LUIS OSORIO

VU PHAM

LUIS RAMIREZ

JULIA TONDERA

BELLA TRIMINIO

DANIELA YEPES DIMATE

VIOLAS

KONRAD RUDOWICZ, PRINCIPAL

MELISSA ESCOBAR, ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

HAOQIN CHENG, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL MILES BI

DANIEL CASTORENA

ABRAHAM GONZALEZ

MADELINE GONZALES

MAGGIE LYTLE

BENJAMIN PETREE

YUXUAN ZHANG

VIOLONCELLI

ASHLEY WANG, principal

MITCHELL WRIGHT, associate principal

HANNAH DEPLAZES, assistant principal

STEPHANIE AGUILAR

WILLIAM DANHEIM

BRANDON ENGLAND

RICARDO GABRIEL FLORES

SAMUEL LINZAN

JOSHUA LOPEZ

GRACIE MARTINEZ

JULIAN MONTEZ

KAYLA NGUYEN

AMY SANDERS

BENJAMIN SERUR

ELIZABETH SPENCER

GIDEON WEAVER

EMILY YEH

ALEXA ZAMARRIPA

CONTRABASSI

REID RONSONETTE, principal BRUCE MANNING, associate principal

MAGGIE BISHOP, assistant principal

ANTHONY CHAVEZPLATA

CESAR FLORES

MACKENZIE GIBBONS

NATALY LINARES

SHARON MONTES

ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING STUDIO

MARTIN GARCIA LEON

CUTTER GONZALEZ

CAROLINA RODRIGUEZ RUSSUM

RINGEL SAT

The Moores School Symphony Orchestra is conducted by UH Director of Orchestras, Franz Anton Krager. As a major ensemble with over 110 members, the orchestra performs is a leading ensemble in the area of new music as well as being an important repository for the standard literature, presenting works from all major orchestral genres including full orchestra, chamber orchestra, opera, oratorio and ballet. The orchestra collaborates on a regular basis with the Moores Opera Center, MSM choirs and the Houston Ballet Academy. The high level of its performances has been hailed by international artists and critics alike as a student ensemble of professional quality and versatility.

For furthre information, visit our website at uh.edu/orchestra.

SPECIAL THANKS

The Moores School Symphony Orchestra would like to thank the following faculty and staff members for their invaluable assistance in helping to prepare this concert:

Seleste Bautista

Steve Block

Mark Buller

Andrew Davis

Karina Duran

Andrzej Grabiec

Kristin Johnson

Ornella Santee

Katherine Turner

Tobin Wright