Monzer Hourani 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.
Univer sity of Houston K at h r i n e G . M cG o v e r n Co l l e g e o f t h e A rt s Andrew Davis, Dean Moores School of Music Courtney Crappell, Director
T riumph of OurPeople elebratory oncert
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A REMEMBRANCE AND A VICTORY Moores School Symphony Orchestra F r a n z A n to n K r ag e r , Director of Orchestras M o n z e r H o u r a n i , Guest Conductor
S at u r d ay , M ay 1 , 2 0 2 1 M O O R E S
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Moores School Symphony Orchestra F r a n z A n to n K r ag e r , Director of Orchestras M o n z e r H o u r a n i , Guest Conductor Personnel Roster FLUTES
VIOLINS
Alexis Kaufman, principal Tabytha Donnelly Delainie Hendershot
Jonathan Andino, concertmaster Iwona Augustyn, assistant concertmaster Miranda Hollingsworth, principal second Daniel Torres, assistant principal second José Aponte-Trujillo Isabella Bengochea Jason Chaviers Jordan Efird Emily Gladstone Brian Howe Ming-Wei Hsieh Ricardo Jimenez Holly Knoch Heather Leal McKenna Miller Julia Tondera
PICCOLO Tabytha Donnelly, principal
OBOES Matthew Harms, principal Benjamin Bowman Matthew Glattfelder
CLARINETS Adam Boswell, co-principal Mauricio Franco, co-principal Daniel Millan
BASSOONS/CONTRABASSOON Daniel Westerfield, principal Alex Easley Dima Savitski, principal CB
HORNS Adam Harrington, co-principal Gabi Rodriguez, co-principal Nicholas Silva, co-principal Jake Buckner David Holtgrewe
TRUMPETS Nick Engle, co-principal George Solis, co-principal Justin Langham Ryan McArthur Brian Mendez
TENOR TROMBONES Reece MacDonald, co-principal Anthony Reilly, co-principal Steven Luong
BASS TROMBONES/TUBAS Cyrus Durosseau, co-principal Bailey Mustain, co-principal
TIMPANI Adrienne Anaya, co-principal Jose Sandoval, co-principal Mitchell Vereide, co-principal
VIOLAS Rosa Cole-Avendaño, principal Melissa Escobar, assistant principal Miles Bi Lilyan Foulois Merit Rogge
A major accomplishment as an engineer was Mr. Hourani’s development of the state-of-the-art system in post-tension foundation. His other inventions include an oil skimmer for major oil spills, the Hurricane Window Brace for hurricane forces over category 4 or 5, and most recently the Integrated Viral Protection (IVP) Biodefense Indoor Air Protection System. His many accomplishments in the engineering field led him to receive the award for “Outstanding Engineer of the Year” in Houston in 1973, and in April of this year he was honored with the 2021 Engineering News-Record Award of Excellence for his record setting speed in developing technology that mitigates transmission of COVID-19 in buildings. 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. Mr. Hourani has dedicated his entire life to making the lives of others better. He has been a major supporter of many diverse charitable and cultural organizations, including but not limited to, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the Arab American Medical Association, the Arab American Cultural Community Center, the American University of Beirut, Houston Food Bank, Feed the Children Foundation, and others. Out of Mr. Hourani’s great love of classical music, one of his most recent and dear charitable causes is his role as the major underwriter of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston and Virtuosi of Houston.
U N I V E R S I T Y O F H OU S T O N MOORES SCHOOL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Franz Anton Krager, Director of Orchestras
Monzer Hourani, Guest Conductor
Triumph of Our People Celebratory Concert S at u r d ay , M ay 1 , 2 0 2 1 M O O R E S
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Program
Coriolan Overture, Op 62.........................................Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No 3 in E-Flat Major “Rhenish,” Op 97...........Robert Schumann (1810-1856) I. Lebhaft IV. Feierlich II. Scherzo Sehr mässig V. Lebhaft III. Nicht schnell Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67............................Ludwig van Beethoven IV. Allegro Program Notes
by DR. MARK BULLER (MSM DMA ’15). www.MarkBullerComposer.com
VIOLONCELLI
Adriana Black, principal Victor Mauriz, assistant principal Henna Mohammed, assistant principal Stephanie Aguilar Gracie Martinez Elizabeth Spencer Mitchell Wright
CONTRABASSI Andrew Olges, principal Andrew Adams-Whitehead Maggie Bishop Mackenzie Gibbons Reid Ronsonette
ORCHESTRA STAFF Myles Nardinger, General Manager Aidan Smerud, General Staff Anna-Maria Gkuoni, General Staff Paul Recker, Assistant Staff
Please wear a face mask to ensure enhanced safety. Socially distanced theater seating
BEETHOVEN: CORIOLAN OVERTURE OP. 62
In 1802 playwright Heinrich Joseph von Collins presented to Vienna Coriolan, a retelling of the Shakespeare play Coriolanus. The play was well received, but after a few years naturally dropped off the radar of theater-goers. It received a one-night-only revival in 1807 at the palace of Prince Lobkowitz, the noted patron of Beethoven, with the composer’s newly-written overture stealing the show. The play and the overture alike (the latter of which has over the last few centuries endured much better than the play) seem to mirror the popular conception of Beethoven himself, as a man tormented by duty but determined to buck the constraints of an unjust system. Thus in the music we hear two main themes: one stormy, representing the central hero and his quest, and the next the hero’s mother, begging Coriolan to not invade Rome. SCHUMANN: SYMPHONY NO. 3
Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 was written in 1850 and was his final foray in this form (the “fourth” symphony was revised and published later, but was written in 1841). The piece is cast in five movements, which is somewhat unusual but not without precedent, as earlier symphonies by Beethoven and Berlioz had similarly trod that path. In this piece, Schumann sought to encapsulate the beauty and majesty of the Rhineland, as well as the kind welcome its inhabitants had offered his family in their recent move there. BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 5, MVT. 4
Perhaps none of the chestnuts comprising the canon of Western music better embodies the theme of “triumph” than Beethoven’s Fifth, manifesting so dramatically as it does the Hegelian dialectic. The famous four-note tattoo remains in play even in this final movement, though it has been transformed and plays only an occasional minor role as a backdrop, an ornamentation of the new theme. The symphony premiered in a four-hour concert in 1808 which also included the sixth symphony, the fourth piano concerto, the Choral Fantasy, two movements from the C major mass, and a concert aria, with Beethoven’s keyboard improvisations added for good measure.
“For the good of God’s children. We are in a fight against time to save lives.”
—MONZER HOURANI