Newsroom Archive - Houston Symphony

HOUSTON SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2025–26 SEASON, JURAJ VALČUHA’S FOURTH AS MUSIC DIRECTOR

Bryan Ayllon — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:57:27 +0000

Valčuha plans multi-week programs centered around the themes “COMPOSER AS HERO,” “DOOMED LOVERS,” And “TRANSFIGURATION”

Valčuha LEADS A HOUSTON SYMPHONY MULTI-MEDIA PERFORMANCE OF THE ELEMENTS, A WORK COMMISSIONED and performed by JOSHUA BELL
WITH MOVEMENTS BY KEVIN PUTS, EDGAR MEYER, JAKE HEGGIE, JENNIFER HIGDON AND JESSIE MONTGOMER

OTHER Valčuha-led highlights include THE MAESTRO’S MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE DEBUT; A SEASON OPENING NIGHT FEATURING STRAVINSKY’S FIREBIRD AND FLORENT SCHMITT’S PSALM 47; RICHARD STRAUSS’S EIN HELDENLEBEN, and tod und verklärung; Act ii of wagner’s Tristan und Isolde; The World Premiere Of Andy Akiho’s Timpani Concerto Featuring Houston Symphony Principal Timpani Leonardo Soto As Soloist; And Mahler’s Symphony No. 9

America 250: American elements in 2026 programs

Guest Performances By Such Musical Luminaries As Sopranos Angel Blue And Tamara Wilson; Mezzo-Soprano Jamie Barton; Vocalists Tony Desare, Capathia Jenkins, And Ryan Shaw; Violinists Joshua Bell And Augustin Hadelich; Pianists Hélène Grimaud, Lang Lang, Víkingur Ólafsson, And Jean-Yves Thibaudet; Trumpets Arturo Sandoval And Byron Stripling; And Conductors John Adams, Marin Alsop, And Vasily Petrenko

The Houston Symphony Chorus Led By New Houston Symphony Chorus Director Anthony J. Maglione In Works By Schmitt, Handel, Sibelius, Grieg, Holst, Plus “Very Merry Pops,” And “Lights! Camera! Music! 100 Years Of Epic Film Scores”

Film Screenings With Orchestra Include

Jaws, Disney And Pixar’s Up, Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, Elf, Disney’s Fantasia, And Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi

PHOTOS AND B-ROLL

HOUSTON (March 5, 2025) – The Houston Symphony and Music Director Juraj Valčuha are announcing today details of the 2025−26 Season, Valčuha’s fourth as music director. Valčuha leads eight of the eighteen classical subscription programs in the season, and opens the season by making his debut at Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Houston Symphony’s summer home. Highlights include Valčuha’s musical multi-weekend mini-festivals, this season comprising “Composer As Hero,” “Doomed Lovers,” and “Transfiguration.” In addition, Valčuha leads the Houston Symphony and an acclaimed cast in Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which includes one of the most glorious love duets in all of opera. Houston Symphony musicians Allegra Lilly, Yoonshin Song, and Leonardo Soto take the spotlight as soloists, Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias leads his own classical subscription concert, and the Symphony welcomes the greatest guest artists in the world to Houston, including Behzod Abduraimov, John Adams, Marin Alsop, Jamie Barton, Joshua Bell, Angel Blue, Tony DeSare, Hélène Grimaud, Augustin Hadelich, Capathia Jenkins, Lang Lang, Jan Lisiecki, Víkingur Ólafsson, Vasily Petrenko, Arturo Sandoval, Ryan Shaw, Stuart Skelton, Baiba Skride, Byron Stripling, Ali Stroker, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Tamara Wilson.

New works this season include the Houston Symphony co-commissioned world premiere of American composer Julia Wolfe’s Liberty Bell, the world premiere of a Houston Symphony-commissioned work from Slovak composer L’ubica Čekovská; the world premiere of the Houston Symphony commissioned Timpani Concerto by American composer Andy Akiho; and the Southwest Premiere of The Elements with music by Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer, Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, and Jessie Montgomery.

From Copland’s sunny pioneer spirit and William Grant Still’s thrilling fusion of classical, jazz, and blues, to John Adams’s hypnotic energy and Jennifer Higdon’s boundless musical worlds—and everything in between—American composers have made a unique and indelible impact on the classical canon. In honor of the 250^th Anniversary of the United States in 2026, the Houston Symphony presents a full calendar year of Classical and Bank of America POPS concerts celebrating outstanding American composers, music, and musicians. Each classical and POPS concert in calendar year 2026 will have at least one American element.

“We once believed that a lack of information made the world unreadable,” said Houston Symphony Music Director Juraj Valčuha. “Today, drowning in an overwhelming flood of data, we face the opposite crisis: a world so saturated with information that it has become indecipherable. In this relentless noise, we are losing something profound—the ability to listen. Not just to each other, but to ourselves. Music offers one of the rarest sanctuaries from this chaos. When we immerse ourselves in sound, we abandon words and enter a space where we can truly meet ourselves. In music, we surrender to a world where abstract beauty and grandeur lift us beyond the immediate, shifting our perspective on life itself. In any era, this journey is vital. But today, it is essential. It is not just an escape—it is a remedy, a way back to clarity, to meaning, and ultimately, to ourselves.”

“Having joined the Houston Symphony in the middle of the 2024–25 season I have already heard some truly extraordinary music-making,” said Executive Director, CEO, and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, Gary Ginstling. “Now, I’m eager to experience my first full Houston Symphony season, carefully and thoughtfully curated by Juraj Valčuha and Steven Reineke. I encourage patrons to spend an evening with the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall to experience the unique sonic luster of this virtuosic orchestra.”

THE 2025−26 CLASSICAL SEASON

Before the official opening night of the new season, Music Director Juraj Valčuha makes his Miller Outdoor Theatre debut on September 12, 2025 at 8:30 p.m., leading colorful orchestra works including Ginastera’s Dances from Estancia, Revueltas’s Sensamayá, and Ravel’s iconic Bólero. Bernstein’s energetic Symphonic Dances from West Side Story conclude this free concert.

Valčuha officially opens the season September 19, 2025 (with additional performances September 20 and 21) with the orchestra, the Houston Symphony Chorus, and star soprano Angel Blue performing the monumental choral work Psalm 47 by Florent Schmitt, a protégé of Gabriel Fauré. The program also boasts the world premiere of the Houston Symphony co-commissioned Liberty Bell by Julia Wolfe, and Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite. ConocoPhillips serves as the Opening Night Concert Sponsor and Lead Gala Underwriter.

Beloved former Music Director Christoph Eschenbach returns September 27 and 28, 2025 to lead the orchestra, flute virtuoso Stathis Karapanos and Houston Symphony Principal Harp Allegra Lilly in Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp, as well as one of Eschenbach’s signature composers, Anton Bruckner: his Symphony No. 7.

October 2025 brings a pair of piano luminaries. Jean-Yves Thibaudet returns to the Jones Hall stage under the direction of Juanjo Mena to perform Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Egyptian,” October 10, 11, and 12, 2025. Three works by Manuel de Falla complete the program: The Three-Cornered Hat (the complete ballet) and two selections from his opera La vida breve, featuring mezzo-soprano Sara Couden in her Houston Symphony debut.

Just a week later, piano fans have even more reason to rejoice, as Hélène Grimaud returns for Gershwin’s jazzy Piano Concerto in its 100^th anniversary year, under the baton of Christian Reif, who also leads the orchestra in Julia Perry’s A Short Piece for Orchestra, and Weill’s Symphony No. 2, October 17, 18, and 19, 2025.

November 8 and 9, 2025, Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias makes his classical subscription debut, leading the orchestra in a tantalizing program comprising Debussy’s languid Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Ginastera’s Varaciones Concertantes, Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, and Gabriela Ortiz’s Antrópolis, before bringing the concert to a thrilling close with Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber.

Music Director Juraj Valčuha returns to close out November with a pair of starry guest soloists in the first of his three themed mini-festivals: Composer as Hero. November 21, 22, and 23, 2025, he’s joined by violinist Baiba Skride for Britten’s Violin Concerto, before closing the program with Shostakovich’s musical remembrance of the Stalin regime and his rebellion against it, ending in a climactic triumph of the human spirit: his Symphony No. 10.

Behzod Abduraimov joins Valčuha and the orchestra November 28, 29, and 30, 2025 for Tchaikovsky’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 1. The Houston Symphony-commissioned world premiere by Slovak composer L’ubica Čekovská opens the concert, which closes with Richard Strauss’s towering, autobiographical Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life).

Houston Symphony Concertmaster Yoonshin Song takes center stage as soloist in Bernstein’s virtuosic Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium) under the baton of acclaimed American conductor Marin Alsop, who also leads the orchestra in Barber’s Second Essay for Orchestra and Brahms’s luminous Symphony No. 2, January 23, 24, and 25, 2026.

February ushers in the second of Valčuha’s mini-festivals. Spanning three concert weekends, the Doomed Lovers Festival opens with Ryan Bancroft leading the orchestra in Berlioz’s wild symphonic depiction of a love-stricken artist’s phantasmagorical pursuit of his beloved: Symphonie fantastique. On the same program are Gabriella Smith’s Tumblebird Contrails, and violinist Clara-Jumi Kang’s Houston Symphony debut as soloist in Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, February 13, 14, and 15, 2026.

The unbridled passion of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy continues the theme of Doomed Lovers, as Juraj Valčuha conducts one of the most iconic works in the orchestra literature, as well as Holmès’s “La Nuit et l’Amour” from Ludus pro Patria, and Sofia Gabaidulina’s In Tempus Praesens, featuring rising star violinist Alexi Kenney in his Houston Symphony debut. Scriabin’s glorious The Poem of Ecstasy closes out this program, February 20, 21, and 22, 2026.

February 28 and March 1, 2026, the festival concludes with the music world’s most emblematic pair of doomed lovers, as Juraj Valčuha leads Act II of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, featuring the Houston Symphony and an extraordinary cast led by Tamara Wilson as Isolde, Stuart Skelton as Tristan, and Jamie Barton as Brangäne. Bass Derek Welton as King Marke and bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee as Kurwenal and Melot complete this exceptional cast.

Acclaimed Russian-British conductor and Royal Philharmonic Music Director Vasily Petrenko returns to the Jones Hall stage to lead the orchestra in Elgar’s enthralling Enigma Variations and Alfred Newman’s Wuthering Heights Suite, as well as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 with piano virtuoso Jan Lisiecki, March 13, 14, and 15, 2026.

March 20, 21, and 22, 2026 brings the Houston Symphony-commissioned world premiere of Andy Akiho’s Timpani Concerto featuring Houston Symphony Principal Timpani Leonardo Soto (for whom it was written) under the direction of Juraj Valčuha. Also on the program are Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 2, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

Finnish maestro Dima Slobodeniouk returns to the Houston Symphony for a Scandinavian musical feast, comprising Grieg’s colorful music depiction of the adventures of the charismatic Norwegian folk legend: selections from Peer Gynt, Sibelius’ patriotic cantata The Captive Queen featuring the Houston Symphony Chorus (in both the Sibelius and Grieg works), William Grant Still’s Threnody: In Memory of Jean Sibelius, and Sibelius’s mythic tone poem based on the Finnish national epic, The Kalevala, Pohjola’s Daughter, March 27, 28, and 29, 2026.

The dean of American composers, John Adams, leads an all-American program comprising Ives’s The Unanswered Question, Copland’s iconic Appalachian Spring, and Adams’s own Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?—featuring piano luminary Víkingur Ólafsson—and The Rock You Stand On, April 18 and 19, 2026.

Juraj Valčuha’s third and final min-festival provides the 2025–26 Season with its truly grand finale. The Transfiguration festival opens May 7, 9, and 10, 2026 with Valčuha conducting a concert featuring Strauss’s powerful tone poem Death and Transfiguration, Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, and the Southwest premiere of The Elements featuring violin superstar Joshua Bell. With sound and video illuminating the five sections of Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Space, the music for this monumental work comes from a “who’s who” of contemporary American composers: Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer, Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, and Jessie Montgomery.

The second weekend of the Transfiguration Festival brings the return of the extraordinary violin virtuoso Augustin Hadelich for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, led by guest conductor Andrew Manze May 15, 16, and 17, 2026. Jennifer Higdon’s transcendent blue cathedral, and Holst’s innovative orchestral suite, The Planets.

The mini-festival and the season conclude with Juraj Valčuha leading the Houston Symphony in Gustav Mahler’s last completed symphony, his magnificent farewell, the Symphony No. 9.

Livestreaming

The first major American orchestra to both livestream and welcome live audiences back to the concert hall for the entirety of the 2020–21 Season, the Houston Symphony has livestreamed all subsequent seasons. It remains committed to livestreaming its 2025–26 Season to a broad audience in more than 45 countries and all 50 states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a sizeable audience outside its home city through this technology.

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

2025−26 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Returning and Debuting Guest Conductors and Artists

The season includes return appearances by conductors John Adams, Marin Alsop, Ryan Bancroft, Christoph Eschenbach, Nicholas Hersh, Juanjo Mena, Brett Mitchell, Vasily Petrenko, Christian Reif, Dima Slobodeniouk, and Lucas Waldin; pianists Behzod Abduraimov, Hélène Grimaud, Lang Lang, Jan Lisiecki, Víkingur Ólafsson and Jean-Yves Thibaudet; violinists Joshua Bell, Augustin Hadelich, Alexi Kenney, and Baiba Skride; flutist Stathis Karapanos; trumpeters Arturo Sandoval and Byron Stripling; countertenor Reginald Mobley; bass-baritone Douglas Williams; and vocalists Tony DeSare, Capathia Jenkins, Frankie Moreno, Hugh Panaro, Ryan Shaw, and Ali Stroker.

Making Houston Symphony debuts in the 2025−26 Season are conductors Andrew Manze, Patrick Quigley, and Thiago Tiberio; violinist Clara-Jumi Kang; sopranos Angel Blue, Kathryn Mueller, and Tamara Wilson; mezzo-sopranos Jamie Barton and Sara Couden; tenors John Matthew Myers and Stuart Skelton; bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee; bass Derek Welton; and vocalist Elizabeth Stanley.

Houston Symphony Chorus

Music Director Juraj Valčuha’s commitment to programming choral repertoire finds the Houston Symphony Chorus performing an impressively diverse repertoire in the 2025−26 Season, under the direction of Anthony J. Maglione in his first season. Their 2025–26 Season performances include the opening night performance of Schmitt’s Psalm 47 under Valčuha’s baton, as well as performances of Sibelius’s The Captive Queen; Grieg’s selections from Peer Gynt; Holst’s The Planets; Handel’s Messiah and Very Merry Pops, both longstanding Houston holiday traditions; and Lights! Camera! Music! 100Years of Epic Film Scores under the baton of Steven Reineke.

The classical season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. Valčuha is the fifth music director to hold the Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair; a position endowed in perpetuity by The Cullen Foundation.

The Margaret Alkek Williams Spotlight Series

Made possible through generous support from Margaret Alkek Williams, Spotlight Series performances feature outstanding conductors and artists, including Music Director Juraj Valčuha and renowned guest artists. The concerts include curated musical selections by some of the greatest composers of all time such as Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff alongside contemporary works, offering audiences inspiring musical experiences that will stay with them after they leave the concert hall. Thanks in part to support from Margaret Alkek Williams, the Houston Symphony can serve its audiences with the highest level of artistry.

2025−26 BANK OF AMERICA POPS SEASON

Steven Reineke launches his ninth season as the Houston Symphony’s Principal POPS Conductor, leading five of the nine Bank of America POPS Season concerts.

“Once again, we’ve crafted a Bank of America POPS Series guaranteed to entertain and captivate our guests,” says Reineke. “I absolutely love the energy and enthusiasm our audiences in Houston bring to Jones Hall. This season, we relive some of our most cherished cinematic moments, pay tribute to our greatest icons, and celebrate Houston holiday traditions.”

October 3, 4, and 5, 2025, Steven Reineke opens the POPS season with special guest vocalist/pianist/guitarist Frankie Moreno performing the music of The King, Elvis, in King For A Day: The Music of Elvis. Reineke is joined October 31, November 1 and 2, 2025 by vocalists Elizabeth Stanley and Hugh Panaro for beloved songs that became great in the transition from cinema to theater and back, in From Stage To Screen: Broadway Meets Hollywood.

Conductor Brett Mitchell is joined by Tony Award-winning Broadway star Ali Stroker and the Houston Symphony Chorus December 11, 13, and 14, 2025, for the great Houston holiday tradition: Very Merry Pops, featuring Jones Hall decked out for the holidays, favorite carols and holiday music, and a special visit from Santa.

Houston favorite Byron Stripling rings in the new year with A Nat King Cole New Year, January 2, 3, and 4, 2026. Vocalist Denzal Sinclaire joins bandleader, trumpet, and vocalist Stripling, and the Houston Symphony Big Band, for hits like “Mona Lisa,” “Nature Boy,” “When I Fall In Love,” and many hits by Cole and other jazz legends.

January is for brass lovers, as trumpet great Arturo Sandoval takes the Jones Hall stage under the direction of conductor Thiago Tiberio, January 17 and 18, 2026. Arturo Sandoval: Journey To Freedom features the trumpet legend in a program of Son Cubano, Brazilian Samba, and jazz, along with personal stories from Sandoval’s life and career.

Another Houston favorite graces the Jones Hall stage February 6, 7, and 8, 2026: Tony DeSare! Steven Reineke leads pianist/vocalist DeSare and the orchestra in hits like “New York State of Mind,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out,” and so many more in Piano Man: The Music of Billy Joel.

April ushers in a very special Symphony movie screening perfect for the whole family. April 3 and 4, 2026, Steven Reineke leads the orchestra in the live score of one of the greatest and most ambitious animated film projects of all time, Disney’s Fantasia, with the film playing on a giant screen above the orchestra. It features wildly imaginative animated sequences set to iconic scores such as Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony No. 6, and of course, Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice starring Mickey Mouse, all originally conducted for the 1940 original film by former Houston Symphony Music Director Leopold Stokowski. This screening also includes sequences from Fantasia 2000, including Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, Respighi’s The Pines of Rome, and Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals.

Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw return to take the Jones Hall stage in music by Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and Prince, in Icon: The Voices That Changed Music, conducted by Lucas Waldin, April 24, 25, and 26, 2026.

Steven Reineke is joined by the Houston Symphony Chorus led by Anthony J. Maglione for the Bank of America POPS Series’ grand finale, May 29, 30, and 31, 2026. Lights! Camera! Music! 100 Years of Epic Film Scores promises to recreate some of the most profound musical moments from the silver screen, from King Kong and The Godfather, to such modern classics as Pirates of the Caribbean and Gladiator.

2025−26 PNC Family Season Overview

On select Saturday mornings throughout each season, the Houston Symphony presents its PNC Family Series, a popular Saturday morning destination designed for families and children of all ages.

Family programs include free, interactive lobby activities, such as an Instrument Petting Zoo─which encourages children to try out orchestral instruments─theme-related music, and craft activities. These activities take place one hour before the 10 a.m. concerts and one hour following the 11:30 a.m. concerts in Jones Hall. Concertgoers are also encouraged to dress in costumes that match the concert’s theme.

The 2025–26 PNC Family Season kicks off with Frightfully Fun! A Halloween Concert for Kids on November 1, 2025, when guest conductor Nicholas Hersh leads the orchestra in spooky Halloween-themed classics. Guest conductor Brett Mitchell leads the orchestra in Oh, What Fun! A Holiday Concert for Kids, featuring a festive sing-along, lobby activities, free hot chocolate, and the chance to visit with Santa, December 13, 2025. Dinosaurs come to musical life when Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias conducts When Instruments Roamed the Earth, a Jurassic, multi-media, musical adventure hosted by “paleo-musicologist” Sir Humphrey Treble Clef on February 7, 2026. The PNC Family Series concludes April 25, 2026, as Gonzalo Farias returns to lead the orchestra in Abracadabra! A Magical Musical Adventure.

2025−26 SYMPHONY SPECIALS

2025−26 subscribers get first access to Symphony Specials, like Lang Lang and Víkingur Ólafsson in Recital, as well as newly announced performances throughout the season, including the Houston Symphony’s most in-demand concerts.

Friday, June 20, 2025, marking the 50^th anniversary of the film’s premiere, Houston Symphony audiences relive the thrilling suspense of Jaws, as the Symphony plays John Williams’ iconic score live in sync with the film projected on the big screen. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the concert hall... The original summer movie blockbuster, with an Academy Award®-winning score by composer John Williams, Jaws is an unforgettable film-with-live-orchestra experience! Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, Jaws set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry.

Then, Saturday, June 21 and 22, 2025, the Houston Symphony screens another modern classic with the orchestra performing the score live: Disney and Pixar’s UP, featuring a screening of the complete film with Academy Award® and Grammy®-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s musical score performed live to the film. Giacchino’s score brilliantly blends comedy and action-adventure, embracing the emotional side with his sentimental “Married Life” suite, which earned Giacchino his first Academy Award®.

Relive the days of Classic Rock in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s as guest conductor Brett Havens leads the Houston Symphony in The Music of Journey, July 26 in The Hobby Center’s Serofim Hall, 800 Bagby St. Havens and the Symphony rock out to a cavalcade of Journey’s greatest hits, including “Wheel in the Sky,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Faithfully,” and a great many more.

Holiday Specials

Back by popular demand, the Symphony kicks off the Holiday Series, presented by Nexus Health Systems, with Joyful Fanfares: Holiday Brass Spectacular! Experience the festive brilliance of the Houston Symphony brass section in this family-friendly concert featuring classical works, treasured carols, and festive favorites—the perfect soundtrack to make the season sparkle.

A beloved Houston holiday tradition each season, the Houston Symphony and the Houston Symphony Chorus come together under the baton of Patrick Quigley (Artistic Director and founder of the vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire), December 5, 6, and 7, 2025 in a performance of Handel’s Messiah, the cherished English-language oratorio about the life and death of Jesus Christ. They’re joined by Kathryn Mueller, soprano; Reginald Mobley, countertenor; John Matthew Myers, tenor; and Douglas Williams, bass-baritone.

Elf In Concert joins the Houston Symphony’s festive holiday line-up on December 19, 20, and 21, 2025. Starring Will Ferrell, this modern holiday classic comedy tells the tale of Buddy the accidental Elf, who travels to New York in search of his real father.

The Houston Symphony brings audiences along on a journey to a galaxy far, far away with the final chapter of the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi, January 9 and 10, 2026. Audiences can experience this iconic sci-fi film on the big screen as the Houston Symphony, performs John Williams’ award-winning score live.

Two piano superstars appear in recital in the Houston Symphony’s 2025–26 season in April. On April 1, 2026, Lang Lang performs works by Chopin, Schumann and more. And on April 17, 2026 Víkingur Ólafsson shares an evening of masterworks by Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms, including Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major.

2025–26 CHAMBER SERIES

Featuring members of the Houston Symphony in small ensembles, this concert series

allows for a unique, up-close experience to the musicians and the music. Concerts take place on September 28 and November 23, 2025; and March 15 and May 17, 2026.

THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY IN THE COMMUNITY

Houston Symphony Season Partners

Support from the Houston Symphony’s corporate, foundation, and government partners allows the orchestra to reach new artistic heights in music, education, and community engagement. The Houston Symphony 2025−26 Season partners include Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/Spec’s Charitable Foundation, Houston Methodist (Official Health Care Provider), and media partner ABC-13 (Official Television Partner). Series support comes from Bank of America, Frost Bank, Nexus Health Systems, PNC Bank, Shell USA, Inc., and Stella Artois. The Houston Symphony is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, as well as by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Houston Symphony resolves to serve all of Houston’s diverse communities through initiatives like its In Harmony Initiative in partnership with AFA, serving the 5^th Ward with its violin program DeLUXE K!DS In Harmony, serving the 2^nd Ward with the Segundo Barrio “En Armonia” Violin Discovery Series, and reVision In Harmony, a 10-week after school series in the Gulfton community. The Houston Symphony Student Concerts now reach more than 50,000 students annually, more than double the number served by any other major American orchestra.

Ticket Information

Season tickets for the 2025–26 Season, including the Classical Series, the Bank of America POPS Series, and the PNC Family Series are on sale now. Classical Series packages start at $171, Bank of America POPS Series at $195, and PNC Family Series at $94. Subscriber benefits include presale access to Symphony Specials and free ticket exchanges.

Subscribers can also curate their own bespoke package, mixing and matching from over 35 different concerts across series to tailor the perfect season for any tastes.

Single tickets for fall and spring concerts will go on sale at a later date. For more information or to purchase, visit houstonsymphony.org, or call or text the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center at 713-224-7575, Monday−Saturday, noon−6 p.m.

Having built a substantial livestream audience beginning in July 2020 comprising audiences in all 50 states and in over 45 countries, the Houston Symphony strives to livestream all of its 2025–26 classical subscription performances, as well as most of its Bank of America POPS performances. Livestream subscriptions begin at $60, and are also now available at houstonsymphony.org.

2025–26 CLASSICAL SUBSCRIPTION SERIES

About Juraj Valčuha

Music Director, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Houston Symphony Music Director Juraj Valčuha is recognized for his effortless expressiveness and depth of musicianship. He is known for his sharp baton technique and natural stage presence, and the impressive ease of his interpretations that translate even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.

Before joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Juraj was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 and first guest conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. He was Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai from 2009 to 2016.

The 2005–06 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La bohème in Bologna.

He has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montréal Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.

He enjoys regular collaborations with the Minnesota Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai took them to the Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Zurich, Munich, to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest, and the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100th anniversary of the Baltic nations.

In Europe, he is acclaimed on the podium of the Munich Philharmonic, the NDR Hamburg and Frankfurt Radio orchestras, as well as the Vienna Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, BBC Symphony and Philharmonia London, and the Swedish Radio Orchestra.

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 Rouse’s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey’s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly’s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich’s Four Seasons at the Melos-Ethos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe and Jessie Montgomery, among others.

Including his engagements in Houston, the 2023–24 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed La fanciulla del West and Tristan and Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Jenůfa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.

In the 2024–2025 Season Juraj will join the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss´ Salomé as well as the Paris Opéra Bastille with Janáček´s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky´s Pique Dame. In the coming months, in addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he will return to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.

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

About Steven Reineke

Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke is one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. He is in his second decade 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 and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and Detroit Symphony Orchestras.

On stage, he creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock including: Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, among others.

In 2024, he led the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on PBS’s Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS on Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album Illmatic. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered leading the NSO—in a first for the show’s 45-year history—performing live music excerpts between news segments.

Steven is the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements, and his work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Casey at the Bat are frequently performed in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate 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. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are perennially performed by concert bands.

A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.

About the Houston Symphony

Under the leadership of Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony continues to inspire and engage diverse audiences in Houston and beyond with exceptional musical performances and enduring community impact. The Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Now in its second century as one of America’s premier orchestras, the Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas and remains a cultural cornerstone of the region.

With an annual operating budget of $40.7 million, the Symphony presents over 130 concerts each year, making it one of the largest performing arts organizations in Texas. Its reach extends far beyond the concert hall, delivering more than 600 performances annually at schools, community centers, hospitals, and other venues, engaging over 160,000 people throughout Greater Houston.

The Symphony's innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic—completing its 2020-21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams—earned national recognition and the ASCAP Foundation’s Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award. Its commitment to innovation continues, with its 2024-25 Season reaching audiences in over 45 countries and all 50 states via livestreaming, making it one of the few American orchestras to sustain such global digital engagement.

Renowned for its artistry, the Symphony has a distinguished recording legacy under prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, and Pentatone. Highlights include a Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winning live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and recent releases such as Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra (2022) and Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel (2023).

The Symphony’s educational impact is equally remarkable, with its Harry and Cora Sue Mach Student Concert Series reaching over 50,000 students annually. Its In Harmony after-school program and partnerships with institutions like the Houston Methodist Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Children’s Hospital further demonstrate the Symphony’s commitment to fostering community connections and accessibility to the arts.

With a vision centered on artistic excellence, community engagement, and accessibility, the Houston Symphony remains a cultural leader in Houston and a global ambassador for the transformative power of music.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eric Skelly: eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org

Jessica Henderson: jessica@theckpgroup.com

The post HOUSTON SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2025–26 SEASON, JURAJ VALČUHA’S FOURTH AS MUSIC DIRECTOR appeared first on Houston Symphony.

CELEBRATED VIOLINIST FRANCESCA DEGO MAKES HER HOUSTON SYMPHONY DEBUT

Christian Sosa — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 19:23:06 +0000

Conductor Laureate Andrés Orozco-Estrada Conducts the Violin Star and the Houston Symphony In Brahms Violin Concerto

Photos HERE

HOUSTON (February 17, 2025) – Celebrated, London-based, Italian violin virtuosa Francesca Dego is set to make her Houston Symphony debut performing Brahms’s Violin Concerto with the orchestra under the direction of Conductor Laureate Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Dego is stepping in to the classical subscription concert on March 7, 8, and 9, 2025 at Jones Hall. The previously announced Hilary Hahn has withdrawn due to her ongoing recovery from an injury.

Francesca Dego’s 2024-25 season includes her debut with the London Symphony Orchestra with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. She also performs with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Sinfonica di Milano, La Toscanini, Vancouver Symphony, Detroit and San Diego symphony orchestras, Orchestre de Cannes, and makes her debut with the Luxembourg Philharmonic at Flaneries Musicales de Reims. In recital, she appears at the Wigmore Hall with Alessandro Taverna, and Belfast International Chamber Festival and Dubai Opera with Francesca Leonardi. She’s just made a commercial recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto with conductor Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony.

The program for the March 7, 8, and 9, 2025 concerts remains unchanged, comprising Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, and Brahms’s Schicksalslied with the Houston Symphony Chorus, in addition to the Brahms Violin Concerto. Tickets are available by phone or text at 713-224-7575, online at www.houstonsymphony.org, or in person at the Symphony’s Patron Services Center on the Courtyard Level of Jones Hall.

About Francesca Dego

Celebrated as both a recitalist and concerto performer of notable distinction, Francesca Dego is one of the most sought-after violinists on the international scene.

Her 2024-25 season includes debuts with the London Symphony Orchestra with Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Luisi with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. She also performs with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Sinfonica di Milano, La Toscanini, Vancouver Symphony, Detroit and San Diego symphony orchestras, Orchestre de Cannes, and makes her debut with the Luxembourg Philharmonic at Flaneries Musicales de Reims. In recital, she appears at the Wigmore Hall with Alessandro Taverna, and Belfast International Chamber Festival and Dubai Opera with Francesca Leonardi.

Recent engagement highlights include appearances across Japan with NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fabio Luisi, with Washington National and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras, Orquesta de Castilla y León, and Orchestre de Champs Elysées with Maestro Herreweghe, as well as debuts with Swedish Radio Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, West Australian Symphony, and Queensland Symphony Orchestras. Re-invitations include the Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Haydn, and Brucknerhaus Linz. She has also appeared with the Tokyo Metropolitan, and Tokyo Symphony orchestras, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, at St Petersburg’s renowned Stars of the White Nights Festival, and in spring 2023 jumped in at short notice to make her Canadian debut with the orchestra of the National Arts Centre Ottawa. Recent European highlights include Bernstein’s Serenade at La Fenice, appearances with Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice; Oviedo Philharmonic; Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo; Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne; Orquestra de Sevilla and Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana; L’Orchestra dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova; Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia; and at the Teatro Regio di Torino. UK highlights include the BBC Symphony, Ulster, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, and Royal Scottish National orchestras, as well as the National Youth Orchestra.

In 2023 she made her recording debut with the London Symphony Orchestra as the first artist to be featured on the new Apple Classical platform in ‘A New Dawn’ featuring Bologne’s Chevalier de St Georges Concerto No. 2 alongside conductor Jonathon Heyward. She regularly collaborates with esteemed conductors, amongst them Fabio Luisi, Philippe Herreweghe, Daniele Rustioni, Lionel Bringuier, Dalia Stasevska, Markus Stenz, Donato Renzetti, Gemma New, Jader Bignamini, Alpesh Chauhan, Asher Fisch, Markus Poschner, Krzysztof Urbański, and Xian Zhang.

A keen chamber musician, Francesca enjoys performing with artists including Francesco Piemontesi, Daniel Müller-Schott, Timothy Ridout, Jan Lisiecki, Salvatore Accardo, Alessandro Carbonare, Mahan Esfahani, Bruno Giuranna, Shlomo Mintz, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Federico Colli, Mischa Maisky, Antonio Meneses, Martin Owen, Alessandro Taverna, Enrico Dindo, Alessio Bax, Roman Simovic, and Francesca Leonardi.

Francesca is signed exclusively to Chandos Records. With a growing discography, her most recent recording of the violin concertos of Busoni and Brahms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Dalia Stasevska was released in March 2024, for which she was awarded the prestigious Franco Abbiati Prize. Her recordings of the complete Mozart violin concertos with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Sir Roger Norrington were received to unanimous critical acclaim, including BBC Music Magazine five star ‘Record of the month’. In June 2024 Chandos released an album of the horn trios of Brahms, Ligeti, Mozart, and Schumann, for which Francesca teamed up with Martin Owen, horn, and Alessandro Taverna, piano. Other releases on Chandos include the recital disc Il Cannone with previous releases on Deutsche Grammophon including concertos by Paganini and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Daniele Rustioni and a complete survey of the violin sonatas by Beethoven and Paganini’s Caprices.

Francesca also has a passion for contemporary music and counts herself a dedicatee of the works of Michael Nyman, Carlo Boccadoro, Cristian Carrara, Nicola Campogrande, and Marco Taralli, amongst others. She is a frequent contributor to specialist music magazines including penning a monthly column for Suonare News and has written articles and opinion pieces for The Strad, BBC and Classical Music Magazines, Musical Opinion, and Strings Magazine. Francesca has also recently published her first book with Mondadori — Tra le Note. Classica: 24 chiavi di lettura — in which she explores the relevance, application, and deeper understanding of classical music in the modern day.

About Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Energy, elegance and spirit – that is what particularly distinguishes Andrés Orozco-Estrada as a musician. After a wonderful collaboration with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai in May 2022, Andrés Orozco-Estrada is appointed the new principal conductor of the Rai Orchestra from the 23/24 season, whose 30th anniversary he will celebrate in October 24 with two festive concerts in Turin.

From the 2025-26 season, he will take up the position of GMD of the city of Cologne and Gürzenich Kapellmeister. Orozco-Estrada attaches great importance to inspiring all the people of Cologne with music and for music, and to representing and presenting Cologne as a city of music internationally. This season, a series of performances of Carmen will mark his opera-debut as GMD-designate.

Right at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Orozco-Estrada makes his debut with performances of ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ at the Semperoper Dresden. Further debuts will take him to the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul and the Spanish National Orchestra (OCNE) in Madrid.

Orozco-Estrada has been re-invited to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Orchestre National de France, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the radio orchestras of SWR, WDR and the DSO Berlin. He will also return to the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt (Principal Conductor 2014-2021) and the Houston Symphony Orchestra (Music Director 2014-2022).

Born in Medellín (Colombia), Andrés Orozco-Estrada began his musical education by playing the violin, receiving his first conducting lessons at the age of 15. In 1997 he moved to Vienna, where he was accepted into the conducting class of Uroš Lajovic, a student of the legendary Hans Swarowsky, at the renowned Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst.

Since October 2022, Orozco-Estrada has been professor of orchestral conducting at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.

About the Houston Symphony

The Symphony’s innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic—completing its 2020-21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams—earned national recognition and the ASCAP Foundation’s Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award. Its commitment to innovation continues, with its 2024-25 Season reaching audiences in over 45 countries and all 50 states via livestreaming, making it one of the few American orchestras to sustain such global digital engagement.

Renowned for its artistry, the Symphony has a distinguished recording legacy under prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, and Pentatone. Highlights include a Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winning live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and recent releases such as Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra (2022) and Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel (2023).

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eric Skelly: eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org

Jessica Henderson: jessica@theckpgroup.com

The post CELEBRATED VIOLINIST FRANCESCA DEGO MAKES HER HOUSTON SYMPHONY DEBUT appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Houston Symphony Announces The Appointment Of Anthony J. Maglione As Director Of The Houston Symphony Chorus

Christian Sosa — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:43:42 +0000

High-resolution Photos

HOUSTON (January 23, 2025) – The Houston Symphony announced today the appointment of Anthony J. Maglione as Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus effective with the 2025–26 Season. He succeeds Allen Hightower, who held the position until February 2024. Julia Hall, who has been serving as Interim Chorus Director, will return to her role as Assistant Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus. This marks a joint hiring venture with the University of Houston Moores School of Music, where Maglione will hold the position of Professor of Choral Studies and Director of Choral Activities.

“We could not be happier to partner with our friends at the Moores School of Music to welcome a director of Anthony’s caliber to Houston,” said Houston Symphony Interim Executive Director and CEO Elizabeth Condic. “We look forward to hearing him take the Houston Symphony Chorus to new heights, given his professional history as a world-class chorus director, complemented and informed by his work as a composer in his own right.”

Maglione is currently the Director of Choral Studies at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and serves on the summer faculty of Westminster Choir College. He is also an active composer whose works are well represented on recordings, and who serves as composer-in-residence for Te Deum, a professional choir based in Kansas City. The first program he’ll prepare with the Houston Symphony Chorus will be for the opening concert of the 2025–26 Season. The organization is set to announce the new season in March, which is expected to feature a number of performances with the Chorus.

“I’m overjoyed to be joining the Houston Symphony organization as Director of the Symphony Chorus,” said Maglione. “When I visited this past fall, I was impressed by the tremendous musicianship and joy with which the Chorus learned symphonic literature. I’m honored to be part of the team which will create beautiful artistic performances alongside Maestros Valčuha and Reineke in the coming seasons.”

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 Music Director Juraj Valčuha, 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 opened the Houston Symphony’s 2024–25 Season performing Martinů’s Czech Rhapsody, and rang in the holidays with the Symphony’s annual performances of Very Merry POPS and Handel’s Messiah.

Audition information is at https://houstonsymphony.org/about-us/chorus.

About Anthony J. Maglione

Conductor/Composer/Producer Anthony J. Maglione is the Director of Choral Studies at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri where he holds the Robert H. McKee Chair of Music. Maglione is a graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, East Carolina University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Under his direction, William Jewell College choral ensembles performed at regional and national conferences, were twice named Runner Up (2nd Place) for the American Prize in Choral Performance College/University Division, and released two commercial recordings on Centaur and Albany records. Maglione is founder and Artistic Director of the professional choir, Cardinalis, and Director of Music and Choirmaster at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City. In addition to his responsibilities in Kansas City, he serves on the summer faculty of Westminster Choir College.

An active composer, Maglione’s choral works are growing in popularity and are published on James Jordan’s “Evoking Sound” choral series through GIA Publications as well as “The Amanda Quist Signature Choral Series” on Gentry Publications. His music has appeared at state-, regional-, and national-level conventions, on TV, in video games, and has been recorded on Albany Records, Centaur Records, GIA Choral Works, and Gothic Records. In 2016, he was awarded the William Jewell College Spencer Family Sabbatical, a year-long fully funded sabbatical to compose a large-scale cantata, The Wedding of Solomon, which premiered at the 2018 American Guild of Organists National Convention. The Miami University Men’s Glee Club premiered Maglione’s On Life the at the 2019 National ACDA Conference. In early 2020, Verdigris Ensemble premiered his extended dramatic work Dust Bowl as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Elevator Project in Dallas, Texas. Dust Bowl was recently revised and performed again at the Wyly Theatre in Dallas through a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and several other organizations. Maglione is currently serving as Composer-In-Residence with Te Deum, a professional choir based in Kansas City and looks forward to additional premieres in 2025.

As a producer, Maglione lends his ears to recording projects around the country and recently received national attention through his production work with Sam Brukhman and Verdigris Ensemble on Betty’s Notebook by composer Nicholas Reeves. This ground-breaking programmable art music is the first of its kind and the first to be sold using block chain technology.

As a tenor, Maglione has appeared with Artefact Ensemble, Kansas City Baroque Consortium, Kantorei KC, The Same Stream, The St. Tikhon Choir, Sunflower Baroque, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and made his debut with Portland-based Capella Romana on the 2021–2022 season.

A sought-after clinician and frequent guest conductor, Maglione regularly teaches workshops and has conducted All-State and honor choirs in California, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

About the Houston Symphony

Media Contacts:

Eric Skelly: eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Jessica Henderson: jessica@theckpgroup.com

The post Houston Symphony Announces The Appointment Of Anthony J. Maglione As Director Of The Houston Symphony Chorus appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Star Of Stage and Screen Cynthia Erivo Performs with the Houston Symphony April 9, 2025

Christian Sosa — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:15:15 +0000

High-resolution Photos

HOUSTON, TX (January 22, 2025)-Fresh from her record-breaking, gravity-defying performance as Elphaba in the smash hit film Wicked, multi-award-winning British actress Cynthia Erivo joins Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke and the Houston Symphony for one very special concert performance on April 9, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Hall.

Cynthia Erivo won both the Tony and Grammy Awards for her Broadway debut role as Celie in The Color Purple, and seems to be well on her way toward joining the rarified company of stars who have won an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), having won a Daytime Emmy Award, and having been nominated for two Oscars since her 2018 screen debut, and four Golden Globe Awards, including a nomination for her role as Elphaba in Wicked. After the Christmas holiday weekend, Wicked became the highest grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical in history, with global sales of over $634 million and counting.

Cynthia Erivo With the Houston Symphony features the star singing a wide-ranging program that includes some of the hits that have made her a global phenomenon, including songs from The Color Purple, Harriet, and Wicked. Tickets go on sale first to Houston Symphony subscribers and donors on January 24 at 10 am., then to the general public on January 30 at 10 a.m. at www.houstonsymphony.org. by phone or text at 713-224-7575, or in person at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Window, courtyard level at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St. in downtown Houston.

Cynthia Erivo With the Houston Symphony

Wednesday, April 9, 2025@ 7:30 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Cynthia Erivo, vocalist

About Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy® Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning actress, singer, author, and producer, as well as an Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and SAG nominee. Since bursting onto the West End and Broadway stages in The Color Purple, she has taken the world by storm. Erivo stars as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Universal’s record-breaking film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED from director Jon M. Chu. Part 1 of WICKED was released on November 22nd , 2024. With Part 2 releasing on November 21 st, 2025.

About Steven Reineke

On stage, he creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip-hop, R & B, Broadway, television, and rock, including Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Bob Weir, Trey Anastasio, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, among others.

In 2024, he led the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) on PBS’s Next at the Kennedy Center featuring Ben Folds DeClassified with Jacob Collier, Laufey, and dodie. He was previously seen with the NSO on PBS on Great Performances with hip-hop legend Nas performing his seminal album lllmatic. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered leading the NSO-in a first for the show’s 45-year history-performing live music excerpts between news segments.

As the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements, Steven’s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Casey at the Bat are frequently performed in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate 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. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are perennially performed by concert bands.

A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.

About the Houston Symphony

Under the leadership of Music Director Juraj Valcuha, the Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony continues to inspire and engage diverse audiences in Houston and beyond with exceptional musical performances and enduring community impact. The Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Now in its second century as one of America’s premier orchestras, the Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas and remains a cultural cornerstone of the Region.

The Symphony’s innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic-completing its 2020-21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams-earned national recognition and the ASCAP Foundation’s Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award. Its commitment to innovation continues, with its 2024-25 Season reaching audiences in over 45 countries and all 50 states via livestreaming, making it one of the few American orchestras to sustain such global digital engagement.

Renowned for its artistry, the Symphony has a distinguished recording legacy under prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, and Pentatone. Highlights include a Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winning live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and recent releases such as Jimmy Lopez Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra (2022) and Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel (2023).

Media Contacts:

Eric Skelly, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Jessica Henderson, jessica@theckpgroup.com

The post Star Of Stage and Screen Cynthia Erivo Performs with the Houston Symphony April 9, 2025 appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Gary Ginstling Named Executive Director And CEO Of Houston Symphony

Bryan Ayllon — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 15:10:58 +0000

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HOUSTON, TX—Houston Symphony Board President Barbara J. Burger, on behalf of the Board and Music Director Juraj Valčuha, announced today the appointment of 25-year veteran orchestra leader Gary Ginstling to the position of Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Symphony. In this position, Ginstling will hold the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair and will begin his new post on February 3, 2025. Ginstling succeeds John Mangum, who stepped down from this role at the end of September 2024 to lead the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Ginstling has held several leadership roles at major American orchestras. Most recently, he spent two years at the New York Philharmonic, serving in the roles of executive director and, until July 2024, as president and CEO. Previously, Ginstling served as executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, DC, from 2017 to 2022, and as CEO of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) from 2013 to 2017. His prior orchestra leadership positions include general manager of The Cleveland Orchestra; director of communications and external affairs of the San Francisco Symphony; and executive director of the Berkeley Symphony.

“Gary’s combination of artistic insight, strategic expertise, and a demonstrated ability to cultivate meaningful relationships make him the ideal person for the job. His track record includes securing record-breaking endowment gifts, expanding audiences, and fostering cultural connections, all of which underscore his exceptional leadership,” stated Burger. “Gary’s ability to drive innovation, combined with his alignment with the Houston Symphony’s strategic pillars positions him to lead the organization boldly into the future.”

“I am thrilled to welcome Gary Ginstling as the Houston Symphony’s new Executive Director and CEO,” remarked Valčuha. “His visionary leadership and deep passion for orchestral music make him the perfect partner as we shape the future of this extraordinary institution. I look forward to working together to inspire our audiences, champion artistic excellence, and deepen our connection to the Houston community.”

“The Houston Symphony is an orchestra with a rich history and boundless potential for the future in one of America’s most dynamic, diverse and innovative cities. It is an honor to be joining the organization,” said Ginstling. “A successful orchestra requires so many hardworking and passionate people, and I am inspired by the musical leadership of Music Director Juraj Valčuha and Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke, the incredible artistry of the musicians, the passionate board, the dedicated staff and generous donors and patrons. Together we are poised to maximize this potential and help the Houston Symphony define what a thriving 21st century orchestra can be.”

Ginstling’s appointment concludes a broad, nationwide search. The committee was led by Board Chair Janet F. Clark and comprised members of board leadership and members of the orchestra and staff. The Catherine French Group assisted in the recruiting process. “As we searched for our next Executive Director and CEO, our focus was on identifying a proven leader who aligns with the Houston Symphony’s mission and embodies the culture, creativity, and commitment necessary to propel our organization into the future,” stated Clark. “It was important that we find someone that would support the vision of our music director and help lead us in the artistic trajectory of our orchestra. I believe our work together will continue to thrive under Gary’s leadership, as will our culture of close collaboration and communication between musicians and management,” added Principal Timpani Leonardo Soto, who served on the Search Committee as the musician representative.

Ginstling will lead the Houston Symphony in its full complement of 130 annual concerts, extensive community engagement programs that reach over 160,000 people through 600 performances yearly, and award-winning education initiatives. He will oversee an annual operating budget of $40.7 million and direct the efforts of 74 administrative staff members and 90 full-time professional musicians in delivering acclaimed concert, touring, and recording activities, including a reach that spans all 50 U.S. states and over 45 countries through livestreaming. He will also work with The Foundation for Jones Hall to complete the $60 million-dollar multi-year renovation project of the Symphony’s home, Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.

Under Ginstling’s leadership at the New York Philharmonic, the organization secured the largest single contribution to its endowment in its history, a $40 million contribution. During his time at the NSO, Ginstling launched Gianandrea Noseda’s tenure as music director—ushering in a new era of enthusiasm, energetic performances, and critical acclaim—and he oversaw large increases in ticket sales and raised a special $11+ million fund to support Noseda’s work with the orchestra.

Ginstling holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and a Master of Business Administration from The Anderson School at UCLA. Ginstling serves on the Board of the League of American Orchestras, the Advisory Council of the Tianjin Juilliard School, and was recently named to the Board of Directors of the Meadowmount School of Music in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, a renowned summer music program for string players founded by legendary violin teacher Ivan Galamian.

Elizabeth S. Condic, who has served as interim executive director of the Houston Symphony since September 2024, will return to her role as CFO and will be an essential part of Ginstling’s leadership team. She will work closely with Burger and Ginstling to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Janet Clark and the entire search committee for their dedication and efforts throughout this process, and to our extraordinary CFO, Elizabeth Condic, for stepping into the interim executive director and CEO role. With unwavering dedication, Elizabeth ensured the Symphony’s financial stability while skillfully guiding the senior leadership team toward achieving the objectives of our 2024-25 Season,” said Burger, concluding “we are thrilled to welcome Gary as our next Executive Director and CEO. His appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the Houston Symphony, and we look forward to the incredible opportunities ahead under his leadership.”

About Houston Symphony

Renowned for its artistry, the Symphony has a distinguished recording legacy under prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, and Pentatone. Highlights include a Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winning live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and recent releases such as Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra (2022) and Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel (2023).

Media Contacts

Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, carla@sacksco.com
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org

The post Gary Ginstling Named Executive Director And CEO Of Houston Symphony appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Multi-Platinum Jamaican Artist Shaggy Joins The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds Series With His “Mr. Symphonic” Show Presented By Stella Artois

Christian Sosa — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:27:11 +0000

High-resolution photos

HOUSTON, TX (December 20, 2024) — The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds lineup of concert specials now includes Jamaican icon Shaggy’s “Mr. Symphonic” show, an orchestral concert that pays tribute to the rich tapestry of reggae music, featuring Shaggy’s most beloved hits, with Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke conducting the Houston Symphony, June 14, 2025 at Jones Hall.

Created and curated with Houston Symphony Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke, this ground-breaking symphonic program explores the beginnings of Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae to modern Dance Hall. Featuring arrangements by David Serkin Ludwig, the multi-GRAMMY Award-winning Shaggy, his dynamic band, conductor Steven Reineke, and the Houston Symphony present a survey of Jamaican popular music including Shaggy’s own culture-changing contributions such as “It Wasn’t Me,” “Angel,” “Mr. Boombastic,” and more.

For tickets to all of the Houston Symphony Summer Sounds performances, presented by Stella Artois, including Mr. Symphonic: Shaggy with the Houston Symphony, as well as Jaws, Disney and Pixar’s UP, and The Music of Journey, please call or text 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org.

Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds Series

Mr. Symphonic: Shaggy with the Houston Symphony
Steven Reineke, conductor
Shaggy, vocalist
Saturday, June 14, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts

Jaws In Concert
Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.
Jones Hall
615 Louisiana St.

Disney and Pixar’s UP In Concert
Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 22, 2025 @ 2:00 p.m.
Jones Hall
615 Louisiana St.

The Music of Journey
Brett Havens, conductor
Juan Del Castillo, vocalist
Saturday, July 26 @ 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Hobby Center’s Serafim Hall
800 Bagby St.

About SHAGGY

Born Orville Richard Burrell and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Shaggy got his start as an MC in New York City’s burgeoning dancehall scene soon after moving to Brooklyn in his teens. Not long after serving four years in the U.S. Marines (including two tours of duty in the Middle East as part of Operation Desert Storm), he inked his first record deal and quickly scored a global crossover smash with “Oh Carolina.”

As the only diamond-selling dancehall artist in music history, Shaggy, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, has sold more than 40 million album units to date, in addition to landing 8 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and 7 albums on the Billboard 200 (including 4 in the top 40). He has received 2 Grammy Awards and is among the top 3 streamed reggae artists of all time on Spotify.

Facebook: @Shaggy
Instagram, TikTok & Twitter: @direalshaggy

About Houston Symphony

Under Music Director Juraj Valčuha, the Houston Symphony continues its second century inspiring and engaging a large and diverse audience in Houston and beyond through exceptional musical performances, and creating enduring impact in the Houston community. One of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, the Symphony held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an operating budget of $40.7 million, the full-time ensemble of professional musicians presents more than 130 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Traditionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s Community-Embedded Musicians also offer nearly 600 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, senior centers, and churches, annually reaching nearly 200,000 people in Greater Houston in addition to Jones Hall.

After suspending concert activities in March 2020, the Symphony successfully completed a full 2020–21 season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams of each performance, making it one of the only orchestras in the world to do so. The Houston Symphony remains committed to livestreaming its 2024-25 Season to a broad audience in over 45 countries and all 50 states, one of few American orchestras dedicated to transmitting live performances to a sizeable audience outside its home city through this technology. The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category. The Symphony’s most recent recordings include a Pentatone release in January 2022 of its world premiere performances of Jimmy López Bellido’s Aurora and Ad Astra, and a Naxos release in July 2023 of its world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel.

Media Contacts:

Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Blake Steele: 832.930.4065 x120, blake@theckpgroup.com

The post Multi-Platinum Jamaican Artist Shaggy Joins The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds Series With His “Mr. Symphonic” Show Presented By Stella Artois appeared first on Houston Symphony.

The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds, Presented By Stella Artois, Include Jaws, Disney/Pixar’s Up, The Music Of Journey, And A Summer Return To Jones Hall

Bryan Ayllon — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 20:06:11 +0000

Photos & Audio

HOUSTON, TX (November 13, 2024) — The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds lineup of concert specials, presented by Stella Artois, brings two Oscar-winning, modern film classics to the Jones Hall stage with the orchestra performing their iconic scores live, plus a musical salute to one of the most successful and beloved Class Rock bands of the 70s and 80s.

Friday, June 20, 2025 at 7:30 p.m., marking the 50^th anniversary of the film’s premiere, Houston Symphony audiences relive the thrilling suspense of Jaws, as the Symphony plays John Williams’s iconic score live in sync with the film projected on the big screen.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the concert hall… The original summer movie blockbuster, with an Academy Award-winning score by composer John Williams, Jaws is an unforgettable film-with-live-orchestra experience! Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, Jaws set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, Jaws remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history. Now, Houston audiences have the chance to experience the power of a live symphony orchestra performing the entire score in sync with one of the greatest motion pictures of all time.

Then, Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at Jones Hall, the Houston Symphony screens another modern classic with the orchestra performing the score live: Disney and Pixar’s UP featuring a screening of the complete film with Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s musical score performed live to the film.

Giacchino’s score brilliantly blends comedy and action-adventure, embracing the emotional side with his sentimental “Married Life” suite, which earned Giacchino his first Academy Award.

In the Oscar-winning film directed by Pete Docter, a 78-year-old curmudgeonly balloon salesman, is not your average hero. When he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America, he finally fulfills his lifelong dream of adventure. But after Carl discovers an 8-year-old stowaway named Russell, this unlikely duo soon finds themselves on a hilarious journey in a lost world filled with danger and surprises.

Relive the days of Classic Rock in the late 70’s and early 80s as guest conductor Brett Havens leads the Houston Symphony and vocalist Juan Del Castillo in The Music of Journey, July 26 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in The Hobby Center’s Serafim Hall, 800 Bagby St. Havens, Del Castillo, and the Symphony rock out to a cavalcade of Journey’s greatest hits, including “Oh, Sherry,” “Open Arms,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Faithfully,” and a great many more.

For tickets to all of the Houston Symphony Summer Sounds performances including Jaws, Disney and Pixar’s UP, and The Music of Journey, please call or text 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org.

Jaws In Concert
Friday, June 20, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.
Jones Hall
615 Louisiana St.

Disney and Pixar’s UP In Concert
Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 22, 2025 @ 2:00 p.m.
Jones Hall
615 Louisiana St.

The Music of Journey
Brett Havens, conductor
Juan Del Castillo, vocalist
Saturday, July 26 @ 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Hobby Center’s Serafim Hall
800 Bagby St.

About Houston Symphony

ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts, and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir. Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series (Episodes IV-VII), Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Fantasia, Pixar In Concert, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice In Wonderland, Frozen, Ratatouille, The Pirates of the Caribbean series (Episodes I-IV), and Silly Symphonies, which last year collectively accounted for over 575 performances in many of the world’s top concert venues, including Lincoln Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Forum and the Hollywood Bowl. Numerous new concert packages and touring productions from Disney’s portfolio of studios, including Disney’s feature animation and live action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel, are currently in development

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Madison Mann: 832.930.4065 x120, madison@theckpgroup.com

The post The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds, Presented By Stella Artois, Include Jaws, Disney/Pixar’s Up, The Music Of Journey, And A Summer Return To Jones Hall appeared first on Houston Symphony.

The Houston Symphony Expands Its In Harmony Programs In The 2024–25 Season To Include East End And Gulfton In Addition To Its Deluxe K!Ds In Harmony Program In 5th Ward

Bryan Ayllon — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 20:55:40 +0000

Photos & Videos

HOUSTON, TX (October 23, 2024) — In 2022, the Houston Symphony launched its new In Harmony initiative, a community-based after school music program in partnership with AFA (American Festival for the Arts) – Houston’s largest independent non-profit provider of music education – and local community organizations. Now beginning its third full season, this initiative is expanding with two new programs to join DeLUXE K!DS In Harmony in the 5^th Ward under the Symphony’s In Harmony umbrella: reVision In Harmony in Gulfton, and Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus En Armonía Violin Discovery Series. All three In Harmony programs aim to provide access to music education, and promote life skills through active music-making for children in under-resourced communities who might otherwise not have access to music. Each program is tailored to the specific community partner, including culturally relevant musical content that allows children to celebrate and share their cultural traditions.

“We’re thrilled to expand the In Harmony program to even more communities in Houston,” said Sippi Khurana, the Chair of Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement Committee. “This program provides access to music education, but it also creates a safe space for kids to learn, grow, and communicate. We’re excited to partner with Segundo Barrio Chldren’s Chorus (SBCC) and reVision and bring the life-changing power of music to young people.”

In Harmony is made possible thanks to Program Guarantors Dr. Sippi and Ajay Khurana, and Sponsors H-E-B and Union Pacific.

Now in its third year, DeLUXE K!DS In Harmony is a partnership among the Houston Symphony, AFA, and the 5^th Ward Cultural Arts District’s DeLUXE Theater. The program provides free and comprehensive violin lessons to children in grades three through five from the 5^th Ward neighborhood. A central goal of this program is to promote a sense of community and create a safe, accepting, inspiring environment. The program now has about 30 children participating, who continue to perform concerts throughout the year across Houston, including performances at the DeLUXE Theater as well as at Jones Hall before Symphony concerts.

The Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus En Armonia Violin Discovery Series finds the Houston Symphony and AFA partnering with the SBCC for an eight-week pilot program of twice-weekly group violin lessons for children ages seven to nine. The goal here is to promote life skills through musical instruction that emphasizes the culturally rich music of Latin America.

A second new partnership this year sees the Houston Symphony joining with Houston reVision for the new reVision In Harmonyprogram. This weekly after school series in the Gulfton community is designed to integrate into the community and build trust and confidence through music appreciation workshops. It focuses on developing music literacy skills and sparking interest in a diverse array of musical genres, incorporating musical elements showcased during Houston Symphony performances that its members experience.

Significant In Harmony Upcoming Events:

First Note Ceremony for new DeLUXE K!DS to graduate to real violins
October 24, 2024 @ 5:15 p.m.
Bruce Elementary School

First Note Ceremony for Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus students to graduate to real violins
November 5, 2024 @ 6:15 p.m.
Garza Studios

DeLUXE K!DS End of Term Performance
December 18, 2024 at 5:15 p.m.
Bruce Elementary School

Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus Violin Program End of Term Performance
December 21, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Trinity Downtown

About Houston Symphony

About AFA

AFA (American Festival for the Arts) is Houston’s largest independent non-profit provider of music education programs. AFA was founded to break down the barriers that exist in music education and each AFA program is one step toward addressing the need for greater access to the arts. AFA’s work in the Greater Houston community is divided into three program areas: 1) Engage AFA – presenting a broad range of customized residencies, clinics, and master classes in area schools both during and after the school day. 2) AFA Ensembles & Instruction, consisting of Chamber Music Academy and Composition Studies – offering unique learning opportunities in the fall and spring semesters that challenge musicians at their next stage of musical achievement taking place at AFA’s home in the Second Ward; and, 3) AFA’s flagship program, the Summer Music Festival, the most intensive, age appropriate training that AFA offers. More than 400 grade 3-12 vocalists, pianists, instrumentalists, and composers participate in challenging, multi-week experiences at AFA’s summer home, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Downtown Houston.

Each season, AFA serves over 2,000 young musicians, offers over 40,000 hours of classroom instruction, and presents 50 free performances throughout the greater Houston metro area. AFA believes that financial hardship should never be a barrier between a musician and the experiences that have the potential to shape their futures. AFA’s Play It Forward Fund ensures that students have access to programs, instruments, and private lessons regardless of socio-economic status, helping more than two-thirds of AFA students annually. The Fund also allows AFA to offer Engage AFA programming for free to partner schools and community centers.

For over three decades, AFA has inspired thousands of Houstonians through music. Find out more at www.afatexas.org

About the DeLUXE Theater

The DeLUXE Theater, located in Houston’s Fifth Ward, opened in April 1941 as the city’s premiere Black movie theater, serving the community until its closure in 1969.

The DeLUXE Theater has a rich history that reflects the cultural evolution of Houston’s Fifth Ward. When it opened in April 1941, it became a vital social and entertainment hub for the Black community, showcasing films and events that resonated with local audiences. Despite its closure in 1969, the theater’s legacy continued when the De Menil family converted it into an art gallery in 1971, hosting exhibitions until 1973. It remained vacant until 2015 when the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation (FWCRC) purchased it, planning to transform it into a performing and visual arts facility through a collaboration with the City of Houston and Texas Southern University. It was then that the theater was revitalized, restoring its role as a community landmark and continuing to celebrate the arts and culture of the neighborhood. Today, it stands not only as a historic site but also as a vibrant venue for performances and events, reflecting the resilience and creativity of the Fifth Ward community. Youth arts programming is now a vital part of the theater’s legacy.

The venue is a part of the 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, designated in September 2020 by the State of Texas. The district focuses on preserving cultural legacies and celebrating the community’s African American history through art, embodying the belief that “there is no art without people.”

About Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus

Houston’s first and only spanish-language, bilingual children’s choir, Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus (SBCC) deeply enriches the lives of children and their families through Tuition-Free music and arts education, coupled with transformative performance opportunities at community events throughout Second Ward/East End District and greater Houston. SBCC programs target children from immigrant/bilingual hispanic households representing some of Houston’s most under-resourced neighborhoods. A specially-curated music education curriculum utilizes Spanish-language musical cannons from the folk, classical, indigenous, and popular traditions fostering pride in cultural identity, while instilling discipline and focus, and building character and confidence.

Choristers in the flagship ensemble, Los Jóvenes Cantantes (ages 8-12), serve as cultural ambassadors, representing East End families and communities at city-wide events. These performances play a critical role in paving the way for bilingualism in the arts, sharing with all Houstonians, the rich immigrant culture of Segundo Barrio and Houston’s Latinx/Hispanic population. SBCC’s mission pillars include engaging residents and empowering youth through crucial, out-of-school time programming, culturally-informed performances, and educational experiences, all aimed at reducing drop-out rates and increasing overall academic outcomes.

About Houston reVision

Houston reVision is located in the Gulfton/Sharpstown area. This area is home to a large community of Hispanic, immigrant, and refugee populations. It has the largest number of ESL students, and one of the highest rates of gang activity. Over 90% of the youth served by reVision are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), with many speaking a primary language other than English. A significant number of these youth come from refugee backgrounds and have faced multiple traumatic experiences, often with limited access to trauma-informed support and care.

Houston reVIsion’s mission is to break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement and homelessness among youth in Harris County by leveraging the power of community. The organization connects youth with mentors, positive peer groups, life-changing resources, sports, and opportunities for artistic expression. At reVision, youth find a safe, supportive, and caring environment. It’s a place where they can build meaningful relationships with caring adults and peers who uplift and empower them. reVision is committed to cultural competency and programs prioritize equity and fairness. The organization’s front-line staff reflects the diversity of the youth they serve, bringing similar lived experiences and training in culturally competent, trauma-informed practices.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Madison Mann: 832.930.4065 x120, madison@theckpgroup.com

The post The Houston Symphony Expands Its In Harmony Programs In The 2024–25 Season To Include East End And Gulfton In Addition To Its Deluxe K!Ds In Harmony Program In 5th Ward appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Houston First And The Houston Symphony Simulcast The Symphony’s Opening Weekend Concert On Lynn Wyatt Square

Bryan Ayllon — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 17:38:35 +0000

Music Director Juraj Valčuha Conducts Dvořák;’S “New World” Symphony

Photos

HOUSTON, TX (October 2, 2024) — The Houston Symphony celebrates opening weekend of Juraj Valčuha’s third season as Music Director by partnering with Houston First to offer a free simulcast of the Symphony’s opening weekend concert on Lynn Wyatt Square, just across the street from Jones Hall, Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

The audience at Lynn Wyatt Square this Saturday night sees a simulcast of the Houston Symphony’s livestream of the concert, as it happens in real time, on a giant screen with sound by 360 AV Design. Live musical performances and pre-show entertainment begin at 6:30 p.m. Levy Food and Beverage is on hand for beer, wine, sparkling options, water, soft drinks, as well as charcuterie boxes, all for purchase. There is existing seating on Lynn Wyatt Square on the wooden bench area, and audience members are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets for the lawn. All told, the Square is estimated to accommodate approximately 800 people comfortably.

Juraj Valčuha opens the Houston Symphony season October 4, 2024 (with additional performances October 5 and 6) with the first of three mini-festivals of the season, entitled Bohemian Rhapsody. Valčuha leads the massed forces of the Houston Symphony in Bohuslav Martinů’s Czech Rhapsody, a majestic cantata for orchestra, chorus and baritone soloist, here the renowned Czech baritone Svatopluk Sem. Czech Rhapsody also features the Houston Symphony Chorus under the direction of Interim Director Julia Hall and Joshua Habermann, joining forces with the Grammy-Award winning Houston Chamber Choir under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director Robert Simpson, and Artistic Director Designate Betsy Cook Weber. The Bohemian theme continues in Bryce Dessner’s pastoral reflection Mari and Dvořák’s iconic Symphony No. 9, From the New World. All three works on the program have both Czech and American connections, the Martinů and Dvořák works being written in America by Czech composers, and the Dessner work was written by an American composer with influences by the first movement of the Dvořák Ninth Symphony.

For tickets and more information about “Dvořák’s New World,” or any of the Houston Symphony 2024–25 Season Classical Subscription concerts, please call or text 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets are also available at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change. The Simulcast on Lynn Wyatt Square is free to the general public.

Bohemian Rhapsody Festival

Opening Weekend: Dvořák’s New World
October 4, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
October 5, 2024, 7:30 p.m. (Livestream and Lynn Wyatt Square Simulcast)
October 6, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Svatopluk Sem, baritone
Houston Symphony Chorus, Julia Hall, interim director
Joshua Habermann
Houston Chamber Choir, Robert Simpson, founder and artistic director
Betsy Cook Weber, artistic director designate
B. Dessner: Mari (October 5 and 6)
Martinů: Czech Rhapsody
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9, From the New World

About Houston Symphony

About Houston First Corporation

Houston First Corporation (HFC) is the official destination marketing organization for the country’s fourth largest city. In addition to serving as operator for the George R. Brown Convention Center and some of Houston’s most prominent art, entertainment, and event venues, HFC is focused on promoting the city’s vibrancy and rich tapestry of culture. By harnessing the city’s collective energy, ambition, and creativity, including its diverse culinary scene, world-renowned performing arts, medical and space innovation, and elite filming locations, HFC is solidifying Houston as a premier national and global destination. For the latest news and info regarding HFC, visit www.houstonfirst.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Madison Mann: 832.930.4065 x120, madison@theckpgroup.com

The post Houston First And The Houston Symphony Simulcast The Symphony’s Opening Weekend Concert On Lynn Wyatt Square appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Valisia Lekae Joins Houston Symphony’s Celebration Of The Golden Age Of Soul This Weekend: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music Of Motown”

Bryan Ayllon — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:11:12 +0000

Photos

HOUSTON, TX (September 26, 2024) — Grammy and Tony nominated actress and singer Valisia LeKae joins Principal POPS Conductor and the Houston Symphony this weekend to open the Symphony’s Bank of America POPS Season with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music of Motown,” September 28-29. LeKae unites with powerhouse vocalist Ryan Shaw, with background vocalists Chelsea Cymone, Raven Johnson, and Michael Dixon, as they join forces with the orchestra to deliver electrifying renditions of Motown Records’ most beloved hits. LeKae is stepping for the previously announced Capathia Jenkins, who is withdrawing from this weekend’s performances due to illness.

Grammy and Tony-nominated singer & actress Valisia LeKae is thrilled to join The Houston Symphony. She most recently made her Carnegie Hall debut to a sold-out crowd with the New York Pops and Steven Reineke. Valisia is an award-winning actress who has graced the Broadway stage in numerous Tony-nominated productions such as The Three Penny Opera, 110 In the Shade, Ragtime, and The Book of Mormon. Her starring role as Diana Ross in Motown the Musical garnered her a Grammy nomination, Tony nomination, Theatre World Award, Drama League Nomination, and an Outer Critics Circle nomination. Vasilia won a Joseph Jefferson Award for her portrayal of Sara in Ragtime at the Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago. Vasilia’s Off-Broadway credits include Rock & Roll Man (Laver Baker, Aurelio Nom), Superhero (Mom, Audelco Award nomination Best Ensemble), and Almost Heaven, The John Denver Musical, as well as Sweet Lorraine, in which she starred as Lorraine Hansberry. In 2020, Vasilia executive produced and starred as Lorraine Hansberry in the virtual production of Scenes From Sweet Lorraine, which was a benefit for Stand Up To Cancer and the Equity in the Arts & Culture Committee of the Brooklyn NAACP. Some of her regional credits include Rock & Roll Man (Lavern Baker), Mark Twain’s River of Song, Oklahoma (Laurey), Caroline or Change (Emmie), Dreamgirls (Deena Jones), Godspell (Joanne), Big River (Alice’s Daughter), and Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon), for which she was nominated for a Kevin Kline Award. She has toured with the USO and the National touring companies of All Shook Up (Lorraine) and Mamma Mia (Lisa). She has participated in countless workshops and readings in the New York City area. Some of her television credits include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, CBS FBI: Most Wanted, The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Live at Lincoln Center (Camelot), and the 60th and 67th Annual Tony Awards. Valisia is an ovarian cancer survivor and has been honored by the NOCC, OCRA, and Look Good Feel Better. She also served as the spokesperson for the NOCC, and has been the keynote speaker for cancer organizations across the country. Her journey has been featured in Elle.com, Vogue.com, Vanity Fair Magazine, Essence Magazine, Parade Magazine, USA Today, the New York Times, and many other publications. She has been honored three times by her alma mater, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Vasilia is a graduate student in the M.A. Marriage & Family Therapy program at Syracuse University. She is in her clinical practice in New York as a Graduate Marriage & Family Therapist.

Celebrating the golden age of soul, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music of Motown” breathes new life into songs from legendary artists such as The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and The Jackson 5.

For tickets and more information about “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music of Motown,” or any of the 2024–25 Season Houston Symphony Bank of America POPS Series concerts, please call or text 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets are also available at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

HOUSTON SYMPHONY PRESENTS AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH: THE MUSIC OF MOTOWN

Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Steven Reineke, conductor
Valisia LeKae, vocalist
Ryan Shaw, vocalist
Chelsea Cymone, background vocalist
Raven Johnson, background vocalist
Michael Dixon, background vocalist

About Houston Symphony

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Madison Mann: 832.930.4065 x120, madison@theckpgroup.com

The post Valisia Lekae Joins Houston Symphony’s Celebration Of The Golden Age Of Soul This Weekend: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: The Music Of Motown” appeared first on Houston Symphony.

Newsroom Archive - Houston Symphony

HOUSTON SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2025–26 SEASON, JURAJ VALČUHA’S FOURTH AS MUSIC DIRECTOR

Livestreaming

2025−26 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

The Margaret Alkek Williams Spotlight Series

2025−26 BANK OF AMERICA POPS SEASON

2025−26 PNC Family Season Overview

2025−26 SYMPHONY SPECIALS

Holiday Specials

2025–26 CHAMBER SERIES

THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY IN THE COMMUNITY

Ticket Information

2025–26 CLASSICAL SUBSCRIPTION SERIES

Opening Weekend: Valčuha Conducts Stravinsky’s Firebird

Eschenbach Conducts Mozart and Bruckner

Jean-Yves Thibaudet + The Three-Cornered Hat

Gershwin & Grimaud: Jazz Meets Symphony

Shall We Dance?

COMPOSER AS HERO FESTIVAL

Journey To Light: Valčuha Conducts Shostakovich 10

Marin Alsop Conducts Brahms 2

DOOMED LOVERS FESTIVAL

Symphonie Espagnole + Symphonie Fantastique

Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet

Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde

Mozart + Elgar’s Enigma Variations

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony + Timpani World Premiere

Grieg’s Peer Gynt

Adams Conducts Adams & Appalachian Spring

TRANSFIGURATION FESTIVAL

Joshua Bell Returns: The Elements In Concert

The Planets + Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto

Valčuha Conducts Mahler 9

2025–26 BANK OF AMERICA POPS

King for a Day: The Music of Elvis

From Stage to Screen: Broadway Meets Hollywood

Very Merry POPS

A Nat King Cole New Year

Arturo Sandoval: Journey to Freedom

Piano Man: The Music of Billy Joel

Disney’s Fantasia In Concert

Icon: The Voices That Changed Music

Lights! Camera! Music! 100 Years of Epic Film Scores

2025–26 PNC BANK FAMILY SERIES

Frightfully Fun! A Halloween Concert for Kids

Oh, What Fun! A Holiday Concert for Kids

When Instruments Roamed the Earth

Abracadabra! A Magical Musical Adventure

2025–26 SPECIALS

50th Anniversary: Jaws–In Concert

Disney and Pixar’s UP–In Concert

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire–In Concert

The Music of Journey

Juraj Valčuha Conducts West Side Story

Handel’s Messiah

Joyful Fanfares: Holiday Brass Spectacular!

Elf–In Concert

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi–In Concert

Lang Lang Recital

Víkingur Ólafsson Recital

About Juraj Valčuha

About Steven Reineke

About the Houston Symphony

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CELEBRATED VIOLINIST FRANCESCA DEGO MAKES HER HOUSTON SYMPHONY DEBUT

Conductor Laureate Andrés Orozco-Estrada Conducts the Violin Star and the Houston Symphony In Brahms Violin Concerto

Houston Symphony Announces The Appointment Of Anthony J. Maglione As Director Of The Houston Symphony Chorus

Star Of Stage and Screen Cynthia Erivo Performs with the Houston Symphony April 9, 2025

Gary Ginstling Named Executive Director And CEO Of Houston Symphony

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Multi-Platinum Jamaican Artist Shaggy Joins The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds Series With His “Mr. Symphonic” Show Presented By Stella Artois

Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds Series

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The Houston Symphony’s 2025 Summer Sounds, Presented By Stella Artois, Include Jaws, Disney/Pixar’s Up, The Music Of Journey, And A Summer Return To Jones Hall

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**50^th Anniversary: Jaws–In Concert**