Symphony Notes — Winter 2018

SYMPHONY WINTER 2018

NOTES

LEARN HOW YOUR GIFT WILL BE MATCHED DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. (PG 5)

SYMPHONY

OF STARS Celebrating Excellence This Holiday Season

SYMPHONY NOTES

WINTER 2018

Stars of the Orchestra

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Symphony of Stars Campaign

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Raniel Joubert, a Community Embedded Star

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Concert Spotlight

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Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue Jan. 4, 5 & 6

Dear Houston Symphony Donor, In this season of giving, I’d like to thank you, as a Houston Symphony donor, for your generosity that allows us to create amazing music.

You may have seen and heard about our Symphony of Stars campaign at Jones Hall this holiday season. If you’re one of the many donors who has already contributed to this holiday season campaign, thank you so much. There’s still time to help the Symphony reach its goal of $1 million, by making a contribution at houstonsymphony.org/donate before December 31, 2018.

This issue of Symphony Notes celebrates some the philanthropic stars of the Houston Symphony—from concert sponsors to orchestra musicians.

Donors like you are stars of the Symphony; you’ve helped the organization shine this year.

On behalf of the entire Houston Symphony family, I wish you a joyous and peaceful holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you at Jones Hall in 2019.

Warm regards,

John Mangum

Executive Director/CEO Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

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MUSICIA THEY’RE MUSICIANS. AND THEY’RE DONORS. Aralee Dorough and Colin Gatwood in rehearsal.

When you contribute to the Houston Symphony, you’re joining a vast family of donors—not just individuals, corporations and foundations that know the importance of the orchestra to Houston, but orchestra musicians themselves who believe in the organization.

Symphony Notes spoke with Aralee Dorough, Principal Flute and General Maurice Hirsch Chair, and her husband Colin Gatwood, Second Oboe.

They have been members of the Houston Symphony since 1985 and 1991, respectively, and we thank them for giving back to the organization.

Why did you decide to be donors to the Houston Symphony? Why is it important for musicians to support the orchestra they belong to?

Colin: I’m proud to be in an organization that serves so many people.

Donations make it possible for the staff to create all these programs that serve Houstonians. The classical programming attracted us to become orchestra musicians, but it’s very satisfying to be part of all of it—between Classical, POPS, and education and community programming, there is something for just about everyone in the city.

Aralee: It is amazing how much goes into having a Houston Symphony.

Although I am a part of the orchestra, I find it meaningful to contribute just as I would if I were an audience member. It’s also an acknowledgment of the generosity and commitment of our Board.

Colin: There is so much behind the scenes work that goes into every performance, and we feel it’s very important to support that.

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HOUSTON SYMPHONY

AN PROFILE ARALEE DOROUGH

Of your artistic accomplishments with the Symphony, what’s especially meaningful to you?

Aralee: People often ask us if we met in the orchestra, but we go way back to student days at the Oberlin Conservatory. Because of that formative training, we’ve always been on the same musical wavelength. It is great to be able to discuss the details of what we are working on, and to celebrate the accomplishments. Also, we appreciate being on the same strange schedule!

You’ve both been with the Symphony under several Music Directors. What’s changed about the orchestra, and what hasn’t?

Colin: We’ve both been here for a long time and it seems like the orchestra just gets better and better. But what hasn’t changed is the musically adventurous attitude.

Aralee: This orchestra has long had a reputation in the business, via the conductors and guest artists who pass through, for being adaptable and versatile. Our musicians have always been dead serious about performing well, yet manage to stay easygoing and humble. It’s a joy to be surrounded by colleagues like that.

Colin: There’s a positive culture throughout the whole organization, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.

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SYMPHONY

OF STARS Make your gift go twice as far this holiday season.

This holiday season, we’re celebrating our own Symphony of Stars here in Houston. With an 88-member full-time orchestra comprised of some of the greatest talent from around the world, we’re shining a spotlight on the musicians who perform on the Jones Hall stage each weekend for you.

With our first-ever Grammy® Award this year and a sensational European Tour last spring, the world is noticing the Houston Symphony.

This season, music’s superstars are coming to Houston to perform with our orchestra, including Itzhak Perlman, Leila Josefowicz, Joshua Bell and Susan Graham.

You can be a Symphony All-Star by making a gift this holiday season.

Donate today and join the thousands of Symphony patrons who help to bring innovative and exciting musical performances to life. With your support, the Houston Symphony will serve more than 400,000 Houstonians this year, including more than 100,000 through free community concerts and nationally recognized education and community engagement programs.

Instantly double the impact of your gift when you donate today. Thanks to Houston Symphony Society President Janet Clark’s generous donation, all donations are now being matched, dollar for dollar, up to $250,000!

To make your gift online, visit houstonsymphony.org/donate or see page 12 for additional ways to give by our December 31 deadline.

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HOUSTON SYMPHONY

ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA, Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

ROBERT FRANZ, Associate Conductor

STEVEN REINEKE, Principal POPS Conductor

COMMUN CHANGING EXPECTATIONS AND CHANGING LIVES

The whole Houston Symphony family can be proud of our CommunityEmbedded Musicians initiative—and of the donors who make it possible.

The first such program for a major American orchestra, the CommunityEmbedded Musicians are a unique hybrid: they are both musicians who play often with the orchestra, and teaching artists who work in schools and throughout the community, serving more than 16,000 Houstonians through more than 800 interactions each year.

The Community-Embedded Musicians initiative is supported in part by a generous grant from the American Orchestras’ Futures Fund, a program of the League of American Orchestras made possible by funding from the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation.

Jesse Rosen, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, says, “We are thrilled to support Community-Embedded Musicians through the Futures Fund. This initiative is at the forefront of innovation in community service. We look forward to working with the Houston Symphony to communicate what they’ve learned through the program to the rest of the industry throughout the nation.”

The Houston Symphony residency at Lewis Elementary is presented by BBVA Compass and the BBVA Compass Foundation. We are also thankful to Houston ISD and the lead supporters of the Community-Embedded Musicians: the Robert and Janice McNair Foundation; Medistar; National Endowment for the Arts; Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/Spec’s Charitable Foundation; Nancy & Robert Peiser; Mr. Jay Steinfeld & Mrs. Barbara Winthrop; and the H-E-B Tournament of Champions.

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ITY COMMUNITY-EMBEDDED MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

Rainel Joubert

Cuban-born Rainel Joubert began playing the violin at age 6. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi, and speaks three languages (Spanish, Portuguese, and English).

In addition to his skill and training as an outstanding musician, Rainel is also a talented teacher and mentor, and feels a strong responsibility to use his ability to serve others. As he puts it,

“Music took me out of a very harsh regime. I feel like I owe a great deal to the community that brought me here, to this moment in my life.”

ABC-13 met him this summer at Camp Adventure, a project of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. You can view Rainel working with the campers, and their feature story on Community-Embedded Musicians, at houstonsymphony.org/rainel.

If you or your employer would like to support the Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement Programs, please visit houstonsymphony.org/community to learn more or make a donation.

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CONCERT MARINA BRUBKAER, FIRST VIOLIN; ROBERT KNETSCH; SUZANNE AND TAD SMITH

FROM THE FARM TO THE CONCERT HALL

RHAPSODY IN BLUE SPONSORS SUZANNE AND TAD SMITH

On January 4, 5 and 6, the Houston Symphony opens the new year with one of the 20th Century’s most beloved works, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Renowned pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane leads the orchestra in the rarely-performed original jazz band version, which captures the thrilling, authentic music audiences first heard at the 1924 premiere.

Among other works, the program also features Paraphrase on Themes of Brian Eno, composer Timo Andres’ homage to a contemporary musician who, like Gershwin, draws on both pop music and serious composition.

Thrilling concerts like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue can’t happen through ticket sales alone. Dedicated members of the Houston Symphony family, like Suzanne and Tad Smith, sponsors of this concert, make memorable performances like this possible. Symphony Notes spoke with Tad, a Houston Symphony Trustee, about what the piece means to him, and his love of music and the Houston Symphony.

Why are you sponsoring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue?

TS: While on a bike ride with (Principal Clarinet) Mark Nuccio this fall, he reminded me that Gershwin was on the first concert in January. Mark and his wife Suzie have become good friends of ours, so Suzanne and I decided it would be fun to sponsor this concert—especially because it’s such a big piece for the clarinet (as are other pieces on the program).

Does Rhapsody have special meaning for you?

TS: Yes—quite coincidentally, it was the very first piece I ever played with an orchestra…although I don’t think anybody would want to hear a recording of that performance—myself included! My wife and I are looking forward to an interesting and fun concert, and are thrilled we have the opportunity to support a friend in the process.

What’s your favorite Houston Symphony memory?

TS: Every concert is a favorite memory! My wife and I always look forward to our date nights at the Houston Symphony. More specifically, though, I think our fondest memories come from the friendships we’ve made as part of our relationship with the Houston Symphony. The entire organization has become an integral part of our lives.

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T SPONSOR Can you tell us about your musical background?

TS: Orchestral music has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in farm-town Ohio, and our parents often had classical music on the radio or record player. A daily radio show in our house and during car travel was “Adventures in Good Music” with Karl Haas. This was definitely not my favorite show when I was a kid, but it exposed me to all sorts of interesting music and performances. And when possible—which wasn’t often— they took us to hear professional orchestras; I think the Toledo Symphony was the first one I ever heard.

And you became a musician yourself!

TS: I studied music quite seriously for a number of years, first as a violinist, and later as a violist. My last two years of high school I attended Interlochen Arts Academy, and then went on to Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where I spent 2½ years as a music major. I recognized during my sophomore year that I most likely wouldn’t have the type of career I had always hoped for, so I started looking around for something else to do. Coming from a farm town, I only knew that I liked to be outdoors, so I decided to take a geology class on plate tectonics for non-majors. I loved it, and it changed the course of my study, and of my life, and I became a geologist.

But you kept your connection to music?

TS: My time in music continues to loom large in Suzanne’s and my life and impact our daily routines. Many of our closest friends to this date are people I met as a young musician in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, or people we have met through our engagement with the Houston Symphony.

Classical music has enriched me, challenged me, and has brought a dimension to life that I would miss sorely were it to disappear. I can listen to one of the great symphonies many times over and always hear something new. It never grows old, nor does it ever grow boring. Also, in an age when there is steady, persistent pressure on our culture, it’s important that we support endeavors that make us better and lift the human spirit.

My wife and I support the Houston Symphony (as well as some other arts organizations) because it survives on the support of its donor base, and also because we feel it is a calling and a duty.

For more information about Concert Sponsorship, contact Molly Simpson, Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts, at molly.simpson@houstonsymphony.org or (713) 337-8526.

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CONCERT SPOTLIGHT

Gershwin’s

RHAPSODY IN BLUE FRI 8 PM JAN. 4

Jeffrey Kahane, conductor and piano

SAT 8 PM JAN. 5

RAVEL Piano Concerto in G TIMO ANDRES Paraphrase on Themes of Brian Eno MILHAUD La création du monde GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue

SUN 2:30 PM JAN. 6

Saucy as the city streets, majestic as a city skyline, Rhapsody in Blue’s iconic opening and unforgettable melodies make it one of the most enduringly popular works in all of classical music. Hear the original jazz band version, alongside Ravel’s bluesy, dreamy Concerto in G as the phenomenal Jeffrey Kahane plays and conducts this program of symphonic gems with a French twist and a Jazz Age flair.

There’s no better way to ring in the New Year!

JEFFREY KAHANE, conductor and piano

To purchase tickets, visit houstonsymphony.org or call (713) 224-7575.

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SYMPHONY

OF STARS Celebrating Excellence This Holiday Season

Celebrate Houston’s own Symphony of Stars by making a gift this holiday season.

Instantly double the impact of your donation today thanks to a generous dollar for dollar match of all gifts by Houston Symphony Society President Janet Clark.

You have plenty of options for making your gift.

ONLINE: houstonsymphony.org/donate TEXT: “Music” to 41444 CALL: 713.337.8529

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