Houston Symphony Magazine - September 2010

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ma gazin e September • 2010

Frank Huang, concertmaster

Hans graf music Director




Contents September • 2010

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Official Program Magazine of the Houston Symphony 615 Louisiana, Suite 102, Houston, Texas 77002 (713) 224-4240 • www.houstonsymphony.org

Programs

14 September 3-5 16 September 8 18 September 11 3 September 12 4 September 16, 18-19 7 September 24-26

12-13

Read about the magical evening of the 2010 Houston Symphony Ball.

20

See Andrea Bocelli perform with the Houston Symphony on December 8 – priority pre-sale details on page 20.

Feature

1 -13 2010 Houston Symphony Ball

On Stage and Off

40 Backstage Pass 5 Credits 31-39 Donors 7 From the Orchestra 4 Hans Graf 6 Letter to Patrons 8 Music Matters! 8 Orchestra and Staff 30 Symphony Society 11 Volunteers

Departments

9-10 Spotlight on Sponsors 8 Support Your Symphony 0 Upcoming Performances

Cover photo by Jeff Fitlow.

Contents photos by Bruce Bennett and PWL Studio.

For advertising contact New Leaf Publishing at (713) 523-5323 info@newleafinc.com • www.newleafinc.com • 2006 Huldy, Houston, Texas 77019 www.houstonsymphony.org

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Join us in celebrating with Hans Graf as he begins his 10th season as Music Director.



Hans Graf............................................................................................................

PHOTO BY SANDY LANKFORD

Welcome to our 2010-2011 season – my 10th season in Houston. How many wonderful concerts we have shared over the years! And this season will be just as exciting. Opening night on September 11 starts with an event: we will introduce a key player, our new concertmaster, Frank Huang. He will play the Mozart Sinfonia concertante with our principal viola, Wayne Brooks. Mozart’s violin concertos are beautiful and growing in perfection and importance from No. 1 to No. 5, but the Sinfonia concertante is the next step. The very emotional dialogue between the violin and viola, but even more, the depth and new beauty of this music make it a gem of the solo repertoire for strings. Frank is a fabulous player and he convinced everybody immediately. We all agreed: this is an extraordinary talent. The first subscription concert on September 16, 18, and 19 will bring back a great friend of the Houston Symphony, Yefim Bronfman. He is the kind of pianist who is in demand everywhere. Why? He is a team player, as well as one of the finest virtuosos of our time. I am really looking forward to the pleasure of performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with him. The end of the month brings a unique program with John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony and the Wagner/Maazel Ring Without Words. There are operas that have a wealth of great orchestra music which sometimes is not allowed to shine enough in an opera pit. And some great operas are played quite rarely. These are two excellent reasons to give in to the desire to play this music in concert. Although Wagner has been played by symphony orchestras quite often, Lorin Maazel’s idea is great: to let a selection of orchestral highlights tell the whole story. In a musical sequence that follows the chronology, you feel the unfolding of the whole Ring, which is ultimately a story about the end of the world. And the new opera Doctor Atomic by John Adams talks about a similar question: Dr. Oppenheimer’s life and ethical dilemma in creating the atomic bomb. The music is strong, in stark colors, but also with many moments of tenderness and melancholy. I am happy to introduce this work to Houston, and also to take it on tour to the United Kingdom in October, as a profound and brilliant example of new American music. A strong start for the season, my 10th, with this – your! – wonderful orchestra.

Biography............................................................................................................ Known for his wide range of repertoire and creative programming, dis- of the Aspen Music Festival and returned to Tanglewood and Chicago’s tinguished Austrian conductor Hans Graf – the Houston Symphony’s 15th Grant Park Festival. Music Director – is one of today’s most highly respected musicians. He An experienced opera conductor, Graf first conducted the Vienna began his tenure here on Opening Night of the 2001-2002 season. State Opera in 1981 and has since led productions in the opera houses Prior to his appointment in Houston, he was music director of the of Berlin, Munich, Paris and Rome, including several world premieres. Calgary Philharmonic, the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Recent engagements include Parsifal at the Zurich Opera and Boris the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra and the Iraqi National Symphony Godunov at the Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg. Orchestra. Born in 1949 near Linz, Graf studied violin and piano as a child. He A frequent guest with all of the major North American orchestras, earned diplomas in piano and conducting from the Musikhochschule Graf has developed a close in Graz and continued his relationship with the Boston studies with Franco Ferrara, Hans Graf conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. Symphony and appears reguSergiu Celibidache and Arvid “...Graf’s leadership was enthusiastic and larly with the orchestra during Jansons. His career was the subscription season and expert... [his] performances were scintillating...” launched in 1979 when he was at the Tanglewood Music awarded first prize at the Karl David Weininger, Boston Globe Festival. Böhm Competition. He made his Carnegie Hall His extensive discogradebut with the Houston Symphony in January 2006 and returned leading phy includes recordings with the Houston Symphony, available through the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in March 2007. He and the Houston Symphony houstonsymphony.org: works by Bartók and Stravinsky, Zemlinsky’s Lyric were invited to appear at Carnegie Hall in January 2010 to present the Symphony, Berg’s Three Pieces from the Lyric Suite and a DVD of The New York premiere of The Planet—An HD Odyssey. Planets—An HD Odyssey. Internationally, Graf conducts in the foremost concert halls of Graf has been awarded the Chevalier de l’ordre de la Legion Europe, Japan and Australia. In October 2010, he leads the Houston d’Honneur by the French government for championing French music Symphony on a tour of the UK to present the international premier around the world and the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services of The Planets—An HD Odyssey. He has participated in the Maggio to the Republic of Austria. Musicale Fiorentino, Bregenz and Aix en Provence and appeared at the Hans and Margarita Graf have homes in Salzburg and Houston. They Salzburg Festival. In summer 2010, he conducted the opening concert have one daughter, Anna, who lives in Vienna.

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Credits...........................

Mark C. Hanson Executive Director/CEO Jessica Taylor Editor Carl Cunningham Program Annotator Elaine Reeder Mayo Editorial Consultant

www.newleaďŹ nc.com (713) 23- 323 Janet Meyer Publisher janetmeyer@newleafinc.com Keith Gumney Art Director kgumney@newleafinc.com Jennifer Greenberg Projects Director jenniferg@newleafinc.com John Buck Director of Advertising jbuck@newleafinc.com Frances Dowling Senior Account Executive fdowling@newleafinc.com Linda Lang Senior Account Executive lindalang@newleafinc.com Frances Powell Account Executive divascenes@aol.com Carey Clark CC Catalyst Communications Laura Manning Mediart Partners Marlene Walker Walker Media LLC In remembrance of our friend and colleague John Mark Buck. The activities and projects of the Houston Symphony are funded in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Houston through the Houston Downtown Alliance, Miller Theatre Advisory Board and Houston Arts Alliance. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion at The Woodlands is the Summer Home of the Houston Symphony. Digital pre-media services by Vertis APS Houston Contents copyright Š 2010 by the Houston Symphony

CHILDREN AT CONCERTS In consideration of our patrons, we ask that children be 6 years and older to attend Houston Symphony concerts. Children of all ages, including infants, are admitted to Weatherford Family Concerts. Any child over age 1 must have a ticket for those performances. CAMERAS, RECORDERS, CELL PHONES & PAGERS Cameras and recorders are not permitted in the hall. Patrons may not use any device to record or photograph performances. Please silence cell phones, pagers and alarm watches and refrain from texting during performances.

3733 Westheimer 713/524-9988 Visit us at LeonardRutan.com

In Memoriam........................................................... Larry Thompson (1937-2010) The Houston Symphony Society honors the life and memory of Larry Thompson, a former musician and staff member who passed away this May. He began playing English horn for the Houston Symphony in 1967 and retired in 2003. Amidst playing in the orchestra, Larry also served as orchestra personnel manager for more than a decade. We are saddened at the loss of such a dedicated and talented member of the Houston Symphony family and are grateful for his many contributions throughout his tenure. September 2010


Letter to Patrons................................................................................................. PHOTO BY ALExANDEr POrTrAITS

Bobby Tudor President PHOTO BY BrUCE BENNETT

Mark C. Hanson Executive Director/CEO

www.houstonsymphony.org

Welcome to our opening concerts of the 2010-11 season! As always, we warmly welcome you to Jones Hall and extend our sincere thanks to you for generously supporting the Houston Symphony. The summer of 2010 was a very active and successful period of concerts for the Houston Symphony. In early June, the Houston Symphony’s annual Sounds Like Fun! free concert series filled 11 auditoriums, schools and churches in the Houston area. This is our annual opportunity to share wonderful music with audiences of all ages in locations outside of downtown – a mission that we are looking forward to expanding in the coming seasons. More than 40,000 people attended our free June and July concerts at Miller Outdoor Theater that featured our own John Thorne, associate principal flute, and Thomas LeGrand, associate principal clarinet, as soloists, along with two up-and-coming conductors – Diego Matheuz and Krzysztof Urba´nski – and pianist Sun-A Park, a 2010 Ima Hogg Competition Finalist. We also incorporated new technology elements in the outdoor concert experience. At our June 17 “Tweetcert,” audience members were invited to read streaming program notes on their smart phones that were posted live to our Twitter account during the concert. On the following evening, we invited audience members to vote for their favorite encore choice using text messaging, a fun experiment covered by The New York Times. Back in Jones Hall, our July Summer Concerts attracted capacity crowds for concerts featuring The Music of Queen, Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY and two encore performances of The Planets—An HD Odyssey. We are very proud of our Symphony for presenting such a memorable and meaningful summer of concerts. As the 2010-11 season commences, we congratulate Hans Graf as he begins his 10th season as our Music Director and thank him for his continued commitment to the Houston Symphony. We look forward to seeing you throughout the new season here in Jones Hall!


From the Orchestra........................................................................................... Photo by Eric arbitEr

on behalf of the musicians, i would like to welcome you back to the houston Symphony for our very exciting 97th season! there are many reasons we are eager for this season, but high among them is the arrival of our new concertmaster, Frank huang. the concertmaster is technically the leader of the first violin section, but in practice, he actually leads all of the string sections and, ultimately, the entire orchestra. this musician is “second in command” after the conductor, and a great concertmaster can have a powerful unifying effect on the sound of the orchestra as a whole. the concertmaster must be a virtuoso player, able to command the respect of his colleagues and also a sensitive chamber musician – constantly alert and adapting to everything that goes on around him. it’s a very tall order, and since the retirement of Uri Pianka in 2005, we have been in a long and difficult search to find the right match. as we were scouting for potential candidates, Frank was mentioned to me as a player with unquestioned virtuoso credentials, numerous top prizes in the world’s biggest competitions and many years of experience as the leader of a chamber orchestra. after tracking him down (via Facebook!), i was surprised to learn that Frank grew up in houston and that his parents still live in Sugar Land. he played a trial week with us in May 2009. During an audition, after just a few hours of practice (with the rockets game on tV in the background, he later admitted), he played some of the most difficult Strauss excerpts imaginable – as well as we had ever heard them played before. Brinton Averil Smith it was a clear and unanimous choice for the selection committee, but Frank had just signed a conPrincipal cello tract with the ying Quartet at the Eastman School. Despite the knowledge that we would have to wait, we made the difficult decision to focus our energies on recruiting him versus searching for other candidates. We are delighted to welcome Frank to our orchestra and excited to aspire to new artistic heights together. i also want to express our gratitude for the incredible contributions of our admired friend and valued colleague, Eric halen. this is a happy case of adding strength to strength, and Eric will continue to lead the orchestra regularly. as Maestro hans Graf has said, “Every orchestra needs several great concertmasters.” it is an exciting time for our city when we have the culture both to produce a world-renowned musician like Frank and to support a top level orchestra that could bring him back home. Enjoy the concert!

September 2010


Orchestra and Staff. .......................................................................................... Mark C. Hanson, Executive Director/CEO

Hans Graf, Music Director

Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair Michael Krajewski, Robert Franz,

Principal Pops Conductor

Associate Conductor

Sponsor, Cameron Management

Sponsor, Madison Charitable Foundation

Brett Mitchell,

Assistant Conductor FiRst Violin: Frank Huang, Concertmaster Max Levine Chair Eric Halen, Associate Concertmaster Ellen E. Kelley Chair Assia Dulgerska, Assistant Concertmaster Cornelia and Meredith Long Chair Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation Chair Marina Brubaker, Hewlett-Packard Company Chair Alexandra Adkins MiHee Chung Sophia Silivos Rodica Gonzalez Ferenc Illenyi** Si-Yang Lao Kurt Johnson Christopher Neal Sergei Galperin Quan Jiang*

Xiao Wong Myung Soon Lee James Denton Anthony Kitai

second Violin: Jennifer Owen, Principal Charles Tabony, Associate Principal Hitai Lee Kiju Joh Ruth Zeger Margaret Bragg Martha Chapman Kevin Kelly Mihaela Oancea Christine Pastorek Amy Teare Open Position

Piccolo: Allison Garza

douBle Bass: David Malone, Acting Principal Janice H. and Thomas D. Barrow Chair Mark Shapiro, Acting Associate Principal Eric Larson Robert Pastorek Burke Shaw Donald Howey Michael McMurray Flute: Aralee Dorough, Principal General Maurice Hirsch Chair John Thorne, Associate Principal Judy Dines Allison Garza

oBoe: Robert Atherholt, Principal Lucy Binyon Stude Chair Anne Leek, Associate Principal Colin Gatwood Adam Dinitz enGlisH HoRn: Adam Dinitz claRinet: David Peck, Principal Thomas LeGrand, Associate Principal Christian Schubert Open position

Viola: Wayne Brooks, Principal Joan DerHovsepian, Associate Principal George Pascal, Assistant Principal Linda Goldstein Thomas Molloy Fay Shapiro Daniel Strba Wei Jiang Phyllis Herdliska Open Position

e-Flat claRinet: Thomas LeGrand Bass claRinet: Open position Tassie and Constantine S. Nicandros Chair Bassoon: Rian Craypo, Principal Stewart Orton Chair Eric Arbiter, Associate Principal American General Chair Elise Wagner J. Jeff Robinson

cello: Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Christopher French, Associate Principal Haeri Ju Jeffrey Butler Kevin Dvorak

contRaBassoon: J. Jeff Robinson

HoRn: William VerMeulen, Principal Wade Butin, Acting Associate Principal* Brian Thomas Robert and Janice McNair Foundation Chair Nancy Goodearl Philip Stanton Julie Thayer tRuMPet: Mark Hughes, Principal George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Chair John DeWitt, Associate Principal Open position, Assistant Principal Anthony Prisk Speros P. Martel Chair tRoMBone: Allen Barnhill, Principal Bradley White, Associate Principal Phillip Freeman Bass tRoMBone: Phillip Freeman tuBa: Dave Kirk, Principal tiMPani: Ronald Holdman, Principal Brian Del Signore, Associate Principal PeRcussion: Brian Del Signore, Principal Mark Griffith Matthew Strauss HaRP: Paula Page, Principal KeyBoaRd: Scott Holshouser, Principal Neva Watkins West Chair oRcHestRa PeRsonnel ManaGeR: Steve Wenig assistant oRcHestRa PeRsonnel ManaGeR: Michael Gorman liBRaRian: Thomas Takaro assistant liBRaRians: Erik Gronfor Michael McMurray staGe ManaGeR: Donald Ray Jackson assistant staGe ManaGeR: Kelly Morgan

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Steinway is the official piano of the Houston Symphony. James B. Kozak, Piano Technician. Local assistance is provided by Forshey Piano Co. The Houston Symphony’s concert piano is a gift of Mrs. Helen B. Rosenbaum.

staGe tecHnician: Toby Blunt Zoltan Fabry Cory Grant *Contracted Substitute ** Leave of Absence

Martha GarcĂ­a, Assistant to the Executive Director Meg Philpot, Director of Human Resources

steven Brosvik, General Manager Roger daily, Director, Music Matters! Kristin l. Johnson, Director, Operations steve Wenig, Orchestra Personnel Manager Michael Gorman, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager Donald Ray Jackson, Stage Manager Kelly Morgan, Assistant Stage Manager Meredith Williams, Assistant to the General Manager Carol Wilson, Manager, Music Matters!

MiCHael D. Pawson, Chief Financial Officer sally Brassow, Controller Philip Gulla, Director, Technology amed Hamila, Director, Database Support Heather Fails, Manager, Ticketing Database Janis Pease LaRocque, Manager, Patron Database Kay Middleton, Receptionist Maria Ross, Payroll Manager Armin (A.J.) Salge, Network Systems Engineer Chris Westerfelt, Manager, Accounts Payable and Special Projects

aurelie DesMarais, Senior Director, Artistic Planning Merle n. Bratlie, Director, Artist Services thomas takaro, Librarian amanda tozzi, Director, Popular Programming and Special Projects Erik Gronfor, Assistant Librarian Michael McMurray, Assistant Librarian Rebecca Zabinski, Artistic Assistant

Glenn taylor, Senior Director, Marketing allison Gilbert, Director of Marketing, Subscriptions Melissa H. lopez, Director of Marketing, Special Projects carlos Vicente, Director of Marketing, Single Tickets Jenny Zuniga, Director, Customer Service Sarah Bircher, Marketing Assistant Natalie Ferguson, Graphic Designer Jeff Gilmer, Group and Corporate Sales Assistant Jason Landry, Customer Service Center Manager Melissa Pate, Customer Service Center Supervisor Melissa Seuffert, Assistant Marketing Manager, Digital Media/Young Audience Engagement

Jennifer r. Mire, Senior Director, Communications Jessica taylor, Editor, Magazine Holly cassard, Manager, Public Relations

tara BlaCk, Interim Senior Director, Development Vickie Hamley, Director, Volunteer Services Brandon VanWaeyenberghe, Director, Corporate Relations laura Woods, Director, Events Peter yenne, Director, Foundation Relations and Development Communications Jessica Ford, Patron Services Specialist Samantha Gonzalez, Patron Services Specialist Clare Greene, Associate Director, Events Abbie Lee, Patron Services Assistant Tim Richey, Manager, Patron Services Sarah Slemmons, Development Associate, Administrative Services Lena Streetman, Manager, Individual Giving Andrew Walker, Development Assistant


Spotlight on Sponsors.... ConocoPhillips has been a proud sponsor of the Houston Symphony for more than 25 years and commends the Symphony on its leadership in advancing Houston’s vibrant arts community. The Houston Symphony, recognized as one of the world’s leading orchestras, has enriched the lives of countless individuals through the performance of exceptional music. As an integrated energy company, ConocoPhillips operates in more than 30 countries, has approximately 29,900 employees worldwide and assets of $151 billion as of June 30, 2010. The company is proud to support organizations in the communities in which its employees live and work, investing approximately $80 million in 2009. ConocoPhillips applauds the Symphony’s efforts to promote music education and cultural awareness in the Houston community.

Continental Airlines has been a long-time supporter of a variety of charitable organizations, believing it is essential for a global corporation to be socially responsible. While this has become increasingly important in modern times, Continental’s philosophy has always been to demonstrate excellent corporate citizenship in its interactions with its employees, the community and the environment. In addition to participation by Continental employees in diverse civic activities, the airline takes a direct role in sponsoring specific community organizations in the arts, culture, sports, education, health and medicine and serves in the capacity of “Official Airline” of many organizations across the country. Continental prides itself on fostering a company culture that treats employees with dignity and respect, and encourages employees to give back to their communities through active volunteerism. Continental, together with Continental Express and Continental Connection, has more than 2,700 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, serving 132 domestic and 137 international destinations. Continental is a member of Star Alliance, which overall offers more than 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries through its 28 member airlines. With more than 40,000 employees, Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and together with its regional partners, carries approximately 63 million passengers per year. In addition to its philanthropic endeavors, Continental consistently earns awards and September 2010


Spotlight on Sponsors....

continued

critical acclaim for both its operation and its corporate culture. For nine consecutive years, Fortune magazine has ranked Continental as the top U.S. airline on its “World’s Most Admired Companies” airline industry list. “At Continental, we believe in working together to participate in the culture and vibrancy of the communities we serve,” says Jeff Smisek, chairman, president and CEO of Continental Airlines. “That’s how our employees provide you the best service and the best product in the industry. We’re committed to providing generous support to first-class arts organizations like the Houston Symphony. We are proud to be Houston’s hometown airline, and we’re proud to be the Official Airline of the Houston Symphony.”

With 28,000 employees in 50 countries, Wood Group supports the communities in which it operates and believes strong communities benefit their companies and their people. At Wood Group, involvement in community projects at the local level is strongly encouraged. Wood Group offers its passionate and enthusiastic support to a diverse range of community and charitable initiatives from mentoring children to supporting victims of natural disasters. Wood Group’s contributions are underpinned by the commitment to building positive, long-term relationships and to being responsible corporate citizens. Its corporate community program supports health, education and the arts. In efforts to support the inspiring and enriching Houston arts community, the Wood Group is generously sponsoring the Houston Symphony’s 2010 UK tour and the Alley Theatre’s school partnership program.

Acknowledgements

The Official Airline of the Houston Symphony

The Official Health Care Provider of the Houston Symphony

10 www.houstonsymphony.org


Volunteers....................................................... The Symphony’s Petting Zoo Isn’t Scary at All!

PHoToS BY JEFF FITLoW

Volunteer Jeanné Cox has been working with the Symphony for about seven years. During that time, the Instrument Petting Zoo – where she works with the brass instruments – has become one of her favorite activities. When asked what motivates her to volunteer, Cox says, “It gives me great joy to see the expressions of amazement and triumph on the children’s faces when they create a sound from one of the instruments. If we are able to encourage any child to try playing a musical instrument, we have accomplished a lot.” The Instrument Petting Zoo is one of the Symphony’s most recognizable and popular projects. Children and adults alike appreciate the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with various orchestral instruments from the brass, string, woodwind and percussion families. Debbie Mathews, a volunteer through National Charity League Yellow Rose Chapter, helps with the brass instruments even though she has never played one. She recalls, “My daughter, Jessi, and I loved the Instrument Petting Zoo. It was such a joy to see the kids blow and blow until, finally, a noise resembling a ^ Jeanné Cox prefers working with the brass musical note came out of the instrument. To see instruments, and she is usually successful in the excitement on their faces was incredible.” helping budding musicians blow a note or two. The cacophony exuding from the instruThe brass family is represented in the Petting ments and crowds may seem overwhelming for Zoo by a trumpet, trombone and French horn. first-time volunteers, but they quickly get into the spirit of things when they see that the experience is more about being hands-on than about the ability to play the instrument. “My favorite activity is the Instrument Petting Zoo,” says Brynn Aurelius, a Houston Symphony League member who enjoys working with the string instruments. “There’s a lot of interaction with children as I help them, and that’s what I enjoy most.” The Instrument Petting Zoo is available at all four family concerts in Jones Hall, as well as Magical Musical Morning and the Junior Patron event. It even goes on location for as many as 15 Sounds Like Fun! concerts each year. Eight to 10 people are needed to adequately staff the Petting Zoo, and the Symphony is always looking for willing volunteers. If you are interested in supporting the arts and volunteering in the community, Houston Symphony has a place for you! For more information, contact Vickie Hamley, director, Volunteer Services at (832) 531-6701 or vickie.hamley@houstonsymphony.org.

^ Houston Symphony League member Darlene Clark demonstrates the proper way to play a flute. Volunteers enjoy interacting with the young visitors in the Instrument Petting Zoo. September 2010 11


What a Wonderful World!............................................... The 2010 Houston Symphony Ball, Music Matters! What a Wonderful World, which took place at the Hilton Americas – Houston on March 27, 2010, honored Aileen B. Gordon with the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Philanthropy Award and Fidelity Investments with the Houston Symphony Maurice Hirsch Corporate Citizenship Award. The event also recognized Cora Sue Mach for her leadership in education and community service with a special video production underwritten by KPRC Local 2. The Richard Brown Orchestra performed musical favorites from all eras and our own “Satchmo,” Troy Anderson, naturally performed Louis Armstrong’s timeless classic, “What a Wonderful World,” accompanied by the Treble Choir from Christ Church Cathedral. For the night owls, there was a latenight party, A Starry, Starry Night, that kept the event going into the wee hours. The Houston Symphony Ball is the biggest annual fundraising event of the Houston Symphony League and is a tribute to the education and community engagement programs of the Houston Symphony.

Margaret Alkek Williams

Kelli and Martin Fein

Honorary Chairman

Chairmen

Tara and David Wuthrich Underwriter Chairmen

Diane and Harry H. Gendel Betty and Jess B. Tutor

Sharin Gaille Nancy Littlejohn

Ball Advisors

Auction Chairmen

Julia Anderson Frankel Red Rose Committee Honorary Chairman PHOTOS By KIM COFFMAN

^ Ball honoree Aileen B. Gordon and her daughter, Frann Gordon Lichtenstein

^ Ball underwriters Robert and Nancy Peiser will chair the 2010 Opening Night Gala.

^ Former Houston Symphony Society President, Jess Tutor, and his wife, Betty

^ Houston Symphony Board and Ball Underwriting Committee member Steven P. Mach and his wife, Joella

< Ball underwriters Ulyesse and Barbara

LeGrange will be honorees at the 2010 Opening Night Gala. 12 www.houstonsymphony.org


.................................................

^ Houston Symphony Society President Bobby Tudor and his wife, Phoebe; Executive Director/CEO Mark C. Hanson and his wife, Christina

^ Ball Chairs Dr. Kelli and Martin Fein with Honorary Chair Margaret Alkek Williams (center)

^ Long-time Symphony supporter Cora Sue Mach received special recognition at the Ball for her leadership in Education and Community Engagement for the Houston Symphony. September 2010 13


Program

Broadway Rocks!

Michael Krajewski, conductor

Michael Krajewski, conductor Julia Murney, Capathia Jenkins, Hugh Panaro, Rob Evan, vocalists Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston Linus Lerner, director L. Vandross/R. C. Fleischer

A Brand New Day (Everybody Rejoice) from The Wiz

Wildhorn/K. Scharnberg

This Is the Moment from Jekyll and Hyde

M. Shaiman/Fleischer

Good Morning, Baltimore from Hairspray

B. Gaudio/Fleischer

Medley from Jersey Boys

J. Steinman/J. Hinchey

Total Eclipse of the Heart from Dance of the Vampires

E. John/C. Beck

Circle of Life from The Lion King

J. Fogerty/Fleischer

Proud Mary

Lloyd Webber/Mancini J. Larson/Fleischer

Medley from Jesus Christ Superstar Seasons of Love from Rent

Shaiman/W. Barker

You Can’t Stop the Beat from Hairspray

lyrics by Luther Vandross lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

lyrics by Marc Shaiman-Scott Wittman lyrics by Bob Crewe

lyrics by Jim Steinman lyrics by Tim Rice

lyrics by John Fogerty

lyrics by Jonathan Larson

lyrics by Marc Shaiman-Scott Wittman

INTERMISSION P. Townshend/FleischerJ. Castellon S. Schwartz/T. Zito

Overture/Pinball Wizard from The Who’s Tommy

B. Andersson-B. Ulvaeus

Anthem from Chess

F. Perren/Fleischer

I Will Survive

Lloyd Webber

Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) from Jesus Christ Superstar

Schwartz/Fleischer

Defying Gravity from Wicked

B. Andersson-S. AndersonUlvaeus/Fleischer H. Krieger

Medley from Mamma Mia

And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going from Dreamgirls

Lloyd Webber/Barker

The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera

Presenting Sponsor

14 www.houstonsymphony.org

lyrics by Pete Townshend

For Good from Wicked

lyrics by Stephen Schwartz lyrics by Tim Rice

lyrics by Dino Fekaris lyrics by Tim Rice

lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

lyrics by Benny Andersson-Stig Anderson-Bjorn Ulvaeus

lyrics by Tom Eyen

lyrics by Charles Hart-Richard Stilgoe

PHOTO By BRUCE BENNETT

Friday, September 3, 2010 8 pm Saturday, September 4, 2010 8 pm Sunday, September 5, 2010 7:30 pm Jones Hall

Krajewski

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pops at Jones Hall

Biographies. .........................

Much in demand across the United States and Canada, Michael Krajewski delights concertgoers with his imaginative and entertaining programs and his wry sense of humor. Audiences leave his concerts smiling, remembering the evening’s music and surprises. Maestro Krajewski joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Pops Conductor at the beginning of the 2000-01 season. His fans especially enjoy this Star Spangled Salute at Miller Outdoor Theatre and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, and the Houston holiday tradition, Very Merry Pops. He also serves as principal pops conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra. He was recently promoted to Principal Pops Conductor for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – the first in Atlanta! He previously held principal pops conductor positions with the Long Beach and New Mexico Symphonies. As a guest conductor, he has performed with the Boston Pops and the Hollywood Bowl orchestras, and has appeared with symphonies across the U.S., including those of Baltimore, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Phoenix, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Francisco and more. In Canada, he has led Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, as well as the Edmonton and Winnipeg symphonies. Krajewski has performed with an eclectic group of artists including Sir James Galway, Marilyn Horne, Alicia de Larrocha, Roberta Flack, Judy Collins, Art Garfunkel, Al Hirt, Cab Calloway, The Kingston Trio, Ben E. King, Mary Wilson, Patti Austin, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Canadian Brass and Pink Martini. With degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music, Krajewski furthered his training at the Pierre Monteux Domaine School for Conductors. He was a Dorati Fellowship Conductor with the Detroit Symphony and later served as that orchestra’s assistant conductor. Michael Krajewski lives in Orlando, Florida, with his wife, Darcy. When not conducting, he enjoys travel, photography, jogging, bicycling and solving The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.


..................................................................................................................... Hugh Panaro has played both Raoul and the Phantom in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera. Among others, he portrayed Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat, Marius in Les Miserables and the title role of the seductive vampire in Elton John’s Lestat.

Julia Murney last appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked, a role for which she received an Acclaim Award while on the national tour. Other New York credits include Lennon, Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party (Drama Desk nomination), The Vagina Monologues, A Class Act, Saved, Crimes of the Heart, First Lady Suite and Time and Again (Lucille Lortel nomination). A Syracuse University graduate, her recordings include the original cast albums of The Wild Party and A Class Act, the Grammy®nominated Actor’s Fund Benefit of Hair and her first solo album, I’m Not Waiting, which is available on Sh-K-Boom records.

Evan

Jenkins

Panaro has participated in “Reprise!” concert performances of Call Me Madam, for which he received an Ovation nomination. He won the Barrymore Award for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. He can be heard on Jerome Kern Treasury, the original cast recordings of Side Show, Tap Your Troubles Away, The Centennial and Life on the Wicked Stage. His first solo CD was recorded with Sony/BMG.

Capathia Jenkins

Brooklyn-born actress Capathia Jenkins made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, creating the role of Harriet Jackson. She has starred in the Off-Broadway revival of Godspell; her rendition of “Turn Back, O Man” can be heard on the original cast recording. She was critically acclaimed in The Look of Love, and created the roles of The Washing Machine in Caroline, Or Change and Frieda May in Martin Short-Fame Becomes Me. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her role in (mis) Understanding Mammy–The Hattie McDaniel Story. Jenkins and composer Louis Rosen have released South Side Stories, One Ounce of Truth–The Nikki Giovanni Songs and The Ache of Possibility.

Robert Evan

Bayou City Performing Arts Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston

Bayou City Performing Arts (BCPA), now in its 32nd season, was founded as The Montrose Singers, Inc. in November 1979, led by founding director, Andy Mills. In 2005, the organization expanded to include both Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston and Bayou City Women’s Chorus. The most recent addition was Bayou City Chorale in 2007. All of the choruses now operate under Bayou City Performing Arts. The 2010-2011 season marks Dr. Linus Lerner’s second year as artistic director of the choruses.

Lerner

Panaro

Murney Julia Murney

Hugh Panaro

Robert Evan has appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables, Jekyll & Hyde and Little Shop of Horrors. Off-Broadway, he created the roles of The Dancin’ Kid in Johnny Guitar and Miles Hendon in The Prince and the Pauper. A member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, he can be heard on many of the group’s recordings. Evan also frequently tours with Neil Berg’s 100 Years of Broadway, is lead vocalist for The Dream Engine and performs with his progressive rock band, Menrva Realm. A native of Monticello, Georgia, Evan was a varsity athlete at the University of Georgia. His favorite roles are husband to Beate and father to Johan, Max and Birk.

Linus Lerner, director

Linus Lerner, director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston, has conducted orchestras, operas, choruses and instrumental groups in his native Brazil and across the world. Currently artistic director of Houston’s Bayou City Performing Arts, he also is music director of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra. Lerner previously served as associate conductor for Opera in the Ozarks, the Tallahassee Youth Symphony Orchestra and the University of Arizona Philharmonic. Lerner completed his doctorate degree in orchestral conducting at the University of Arizona. He holds master’s degrees from Florida State University and the College Conservatory of Music (University of Cincinnati), and a bachelor’s degree from Brazil’s Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Appearances by Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski are generously sponsored by Cameron Management. This weekend’s performances are generously sponsored by Continental Airlines. Guest vocalists’ performances for this concert are sponsored by Sybil Roos. The printed music for The Phantom of the Opera was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Murray A. McAndrew. The Houston Symphony currently records under its own label, Houston Symphony Media Productions, and for Naxos. Houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch International Classics labels.

September 2010 15


Program

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 7:30 pm Jones Hall

Michael Bolton

Randall Craig Fleischer, conductor

Randall Craig Fleischer, conductor J. Tizol/J. Ployhar

Caravan

J. Barry/S. Rosenhaus

Suite from Dances With Wolves

Rimsky-Korsakov

Scheherazade, Opus 35 III Andantino quasi Allegretto

Porter/R. Hermann

Begin the Beguine from Jubilee

J. Kander/R. Wendel

New York, New York

Mussorgsky/Ravel

Pictures at an Exhibition X The Great Gate of Kiev: Allegro alla brève, Maestoso, Con grandezza

INTERMISSION

Michael Bolton This portion of the program will be announced from the stage.

The printed music for Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade was donated by Ms. Helen R. Viereck. The Houston Symphony currently records under its own label, Houston Symphony Media Productions, and for Naxos. Houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch International Classics labels.

16 www.houstonsymphony.org

Fleischer

Symphony Special

Biographies. .........................

Music director/conductor of Youngstown Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the Anchorage Symphony, Randall Craig Fleischer finds time to guest conduct many major orchestras around the world. Fleischer first came to international attention when he conducted Dvorˇák’s Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich as soloist during the National Symphony Orchestra’s 1990 tour of Japan and the U.S.S.R. In 1995, he debuted with New York City Opera, conducting The Magic Flute. Recent and upcoming engagements include the Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, San Diego Symphony, Utah Symphony, the Prague Festival and his debut with the China Philharmonic in Beijing. Fleischer recently premiered his groundbreaking original composition, “Triumph,” combining ceremonial Navajo songs and dances in a full orchestral work. His latest commission, “Echoes,” premiered with the Anchorage Symphony in October 2008. A pioneer of new and growing genres, Fleischer has commissioned and conducted many world premieres and works by living composers. He has worked with artists such as John Densmore (The Doors), Natalie Merchant, Blondie, Ani DiFranco, John Cale (Velvet Underground), Garth Hudson (The Band), Kenny Rogers and Native American artists R. Carlos Nakai, Burning Sky, The Hawk Project, The Benaly Family and others. He has co-authored instructional pieces for children with his wife, comedian Heidi Joyce. Their children’s programs, “Cool Concerts for Kids,” have been performed with great success by symphony orchestras across the country. Fleischer studied with Leonard Bernstein as a conducting fellow at Tanglewood in 1989 and served as assistant conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra from 1986 to 1989. He earned a master’s degree from Indiana University School of Music and a bachelor’s of Music Education from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, Michaela.


.....................................................................................................................

Michael Bolton

If you tallied all the artists who have sold more than 53 million records; won multiple Grammy® awards; earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame; sold out arenas worldwide; sung with Luciano Pavarotti and Ray Charles; written songs with Bob Dylan, Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga; penned hits for Barbra Streisand, Cher and KISS; played guitar with B.B. King; and had his music sampled by hip-hop superstar Kanye West (featuring megastar Jay-Z), Michael Bolton would be the only name on that list. In the late 1980s, Bolton emerged reinterpreting old soul classics by Ray Charles, Percy Sledge and Otis Redding. He played guitar with the blues legend B.B. King, and in 1991, wrote a song with Bob Dylan entitled “Steel Bars.” He wowed classical audiences in 1998 with an album of arias, which led to him singing tenor alongside the late, great Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Renee Fleming and other opera stars. All the while, he was writing pop hits and supplying material to a raft of other performers. In planning his new album, One World One Love, Bolton chose to craft a feel-good collection of fresh, memorably uplifting pop songs – without losing the classic Bolton vocal signature. Having discarded the idea of focusing on covers of soul classics, Bolton began writing and recording with Nasri Atwah and Adam Messinger, whose credits included Brandy and the High School Musical crew, as well as another pair – Mike Mani and Jordan Omley, known as “The Jam,” who had worked with Leona Lewis. Bolton co-wrote nine of the 12 songs in fluctuating combinations with his various producers, writers and integral guests such as American R&B star Ne-Yo and Lady Gaga. In concert, Bolton sets standards as high as those he aims for in the studio. He has never lost the hunger that, as a young songwriter, kept him struggling onwards until, in his mid-30s, he finally enjoyed solo success. And he’s definitely not looking back.

September 2010 17


Program

notes................................... by Carl Cunningham

OVERTURE TO DIE FLEDERMAUS (THE BAT), OPUS 362 Johann Strauss Jr.

Saturday, September 11, 2010 7:30 pm Jones hall

Opening night: a Vienna Soirée

Born: Oct 25, 1825, Vienna, austria Died: Jun 3, 1899, Vienna, austria Work composed: 1874 Recording: herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Sony DVD) Instrumentation: pairs of flutes (one doubling piccolo), oboes, clarinets and bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, percussion and strings

Hans Graf, conductor *Frank Huang, violin Wayne Brooks, viola J. Strauss Jr.

Overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat), Opus 362

Mozart

Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, K.364 i allegro maestoso ii andante iii Presto

J. Strauss Jr.

Perpetuum mobile, Opus 257

J. Strauss Jr.

annen-Polka, Opus 117

J. Strauss Jr.

an der schönen blauen Donau (On the beautiful blue Danube), Opus 314

hans graf’s biography appears on page 4.

Although Johann Strauss Jr. is world-famous for dozens of waltzes, his fame as a composer of stage works rests largely on Die Fledermaus, the only genuine hit among his long string of operettas. The story tells of a masquerading couple who carry on little extra-marital romances behind the backs of their spouses, only to have their amours exposed after a night spent behind bars. Its plot stems from a mid-19th-century Viennese farce that was adapted for the Parisian stage in 1872. Its string of charming melodies includes several tunes from the third act in which Rosalinda’s husband and her lover both wind up in jail, the bubbling second-act waltz, and a mock-mournful oboe melody from the first-act Trio where Gabriel von Eisenstein tells his wife that he has to serve his jail term, without admitting that he is sneaking out to a fancy ball beforehand.

Opening night is sponsored by

SINFONIA CONCERTANTE IN E-FLAT MAJOR FOR VIOLIN, VIOLA AND ORCHESTRA, K.364 Wolfgang amadè mozart

There will be no intermission. *houston Symphony debut

Born: Jan 27, 1756, Salzburg, austria Died: Dec 5, 1791, Vienna austria Work composed: 1779-80 The printed music for J. Strauss Jr.’s Overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat) was donated by Mr. James G. Matthews. The printed music for mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante was donated by Dr. Eleanor D. Montague in memory of Dr. Meredith Montague III. The printed music for J. Strauss Jr.’s Perpetuum Mobile was donated by an anonymous donor. The printed music for J. Strauss Jr.’s Annen-Polka was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy W. Connell in honor of The Musicians. The printed music for J. Strauss Jr.’s An der schönen blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube) was donated by Ms. Mary B. Gibbs in memory of Elizabeth Rice. The houston Symphony currently records under its own label, houston Symphony media Productions, and for naxos. houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, rCa red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch international Classics labels. This concert is being recorded for future broadcast on KuhF 88.7 Fm, the radio Voice of the houston Symphony.

18 www.houstonsymphony.org

Recording: arthur grumiaux, violinist; arrigo Pellicia, violist; Sir Colin Davis conducting the london Symphony Orchestra (Philips) Instrumentation: two oboes, two horns, strings For all its beauty and elaborate detail, Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante is something of a mystery piece in his vast legacy of compositions. The autograph manuscript has been lost and our knowledge of the work is based upon the first printed edition by the Viennese publisher, Anton André, plus a few surviving manuscript sketches. Scholars generally surmise that it was composed at the end of 1779, immediately following Mozart’s trip to Mannheim and Paris, two cities where this genre of a concerto


..................................................................................................................... featuring multiple soloists was very popular during the last three decades of the 18th century. Nor does anyone know the violinist and violist for whom Mozart may have composed the piece, since he held a well-known disdain for the performing abilities of musicians in Salzburg following his reluctant return to that provincial city after his heady but unprofitable trip to Mannheim and Paris. Concertos for more than one soloist were very much on Mozart’s mind during the middle and late 1770s. The Concerto for Two Violins and Strings was the first of these, composed in 1774. His concertos for two and three pianos were composed between 1775 and 1779. Several other multiple-soloist works were planned, completed, abandoned or lost during his trip abroad. These include his nonexistent, possibly lost, Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds and Orchestra, the Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra and a Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Cello which was left unfinished among Mozart’s manuscripts following his death. In composing this work, Mozart ennobled the sinfonia concertante as a musical form. Among Parisian composers, it had been a superficial type of composition, more concerned with showing off the technical prowess of solo performers than expressing much in the way of artistic values. But Mozart’s work is thematically as rich as any of his mature concertos, and its poignant C minor slow movement is one of his most expressive adagios. The orchestral part is full of intricate contrapuntal details and is far more than a bland accompaniment to the two soloists, as is commonly found among Parisian examples. The Mozart Sinfonia concertante is also a striking example of the “symphonic concerto” by which he fused the solo/orchestral interplay of the earlier concerto form with the logical exposition/development/restatement plan of symphonic form. Finally, one should note Mozart’s plan in alternating the two solo lines. Where the violinist states the numerous themes, letting the violist respond in the exposition to the first movement, their roles are neatly reversed when the themes again pass in review during the recapitulation.

soons, four horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and strings The polka, with its two-step meter and infectiously happy rhythms, came into popularity during the 1830s in nearby Bohemia, and it became the second most frequent dance form to find its way into the Strauss repertoire. It is structurally simpler than the waltz, resembling the three-part 18th-century minuet with a central trio section separating the opening section and its repetition at the

end of the piece. As the polka’s popularity spread throughout European society, it was subdivided into various types. Strauss’ deftly orchestrated Perpetual Motion is labeled a “polka schnell” or “fast polka,” while the moderately fast Annen-Polka is sometimes classified as a “polka française.” It was composed in 1852 for an annual public celebration in Vienna’s huge municipal park, The Prater, on the feast day of St. Anne. People familiar with the famous river

PERPETUUM MOBILE, OPUS 257 ANNEN-POLKA, OPUS 117 AN dER ShöNEN BLAUEN dONAU (ON ThE BEAUTIFUL BLUE dANUBE), OPUS 314 Johann Strauss Jr. Recording: Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Sony DVD) Instrumentation: an average orchestra of piccolo, one or two flutes, two oboes, clarinets and basSeptember 2010 19


Upcoming Performances.................................................................................. Joshua Bell’s Mendelssohn

October 1, 2, 3, 2010 Hans Graf, conductor Joshua Bell, violin Mendelssohn: Scherzo for Orchestra from Octet for Strings Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto Schubert: Symphony No. 9, The Great Tickets: from $25

Symphony Special Paul Anka

October 21, 2010, 7:30 pm Paul Anka is one of history’s most prolific and successful songwriters. His songs have been performed by some of the greatest names in entertainment history including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Barbra Streisand. Anka will take the Jones Hall stage to perform his hits, such as “Diana,” “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” and “My Way.” The Houston Symphony does not appear on this program.

Tickets: from $35

Chris Botti

October 22, 23, 24, 2010 Grammy® Award-winning trumpeter-composer Chris Botti is back by popular demand! His charismatic style has led to four #1 albums. Chris Botti is headed back to Houston to play his sultry versions of your favorites such as “Time to Say Goodbye,” “When I Fall in Love” and “My Funny Valentine.” Tickets: from $25

Concert Just ed! Announc

Andrea Bocelli with the Houston Symphony at Toyota Center

December 8, 2010 Randall Craig Fleischer, conductor Andrea Bocelli comes to Houston for a one-night-only concert with the Houston Symphony at Toyota Center! Grammy®-nominated Tuscan tenor, Andrea Bocelli has captivated audiences worldwide with his extraordinary voice and powerful stage presence. He has sung duets alongside artists such as Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman and the great Luciano Pavarotti, and topped the charts with songs like “Time To Say Goodbye,” “The Prayer” and “O Sole Mio.” For Houston Symphony Priority Pre-sale tickets, call (713) 224-7575 or go to houstonsymphony.org now through September 21. Tickets: from $75

Order Today!

www.houstonsymphony.org (713) 224-7575 20 www.houstonsymphony.org


Notes continued................ Biographies. ....................................................

Frank Huang, violin

PHoTo By JEFF FITloW

Huang

that passes through Vienna vow that the Danube’s waters are sometimes green, silvery or gray, depending upon whether the river is reflecting sunlight, moonlight or cloudy skies. But its waters are never blue. Nevertheless, the image was good enough to inspire unforgettable melodies from Johann Strauss in his famed Blue Danube Waltz. Conductor Johann Herbeck, who gained lasting fame for rediscovering the manuscript to Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony and giving that work its long-delayed premiere in 1865, added to the luster of his name by commissioning a choral waltz from Strauss two years later. In the 1850s and 1860s, Herbeck directed two choral groups, including the Men’s Choral Society of Vienna. Alas, the quality of available choral music was poor, and he sought to improve it by commissioning Strauss to write a waltz for the chorus to sing during the February carnival season of 1867. Never at a loss to find a handy title to fit waltzes written for any occasion, Strauss remembered a love poem by Austrian writer Karl Isidor Beck, in which each verse ended with the line, “By the beautiful blue Danube.” Strauss borrowed the line for his title, but not the full text. Instead, Herbeck assigned a poet in his Men’s Choral Society to write new words to fit the music. The new text by one Josef Weyl exhorted the city to celebrate, even though Austria had just suffered a humiliating loss in a brief conflict with Prussia. According to biographer Joseph Wechsberg, the Men’s Choral Society gave the premiere of the Strauss/Weyl Blue Danube Waltz, accompanied by the combined café orchestras of the Strauss brothers, Eduard and Josef, on February 13, 1867. It was a flop with the public, and the composer philosophically wrote it off as one of life’s failures, lamenting only that its bittersweet coda deserved better treatment. But in the summer of that year, Strauss was invited to perform the waltz at an elaborate pavilion maintained by the Austrian government at the Paris World Exhibition. By happenstance, an orchestral version of his Blue Danube Waltz was the surprise hit of the entertainment at a dinner party given for French journalists. Suddenly, the waltz was guaranteed lasting international fame. Following a pensive introduction, the waltz proceeds through five different sections, each of which calls for extensive repetition. These waltz sections are followed by an elaborate coda, recalling and modifying various tunes heard earlier. The waltz concludes with a sentimental commentary on the first tune. ©2010, Carl R. Cunningham

Frank Huang begins his tenure as concert-

master of the Houston Symphony with this concert. First Prize Winner of the 2003 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation’s Violin Competition and the 2000 Hannover International Violin Competition, Huang has established a major career as a violin virtuoso. At age 11, he performed with the Houston Symphony in a nationally broadcast concert and has since performed with orchestras throughout the world. He has performed on NPR’s Performance Today, Good Morning America and CNN’s American Morning with Paula Zahn. Huang’s first commercial recording, comprised of Fantasies by Schubert, Ernst, Schoenberg and Waxman, was released on Naxos in 2003.

September 2010 21


Biographies continued.................................................................................. Recently, Huang held the position of first violinist of the Grammy® Award-winning Ying quartet and was a faculty member at the Eastman School of Music. He is concertmaster of the Sejong Soloists, a conductor-less chamber orchestra based in New York. Huang has taken top prizes in the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition, the Indianapolis International Violin Competition, the Kingsville International Competition, the Irving M. Klein International Competition and the D’Angelo International Competition. Recent concerts include debuts in Wigmore Hall (London), Salle Cortot (Paris), Kennedy Center (Washington), Herbst Theatre (San

Francisco) and a second recital in Alice Tully Hall (New York), which featured the world premiere of Donald Martino’s Sonata for Solo Violin. His commitment to chamber music, has taken him to the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, The Seattle Chamber Music Festival and the Caramoor Festival. He frequently participates in Musicians from Marlboro tours. He was selected by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to be a member of the prestigious Chamber Music II program. Huang is part of a trio with Thomas Kaines and Reiko Uchida. Huang studied with Robert Mann at The Juilliard School, Donald Weilerstein at the

Cleveland Institute of Music and Fredell Lack in Houston.

Wayne Brooks, viola

Wayne Brooks is the principal violist of the Houston Symphony. Born in Los Angeles, Brooks joined the orchestra in 1977 as associate principal violist after graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. In 1985, he won the position of principal viola. In February 2007, he commemorated his 30th season with the orchestra by performing the world premiere of La Llorona: Tone Poem for Viola and Orchestra, a Houston Symphony commission by composer Gabriela Lena Frank.

Brooks He has appeared in chamber music performances with Joseph Silverstein, Lynn Harrell, Yefim Bronfman, Garrick Ohlsson and Christoph Eschenbach. He has participated in chamber music concerts in the Houston Symphony’s previous INNOVA series and others with Da Camera of Houston, Greenbriar Consortium and Mukuru “Arts for AIDS” Series. As violist of the Houston Symphony Chamber Players, he served on the faculty of Japan’s Pacific Music Festival and toured Japan (1993-1995) and Europe (1994 and 1997). He also appeared at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival in 1996 and 1997 and recorded works of Webern and Berg. Brooks taught solo and orchesteral repertoire classes as associate professor of viola at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music from 1985 to 2001. He currently teaches as an affiliate artist at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. His former students perform in the New World, Charlotte, Richmond and Detroit Symphonies, as well as the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Chiara Quartet, Arianna Quartet and Borromeo Quartet. In 1995, Brooks gave the Houston premiere of Alfred Schnittke’s Viola Concerto with Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony. In 2001, he performed Frank Martin’s rarely heard Ballade for Viola and Orchestra with Larry Rachleff and the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra. Most recent solo appearances with the Houston Symphony include Berlioz’ Harold in Italy under Eschenbach’s baton and Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante, K.364 with violinist Eric Halen. 22 www.houstonsymphony.org


Program

Brett Mitchell, conductor Westside High School Inertia Dance Company Sharon Roberts, director B. Galindo

Sones de Mariachi

Chávez

Sinfonía India

Copland

El Salón México

INTERMISSION R. Fuentes/R. Ochoa

Que bonita es mi tierra

Q. Mendoza y Cortés/ P. J. Lang

Cielito Lindo

A. Márquez

Danzón No. 2

Revueltas

Sensemayá

Moncayo

Huapango

Fiesta Sinfónica Familiar is sponsored by

This program, in celebration of the Bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence, is sponsored in part by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Mexico, the Mexico Tourism Board and Bank of America.

Media Sponsor: Univision Channel 45

The Houston Symphony currently records under its own label, Houston Symphony Media Productions, and for Naxos. Houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch International Classics labels. This concert is being recorded for future broadcast on KUHF 88.7 FM, the Radio Voice of the Houston Symphony.

PHOTO BY SANDY LANkFORD

Chevron Fiesta Sinfónica Familiar

Mitchell

Sunday, September 12, 2010 6:00 pm Jones Hall

Biographies. ...............

Brett Mitchell, conductor

Now entering his fourth season as Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony, Brett Mitchell is one of America’s most promising young conductors. He has led the orchestra in nearly 100 performances; several of which have been broadcast nationwide on SymphonyCast and Performance Today. His position with the Houston Symphony has afforded him the opportunity to meet, observe in rehearsal and study with some of the world’s greatest conductors. He is the newly appointed music director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra and serves as a regular cover conductor for The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mitchell has led the London Philharmonic; Leipzig Gewandhaus; The Philadelphia Orchestra; Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Oregon, Memphis and Peoria Symphony Orchestra; Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestras; and the Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra. He served as a musical assistant at the New York Philharmonic during the 2007-08 season and as cover conductor with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2009. He made his European debut in 2004 with Romania’s Brasov Philharmonic and his Latin American debut in 2005 with the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM in Mexico City. Highlights of this season include his debuts with the National Symphony Orchestra and Da Camera of Houston, as well as preparing a production of Puccini’s Trittico for Lorin Maazel at the 2010 Castleton Festival. Mitchell was assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France, director of orchestras at Northern Illinois University and associate conductor of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. He has served as music director of numerous operas, including Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Mark Adamo’s Little Women and Robert Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry. A Seattle native, Mitchell earned his bachelor of music in composition from Western Washington University and holds a doctorate from The University of Texas. He participated in the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. and received the inaugural American Friends of the Mendelssohn Foundation Scholarship. Continued on page 29 September 2010 23


Program

notes................................... by Carl Cunningham CHANT DU ROSSIGNOL (SONG OF THE NIGHTINGALE) igor Stravinsky Born: Jun 17, 1882, Oranienbaum, russia

Thursday, September 16, 2010 8 pm Saturday, September 18, 2010 8 pm Sunday, September 19, 2010 2:30 pm Jones hall

bronfman’s Tchaikovsky 1 Hans Graf, conductor Yefim Bronfman, piano Stravinsky

Chant du rossignol (Song of the nightingale)

Shostakovich

Symphony no. 1 in F minor, Opus 10 i allegretto—allegro non troppo ii allegro iii lento— iV allegro molto—lento—allegro molto

INTERMISSION Tchaikovsky

Piano Concerto no. 1 in b-flat minor, Opus 23 i allegro non troppo e molto maestoso ii andantino semplice iii allegro con fuoco

hans graf’s biography appears on page 4.

TOTal gold Classics

This weekend’s performances are generously sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis. The printed music for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no. 1 in b-flat minor was donated by Ms. Marilyn Holtz. Prelude is sponsored by Fluor. The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. KUHF 88.7 FM is the Classical Season media sponsor. The houston Symphony currently records under its own label, houston Symphony media Productions, and for naxos. houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, rCa red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch international Classics labels. These concerts are being recorded for future broadcast on KuhF 88.7 Fm, the radio Voice of the houston Symphony.

24 www.houstonsymphony.org

Died: apr 6, 1971, new york, new york Work composed: 1908-1914, 1916-1917 (symphonic poem) Recording: Fritz reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony (rCa) Instrumentation: two flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes (one doubling English horn), two clarinets (one doubling E-flat clarinet), two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, large percussion ensemble, two harps, celesta, piano and strings In 1908, when Stravinsky began composing a short operatic version of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale, The Nightingale, he was still living in St. Petersburg, working under the guidance of his mentor, Nicolai RimskyKorsakov. He completed the first act by the summer of 1909, but then received Serge Diaghilev’s historic commission to compose The Firebird. He did not return to The Nightingale until 1913, following the premieres of Petrouchka and The Rite of Spring. By that time, his compositional style had completely changed, and he had mixed feelings about attaching the then-archaic style of Act One to the newer style of the last two acts. The stage premiere was given at the Paris Opera on May 26, 1914, followed by four performances at London’s Drury Lane Theater beginning on June 18. Two years later, Stravinsky fashioned excerpts from the final two acts into a stylistically compatible symphonic poem, adapting the scenario so that Diaghilev could also stage this purely orchestral version as a ballet. The story concerns a Chinese emperor who invited a nightingale to sing for him, but then suddenly received the gift of a mechanical nightingale from Japanese visitors. After the real nightingale took offense and flew out of the palace, the emperor fell deathly ill and didn’t recover until the bird returned to sing once more. The scenario is divided into three main parts: a festival at the emperor’s porcelain palace, including a Chinese march for the emperor’s entry; the singing of the two nightingales, real and mechanical; the emperor’s deathly illness and quiet recovery. The music bears many similarities to its immediate predecessor, The Rite of Spring, but the pounding brutality of that primitivistic ballet is a less oppressive aspect of The Song of the Nightingale. Other orchestral effects, often more subtle than those heard in The Rite of Spring, inspired Stravinsky to employ a broader array of tone colors. Nevertheless, the


........................................... composer’s abrupt, pungent musical speech is very much in evidence in the perverse rhythms, explosive accents, bitter harmonies and piquant effects that vibrate throughout the score. SYMPHONY NO.1 iN f MiNOr, OPUS 10 Dmitri Shostakovich Born: Sep 25, 1906, St. Petersburg, Russia Died: Aug 9, 1975, Moscow, USSR Work composed: 1925-26 recording: Mariss Jansons conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (EMI Classics) instrumentation: three flutes (two doubling piccolo), two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, piano and strings Dmitri Shostakovich was only 19 years old when he completed his First Symphony early in 1926, and the work astounded his professors and student colleagues at the Petrograd Conservatory with its maturity, its sense of restraint and its sure, imaginative grasp of symphonic form. In his book on the Shostakovich symphonies, author Roy Blokker asserts that the symphony was Shostakovich’s graduation piece, and there was such strong feeling that it should be performed that the conservatory paid the cost of copying out the instrumental parts. Nicolai Malko, professor at the conservatory and conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic, included it on the orchestra’s final program on May 12, and the impoverished, sickly young composer was suddenly a national celebrity. The First Symphony is not only a remarkable achievement in its own right; in its basic plan and expressive profile, it is also an early model for Shostakovich’s most popular symphony, the monumental Fifth Symphony he composed 11 years later. It is set in four movements, with the first movement building steadily from a germinal introduction in a long arch to a dramatic climax, then ending quietly. As in the Fifth Symphony, a sardonic scherzo comes next, followed by a deeply felt slow movement and a brilliant, many-faceted finale. While the work as a whole does not match the heroic scale of the Fifth Symphony, it spans an impressive range of emotions and imposes strong dramatic values upon the long-established structural pillars of symphonic form – two traits that remained characteristic of Shostakovich’s talent throughout his career. Much of the music has a light, playful character through the first movement and the middle of the scherzo, but that movement ends with a vengeful restatement of the gentle theme heard in its central trio section. September 2010 25


Notes continued..................................................... The slow movement turns increasingly from lyrical romantic sentiments to feelings of tragedy, as a trumpet fanfare inserts itself ever more ominously into the last half of the movement. And the whimsical, seemingly episodic finale becomes almost terrifying as the fanfare theme is thundered out by the timpani, summoning Shostakovich’s symphonic forces for an awesome coda to the work. PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN B-FLAT MINOR, OPUS 23 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Born: May 7, 1840, Votkinsk, Viatka, Russia Died: Nov 6, 1893, St. Petersburg, Russia Work composed: 1874-75 Recording: Pianist Nicolai Dimidenko, with Alexander Lazarev conducting the BBC Symphony (Helios) Instrumentation: pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani and strings

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Biography...................

Bronfman

The world’s most popular piano concerto was also one of the most controversial concertos when it was composed. Tchaikovsky was in his eighth year as a faculty member at the Moscow Conservatory when he invited Nicholas Rubinstein, the founding director of the conservatory and the intended soloist for his First Piano Concerto, to comment upon an incomplete draft of the new work in a private reading. Alas, Rubinstein heaped abuse upon the concerto, declaring it “unplayable” and calling the work itself “vulgar,” according to a letter Tchaikovsky later wrote to his wealthy patroness, Nadhezda von Meck. When Rubinstein urged Tchaikovsky to make certain changes, the stubborn composer refused, declaring he would finish the concerto and publish it as it stood. In the rift that ensued, Rubinstein lost a golden opportunity to give the first performance of what was to become the most frequently played piano concerto in the entire repertoire. Tchaikovsky granted Hans von Bülow the privilege of giving it an acclaimed world premiere in far-distant Boston on October 25, 1875. In the meantime, Tchaikovsky scheduled the Russian premiere in St. Petersburg rather than Moscow, because of Rubinstein’s critical attitude toward the concerto. Ironically, the attitudes of both men mellowed over the years. Tchaikovsky revised the concerto twice, finding more playable solutions to problems in its keyboard part, and Rubinstein learned the work, becoming one of its most ardent proponents. Notwithstanding its immense popularity and immediate public acceptance, the form of the First Piano Concerto has always puz-

zled musical scholars and may have been the cause of Rubinstein’s complaints. Specifically, the huge piano chords and the bold, majestic orchestral theme at the outset are set in a different tonality than the rest of the first movement. They never recur anywhere in the concerto, leaving the impression that Tchaikovsky missed a chance to give one of his greatest tunes a triumphant reprise. Typically, this whole section is considered a long introduction to the body of the concerto, whose first theme is a quick, skipping octave melody derived from a Ukrainian folk song Tchaikovsky had noted down in his sketchbooks. Following a bravura solo passage for the pianist (the second of many in the concerto), the woodwinds and piano introduce a yearning second theme, which is quickly intertwined with a song-like third theme. All three themes are involved in the developmental interplay, while the second and third dominate the closing pages of the movement. Tchaikovsky’s extended cadenza makes imaginative use of the second theme. The slow movement begins as a song-like melody stated in the flute over a simple string accompaniment and is then taken up by the piano. Its middle section and repetition are decorated with a filigreed accompaniment, largely by the piano. The central portion of the movement suddenly becomes a daredevil light-fingered scherzo, until the serene opening melody returns to round off the movement. The finale is charging rondo, whose broad, flaming second theme becomes the subject of a thrilling coda. Its bold grandeur balances the majestic theme that opened the first movement. ©2010, Carl R. Cunningham

Yefim Bronfman, pianist

Russian-born Israeli-American pianist Yefim (“Fima”) Bronfman has wowed critics and audiences worldwide with his solo recitals, prestigious orchestral engagements and expanding catalogue of recordings, being especially admired for his performances of modern Russian repertoire. Continued on page 37


Program

Notes.......................... by Carl CuNNiNgham

DOCTOR ATOMIC SYMPHONY John adams Born: Feb 15, 1947, Worcester, massachusetts

Friday, September 24, 2010 8 pm Saturday, September 25, 2010 8 pm Sunday, September 26, 2010 2:30 pm Jones hall

Wagner’s “ring” Without Words an Orchestral adventure Hans Graf, conductor

J. Adams

Doctor atomic Symphony

INTERMISSION Wagner/Maazel

Der ring ohne Worte (The ring Without Words)

hans graf’s biography appears on page 4.

Shell Favorite masters

The SoundPlusVision series is sponsored by The Alkek and Williams Foundation and supported in part by an endowed fund from The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Fund for Creative Initiatives. Prelude is sponsored by Fluor. The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus. S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. KUHF 88.7 FM is the Classical Season media sponsor. The houston Symphony currently records under its own label, houston Symphony media Productions, and for Naxos. houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, rCa red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch international Classics labels. These concerts are being recorded for future broadcast on KuhF 88.7 Fm, the radio Voice of the houston Symphony.

Work composed: 2006 Recording: David robertson conducting the Saint louis Symphony (Nonesuch) Instrumentation: two flutes, piccolo, three oboes (third doubling English horn), three clarinets (third doubling bass clarinet and E-flat clarinet), three bassoons (third doubling contrabassoon), four horns, four trumpets (fourth doubling piccolo trumpet), three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, celesta and strings Over the last century, composers have occasionally extracted and re-fashioned excerpts from their operas as “opera symphonies,” designed to bring the music of their stage works to a broader segment of the public by having it played in concert form. The most famous 20thcentury example is Paul Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler Symphony, which has become one of his most popular orchestral works, while his full opera on the life of German painter Mathias Grünewald is still rarely performed onstage. Alban Berg’s Lulu Symphony filled the gap in his unfinished opera for a half-century after his death, until his sketches of its third act were fleshed out in full vocal/orchestral dress. John Adams followed suit with this 25minute single-movement symphony based on his opera, Dr. Atomic, following the San Francisco Opera’s 2005 world premiere of the work about the development of the atomic bomb. Thus far, Adams’ opera on the moral conflicts weighing upon the conscience of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer has also fared fairly well in its stage version, with four additional productions by the Netherlands, Chicago, Metropolitan and English National opera companies. As recounted in Adams’ autobiographical publication, Hallelujah Junction, the opera and its subject matter were commissioned by San Francisco Opera director Pamela Rosenberg, who requested an “American Faust” kind of opera. She suggested the story of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the lonely scientist caught in the power of a military machine bent upon ending the bloodshed of World War II by quick blows of mass destruction. The idea appealed to Adams, whose previous operas, Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer, also dealt with the broad world consequences of events surrounding the actions of individual humans. The emotional tone of the symphony Adams extracted from the two-act opera is unfailingly ominous, whether it is portraying the huge moral dilemma weighing upon Oppenheimer’s conscience, or the real panic Continued on page 29 September 2010 27


Music Matters!................................................................................................. On July 30th, seven Houston-area public high school musicians stepped out of the darkened wings of Miller Outdoor Theatre and into the bright spotlight for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As winners of the 2010 Fidelity FutureStage Music Competition held in April, each student demonstrated exceptional talent and promise and earned the right to appear on-stage in a special concert with the Houston Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski. Winners included saxophonist Alan Gonzalez of Waltrip High School, who was featured in a lush orchestral arrangement of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Fellow Waltrip students, Megan Miller and Massie Wingard joined Houston Symphony percussionists Brian Del Signore, Mark Griffith and Matthew Strauss to create a Latin percussion ensemble for a performance of Rie y Llora. From Bellaire High School, cellist Joseph Ong collaborated with violinist Terrence Liu and his brother, pianist Benjamin Liu, to present Passacaille, the third movement of Ravel’s Trio in A minor. Bass vocalist Jack Delac of Clear Lake High School ended the evening with a heart-felt delivery of “Some Enchanted Evening” from South Pacific with orchestra accompaniment. In partnership with the nation’s leading orchestras in major metropolitan areas, including the Boston Pops, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, the North Carolina Symphony and our Houston Symphony, the FutureStage program creates a unique educational opportunity that spans the school year and provides new avenues in which students can explore and expand their interest in music. Included in the program are instrument donations, trips to symphony performances, mentoring by symphony musicians, demonstrations and performances at schools and performance opportunities for student ensembles. Through these efforts, students gain self-confidence, unleash their passions, work toward goals and discover their true potential. Through the Fidelity Investments FutureStage program, students are encouraged to be successful not only on stage, but in life as well.

PHOTO By JENNy ANTILL

Fidelity Investments Provides an Experience of a Lifetime

^ The winners of the 2010 Fidelity FutureStage Music Competition pose with Houston Symphony Principal Pops Conductor Michael Krajewski and Fidelity Investments Senior Vice President and Texas Market Manager Jeannie Reckert on June 30, 2010, just before performing in the finale concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

Support Your Symphony................................................................................... Music affects us on many different levels. It turns time into beauty and sounds into imagery. It even changes the very chemistry of our brains. Music can thrill, relax and even exalt us. Music fills a basic human need – it’s one of the ways we make sense of our lives. It enables us to express feelings for which there are no words and understand with our hearts what we can’t grasp with our minds. That is why, for nearly a century, the Houston Symphony has been bringing great music to life. We know that music has the power to change lives, lift spirits and inspire us to grow from within, and that is why we are so committed to educating young audiences. The effects of music education are profound, and they go far beyond simple music appreciation. Research has shown that children who take music lessons have a greater ability to grasp concepts that are essential to math and science. Coordination and concentration are also improved when, for example, children take piano lessons and learn to play a different line of music with each hand. Mastering a song or technique gives children a feeling of accomplishment and encourages them to face new challenges, creating a sense of pride and personal satisfaction that extends far beyond the classroom. Music really does matter – and that is why your gift matters. Not only will your gift bring great music to life, it will also ensure that music continues to be a treasured part of our children’s lives as well. your gift of $100 will bring 25 children to a Symphony Explorer Concert! To donate online, visit houstonsymphony.org or call the Development Department at (713) 337-8500. Thank you for your support!

28 www.houstonsymphony.org

PHOTO By JEFF FITLOW

Your Gift Matters

^ Houston-area students eagerly await entry into Jones Hall for the opportunity to hear the Houston Symphony in the Explorer concert series.


Notes continued from page 27.......................................... Biographies. ............... suddenly visited upon the whole Los Alamos community when a violent midnight thunderstorm erupted around the exposed bomb, waiting to be detonated on the New Mexican desert test site the following morning. It is a significant challenge to adapt the musical/dramatic structure of an opera to the abstract implications of a symphony, with its abstract plan of motivic growth and development, and its progress through stages of repose and excitement to a final summation of its tonal thought processes. Adams intensified the challenge by choosing a single-movement symphonic structure. His Dr. Atomic Symphony begins with an implacable slow introduction, releasing it into the agitated second-act “panic” music from the opera’s storm scene. The lower brass instruments are prominent throughout the center of the work, in solo as well as ensemble playing, and are highlighted by a trombone solo representing the laboratory’s overbearing military commander. A faster section suggests a corn dance from the nearby Tewa Indian reservation. Toward the end of the work, Oppenheimer’s troubled conscience is bared during a long solo trumpet transcription of the opera’s main aria, “Batter my heart, three-person’d God” which drew upon the text of John Donne’s famous Holy Sonnet and caused Oppenheimer to name the desert bomb site “Trinity.” The final frenzied measures represent the countdown to the pre-dawn moment that brought the atomic age into being. DER RING OHNE WORTE (THE RING WITHOUT WORDS) Richard Wagner Born: May 22, 1813, Leipzig, Germany Died: Feb 13, 1883, Venice, Italy Arranged for symphonic orchestra: Lorin Maazel Work composed: 1853-1874 Recording: Lorin Maazel conducting the Berlin Philharmonic (Telarc) Instrumentation: piccolo, three flutes (third doubling second piccolo), three oboes, English horn, three clarinets, bass clarinet, three bassoons, eight horns (four doubling Wagner tubas), three trumpets, bass trumpet, stierhorn (offstage), four trombones, bass tuba, timpani (two players), percussion, two harps and strings Richard Wagner was arguably the most significant orchestral composer of the 19th century, but his great orchestral masterpieces are imbedded in the vocal-orchestral texture of his vast music dramas. His artistic philosophy even attributed narrative and descriptive values to purely orchestral music, but he never came closer to composing an “opera

symphony” than the charming little Siegfried Idyll, a chamber ensemble piece that was partially extracted from the third opera in his famed Ring Cycle. Though orchestral excerpts from the Ring have joined the overtures, preludes and orchestral episodes from Wagner’s remaining operas and music dramas as a standard part of the symphonic repertoire, it has been left to conductor Lorin Maazel to reduce the orchestral portions (and some vocal-orchestral excerpts) from the 19 hours of music in Wagner’s mythical tetralogy into this 70minute Ring Without Words. According to Maazel’s own account, the idea gestated in his mind for nearly 30 years. While conducting a preliminary rehearsal of the orchestral accompaniment to Wagner’s Lohengrin at Bayreuth in 1960, he was surprised to find the composer’s grandson, Bayreuth Festival director Wieland Wagner, sitting in to hear the rehearsal. At that time, he explained to Maazel that Wagner’s orchestral music formed a subconscious text-behindthe-text of his operas and music dramas. Wieland Wagner’s views gained full meaning for Maazel five years later, when he was director of West Berlin’s German Opera Company, preparing a production of the complete Ring Cycle for performance. At that time, he realized that the orchestral score to the Ring, with all its thematic “leading motives” is really a coded version of the full operatic tetralogy and its story of greedy Nordic gods exemplifying the maxim that money is the root of all evil. Sometime during the next 22 years (the date is uncertain), Maazel assembled almost all of the Ring Cycle’s purely orchestral music into a continuous chronological sequence, joining them where necessary to other segments that originally contained vocal lines. He used only music that Wagner had originally composed and sought to match the sequence of themes, tempo markings and proportions heard in Wagner’s unabridged version. Maazel recorded his Ring Without Words on the Telarc label in December 1987. While some episodes are missing from Wagner’s sprawling tale of conniving gods, humans and subterranean creatures, the orchestral score represents a opulent musical travelogue from the glistening depths of the Rhine up to the heavenly palace in Valhalla, down into the caves of Nibelung slaves and snorting dragons, and back to the watery grave where the stolen gold is finally returned by the true-hearted Brünnhilde. ©2010, Carl R. Cunningham www.houstonsymphony.org

continued from page 23

Westside High School Inertia Dance Company

Inertia Dance Company is the elite performing ensemble of HISD’s Westside High School Fine Arts Dance Program. This unique group creates a style and feel of its own by combining all elements of traditional dance, including ballet, modern dance and jazz techniques, with street styles such a break dance, house, and popping and locking. The group holds 30 national championship titles and numerous choreography and technique awards. It has performed at the National Dance Gala, National High School Dance Festival, Dance Houston, San Antonio Spurs games and the BCS National Title Game Halftime Show. Inertia has been featured in People, Dance Teacher and Southern Living magazines, the Houston Chronicle, Houston Press and Houston Business Journal. Television credits include The Tony Danza Show, CBS Early Show, HEB Holiday Parade and FedEx Orange Bowl, as well as spots on all local affiliates. It has performed in New York, Chicago, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans and across Texas. Inertia is directed by Sharon Roberts and Jesse Garcia. Roberts, a master teacher of dance education, has been honored as HISD’s Dance Educator of the Year, People magazine’s “Heroes Among Us” Honoree in 2004 and nominated 10 times for Who’s Who Among American Teachers. Garcia is an accomplished BBoy and member of Soul Street, Houston Rockets Launch Crew and Planet Funk. He travels widely to compete in urban dance competitions and promote Hip Hop culture. Inertia’s goal is to encourage and facilitate tools for students to be successful in “Grade 13” following graduation. It has a 100 percent graduation rate with alumni accepted to major universities. Next month, Inertia members and alumni will represent the U.S. at the 8th China Folk Art Festival in Shanghai, Shuzhou and Beijing, China. Inertia thanks the Houston Symphony for its support. September 2010 29


Symphony Society Board. ................................................................................. Executive Committee............................................................................................... President Bobby tudor

Chairman of the Board ed Wulfe

Immediate Past President Jesse B. tutor

Chairman Emeritus mike stude

Executive Director/CEO mark c. hanson

Vice President, Artistic and Orchestra Affairs Brett Busby

Vice President, Finance and Board Governance steven P. mach

Vice President, Volunteers Barbara mccelvey

Vice President, Popular Programming allen gelwick

Vice President, Education cora sue mach

Vice President, Development david Wuthrich

Vice President, Audience Development and Marketing robert a. Peiser

General Counsel Paul r. morico

eX-officio memBers

nancy Littlejohn, President, Houston Symphony League martha garcía, Secretary mark hughes, Orchestra Representative rodney margolis John thorne, Orchestra Representative William Vermeulen, Orchestra Representative

At-Large Members gene dewhurst Jay marks helen shaffer

Presiding Trustee, Endowment ulyesse J. Legrange

Governing Directors..................................................................................................... Terry Ann Brown Prentiss Burt Brett Busby * John T. Cater Janet Clark Michael H. Clark Scott Cutler Lorraine Dell Viviana Denechaud Gene Dewhurst Kelli Cohen Fein Julia Frankel Allen Gelwick Stephen Glenn

Gary L. Hollingsworth Ulyesse LeGrange Rochelle Levit Nancy Littlejohn April Lykos Cora Sue Mach Steven P. Mach Beth Madison Rodney Margolis Jay Marks Mary Lynn Marks Barbara McCelvey Gene McDavid * Alexander K. McLanahan

Paul Morico Arthur Newman Robert A. Peiser Fran Fawcett Peterson Geoffroy Petit David Pruner Stephen Pryor Gloria Pryzant John Rydman Manolo Sanchez Helen Shaffer Jerome Simon David Steakley Mike Stude

Bobby Tudor * Jesse B. Tutor Margaret Waisman Fredric A. Weber Vicki West Margaret Alkek Williams Ed Wulfe David Wuthrich Robert A. Yekovich

Trustees. ................................................................................................................. Philip Bahr * Janice Barrow Darlene Bisso Meherwan Boyce Walter Bratic Nancy Bumgarner Lynn Caruso Jane Clark Brandon Cochran Louis Delone Susanna Dokupil Tom Fitzpatrick Chris Flood Craig A. Fox

David Frankfort Susan Hansen Kathleen Hayes Brian James Joan Kaplan I. Ray Kirk Carolyn Mann Paul M. Mann Judy Margolis Brad Marks Jackie Wolens Mazow Elisabeth McCabe Marilyn Miles Tassie Nicandros

Scott Nyquist Edward Osterberg Jr. J. Hugh Roff Jr. Kathi Rovere Michael E. Shannon Jule Smith Michael Tenzer L. Proctor (Terry) Thomas Stephen G. Tipps * Betty Tutor Mrs. S. Conrad Weil David Ashley White James T. Willerson Steven J. Williams

ex-officio Martha García Mark C. Hanson Mark Hughes Deana Lamoreux John Thorne William VerMeulen * Life Trustee

............................................................................................................................ Past Presidents of the houston symPhony society

Mrs. Edwin B. Parker Miss Ima Hogg Mrs. H. M. Garwood Joseph A. Mullen, M.D. Joseph S. Smith Walter H. Walne H. R. Cullen Gen. Maurice Hirsch Charles F. Jones Fayez Sarofim John T. Cater Richard G. Merrill Ellen Elizardi Kelley John D. Platt E. C. Vandagrift Jr.

30 www.houstonsymphony.org

J. Hugh Roff Jr. Robert M. Hermance Gene McDavid Janice H. Barrow Barry C. Burkholder Rodney H. Margolis Jeffrey B. Early Michael E. Shannon Ed Wulfe Jesse B. Tutor

Past Presidents of the houston symPhony League

Miss Ima Hogg Mrs. John F. Grant Mrs. J. R. Parten Mrs. Andrew E. Rutter

Mrs. Aubrey Leon Carter Mrs. Stuart Sherar Mrs. Julian Burrows Ms. Hazel Ledbetter Mrs. Albert P. Jones Mrs. Ben A. Calhoun Mrs. James Griffith Lawhon Mrs. Olaf La Cour Olsen Mrs. Ralph Ellis Gunn Mrs. Leon Jaworski Mrs. Garrett R. Tucker Jr. Mrs. M. T. Launius Jr. Mrs. Thompson McCleary Mrs. Theodore W. Cooper Mrs. Allen H. Carruth

Mrs. David Hannah Jr. Mary Louis Kister Ellen Elizardi Kelley Mrs. John W. Herndon Mrs. Charles Franzen Mrs. Harold R. DeMoss Jr. Mrs. Edward H. Soderstrom Mrs. Lilly Kucera Andress Ms. Marilou Bonner Mrs. W. Harold Sellers Mrs. Harry H. Gendel Mrs. Robert M. Eury Mrs. E. C. Vandagrift Jr. Mrs. J. Stephen Marks Terry Ann Brown Nancy Strohmer

Mary Ann McKeithan Ann Cavanaugh Mrs. James A. Shaffer Lucy H. Lewis Catherine McNamara Shirley McGregor Pearson Paula Jarrett Cora Sue Mach Kathi Rovere Norma Jean Brown Barbara McCelvey Lori Sorcic Nancy Willerson Jane Clark


Annual Campaign Donors. ............................................................................... The Houston Symphony expresses its deepest appreciation to the donors listed on this and the following pages for their generous contributions in support of Symphony programs. More information is available from the Individual Giving Department at (713) 337-8500, the Corporate Support Department at (713) 337-8520 or at www.houstonsymphony.org.

Corporations. ....................................................................................................... As of August 9, 2010

$100,000-$499,999

BBVA Compass

Continental Airlines Fidelity Investments LINN Energy, LLC Shell Oil Company

$50,000-$99,999

American Express

Chevron ConocoPhillips * GDF SUEZ Energy North America The Methodist Hospital System TOTAL * Weatherford International Ltd. Weill Cornell Medical College

$25,000-$49,999

Andrews Kurth, LLP

Chubbs Group of Insurance Companies Crown Castle * ExxonMobil Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. * JPMorgan Chase

KPMG LLP * Marathon Oil Company Vinson & Elkins LLP

$10,000-$24,999

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Baker Botts L.L.P. * Bank of America Bracewell & Giuliani LLP * CenterPoint Energy Cooper Industries, Inc. * Devon Energy Corporation Ernst & Young * Fluor Corporation Frost Bank H. E. Butt Grocery Company Margolis, Phipps & Wright, P.C. * Macy’s Foundation Memorial Hermann Northern Trust SPIr STAr, Inc. Star Furniture USI * Wells Fargo

$500-$9,999

Beck, redden & Secrest, LLP * Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, LLP Bloomberg L.L.P. Ironshore Insurance Services, LLP Lockton Companies Oceaneering International, Inc. Porter & Hedges, LLP PricewaterhouseCoopers, Inc. * randalls Food Markets, Inc. Seyforth Show * Smith, Graham & Company * South Texas College of Law * Swift Energy Company Texas Children’s Hospital Wortham Insurance & risk Management

Foundations........................................................................................................... As of August 9, 2010

$1,000,000 and above

* Houston Endowment, Inc. * Houston Symphony League The Wortham Foundation Inc.

$500,000-$999,999

* M. D. Anderson Foundation * The Brown Foundation, Inc.

$25,000-$49,999

Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation The Humphreys Foundation The Schissler Foundation * Sterling-Turner Foundation

$10,000-$24,999

* Bauer Foundation

Carleen and Alde Fridge Foundation * George and Mary Josephine Hamman $100,000-$499,999 Foundation * The Brown Foundation Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable The Cullen Foundation Foundation The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Hood-Barrow Foundation The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation * Houston Symphony League Bay Area Madison Charitable Foundation * The Powell Foundation * Spec’s Charitable Foundation * Sterling-Turner Foundation Strake Foundation $50,000-$99,999 Vaughn Foundation The Alkek & Williams Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation $2,500-$9,999 * Houston Livestock Show and rodeo The Becker Family Foundation Educational Fund * ray C. Fish Foundation * John P. McGovern Foundation * The Melbern G. and Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation

William E. & Natoma Pyle Harvey Charitable Trust Huffington Foundation Leon Jaworski Foundation William S. & Lora Jean Kilroy Foundation * robert W. & Pearl Wallis Knox Foundation Lubrizol Foundation * Kinder Morgan Foundation * Lynne Murray, Sr. Educational Foundation The Helmle Shaw Foundation Susman Family Foundation * Vaughn Foundation * The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation

Government Donors * City of Houston through the Houston Downtown Alliance, Houston Arts Alliance and Miller Theatre Advisory Board National Endowment for the Arts State Employee Charitable Campaign * Texas Commission on the Arts * Sponsors of Houston Symphony Education and Outreach Programs

September 2010 31


Leadership Gifts................................................................................................ The Houston Symphony gratefully acknowledges those individuals who support our artistic, educational and community engagement programs with Leadership Gifts at the highest levels. Donors at these levels set the standard for supporting the Symphony and we are proud to list them here.

Ima Hogg Society – $150,000 or More Ms. Beth Madison Madison Benefits Group, Inc. Mr. George P. Mitchell Mr. M. S. Stude Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Tudor III

Centennial Society – $100,000 - $149,999 Mrs. Margaret Alkek Williams

President’s Society – $75,000 - $99,999 Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst

Maestro’s Society – $50,000 - $74,999 Maestro Hans Graf & Mrs. Graf Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Mr. & Mrs. Jess B. Tutor

Concertmaster Society – $25,000 - $49,999 Janice & Tom Barrow Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Blackburne Jr. Mr. Michael H. Clark & Ms. Sallie Morian Gene & Linda Dewhurst Mr. & Mrs. Russell M. Frankel Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth Drs. M.S. & Maurie - Luise Kalsi Rochelle & Max Levit Cora Sue & Harry Mach Barbara & Pat McCelvey Nancy & Robert Peiser Mrs. Sybil F. Roos Ms. Louisa Stude Sarofim Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Laura & Michael Shannon

32 www.houstonsymphony.org


Patron Donor Society........................................................................................ Members of the Patron Donor Society support the Houston Symphony with gifts to the Annual Fund and Events. Members of the Society are offered a wide array of benefits and recognition including invitations to special events and more. For more information on how to become a member of the Houston Symphony Patron Donor Society, please call the Development Department at (713) 337-8523. Principal Musician Society $15,000 - $24,999 Anonymous (2) Mr. & Mrs. Philip A. Bahr Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein & Martin J. Fein Allen & Almira Gelwick Lockton Companies Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn

Mrs. Aileen Gordon Mr. & Mrs. Ulyesse J. LeGrange Joella & Steve Mach Mr. & Mrs. David R. Pruner Ann & Hugh Roff

David & Paula Steakley Mr. & Mrs. Conrad Weil Jr. Vicki & Paul West

Musician Sponsor Society $7,500 - $14,999 Anonymous (1) Eric S. Anderson & R. Dennis Anderson Gary & Marian Beauchamp Captain & Mrs. W. A. “Cappy” Bisso III Dr. & Mrs. Meherwan P. Boyce Ms. Terry Ann Brown Mr. & Mrs. J. Brett Busby The Robert and Jane Cizik Foundation Janet F. Clark Dr. Scott Cutler Mr. Richard Danforth Leslie Barry Davidson & W. Robins Brice Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Dell Mr. & Mrs. Michael Dokupil Mr. & Mrs. Chris Flood Angel & Craig Fox Mr. S. David Frankfort Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Hansen Christina & Mark Hanson Mr. Harold E. Holliday Jr. & Hon. Anna R. Holliday

Mr. & Mrs. John A. Irvine Mr. Brian James Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Kaplan Dr. & Mrs. I. Ray Kirk Mr. & Mrs. Erik P. Littlejohn Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Lykos Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Michael M. Mann Dr. & Mrs. Paul M. Mann Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis Mr. & Mrs. J. Stephen Marks Mr. & Mrs. Brian P. McCabe Betty & Gene McDavid Miss Catherine Jane Merchant Dr. & Mrs. Robert M. Mihalo Mike & Kathleen Moore Sue A. Morrison Bobbie & Arthur Newman Mrs. Tassie Nicandros Hanni Orton Mr. & Mrs. Philip M. Peterson Gloria & Joe Pryzant Mr. Glen A. Rosenbaum

Mrs. Helen B. Rosenbaum Mrs. Maryjane Scherr Mr. & Mrs. William T. Slick Jr. Julia and Albert Smith Foundation Dr. Alana R. Spiwak and Sam Stolbun Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Springob, LaredoConstruction, Inc. Alice & Terry Thomas Paul Strand Thomas Stephen & Pamalah Tipps Ann & Joel Wahlberg Margaret Waisman, M.D. & Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D. Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber Dr. & Mrs. James T. Willerson Mr. & Mrs. Steven Jay Williams Mr. & Mrs. Wallace S. Wilson Ms. Jennifer R. Wittman Mr. & Mrs. Ed Wulfe

William A. Grieves & Dorothy McDonnell Grieves Mr. & Mrs. Frank Herzog Mr. & Mrs. David V. Hudson Jr. Debbie & Frank Jones Drs. Blair & Rita Justice Mr. & Mrs. Francis S. Kalman Dr. & Mrs. Bernard Katz Mr. & Mrs. Stephen A. Lasher Mr. Clyde Lea & Ms. Pamela Fazzone Mrs. Margaret H. Ley Mr. E. W. Long Jr. Jay & Shirley Marks Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm L. Mazow Mrs. Beverly T. McDonald Cameron Mitchell

Mr. & Mrs. Lucian L. Morrison Jr. Mary & Terry Murphree Mr. & Mrs. Edward C. Osterberg Jr. Ms. Peggy Overly & Mr. John Barlow Mr. Howard Pieper Mr. Robert J. Pilegge Ms. Karen S. Pulaski Kathryn & Richard Rabinow Mrs. Lila Rauch Mr. & Mrs. William K. Robbins Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Ken N. Robertson Drs. Alejandro & Lynn Rosas Mr. & Mrs. Mark R. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Keith Stevenson Mr. & Mrs. Antonio M. Szabo Mr. Stephen C. Tarry

Conductor’s Circle $5,000 - $7,499 Joan & Stanford Alexander Mr. & Mrs. Karl H. Becker Mr. & Mrs. Charles G. Black III Mr. & Mrs. Walter V. Boyle Joe Brazzatti Ruth White Brodsky Mr. & Mrs. Philip J. Burguieres Mrs. Lily Carrigan Mr. & Mrs. David Denechaud Mr. & Mrs. Paul F. Egner Jr. Aubrey & Sylvia Farb Mr. & Mrs. Marvy A. Finger Mr. George B. Geary Dr. & Mrs. William D. George Mrs. James J. Glenn Jr. Mr. & Mrs. David Gow

September 2010 33


Individual Donors......................................................................................................... Mr. Brian Teichman Shirley & David R. Toomim Gene Carlton & Ann Trammell C. Harold & Lorine Wallace Cyvia & Melvyn Wolff Woodell Family Foundation Winthrop A. Wyman & Beverly Johnson Nina & Michael Zilkha Erla & Harry Zuber

Grand Patron $2,500 - $4,999

Anonymous (1) Mr. & Mrs. John C. Averett Mr. A. Greer Barriault & Ms. Clarruth A. Seaton Mrs. George L. Brundrett Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Sean Bumgarner Alan & Toba Buxbaum Dougal & Cathy Cameron Mr. & Mrs. W. T. Carter IV Mr. & Mrs. Thierry Caruso Margot & John Cater Mr. William Choice & Mrs. Linda Able Choice Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Clark William J. Clayton & Margaret A. Hughes Mr. & Mrs. James W. Crownover Roger & Debby Cutler J. R. & Aline Deming Judge & Mrs. Harold DeMoss Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Dror Mr. William Elbel & Ms. Mary J. Schroeder Mrs. Robin A. Elverson Mr. Parrish N. Erwin Jr. Mr. Edwin C. Friedrichs & Ms. Darlene Clark Mrs. Lila-Gene George Mr. & Mrs. W. R. Hayes General Stuart Haynsworth Mr. & Mrs. James E. Hooks Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Kinder William & Cynthia Koch Kevin & Lesley Lilly Mr. James F. Mailey & Ms. Sharon McMahon James & Mary McMartin Mr. & Mrs. William B. McNamara Mr. & Mrs. Arnold M. Miller Paul & Rita Morico Julia & Chris Morton Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Moynihan Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Nelson Mr. Austin M. O’Toole & Ms. Valerie Sherlock Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan E. Parker Mr. & Mrs. Anthony G. Petrello Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Pryor Michael Richker & Vicky Pravda Dr. & Mrs. Franklin Rose Linda & Jerry Rubenstein Mr. & Mrs. Clive Runnells Mr. & Mrs. Manolo Sanchez 34 www.houstonsymphony.org

Beth & Lee Schlanger Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Simon Mr. Louis H. Skidmore Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Tad Smith Mr. & Mrs. John Speer Mr. & Mrs. Gene Van Dyke Stephen & Kristine Wallace Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Warren Mrs. Naomi Warren Mr. David Ashley White Edith & Robert Zinn Patron $1,000 - $2,499

Anonymous (7) David M. & Lisa B. Aaronson Dr. & Mrs. George J. Abdo Morrie & Rolaine Wade & Mert Adams Mrs. Nancy C. Allen, President Greentree Fund John & Pat Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Thurmon Andress Mr. Maurice J. Aresty Mr. & Mrs. John S. Arnoldy Mr. & Mrs. John M. Arnsparger Dr. & Mrs. Jeffrey B. Aron Dr. & Mrs. Roy Aruffo Paul H. & Maida M. Asofsky Mr. Jeff Autor Mr. & Mrs. Arnie Azios Edward & Joyce Backhaus Mr. Richard C. Bailey Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Balasco Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Baldwin Dr. & Mrs. Alfonso Barrera Ms. Marion Barthelme & Mr. Jeff Fort Mr. & Mrs. John Bauer Betty Bellamy Dr. & Mrs. Devinder Bhatia John Blomquist Mr. & Mrs. John F. Bookout Mr. & Mrs. James D. Bozeman The Honorable & Mrs. Peter Brown Mr. & Mrs. Laurence Burns Mrs. Anne H. Bushman Dr. & Mrs. William T. Butler Mrs. Marjorie Capshaw Mr. & Mrs. Barent W. Cater Dr. Robert N. Chanon Mr. & Mrs. Allen Clamen Mr. & Mrs. James G. Coatsworth Mr. William E. Colburn Dr. & Mrs. James D. Cox Mr. David A. Coyle Mr. & Mrs. William C. Crassas Mr. & Mrs. Robert Creager Sylvia & Andre Crispin Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Cullen Jr. Mr. Carl Cunningham Mr. & Mrs. Jerry H. Deutser Mr. & Mrs. Robert Deutser Mike & Debra Dishberger Mr. & Mrs. Jack N. Doherty Dr. Burdett S. & Mrs. Kathleen C. E. Dunbar Carolyn & David Edgar Mr. Roger Eichhorn Mr. & Mrs. J. Thomas Eubank Diane Lokey Farb Dr. & Mrs. Larry Faulkner Mr. & Mrs. Donald Faust Sr. Mrs. Carolyn Grant Fay

Dr. Judith Feigin Jerry E. & Nanette B. Finger Dr. & Mrs. Ronald Fischer Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Freedman Paula & Alfred Friedlander J. Kent & Ann Friedman Sally & Bernard Fuchs Mr. & Mrs. Todd Fuller Mr. & Mrs. Magnus Fyhr Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Gaynor Thomas & Patricia Geddy Mr. & Mrs. John Gee Mr. Jerry George Mrs. Joan M. Giese Mr. Walter Gilmore Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Glanville Mr. & Mrs. Morris Glesby Mr. & Mrs. Bert H. Golding Robert & Michele Goodmark Mr. & Mrs. Tony Gracely Ms. Joyce Z. Greenberg Mr. Charles H. Gregory Mr. Paul T. Gregory Mr. & Mrs. Fred E. Haas Mrs. Thalia Halen Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Hanna Ms. Margaret W. Hansen Marion & Jim Hargrove Dr. & Mrs. Eric J. Haufrect Mr. & Mrs. Philip J. Hawk Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Heath Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Eric Heggeseth Mark & Ragna Henrichs Marilyn & Robert M. Hermance Mr. & Mrs. Doug R. Hinzie Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hoffert Mr. Tim Hogan Dr. & Mrs. Robert Ivany Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Jankovic Mr. & Mrs. John F. Joity Sam & Cele Keeper Linda & Frank S. Kelley Mr. John Kelsey & Ms. Gaye Davis Mr. & Mrs. Bill King Mary Louis Kister Dr. & Mrs. Russell W. Kridel Bobbie & Richard Kristinik Mr. Willy Kuehn Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Lane Ms. Joni Latimer Mr. & Mrs. Jack Lee Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth Eugene Lehrer Mr. William W. Lindley Mr. & Mrs. H. Arthur Littell Ms. Nancey Lobb Robert & Gayle Longmire Clodagh & Tommy Mann W. Baker & Penny McAdams Mr. & Mrs. James W. McCartney Mr. & Mrs. Andrew McFarland Mr. & Mrs. David R. McKeithan Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Theron McLaren Mr. & Mrs. William E. Mearse Stephen & Marilyn Miles Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mitchell Mr. & Mrs. Richard Mithoff Dr. Florence M. Monroe Dr. Eleanor D. Montague John & Ann Montgomery Sidney & Ione Moran Mr. & Mrs. Gerarld Moynier Dr. D. Patricia Nelson


...................................................................................................................................... Mr. & Mrs. Charles G. Nickson Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Oley Steve & Sue Olson Jane & Kenneth Owen Mr. & Mrs. Robert Page Mr. & Mrs. Raul Pavon Michael & Shirley Pearson Pamela & James Penny Mr. & Mrs. Harry J. Phillips Jr. Mr. James D. Pitcock Mr. John Potts Mr. Michael H. Price Clinton & Leigh Rappole Record Family Hilda & Hershel Rich Mr. & Mrs. Allyn Risley Ms. Janice Robertson & Mr. Douglas Williams Minnette & Jerome Robinson Ms. Regina J. Rogers Mr. & Mrs. William J. Rovere Jr. Mr. Charles K. Sanders Mary Louise & David Sanderson Mr. & Mrs. Shannon Sasser Mrs. Myrna Schaffer Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Schanzmeyer Mr. & Mrs. Steven Schwarzbach Dr. Philip D. Scott & Dr. Susan E. Gardner Ms. Sharin Shafer Gaille Mr. & Mrs. Marc J. Shapiro Donna & Tim Shen Mr. & Mrs. W. Allen Shindler Barbara & Louis Sklar Mr. & Mrs. Louis J. Snyder Ms. Kelly Somoza Carol & Michael Stamatedes Mr. & Mrs. George Stark Cassie B. Stinson & James H. Gibbons Mr. & Mrs. Hans Strohmer Mr. & Mrs. Toby Summers Ms. Jeanine Swift Mr. & Mrs. Albert S. Tabor Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Warren Tashnek Mr. Mark Taylor Mrs. Donna Teichman Mr. John F. Terwilliger & Ms. Laura Codman Jean & Doug Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Timothy J. Unger Matthew VanBesien & Rosanne Jowitt Mr. & Mrs. William Visinsky Mr. Danny Ward & Ms. Nancy Ames Mr. & Mrs. Patrick J. Whelan Mr. Thomas H. Wilson Mr. & Mrs. Russell Windham Dr. & Mrs. Jerry S. Wolinsky Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Wray Mr. & Mrs. C. Clifford Wright Dr. & Mrs. Robert Yekovich Mr. & Mrs. Mark Yzaguirre Mr. & Mrs. Charles Zabriskie Mrs. Betsy I. Zimmer

Composer’s Circle $500 - $999

Anonymous (4) Ms. Joan Ambrogi Corbin & Char Aslakson

Mr. Rudy Avelar Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Axelrod Mr. & Mrs. David M. Balderston Carolyn & Arthur Berner Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Boggio Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Bolam Mr. & Mrs. Giorgio Borlenghi Ms. Joan Boss Mr. & Mrs. Danny J. Bowers Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bray Katherine M. Briggs Mrs. Catherine Campbell Brock & Dr. Gary Brock Ms. Barbara A. Brooks Mrs. Vera Brown Mrs. Shirley E. Burgher The Gertz Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Campbell Mr. & Mrs. J. Scott Campbell K. D. Charalampous, M.D. Mr. & Mrs. Kent Chenevert Mrs. Cielle Clemenceau Mr. & Mrs. Mark W. Coffin Ms. Barbara A. Conte Ms. Mary H. Cook & Mr. Scott R. Spencer Mr. & Mrs. Byron Cooley Michael T. Coppinger Mr. William S. & Dr. Mary Alice Cowan Mr. & Mrs. T. N. Crook Ms. Anna M. Dean Bruce B. Dice Mr. & Mrs. Mark Diehl Mr. & Mrs. Carr P. Dishroon Mr. & Mrs. Mark W. Dobbins Mr. & Mrs. James P. Dorn Elizabeth H. Duerr Mr. Dan Dunham Drs. Gary & Roz Dworkin Mr. & Mrs. Edward N. Earle Mr. & Mrs. Peter Erickson Dr. Kenneth L Euler Mr. & Mrs. William Evans Dr. & Mrs. Louis A. Faillace Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan B. Fairbanks Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Ference Linda & Ronny Finger Foundation Mr. Dale Fitz Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Fleisher Mr. & Mrs. Charles Flourney Ms. Beth Freeman Ms. Sharin Shafer Gaille Martha & Gibson Gayle Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Harry Gendel The Gertz Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Jack Gill William E. Gipson Lee & Sandy Godfrey Mr. & Mrs. Herbert I. Goodman Dr. & Mrs. Harvey L. Gordon Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Griswold Zahava Haenosh Mr. & Mrs. Joseph A. Hafner Jr. Dennis B. Halpin Dr. & Mrs. Carlos R. Hamilton Rita & John Hannah Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Harbachick Mr. & Judge Frank Harmon III Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Harrell Mr. & Mrs. David L. Haug Mr. & Mrs. Robert P. Herrmann

Ann & Joe Hightower Mr. & Mrs. Ross K. Hill Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Hogan Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Holloway Mr. & Mrs. Roger Hurst Diane & Geoffrey Ibbott Mr. John Jansen & Mrs. Lori Sorcic Jansen Mrs. Paula Jarrett Hauling Ace, Curtis Storz & Donna Marie Jendritza Mr. Mark Johansson Mr. & Mrs. Okey B. Johnson Mr. Scot W. Johnson Dr. & Mrs. Robert E. Jordon Lucy & Victor Kormeier Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Krezer Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Lee II Mr. Richard Leibman Ms. Golda K. Leonard H. Fred & Velva G. Levine Michael & Sharon Lewis Sharon Lipsky, M.D. Mr. Kelly Bruce Lobley Mr. Christopher Mancini Ms. Liz Markell Mr. & Mrs. J. A. Mawhinney Jr. Ms. Judi McGee Ms. Mary J. McKerall & Ms. Marilyn Flick Barnett & Diane McLaughlin Mr. & Mrs. D. Bradley McWilliams Dr. & Mrs. John Mendelsohn Mr. Ronald A. Mikita Mr. Willis B. Mitchell Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Mueller Mr. Richard Murphy Ms. Jennifer Naae Mr. & Mrs. Geoffrey B. Newton John & Leslie Niemand Nils & Stephanie Normann Mrs. Morris Orocofsky Mr. Marc C. Paige Mr. Robert Pastorek Mr. & Mrs. James L. Payne Mr. & Mrs. William O. Perkins III Mr. Arthur Preisinger Doris F. Pryzant Mrs. Dana Puddy Dr. & Mrs. Henry H. Rachford Jr. Dr. Mike Ratliff Mrs. Edith G. Reed Milton & Jill Rose Mr. Edward Ross Dr. Raymond E. Sawaya Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Sherlock Mr. Barry E. Silverman & Ms. Shara Fryer Mrs. Camille Simpson Dean & Kay L. Snider Ms. Joyce Steensrud Mr. & Mrs. James R. Stevens Dr. & Mrs. David Sufian Mrs. Louise Sutton Mr. Stephen Tangney Mr. Kerry Taylor Ms. Betsy Mims & Mr. Howard D. Thames Jacob & Elizabeth Thomas Ms. Cathleen J. Trechter Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Tremant Mr. & Mrs. Juan B. Vallhonrat

Dr. & Mrs. Gage VanHorn Ms. Jana Vander Lee Mr. & Mrs. Bill Vaughn Dr. & Mrs. Robert L. Vick Mr. David Waddell Jan & Don Wagner Mr. & Mrs. James A. Watt Ms. Joann E. Welton Mr. & Mrs. Eden N. Wenig Mr. & Mrs. Ben White Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Wilkomirski

Sustaining Member $250 - $499

Anonymous (9) Mr. & Mrs. W. Kendall Adam Mr. & Mrs. N. T. Adams Mr. William J. Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Gabriel Baizan Mr. & Mrs. James A. Baker III Dr. & Mrs. Robert C. Bast Jr. Mr. Steve A. Bavousett Mr. Tom Becker Ms. Roberta Benson Mr. & Mrs. Mark Berkstresser Mr. & Mrs. Paul C. Berner Ms. Mary Beshears James S. & Linda Birtwistle Mr. & Mrs. George Boerger Mr. Arno S. Bommer Ms. Suzie Boyd Ms. Tiffany Breeding Mr. J. W. Brougher Mrs. Charles F. Brown Sally & Laurence Brown Fred & Judy Brunk Mr. & Mrs. Rick A. Burris Mr. & Mrs. Raul Caffesse Mr. & Mrs. Dean L. Callender Virginia & William Camfield Mr. Petros Carvounis Mr. & Mrs. Kevin J. Casey Virginia A. Clark Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Cohen Mrs. Barbora Cole Mr. Tulio Colmenares Ms. Erin Connally Mr. & Mrs. Sanford Criner Mr. & Mrs. Timothy J. Crull Ms. Christina Daniels Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Davis Dr. & Mrs. Clotaire D. Delery Ms. Dora Dillistone Mr. & Mrs. David Dybell Dr. & Mrs. David W. Edelstein Mr. Ramsay M. Elder Mr. Mike Ezzell Ms. Bernice Feld Mr. Chris C. Fellows Ms. Ursula H. Felmet Mrs. John T. Files Mr. & Mrs. Theodore C. Flick Mr. James B. Flodine & Ms. Lynne Liberato Mr. Richard L. Flowers Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. Francisco Mr. Ralph F. Frankowski Bill & Diana Freeman Ms. Diane L. Freeman Robert A. Furse, M.D. Dr. & Mrs. Gary M. Gartsman Mr. & Mrs. Duane V. Geis September 2010 35


Individual Donors.............................................................................................. Mr. & Mrs. James E. Gerhardt Ms. Heidi Good Mr. & Mrs. Tim Graham Mr. Dane Grenoble Ms. Jo Ann C. Guillory Mr. Teruhiko Hagiwara Ms. Vickie Hamley Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Hansen Ms. Karen Harding Dr. & Mrs. William S. Harwell Mr. & Mrs. Frank L. Heard Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Walter A. Hecht Mr. Dean Hennings Ms. Joy Herin Mr. & Mrs. John R. Heumann Mr. & Mrs. John Heyburn Susan Hodge Mr. David Hoffman Mr. & Mrs. John Homier S.y. & Y.j. Kim Hong Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Hopson John & Nancy Howard George E. Howe Mr. John Howenstine Mr. & Mrs. Aaron Howes Mr. & Mrs. George M. Hricik Mr. Tyler Hubbard Ms. Vicki Huff Mr. & Mrs. James R. Hutton Mr. Jacek Jaminski Ms. Sheila K. Johnstone Dr. & Mrs. Andrew P. Kant Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Kantor Mr. & Mrs. David Karohl Mr. & Mrs. Hugh R. Kelly Mr. & Mrs. I. H. Kempner III Dr. & Mrs. Sherwin Kershman Dr. Nora J. Klein Dr. & Mrs. Douglas D. Koch Mr. & Mrs. Sam Koster Dr. & Mrs. James H. Krause Suzanne A. & Dan D. Kubin Mr. Vijay Kusnoor Mr. & Mrs. Phillip Ladin Ms. Bryn Larsen & Mr. Bertrand Fry Mr. & Mrs. William Leighton Mr. & Mrs. Robert Leonard Mr. & Mrs. Earl L. Lester Jr. Mr. James C. Lindsey Ms. Lisa Linney Dr. Ellen Lumpkin Mrs. Renee Margolin Mr. Mark Matovich Ms. Suzanne McCarthy Mr. R. Scott McCay Mrs. Alison McDermott & Mr. Adrian Glasser Mr. George McKee Odette & James McMurrey Ms. Laurie McRay Mrs. Dorri Melvin Dr. Robert A. Mendelson Ms. Edna F. Meyer-Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Michalski Ellen Ochoa & Coe F. Miles Mr. Russell J. Miller & Mrs. Charlotte M. Meyer Mr. & Mrs. John H. Monroe Jr. Ms. Kathleen Moore & Mr. Steven T. Homer Alan & Elaine Mut Mr. & Mrs. David S. Neuberger 36 www.houstonsymphony.org

Mary Murrill North Mr. & Mrs. Charles Ofner Ms. Elizabeth Osher Mr. & Mrs. Enrique Ospina Mr. & Mrs. Sheldon I. Oster Julie & Chip Oudin III Mr. William Pannill Dr. & Mrs. Joseph V. Penn Grace & Carroll Phillips Ms. Alice Phillips Mary H. & Lynn K. Pickett Kim & Ted A. Powell Mr. Robert W. Powell Ms. Peggy Powers Ms. Nita D. Pyle Elias & Carole Qumsieh Mr. & Mrs. William B. Rawl Loreta & Ronald Rea Ms. Joan Read Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Reans Mr. & Mrs. Harry L. Reed Mr. & Mrs. Walter Rhodes Mrs. George Risman Mary & Jesse Roberts Mr. Brian Rodgers & Mrs. Sally Evans Drs. Herbert & Manuela Roeller Ms. Mirelle Rosca Brenda & Mansel Rubenstein Mr. John E. Ryall Dr. & Mrs. Barry Sachs Mr. Ed Schneider & Ms. Toni A. Oplt Mrs. Joan Schnitzer Levy Charles & Andrea Seay Mrs. Lenoir Seelhorst Mr. & Mrs. Charles O. Shearouse Art & Ellen Shelton Pamela & Richard Sherry Mr. Barrett Sides Mr. & Mrs. Stephen N. Smith Mr. & Mrs. William Smith Mr. Marc Sofia Hans C. Sonneborn Mr. & Mrs. Donald K. Steinman Mr. & Ms. Gary Stenerson William F. Stern Mr. Myron F. Steves Dr. & Mrs. Richard Strax Dr. John R. Stroehlein & Ms. Miwa Sakashita Dr. Shahin Tavackoli Mr. Robert M. Taylor Howard Tellepsen Jr. Ms. Gloria Tenenbown Mr. Tas C. Thornhill Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Tom Thweatt David & Ann Tomatz Mr. Paul R. Tregurtha Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Trowbridge Ms. Martha Turner & Mr. Glenn Bauguss Dr. Robert Ulrich & Ms. June R. Russell Mr. John T. Unger & Ms. Kathy Welch Mr. & Mrs. D. E. Utecht Mr. Steven Valerius Mr. Viet Van Dr. Holly & Mr. Michael Varner Pieter & Janet Vrancken Dean B. Walker Ms. Sandria Ward

Mr. Kenneth W. Warren Ms. Victoria Wendling Mr. & Mrs. G. Thomas Whitcomb Miss Susan Wood Mr. & Mrs. Stephen R. Wood Mrs. Peggy J. Wylie Mr. Kevin Yankowsky Ms. Ellen A. Yarrell, P.C. Mr. Sam M. Yates III Mr. & Mrs. Le Roy Yeager Mr. Ray Young Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Zohlen

Krajewski Club Center Stage $1,500 or more

Anonymous (1) Rita & Geoffrey Bayliss Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Blackburne Jr. Jim & Ellen Box Ms. Sara J. Devine Mr. & Mrs. James E. Dorsett Mr. & Mrs. Byron F. Dyer Carol & Larry Fradkin Allen & Almira Gelwick Lockton Companies Julius & Suzan Glickman Dr. & Mrs. Bernard Katz Alice R. McPherson, M.D. & Anthony A. Mierzwa Paul & Rita Morico Mr. Robert J. Pilegge Mr. & Mrs. Mark S. Rauch Mr. & Mrs. Ben A. Reid Mr. & Mrs. William K. Robbins Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Ken N. Robertson Linda & Jerry Rubenstein Mrs. Maryjane Scherr Mr. & Mrs. Leland Tate Ms. Jody Verwers Mr. & Mrs. William B. Welte III

Krajewski Club Headliner $1,000 - $1,499

Stanley & Martha Bair Mr. Mark C. Conrad Mr. & Mrs. Fred L. Gorman Mr. & Mrs. Jerry L. Hamaker Mr. & Mrs. George A. Helland Mr. & Mrs. Allan Quiat Mr. & Mrs. John T. Riordan Mrs. Annetta Rose Mr. & Mrs. Steve Sims Ms. Virgina Torres Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence D. Wallace

Krajewski Club Producer $500 - $999

Anonymous (1) Rev. & Mrs. H. Eldon Akerman Mr. & Mrs. H. Richard Alexander Mr. Stephen J. Banks Mr. Allen J. Becker Mr. John S. Beury Mr. Christopher Buehler & Ms. Jill Hutchison W. M. Calvert Mr. & Mrs. Warren J. Carroll Dr. & Mrs. Neal Chastain John & Joyce Eagle Dr. & Mrs. Robert N. Healy Mr. Harold Jennison Mr. Don E. Kingsley

Mr. & Mrs. Joe T. McMillan Dr. & Mrs. Raghu Narayan Mr. Anthony G. Ogden W. R. Purifoy Mr. & Mrs. Philip Redding Mr. & Mrs. George A. Rizzo Jr. Mr. Morris Rubin Mr. & Mrs. Tim Shaunty Mr. & Mrs. Harold L. Siegele Gene & Donna Tromblee Sally & Denney Wright

Krajewski Club Director $250 - $499

Mrs. Elsie Ameen Dr. & Mrs. R. L. Brenner Mr. Jay T. Brown Ms. Carol Brownstein Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Buhler Richard & Marcia Churns Mr. Robert A. Colton Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Demeter Mr. T. J. Doggett Richard & Mildred Mr. & Mrs. Dale Hardy Mr. Larry January Ms. Mary Keathley Mr. George S. Knapp Charles C. & Patricia Kubin Mr. Richard S. Ledermann Mr. & Mrs. Roger Lindgren Mr. & Mrs. James McBride Mr. & Mrs. Carrol R. McGinnis Mr. Gerard & Mrs. Helga Meneilly Ms. Phyllis Schaffer Dr. & Mrs. A. Carl Schmulen Mr. & Mrs. David K. Smith Mr. & Mrs. William G. Straight Mr. & Mrs. Carl N. Tongberg Dr. & Mrs. Karl Tornyos Mr. Roger Trandell Sandy Vander Kam Mr. & Mrs. Don Wilton


Annual Campaign Donors. ............................................................................... Corporate Matching Gifts........................................................................................ Aetna Akzo Nobel AT&T Bank of America Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Coca-Cola El Paso Corporation Eli Lilly and Company Exxon Mobil

Fannie Mae General Electric General Mills Goldman, Sachs & Co. Halliburton Hewlett-Packard IBM ING Financial Services Corporation JPMorgan Chase KBR Kirby Corporation

Occidental Petroleum SMART Modular Technologies, Inc. Spectra Energy

In Kind Donors......................................................................................................... As of April 1, 2010

Alexander’s Fine Portrait Design Baker Botts Be Friends Bergner and Johnson Cognetic Mr. Carl R. Cunningham Darryl & Co. Deville Fine Jewelry DocuData Solutions The Events Company Hilton Americas - Houston Houston Chronicle Jackson and Company JOHANNUS Organs of Texas Jim Benton of Houston LLC

JR’s Bar and Grill KUHF 88.7 FM The Lancaster Hotel Limb Design Morton’s The Steakhouse Music & Arts Neiman Marcus New Leaf Publishing, Inc. PaperCity Pride Houston Pro/Sound Saint Arnold’s Brewery Saks Fifth Avenue Shecky’s Media, Inc. Silver Eagle Distributors Sky Bar

Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods Strip House Valobra Jewelry & Antiques John Wright/Texprint

Biographies continued from page 26....................................................................... He last appeared with the Houston Symphony in March 2009, performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 with Maestro Graf. Highlights of last season included performing the piano concerto composed for him by Esa-Pekka Salonen under the composer’s direction at the Edinburgh, Helsinki and Lucerne Festivals, as well as playing Brahms’ Second Concerto with numerous orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. Bronfman’s 2009-10 recital touring schedule included Japan, Europe and North America, where he gave his annual solo performance at Carnegie Hall. He also toured Europe with Alan Gilbert and the New York

Philharmonic. In 2008-09, Bronfman was an “On Location” artist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; undertook a solo recital tour of the U.S. and Europe and a duo recital tour with Emanuel Ax; opened both the San Francisco Symphony and New York Philharmonic seasons; and performed with leading international orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw and Berlin Philharmonic. Bronfman’s commitment to chamber music has led to collaborations with quartets such as the Emerson and Guarneri, and artists including Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma and Pinchas Zukerman. His wide-ranging discography

includes Bartók’s three piano concertos with Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which won a Grammy® in 1997. Recent releases feature Salonen’s works; Beethoven concertos with Gil Shaham, Truls Mørk and the Tonhalle Orchestra; Tchaikovsky’s first concerto with Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony; and a recital disc, Perspectives, complementing Bronfman’s 2007-08 Carnegie Hall “Perspectives” series. Having trained at The Juilliard School, Marlboro and the Curtis Institute of Music, with Rudolf Firkusny, Leon Fleisher and Rudolf Serkin, Bronfman was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize in 1991. September 2010 37


Legacy Society. ................................................................................................. The Legacy Society honors those who have included the Houston Symphony in their long-term estate plans through bequests, life-income gifts or other deferred-giving arrangements. Members of the Legacy Society enjoy a variety of benefits, including an annual musical event with a renowned guest artist. The Houston Symphony extends its deepest thanks to the members of the Society, and with their permission, is pleased to acknowledge them. Anonymous (8) Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Barrow George & Betty Bashen Dr. & Mrs. Peter Benjamin Dorothy B. Black Ermy Borlenghi Bonfield Ronald C. Borschow Anneliese Bosseler Joe Brazzatti Zu Broadwater Terry Ann Brown Dr. Joan K. Bruchas & H. Philip Cowdin Eugene R. Bruns Sylvia J. Carroll William J. Clayton Leslie Barry Davidson Harrison R. T. Davis Mr. & Mrs. Jeremy Davis Jean & sJack Ellis Mrs. Robin A. Elverson The Aubrey and Sylvia Farb Family Ginny Garrett Michael B. George Stephen and Mariglyn Glenn Mr. & Mrs. Keith E. Gott Randolph Lee Groninger Marilyn & Robert M. Hermance Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth Dr. Edward J. & Mrs. Patti Hurwitz Kenneth Hyde Mr. Brian James Drs. Rita & Blair Justice Dr. & Mrs. Ira Kaufman, MD Mr. John S. W. Kellett Ann Kennedy & Geoffrey Walker

Dr. & Mrs. I. Ray Kirk Mr. & Mrs. Ulyesse LeGrange Mrs. Frances E. Leland Mary R. Lewis E. W. Long Jr. Sandra Magers Mr. & Mrs. Jay Marks James Matthews Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm Mazow Mr. & Mrs. Gene McDavid Charles E. McKerley Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Miss Catherine Jane Merchant Dr. & Mrs. Robert M. Mihalo Ron Mikita Katherine Taylor Mize Ione Moran Sidney Moran Sue A. Morrison and Children Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Moynihan Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Mueller Gretchen Anne Myers Edward C. Osterberg Jr. Joan D. Osterweil Imogen “Immy” Papadopoulos Sara M. Peterson Mr. Howard Pieper Geraldine S. Priest Daniel F. Prosser Gloria & Joe Pryzant Walter M. Ross Mr. & Mrs. Michael B. Sandeen Charles K. Sanders Charles King Sanders Mr. & Mrs. Charles T. Seay II

Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Dr. & Mrs. Kazuo Shimada Jule & Albert Smith Mr. & Mrs. Louis J. Snyder Mike and sAnita Stude Mr. & Mrs. David K. Terry Stephen G. Tipps Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Dr. Carlos Vallbona and Children Margaret Waisman, M.D. & Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D. David M. Wax & Elaine Arden Cali Robert Weiner Geoffrey Westergaard Jennifer R. Wittman Mr. & Mrs. Bruce E. Woods Mr. & Mrs. David Wuthrich As of August 9, 2010

sDeceased

In Memoriam..................................................................................................... We honor the memory of those who in life included the Houston Symphony in their estate plans. Their thoughtfulness and generosity will continue to inspire and enrich lives for generations to come! W. P. Beard Mrs. H. Raymond Brannon Anthony Brigandi Lawrence E. Carlton, M.D. Lee Allen Clark Jack Ellis Frank R. Eyler Helen Bess Fariss Foster Christine E. George Mrs. Marcella Levine Harris

General & Mrs. Maurice Hirsch Miss Ima Hogg Burke & Octavia Holman Mrs. L. F. McCollum Joan B. McKerley Monroe L. Mendelsohn Jr. Mrs. Janet Moynihan Constantine S. Nicandros Hanni Orton Stewart Orton, Legacy Society co-founder

Dr. Michael Papadopoulos Miss Louise Pearl Perkins Walter W. Sapp, Legacy Society co-founder J. Fred & Alma Laws Lunsford Schultz John K. & Fanny W. Stone Dorothy Barton Thomas Mrs. Harry C. Wiess Mrs. Edward Wilkerson

For more information on creating a legacy for the benefit of the Symphony, please contact the Planned Giving Office at (713) 337-8524 or e-mail plannedgiving@houstonsymphony.org. 38 www.houstonsymphony.org


My Houston, My Symphony: Campaign for a Sound Future ........................ Artistic excellence, strong leadership, robust ticket sales and growing philanthropic support are vital, but they alone cannot guarantee the Houston Symphony’s future. To do so, its endowment must be increased. My Houston, My Symphony: Campaign for a Sound Future has two major goals: add $60 million to the Symphony’s endowment and raise $15 million in working capital. We are proud to recognize those who have already made commitments to this campaign and invite others to join them as we build an artistically and financially sound Houston Symphony.

Campaign Cabinet

Members

George Mitchell, Honorary Chair M. S. Stude, Chair Gene Dewhurst, Vice Chair Jesse B. Tutor, Vice Chair Mike McLanahan, Vice Chair Ulyesse J. LeGrange, Vice Chair

Jan Barrow Daniel Dror Rochelle Levit Rodney H. Margolis Jay Marks J. Stephen Marks

Houston Symphony Endowment Harry J. Phillips Jr. Robert B. Tudor III Wallace S. Wilson

President

Ulyesse J. LeGrange

Trustees

Prentiss Burt Janet Clark J. Cole Dawson III Gene Dewhurst Jesse B. Tutor

............................................................................................................................ Mr. & Mrs. Jay Marks * Mr. & Mrs. Lucian L. Morrison Jr. Foundations...................... Mrs. Sue A. Morrison and Children Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Newman $10,000,000 The Brown Foundation, Inc. * $1,000,000 - $4,999,999 Anonymous The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts * Houston Endowment Inc. Spec’s Charitable Foundation The Wortham Foundation, Inc. $500,000 - $999,999 The Fondren Foundation $100,000 - $499,999 M. D. Anderson Foundation The Cullen Foundation The Margaret and James A. Elkins, Jr. Foundation The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation Mach Family Fund The Marks Charitable Foundation $25,000 - $99,999 Dror Charitable Foundation The Kayser Foundation The Nightingale Code Foundation

Corporations. ................... $100,000 - $250,000 Baker Botts L.L.P. Chevron ConocoPhillips Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Marathon Oil Company Foundation $50,000 - $99,000 Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP $25,000 - $49,999 Amegy Bank of Texas Goldman Sachs $10,000 - $24,999 Sterling Bank

Individuals....................... Founder Anonymous Grand Guarantor Mr. & Mrs. Philip A. Bahr * Mr. & Mrs. Thomas D. Barrow * Lieutenant Governor David H. Dewhurst Barbara & Patrick McCelvey Phoebe and Bobby Tudor Guarantor Estate of Lawrence E. Carlton, M.D. Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Kaplan Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis

Estate of Mr. Walter W. Sapp * Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Shannon Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor * Major Benefactor Dr. & Mrs. Alexander Dell Levit Family/Grocers Supply Dr. & Mrs. Michael Mann Benefactor Anonymous * Linda & Gene Dewhurst Mrs. Robin A. Elverson Mr. & Mrs. Marvy A. Finger Houston Symphony Chorus Drs. Blair & Rita Justice Drs. M.S. & Marie-Luise Kalsi * Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Mr. & Mrs. Stephen G. Tipps *

Major Sponsor Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. David J. Beck Mrs. Ruth White Brodsky Mr. & Mrs. John T. Cater Mr. Michael H. Clark & Ms. Sallie Morian * Mr. Martin J. Fein & Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein in memory of Jean Viney Mr. & Mrs. Russell M. Frankel Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth Ms. Martha Kleymeyer Mr. & Mrs. Gene McDavid Mr. & Mrs. Michael D. Moore * Mr. & Mrs. Scott S. Nyquist Kathy & Harry Phillips Fund Gloria & Joe Pryzant Mr. & Mrs. J. Hugh Roff Jr. Ms. Charlotte A. Rothwell Mr. & Mrs. Paul N. Schwartz Ms. Ann Trammell Mr. & Mrs. Steven J. Williams Mr. & Mrs. Ed Wulfe Sponsor Anonymous (2) Mr. Clayton Baird Mr. & Mrs. Gary Beauchamp * Mrs. Ermy Borlenghi Bonfield Ms. Catherine Campbell-Brock & Dr. Gary Brock Ms. Janet F. Clark Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey B. Early Mr. & Mrs. Craig A. Fox * Mr. Frank T. Garcia & Dr. Elizabeth M. Spankus Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Hermance Mr. Jack Holmes * Dr. & Mrs. I. Ray Kirk Mr. & Mrs. Ulyesse J. LeGrange Dr. & Mrs. Daniel E. Lehane Mr & Mrs. Harry Mach Ms. Judi McGee Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan *

Mr. & Dr. Edward C. Osterberg Jr. Nancy & Bob Peiser Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Quoyeser Mr. & Mrs. Albert J. Smith Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber *

Major Patron Mr. Thomas Becker & Mr. Jim Rosenfeld * Mr. Gordon B. Bonfield Mr. Anthony Brigandi Ms. Terry Ann Brown Mr. & Mrs. John R. Dennis III Mr. & Mrs. Osborne J. Dykes III Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Hevrdejs Mr. & Mrs. Frank G. Jones Mr. E. W. Long Jr. The MacDonald-Peterson Foundation Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Tommy O. Mann Mr. & Mrs. C. W. Merchant Mr. & Mrs. James M. Mercurio * Mr. & Mrs. Kirk B. Michael Mrs. Hanni Orton * Mr. & Mrs. J. Dale Ramsey Mr. & Mrs. William J. Rovere Jr. Dr. Margaret Waisman & Dr. Steven S. Callahan Vicki & Paul S. West Mr. & Mrs. Melvyn Wolff Mr. David Zerhusen & Mrs. Kathy Schoff Patron Mr. & Mrs. Willie J. Alexander Mrs. Marty Ambrose Ms. Martha Z. Carnes Dr. Scott Cutler Mrs. Benjamin Danziger Ms. Leslie B. Davidson & Mr. W. Robins Brice Paul & Vickie Davis Mr. & Mrs. Patrick M. Dreckman The Estate of Emma Sue B. Frank Dr. Susan E. Gardner & Dr. Philip D. Scott Robert Lee Gomez Mr. Robert Grant Mr. & Mrs. Anthony W. Hall Jr. Susan & Dick Hansen Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Harrell Mr. & Mrs. Fraser A. McAlpine Mr. & Mrs. John S. Orton Mr. & Mrs. P. C. Peropoulos Mrs. Helen Rosenbaum * Joseph & Holly Rubbo Susan Scarrow Estate of Dorothy Barton Thomas Mr. David Ashley White Mr. & Mrs. David J. Wuthrich * Donor to endowment and working capital Listing as of August 9, 2010

September 2010 39


Backstage Pass. ................................................................................................. Frank Huang, concertmaster Birthplace: Beijing, China; I moved to Houston when I was 7 years old. Education: I moved from Houston to Cleveland to attend the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) when I was 16. I graduated high school there while attending the young artist program, then continued on to finish my bachelor in music degree. After that, I attended The Juilliard School for one year in the artist diploma program. Joined the Houston Symphony: August 2010 Looking forward to in the 2010-2011 Season: I’m especially looking forward to getting to know all the wonderful musicians and staff who are a part of the Houston Symphony family. I’m also looking forward to getting to know my hometown better. Even though I spent part of my childhood here, it’s very different coming back as an adult! Beginnings: I began playing the violin when I came to Houston at age 7, studying with my mother. I initially did not like it at all and would much rather have been outside playing basketball or hanging out with friends, but my mom would not let me quit and convinced me to continue practicing. Even though we had some difficult times and tons of arguments about my music, I’m certain that her dedication and support are a big part of me being where I am now. Earliest musical memory: One of the first things I remember is playing the piano, which I started while I was still in Beijing. I still love it and enjoy playing whenever there’s one around. All in the family: My mother is a violinist; my father is a conductor/ pianist; and I have a very talented younger sister who also plays the violin! Discovering my vocation: My teachers have been the most important influence on me as far as deciding to be a musician. They are, in chronological order: my mother, then Fredell Lack at the University of Houston, then Donald Weilerstein at CIM and, finally, Robert Mann at Juilliard. This past year, I was associate professor of violin and chamber music at the Eastman School of Music, and teaching has become a major part of my life. I’m thrilled to be on the faculty now at the University of Houston, where I had my first violin lessons, and I hope to inspire my students the same way my teachers have inspired me. Best thing about being a musician: The best thing about being a musician is being able to get up in front of people and play music for them. There is no better way to share your emotions and ideas with a room full of complete strangers, in my opinion! Alternative reality: If I was not a professional musician, I’m sure I would still love it and want to be constantly surrounded by music. I could imagine enjoying other careers, however…maybe I could enjoy being one of those people who travel around the world writing reviews about nice restaurants and hotels? Favorite performance piece: I enjoy whatever I’m working on at the moment. I think it’s important to really get to know a piece well enough to understand what it’s about and love it before getting on stage and sharing those ideas with the audience. Musical inspiration: There are too many inspirational composers, musicians and artists to even begin to single anyone out! 40 www.houstonsymphony.org

Current listening: In my iPod right now there’s a very wide range of music! There are a few late Beethoven quartets, some techno that I listen to as I run, some great orchestral works by Strauss and Stravinsky, some hip-hop by Ludacris and Jay-Z, a recording of a concert by my piano trio that will be released on iTunes soon and tons of pieces that I’m currently practicing and learning. Keeping your music making fresh: For me, it’s mainly about constantly experimenting with different ideas and trying to make everything sound spontaneous and natural. Finding the perfect instrument: I am currently looking for my perfect instrument. I have never owned my own violin, so it is probably the one thing I want the most in this world! I have been very fortunate to have had many great instruments loaned to me by foundations or very kind sponsors, but inevitably there comes a day when I have to return them to their owners. It is very painful to part with an instrument, especially if I have had it for a few years, which has happened a few times! Biggest challenge: The most difficult aspect of being a violinist for me is, again, not having a great instrument that I can call my own. Notable moment: There are many moments in my musical career that are memorable, but one in recent history stands out. I will always remember walking onto the stage at the Hollywood Bowl and performing a Sibelius concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for thousands of people! The size of the audience was unforgettable! Pastime and good company: Outside of work, I enjoy many hobbies. I love playing basketball (I’m a very loyal Rockets fan), table tennis, bike rides and eating any kind of food. I can also be happy doing absolutely nothing except sitting in front of a TV!




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