InTune — The Houston Symphony Magazine — December 2017

THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2017

VERY MERRY POPS 20 December 1, 2, 3

HANDEL'S MESSIAH 24

December 14, 15, 16, 17

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS TM 32

IN CONCERT

December 29, 30

InTUNE | D E C E M B E R

2017

Programs

Very Merry Pops

December 1, 2, 3 ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������20 Handel's Messiah

December 14, 15, 16, 17 ������������������������������������������������������������������������24 Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsTM in Concert

December 29, 30 ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32

Features

Letter to Patrons ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������2 The Making of Fantasia ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Bringing Joy to Big Brothers Big Sisters �������������������������������������������� 12 Harry PotterTM Trivia Quiz ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 13 Holiday Favorites �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Backstage Pass with Jonathan Fischer ������������������������������������������� 44

Events

Upcoming Broadcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Giving Societies and Donor Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2018 Wine Dinner: A Legendary "Symphony of Wines" . . . . 17

Your Houston Symphony

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Music Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Orchestra Roster ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5 Houston Symphony Chorus ��������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Staff Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Our Supporters

New Century Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Leadership Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Vision 2025 Implementation Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Houston Symphony Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Young Associates Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Society Board of Trustees ���������������������������������������������������������������������������39 Corporate, Foundation and Government Partners �������������������� 40 Chorus Endowment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Sustainability Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Legacy & Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 In-Kind Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Education and Community Engagement Donors . . . . . . . . . 43

14

Houston Symphony Musicians share their holiday favorites

InTUNE — December 2017 | 1

InTUNE is published by the Houston Symphony.

615 Louisiana, Suite 102, Houston, TX 77002 713.224.4240 | houstonsymphony.org All rights reserved.

InTune is produced by the Houston Symphony’s Marketing and Communications department.

Trazanna Moreno. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Marketing Officer Vanessa Astros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Director, Communications Calvin Dotsey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publications Editor Melanie O'Neill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Publications Designer Editorial Contributors Emily Nelson, Associate Director, Education and Community Programming Elaine Reeder Mayo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editorial Consultant Shweiki Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Printing Ventures Marketing Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertising The activities and projects of the Houston Symphony are funded in part by grants from the City of Houston, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

The Houston Symphony currently records under its own label, Houston Symphony Media Productions, and for Pentatone and Naxos.

Houston Symphony recordings also are available on the Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and Koch International Classics labels.

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.

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LETTER TO PATRONS DECEMBER 2017

For many of us, December is a time to celebrate favorite traditions with family and friends. The Houston Symphony is no exception—from favorite holiday movies to memorable gifts, our musicians share some of their most festive memories on page 14.

Our favorite traditions, of course, are our December concerts. We hope you will continue to make the Houston Symphony part of your holiday tradition with music that is sure to get you into the spirit of the season.

This year, our holiday lineup begins with our Very Merry Pops concerts featuring the multifaceted Megan Hilty, our wonderful Houston Symphony Chorus and our new Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke. Plus, A Grinch Christmas, a family-friendly concert perfect for kids from one to 92. Our annual presentation of Handel’s Messiah continues a 200-yearold Christmas tradition, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsTM in Concert is the perfect way to ring in the New Year.

December is also a time when many of us make decisions on how to invest our philanthropic dollars. I hope this season you will consider a meaningful donation to the Symphony in support of our Harvey Recovery Fund. If together we can raise $2 million by December 31, a generous board member will make an additional gift of $500,000 in support of our beloved orchestra.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this request; we are so fortunate that each one of you is a part of our Symphony family.

From all of us at the Houston Symphony, we wish you happy holidays and a very musical new year.

MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2016

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A MOZART THANKSGIVING November 25, 26,

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Janet F. Clark President, Houston Symphony Society

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ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA

M U S I C D I R E C T O R ROY AND LILLIE CULLEN CHAIR

Houston Symphony Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada began his tenure in the 2014–15 season. He immediately established a dynamic presence on the podium and a deep bond with the musicians of the orchestra. Andrés carefully curates his programs to feature engaging combinations of classical masterworks paired with the music of today, significant artistic collaborations with composers and guest artists, and innovative use of multimedia and visual effects, all in order to make meaningful connections with the audience.

In the 2017–18 season, Andrés continues to engage with audiences both with casual commentary from the stage and discussions with guests in “Behind the Scenes with Andrés” videos. On the recording front, he and the orchestra will soon release a Music of the Americas disc, featuring Gershwin’s An American in Paris, Revueltas’ Sensemayá, Piazzolla’s Tangazo and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, recorded in early 2017. Additional projects with Pentatone include Haydn’s The Creation. In the 2016–17 season, Andrés and the Symphony released the third disc in their critically acclaimed series featuring Dvořák’s last four symphonies, his first commercial recording project with the orchestra.

Born in Medellín, Colombia, Andrés began his musical studies on the violin and started conducting at age 15. At 19, he entered the renowned Vienna Music Academy, where he studied with Uroš Lajovic (pupil of the legendary Hans Swarowsky), and completed his degree with distinction conducting the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Musikverein. Andrés burst onto the international scene with two substitutions with the Vienna Philharmonic: the first, his debut in 2010, standing in for Esa-Pekka Salonen, and then in 2012, substituting for Riccardo Muti at the Musikverein.

Andrés now regularly appears with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome, the Orchestre National de France, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

His engagements for the 2016-17 season featured débuts with the San Francisco Symphony in April and the Berlin Philharmonic in May. Andrés and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony gave a series of concerts as orchestra-in-residence in Vienna and Salzburg, in addition to undertaking tours to Budapest, Warsaw, Monte Carlo, the Dresden Music Festival and across Spain. He also accompanied Colombia's outstanding youth orchestra, the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, on its first European tour, conducting eight concerts in Berlin and Stuttgart, at the Rheingau Music Festival, at the MecklenburgVorpommern Festival and at the styriarte in Graz. Andrés will lead the Houston Symphony on a four-country, eight-city European tour in March 2018, taking the orchestra through some of Europe’s most prestigious concert halls and festivals.

World-renowned violinist and three-time Grammy Award-winner Hilary Hahn will join Andrés and orchestra for all performances.

In addition to his post in Houston, Andrés is chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

4 | Houston Symphony

ROSTER

ORCHESTRA Andrés Orozco-Estrada Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair FIRST VIOLIN Eric Halen, Co-Concertmaster Ellen E. Kelley Chair Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation Chair Marina Brubaker Tong Yan MiHee Chung Sophia Silivos Rodica Gonzalez Ferenc Illenyi Si-Yang Lao Kurt Johnson Christopher Neal Sergei Galperin Anastasia Sukhopara*

DOUBLE BASS Robin Kesselman, Principal David Malone, Associate Principal Mark Shapiro Eric Larson Andrew Pedersen Burke Shaw Donald Howey Michael McMurray FLUTE Aralee Dorough, Principal General Maurice Hirsch Chair Matthew Roitstein, Associate Principal Judy Dines Kathryn Ladner PICCOLO Kathryn Ladner

SECOND VIOLIN MuChen Hsieh, Principal Hitai Lee Mihaela Frusina Annie Kuan-Yu Chen Jing Zheng Martha Chapman Tianjie Lu Tina Zhang Jenna Barghouti* Jordan Koransky* Katrina Bobbs Savitski* Lindsey Baggett*

Community-Embedded Musicians David Connor, double bass Rainel Joubert, violin Anthony Parce, viola Hellen Weberpal, cello

HORN William VerMeulen, Principal Robert Johnson, Associate Principal Jesse Clevenger*, Assistant Principal Brian Thomas Nancy Goodearl Ian Mayton TRUMPET Mark Hughes, Principal George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Chair John Parker, Associate Principal Robert Walp, Assistant Principal TROMBONE Allen Barnhill, Principal Bradley White, Associate Principal Phillip Freeman BASS TROMBONE Phillip Freeman

OBOE Jonathan Fischer, Principal Lucy Binyon Stude Chair Anne Leek, Associate Principal Colin Gatwood Adam Dinitz

TUBA Dave Kirk, Principal TIMPANI Ronald Holdman, Principal Brian Del Signore, Associate Principal

ENGLISH HORN Adam Dinitz

VIOLA Wayne Brooks, Principal Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Legacy Society Chair Joan DerHovsepian, Associate Principal George Pascal, Assistant Principal Wei Jiang Linda Goldstein Sheldon Person Fay Shapiro Daniel Strba Jarita Ng Phyllis Herdliska CELLO Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Janice and Thomas Barrow Chair Christopher French, Associate Principal Anthony Kitai Louis-Marie Fardet Jeffrey Butler Kevin Dvorak Xiao Wong Myung Soon Lee James R. Denton** Yewon Ahn*

Steven Reineke Principal POPS Conductor Robert Franz Associate Conductor, Sponsor, Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge Betsy Cook Weber Director, Houston Symphony Chorus

CLARINET Mark Nuccio, Principal Thomas LeGrand, Associate Principal Christian Schubert Alexander Potiomkin E-FLAT CLARINET Thomas LeGrand

PERCUSSION Brian Del Signore, Principal Mark Griffith Matthew Strauss HARP Megan Conley, Principal KEYBOARD Scott Holshouser, Principal

BASS CLARINET Alexander Potiomkin Tassie and Constantine S. Nicandros Chair

*Contracted Substitute ** On Leave

BASSOON Rian Craypo, Principal Eric Arbiter, Associate Principal Elise Wagner CONTRABASSOON Position Vacant

Orchestra Personnel Manager Michael Gorman

Librarian Thomas Takaro

Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager Shana Bey

Assistant Librarians Hae-a Lee Michael McMurray

Stage Manager Kelly Morgan

Stage Technicians Ritaban Ghosh Jose Rios Ryan Samuelsen David Stennis

InTUNE — December 2017 | 5

CHORUS

HOUSTON SYMPHONY Betsy Cook Weber Director

Anna Diemer Chorus Manager Scott Holshouser Accompanist Tony Sessions Librarian/Stage Manager

The Houston Symphony Chorus, the official choral unit of the Houston Symphony, consists of highly skilled and talented volunteer singers. Over the years, singers in this historic ensemble have learned and performed the world’s great choral-orchestral masterworks under the batons of Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Steven Reineke, Michael Krajewski, Hans Graf, Robert Shaw, Christoph Eschenbach, Peter Schreier, Helmut Rilling and Nicholas McGegan, among many others. In June 2017, the Chorus sang the closing subscription concerts with the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic. The Houston Symphony Chorus holds auditions by appointment and welcomes inquiries from interested singers.

Betsy Cook Weber | Director of the Houston Symphony Chorus Dr. Betsy Cook Weber is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and is also internationally active as a conductor, clinician, adjudicator and lecturer. She is editor of the Betsy Cook Weber choral series with Alliance Music Publishing, and, in 2013, she became the 13th person and first woman to receive the Texas Choral Director Association’s coveted Texas Choirmaster Award.

Choirs under Dr. Weber’s direction have been featured at multiple state and national conventions.

Internationally, she has led choirs in performances and prize-winning competitions in Wales, France, Germany and the Czech Republic. Locally, Dr. Weber has prepared singers for Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli, for early music orchestras Ars Lyrica and Mercury Houston and for touring shows, including NBC’s Clash of the Choirs, Josh Groban, Telemundo’s Latin Grammy’s, Star Wars in Concert and Andrea Bocelli.

Before joining the University of Houston, Dr. Weber taught vocal music, K-12, in public schools. She holds degrees from the University of North Texas, Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ) and the University of Houston.

CHORUS ROSTER Very Merry Pops December 1-3 REHEARSAL CONDUCTOR Janwin OverstreetGoode ROSTER Steve Abercia Jennifer Agbu David Alfaro-Lopez Ramona Alms Yoset Altamirano Lauren Bass Justin Becker Randy Boatright Joanne Bonasso Harvey Bongers Jonathan Bordelon Robyn Branning Nancy Bratic James Bue Christian Bumpous Patricia Bumpus Kimi Butler Susan Casper Tsung Yen Chang Tatiana Chavanelle William Cheadle 6 | Houston Symphony

Swatara Collins Victoria Crossan Diana Davis Keith Dixon Michael Dorn Steve Dukes Paul Ehrsam Raul Enriquez Chris Fair Ian Fetterley Julia FitzGerald Adam Froelich Katie Fry Joseph Frybert Robert Gomez Akash Gulati Susan Hall Jen Hart Scott Hassett Matthew Henderson Eileen Holshouser George Howe Laura Howey Jillian Hughes Sylvia Hysong Timothy Joya Youngjee Kim Karen King-Ellis Nobuhide Kobori Gillian Kruse

Kat Kunz Karen Lach Anthony Larson Brian Lassinger Cindie Lavenda Heather Leal Frank Lopez Sarah Malin Young Katie Marcell Jarrod Martin Lisa Marut-Shriver Qwi Massingill Ken Mathews Carver Mathis Amanda Matthys Sarah McConnell Scott Mermelstein Travis Mohle Jim Moore Janwin Overstreet-Goode Marie Parisot Bill Parker Casey Parrish Katy Parrott Jennifer Paulson Sydney Peltier Charnele Pendarvis Allison Poe Chantel Potvin Julianne Preddy

Lauren Price Jayna Queen Greg Railsback Karen Ramirez Jessica Rangel Linda Renner Gabriel Rio Douglas Rodenberger Carolyn Rogan Grace Roman Tyson Ruhmann Nathaniel Schweitzer Angela Seaman Tony Sessions Jonathan Silbert Christopher Song Dewell Springer Meridith Steiniger Caitlyn Surkein Suzanne Thacker Alisa Tobin Marin Trautman Lisa Trewin Yen-Kuei (Peter) Tu Paul Van Dorn Abby Veliz Jeanna Villanueva Mary Voigt Vicki Westbrook Kat White

Lance Wilcox Lee Williams Victoria Zielinski Richard Zwelling

Handel's Messiah December 14-17 REHEARSAL CONDUCTOR Janet Menzie ROSTER Bob Alban Kelli Amick Joe Anzaldua Stuart Aron R. Ellis Bardin Enrique Barrera Claude Bitner Randy Boatright Harvey Bongers Jonathan Bordelon Robyn Branning Sara Brannon James Bue Christian Bumpous Patricia Bumpus Tsung Yen Chang William Cheadle

Elizabeth Chrisman Holly Churman Nicole Colby Swatara Collins Victoria Crossan Kyle Damron Diana Davis Anna Diemer Michael Dorn Steve Dukes Randy Eckman Paul Ehrsam Raul Enriquez Brianna Fernandez Julia FitzGerald Angelina Fonseca Raymond Fonseca Adam Froelich Katie Fry Michael Gilbert Robert Gomez Hannah Gronseth Will Hailey Julia Hall Scott Hassett Matthew Henderson Megan Henry Catherine Howard Laura Howey Sylvia Hysong

Chorus ROSTER , continued Stephen James Donna Jerz Chris Kersten Youngjee Kim Nobuhide Kobori Elizabeth Kragas Zachary Lewis Benjamin Luss Jarrod Martin Lisa Marut-Shriver Ken Mathews Carver Mathis Amanda Matthys Ben May Sarah McConnell Janet Menzie Scott Mermelstein Travis Mohle Shelby Murphy Robert Nash Theresa Olin Janwin OverstreetGoode Bill Parker Alexandra Parkin Jennifer Paulson Sydney Peltier Benjamin Peters Allison Poe Chantel Potvin Greg Railsback Karen Ramirez Natalia Rawle Emily Reader Linda Renner Douglas Rodenberger Carolyn Rogan Grace Roman Tyson Ruhmann Nathaniel Schweitzer Gary Scullin Angela Seaman Tony Sessions Jeffrey Short

Alexandra Parkin Katy Parrott Jennifer Paulson Sydney Peltier Chantel Potvin Julianne Preddy Jessica Rangel Emily Reader Carolyn Rogan Ryan Stickney Ashley Stouffer Elizabeth Taylor Marin Trautman Abby Veliz Christine Voss Vicki Westbrook Kat White Annie Word

Jeff Simmons Lauren Smith Dewell Springer Mark Standridge Cecilia Sun Suzanne Thacker Alisa Tobin Yen-Kuei (Peter) Tu Ricardo Valle Paul Van Dorn Mary Voigt Christine Voss Lori Wagner Jenny Warkentin Beth Weidler Lee Williams Victoria Zielinski

Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsTM December 29-30

The Houston Symphony thanks supporters of the Chorus Endownment.

For a list of donors, please see page 41.

Jennifer Agbu Kimi Butler Tatiana Chavanelle Nancy Christopherson Ashley Coffey Julia FitzGerald Angelina Fonseca Katura Gilmore Julia Hall Jennifer Harris Laura Howey Sylvia Hysong Karen King-Ellis Cindie Lavenda Heather Leal Sarah Malin Young Amanda Matthys Sarah McConnell Melissa Medina Shelby Murphy Heather Orr

SING

HPM Brings You a Houston Symphony Holiday Soundtrack This month’s broadcasts feature masterpieces by Elgar, Richard Strauss and Rachmaninoff, plus a horn concerto by Oscar-winning composer James Horner. Celebrate the season with the orchestra’s recent performances of Very Merry Pops and Messiah, and then ring in the New Year with an all-Strauss Jr. program!

DECEMBER 2017 BROADCAST SCHEDULE ALL BROADCASTS AIR AT 8PM

December 3 News 88.7 December 7 Classical RECORDED:

January 18-20, 2008

December 10 News 88.7 December 13 Classical RECORDED:

March 31 & April 2, 3, 2016

December 17 News 88.7 December 20 Classical RECORDED:

December 2-4, 2016

WITH US!

December 24 News 88.7 December 27 Classical RECORDED:

December 18-20, 2015

Want to sing with the Houston Symphony?

The Houston Symphony Chorus will have its next round of auditions on Wednesday, January 17.

For more information please contact: Anna Diemer, Chorus Manager at anna.diemer@houstonsymphony.org

Hans Graf, conductor Brinton Averil Smith, cello Beethoven: Overture to Fidelio, Opus 72c Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Opus 85 R. Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie, Opus 64

December 31 News 88.7 January 3 Classical RECORDED:

May 19-21, 2006

Michael Francis, conductor David Pyatt, horn Richard Watkins, horn William VerMeulen, horn Robert Johnson, horn Korngold: The Sea Hawk J. Horner: Concerto for Four Horns and Orchestra (North American première) Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances

Steven Reineke, conductor Santino Fontana, vocalist Jessica Hershberg Fontana, vocalist Houston Symphony Chorus Betsy Cook Weber, director A Very Merry Pops

Nicholas Kraemer, conductor Shannon Mercer, soprano Jennifer Rivera, mezzo-soprano Matthew Plenk, tenor Jonathan Lasch, baritone Houston Symphony Chorus Betsy Cook Weber, director Handel: Messiah Hans Graf, conductor Men of the Houston Symphony Chorus Charles Hausmann, director Salute to Strauss, The Waltz King J. Strauss Jr.: Overtures, waltzes and more

InTUNE — December 2017 | 7

STAFF

ADMINISTRATIVE

The Houston Symphony Administrative Staff is made up of 71 full-time professionals who work diligently behind-the-scenes to ensure all operations within the organization are run effectively and efficiently. This inspiring team is dedicated to bringing the great music of the Houston Symphony to our community.

SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP

FINANCE/ADMINISTRATION/IT/HR

Pam Blaine, Chief of Education and Community Programming Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial Officer Amanda T. Dinitz, Interim Executive Director/

Chief of Strategic Initiatives Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer Trazanna Moreno, Chief Marketing Officer Mary Beth Mosley, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer/

Director, Institutional Giving and Stewardship Molly Simpson, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer/ Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts

Lucy Alejandro, Senior Accountant Caitlin Boake, IT Associate Brittany Eckert, Support Engineer Heather Fails, Manager, Ticketing Database Joel James, Senior HR Manager Janis Pease LaRocque, Manager, Patron Database Mateo Lopez, Finance/HR Associate Anthony Stringer, IT Associate Christian Swearingen, Payroll and Accounts Payable Analyst Justine Townsend, Director of Finance Ariela Ventura, Office Manager/HR Coordinator

Gregg Gleasner, Senior Artistic Advisor David Hyslop, Senior Advisor Christine Kelly-Weaver, Executive Assistant/Board Liaison DEVELOPMENT Michael Arlen, Associate Director,

Individual Giving and Major Gifts Liam Bonner, Manager, Annual Giving Groups Tiffany Bourgeois, Development Associate, Annual Fund Julie Busch, Development Associate, Special Projects &

Liaison to the Chief Development Officer Irma M. Carrillo, Development Manager, Gifts and Records Timothy Dillow, Director, Special Events Noureen Faizullah, Development Director,

Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects Denise Furlough, Manager, Special Events Vickie Hamley, Director, Volunteer Services Sydnee E. Houlette, Development Associate, Institutional Giving Rachel Klaassen, Special Events Associate Leticia Konigsberg, Director, Corporate Relations Michelle Montabana, Development Assistant,

Gifts, Records and Planned Giving Patrick Quinn, Director, Planned Giving Martin Schleuse, Development Communications Manager Sarah Slemmons, Patron Donor Relations Manager Christina Trunzo, Associate Director,

Foundation & Government Grants EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING Keisha Cassel, Manager, Education Allison Conlan, Director, Education Emily Nelson, Associate Director,

Education and Community Programming Ragan Rhodes, Manager of Education and

Community Programming 8 | Houston Symphony

MARKETING/COMMUNICATIONS Vanessa Astros-Young, Senior Director, Communications Calvin Dotsey, Communications Specialist Elizabeth Faulkinberry, Front of House Manager Brian Glass, Marketing Coordinator James Grant, Graphic Designer Kathryn Judd, Director, Marketing Jason Landry, Senior Manager, Patron Services Melanie O'Neill, Creative Specialist Sarah Rendón, Assistant Manager, Patron Services Mireya Reyna, Public Relations Coordinator Vanessa Rivera, Digital Marketing Manager Katie Sejba, Senior Director, Marketing & Sales Marylu Treviño, Digital Communications Manager Linsey Whitehead, Director, Creative Services Jenny Zuniga, Director, Patron Services OPERATIONS/ARTISTIC Shana Bey, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager Carlos Andrés Botero, Musical Ambassador Becky Brown, Director, Operations Anna Diemer, Chorus Manager/Artistic Coordinator Michael Gorman, Orchestra Personnel Manager Hae-A Lee, Assistant Librarian Michael McMurray, Assistant Librarian Lauren Moore, Operations Manager Kelly Morgan, Stage Manager Lesley Sabol, Director, Popular Programming Brad Sayles, Recording Engineer Thomas Takaro, Librarian Meredith Williams, Associate Director, Operations Rebecca Zabinski, Artistic Administrator

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T H E

M A K I N G

O F

F

or many of us, Disney’s Fantasia was our introduction to the playground of the imagination that is the orchestra. Disney himself said, “In a profession that has been an unending voyage of discovery in the realms of color, sound and motion, Fantasia represents our most exciting adventure.” The story of how Disney’s most ambitious and experimental film came to be, however, is as fantastic as the film itself.

In his studio’s early days, Disney had balked when one of his animators expressed an ambition to animate the works of Shakespeare; in general, highfalutin artistic pretensions were alien to him. Cartoons had always been short comedies that depended on visual gags, not literary niceties such as plot and character development. The challenge of producing a featurelength film would change the medium—and Disney—forever; animation was now about storytelling and artistry.

Having been put to work as a teenager in order to help support his family, Walt Disney never completed more than an eighth grade formal education; nevertheless, from an early age, he was determined to be his own boss. Intrigued by the nascent art form of animated films, he went to work for an ad agency, and soon after started his own animation studio in 1921 when he was only 20 years old.

Upon its release in December 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was an unprecedented critical and commercial success. The film broke box office records worldwide; with millions of dollars pouring into his studio’s coffers, Disney was eager for new projects and even grander successes.

Despite some early setbacks, the Disney enterprise would come to dominate the animation industry, thanks in large part to Disney’s competitive drive to stay on the cutting edge of technological innovation. When one examines the evolution of Disney’s early cartoons, the rate at which they increased in sophistication is astounding. By the mid-1930s, the next step was to create the first feature-length animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

10 | Houston Symphony

One of the staples of the Disney studio had been animated shorts called “Silly Symphonies”—cartoons accompanied by music. In the wake of Snow White, Disney wanted to create a more ambitious Silly Symphony using Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, music inspired by an ancient legend first recorded

by Lucian around 200 AD and later retold by Goethe. For this Silly Symphony, which would star Mickey Mouse, Disney wanted the best musical collaborator he could find. After attending one of his concerts in Los Angeles in the late 1930s, Disney knew that Leopold Stokowski was the man for the job.

Stokowski had won fame by transforming the Philadelphia Orchestra into what Rachmaninoff called “the finest orchestra I have ever heard at any time or any place in my whole life.” He molded this ensemble with a famous spirit of innovation that likely appealed to Disney. Plus, by 1937, Stokowski was no stranger to Hollywood, having recently played himself in two films.

Stokowski later recalled the beginning of his collaboration with Disney: “One night I was in California and I had dinner in a restaurant. A man walked in and looked at me and came over and said, ‘I’m Walt Disney. May I talk with you?’” The recording session for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice took place soon after, running from midnight to past 3am. Stokowski explained, “The men drink coffee to keep awake; it makes everybody alert.”

Disney likely saw parallels between himself and Stokowski; just as a conductor does not actually make any sound, Disney himself had stopped animating fairly early on; instead, like a conductor, he inspired, shaped, corrected and oversaw the work of others. He was involved in nearly every step of the creative process, conducting an orchestra of animators.

Disney lavished his studio’s resources on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice until the costs mounted to at least three times the normal budget for a Silly Symphony. To turn a profit, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice needed to be part of a full-length feature; thus Fantasia was born. In the classical tradition, a fantasia is a free-form piece of music that resembles improvisation. The imaginative nature of the project reminded Stokowski of a fantasia, so he suggested the term as a working title for the film.

The name stuck.

Stokowski and members of the Disney team ultimately settled on eight musical selections for the movie. Rejected numbers were shelved for future releases: Disney envisioned that the studio would “make a new version of Fantasia every year,” keeping some numbers the same while introducing new ones.

The highly-anticipated premiere took place on November 13, 1940, in New York City. While the film was praised by the New York Times’ movie critic as “simply terrific—as terrific as anything that has ever happened on a screen,” the film’s returns from its initial release were far short of its lavish cost of $2.3 million. Partly to blame was the start of World War II, which closed European markets that previously accounted for as much as 45 percent of Disney’s revenue.

Combined with the box office failure of Pinocchio and delays on Bambi, the miss put Disney studios in a precarious situation.

Faced with layoffs that would affect at least half of the studio, Disney’s animators went on strike in 1941. Like Mickey’s broomsticks in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Disney’s magic had gotten out of hand.

Though Disney would soon find commercial success again with Dumbo (which employed a much simpler and less expensive style of animation), he would never complete the planned sequels to Fantasia. Reflecting, Disney said, “Oh Fantasia! Well, we made it and I don’t regret it. But if we had to do it all over again, I don’t think we’d do it.”

Nevertheless, the Walt Disney Company continued to rerelease Fantasia, and in 1969, the film finally began to make a profit (perhaps in part due to a timely “psychedelic” advertising campaign). Leopold Stokowski went on to become music director of the Houston Symphony and would live to be 95 (conducting to the end). In later years, he remarked, “I often receive letters from people to say ‘Thank you for doing it (Fantasia) because I was always afraid to go to a concert hall…

When I went to Fantasia I heard the great masters’ music and realized…I enjoyed it.’”

In 1991, the revenue from the first home video release of Fantasia broke records, prompting Disney’s executives to reconsider Walt’s unrealized vision of a sequel. Walt Disney’s nephew, Roy Disney, then spearheaded what would become Fantasia 2000.

Like the original Fantasia, Fantasia 2000 would push animation technology into new frontiers. The Pines of Rome sequence, which features a family of flying whales, pioneered computergenerated animation, and the film was the first commercial fulllength feature to be released in the IMAX format.

Now, 18 years later, Fantasia is experiencing a new revival with what is perhaps its ultimate incarnation: Disney FANTASIA Live in Concert, in which selections from both Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are performed by an orchestra live-topicture. The result is a rare and wonderful experience that is a revelation for both longtime fans of Fantasia and those seeing Disney’s brilliant animations for the first time. —Calvin Dotsey The Houston Symphony presents Disney FANTASIA Live in Concert January 5, 6 and 7, 2018, at Jones Hall. For tickets and more information, visit www.houstonsymphony.org.

General & Mrs. Maurice Hirsch Memorial Concert Fund, Guarantor Margaret Alkek Williams, Underwriter

PRESENTATION LICENSED BY DISNEY CONCERTS © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED InTUNE — December 2017 | 11

Top: Community-Embedded Musicians and Big Brothers Big Sisters families pose together during the 2016 Holiday Celebration.

Middle: Associate Conductor Robert Franz appears in costume to conduct a holiday concert attended by Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Bottom: Anthony Parce, violist, spends some time with a young “Little.”

HOUSTON SYMPHONY

Bringing Joy to Big Brothers Big Sisters

holiday magic

What better way to celebrate the magic of the holiday season than to come together to share some good food and music? That's exactly what the Houston Symphony and Big Brothers Big Sisters does every December.

The Symphony is proud of its long-standing partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters in which we work to enrich the lives of the "Bigs" and "Littles" through the power of music. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer-supported network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles), ages 6 through 14, in communities across the country.

Each year, the Symphony hosts the unmatched "Littles" and their guardians at our Houston Symphony Family Series concerts, so we may revel in the joy of music together. “We have more than 900 children waiting for a special mentor in their lives,” says Josh Hilburn, Volunteer Experience Manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters. “Partnering with Macquarie and the Houston Symphony to throw this holiday party is the perfect opportunity to remind our unmatched Littles and their families that we care about them and want them to have a really special holiday season.”

Breakfast pastries, holiday gifts and pre-concert music from the Houston Symphony Community-Embedded Musicians get everyone in the holiday spirit before the festive Houston Symphony Family Concert!

“We put a high value on building trusting relationships with kids and families who are facing adversity,” says Josh. “The opportunity for those children and their families to attend the Houston Symphony holiday show and party is a life-changing gift.” —Emily Nelson 12 | Houston Symphony

your own knowledge of this magical

H arry P otter TM

film !

Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsTM in Concert comes to Houston on December 29 & 30.

1. Who vomits slugs when his spell accidentally backfires?

2. What object does Hagrid™ conceal the broken parts of his wand in?

3. What is the name of a red letter that bears an angry message as sent by Mrs. Weasley to Ron? 4. What saves Harry, Ron and Fang from being attacked by the spiders in the Forbidden Forest?

5. What is Mr. Filch’s first name?

G et

tickets to

H arry P otter

and the

C hamber

of

S ecrets TM

in

C oncert

today at www . houstonsymphony . org .

HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING`S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s17)

C hallenge

answers: 1. Ron WeasleyTM, 2. Pink Umbrella, 3. A HowlerTM, 4. The flying car, 5. Argus

HOUSTON

SYMPHONY s h a r e

MUSICIANS

holiday favorites Whether it's a song, movie or a distant memory, there is always something that puts us in a festive mood. We surveyed our musicians to see what gets them into the holiday spirit. Season's greetings from all of us at the Houston Symphony!

ROBIN KESSELMAN, principal double bass sponsored by Ralph Burch

Favorite Christmas Movie?

Nightmare Before Christmas.

What is your favorite holiday song?

The entire A Charlie Brown Christmas album.

Do you have any special holiday traditions?

Going to midnight mass, then opening presents at 2am.

Do you have any special or unusual holiday traditions?

My sister and I always got a jar of "Lindsay" brand olives in our stocking.

(Her name is Lindsay.)

SERGEI GALPERIN, first violin

WILLIAM VERMEULEN, principal horn

ANDREW PEDERSEN, double bass sponsored by Barbara J. Burger

What is the most memorable holiday gift you have ever received?

Gameboy 1998

sponsored by Rochelle & Max Levit and Jay & Shirley Marks

Favorite Christmas movie?

It's a Wonderful Life What is your favorite holiday song?

The Christmas Song

14 | Houston Symphony

sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan

What is the most memorable holiday gift you have ever received?

My brother made a homemade chopperstyle bicycle for me when I was 10 years old. Must have taken weeks to put it together and find the parts. Was one of the few acts of kindness I remember from him. He passed away now more than 22 years ago.

JARITA NG, viola What is your favorite holiday song?

All of them! I sing them so much during the year that my colleagues in the viola section tell me to keep quiet.

Favorite Christmas Movie?

A Christmas Story, especially the ending.

Because I love singing Christmas songs, and I'm Chinese, I really enjoy singing the "Farararara" part.

ELISE WAGNER, bassoon sponsored by Rita & Paul Morico

What is your favorite holiday song?

Feliz Navidad because my friends change the words to Elise Navidad. It's goofy.

Favorite Christmas movie?

The Muppet Christmas Carol What is the most memorable holiday gift you have ever received?

When I was 6, my father surprised me with a cat.

I was so happy, tears flowed.

Cinammon lived to a ripe old age of 16!

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InTUNE — December 2017 | 15

REINEKE

POPS

Takes the Reins 2017-18: The Inaugural Season of Principal POPS Conductor Steven Reineke

Celebrate Steven Reineke’s inaugural season as Principal POPS Conductor by making a gift to the Houston Symphony this winter. It’s the generosity of our donors that helps us serve Houstonians with artistic excellence and innovation season after season.

To learn more, contact Tiffany Bourgeois, at 713.337.8559 or tiffany.bourgeois@houstonsymphony.org.

To Make Your Gift, Visit

houstonsymphony.org/donate or text “music” to 41444

GIVING SOCIETIES

and donor benefits

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE • $25,000+ This distinguished group of supporters receives customized benefits and recognition tailored to their annual support. These generous donors play a crucial role in the Symphony’s success, designating their support to concerts, special projects or educational activities or as unrestricted gifts.

CONDUCTOR'S CIRCLE • $5,000-$24,999 This dedicated group of supporters receives benefits such as premier reserved donor seating, recognition in the Houston Symphony magazine InTune, Green Room access and complimentary valet parking for all Houston Symphony Classical, BBVA Compass POPS and Special concerts at Jones Hall.

FRIENDS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY • $50-$4,999 Grand Patron: $2,500-$4,999

• One-time pass to the Green Room

• One-time valet parking pass

• All benefits at the Patron level (Fair Market Value $120) Patron: $1,500-$2,499

• Season access to the Patron Donor Lounge

• Invitation to a Houston Symphony "Insider Event"

• All benefits at the Director level (Fair Market Value $100) Director: $1,000-$1,499

• One-time pass to the Patron Donor Lounge

• Invitation to an additional private rehearsal (three total)

• All benefits at the Principal level (Fair Market Value $10)

Principal: $500-$999

• Invitation to a “Behind the Scenes” experience

• All benefits at the Associate Principal level (No Fair Market Value) Associate Principal: $250-$499

• Invitation to an additional private rehearsal (two total)

• All benefits of the Member level (No Fair Market Value) Member: $100-$249

• Houston Symphony Society membership, including

voting privileges at the Annual Meeting

• Invitation to one private rehearsal

• All benefits of the Friend level (No Fair Market Value) Friend: $50-$99

• Subscription to Symphony Notes newsletter

• 10% discount on Symphony Store (No Fair Market Value)

QUESTIONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP CIRCLE OR CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE? PLEASE CONTACT: Molly Simpson, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer/ Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts at molly.simpson@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8526 QUESTIONS ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY? PLEASE CONTACT: Tiffany Bourgeois, Development Associate, Annual Fund at tiffany.bourgeois@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8559 16 | Houston Symphony

HOUSTON SYMPHONY 2018 WINE DINNER AND COLLECTOR’S AUCTION

Friday, January 26, 2018 6:30 pm Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts Benefiting the Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Programming Elizabeth and Alan Stein, Chairs Beth Madison, Honorary Chair Robert Weiner, Collector’s Auction Chair

Principal Corporate Guarantor

Exclusive Print Media Sponsor

For table and ticket information, contact Rachel Klaassen, Associate, Special Events at rachel.klaassen@houstonsymphony.org or 713.337.8520.

(Limited Availability) www.houstonsymphony.org/winedinner

InTUNE — December 2017 | 17

New Century Society FOR ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION The New Century Society for Artistic Excellence and Innovation recognizes the Houston Symphony’s most committed and loyal supporters who have pledged their leadership support over a three-year period to help secure the orchestra’s financial future.

For more information or to pledge your support for New Century Society, please contact: Mary Beth Mosley, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Institutional Giving and Stewardship, 713.337.8521 Molly Simpson, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts, 713.337.8526 Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge Margaret Alkek Williams Janice Barrow Rochelle & Max Levit Cora Sue & Harry Mach John & Lindy Rydman / Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/ Spec’s Charitable Foundation Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Clare Attwell Glassell Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Jim R. Smith Mike Stude Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor

Robin Angly & Miles Smith Gary & Marian Beauchamp Barbara J. Burger The Hearst Foundation, Inc. The Joan and Marvin Kaplan Foundation Joella & Steven P. Mach Mr. & Mrs. J. Stephen Marks Barbara & Pat McCelvey Houston Methodist Ron Franklin & Janet Gurwitch Carol & Michael Linn & The Michael C. Linn Family Foundation Rand Group Mr. & Mrs. William K. Robbins Jr. / The Robbins Foundation Steven & Nancy Williams

Baker Botts L.L.P. Beauchamp Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Blackburne Jr. Viviana & David Denechaud/ Sidley Austin LLP Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes and Cemetaries of the Greater Houston Area Dave & Alie Pruner Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Wells Fargo

Leadership COUNCIL Leadership Council donors have committed $45,000 or more in support of the Annual Fund, special projects and fundraising events over a three-year period ($15,000+ annually).

Danielle & Josh Batchelor Mr. & Mrs. Walter V. Boyle Justice Brett & Erin Busby Billy & Christie McCartney Mr. Richard Danforth Gene & Linda Dewhurst The Elkins Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Fred L. Gorman Christina & Mark C. Hanson Mr. & Mrs. U. J. LeGrange Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis The Melbern G. and Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation Rita & Paul Morico

Mr. John N. Neighbors Susan & Edward Osterberg Gloria & Joe Pryzant Ken* & Carol Lee Robertson Michael J. Shawiak Lisa & Jerry Simon Stephen & Kristine Wallace

For more information or to pledge your support for the Leadership Council, please contact:

Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber Robert G. Weiner & Toni Blankmann Mr. & Mrs. C. Clifford Wright Jr. *deceased

Mary Beth Mosley, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Institutional Giving and Stewardship, 713.337.8521 Molly Simpson, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts, 713.337.8526

18 | Houston Symphony

EARLY ADOPTERS Vision 2025 Implementation Fund Vision 2025, the Houston Symphony’s ten-year Strategic Plan, will allow the Houston Symphony to be America’s most relevant and accessible top-ten orchestra by 2025.

Vision 2025 was kick-started by early adopters in 2015. The Houston Symphony recognizes and thanks the following Early Adopters for their initial investments in support of our ambitious vision.

Vision 2025 Implementation Fund The Vision 2025 Implementation Fund will catalyze the transformative growth outlined within Vision 2025. The Houston Symphony recognizes and thanks the following supporters of the Vision 2025 Implementation Fund.

OPERATING SUPPORT Rochelle & Max Levit Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Barbara J. Burger John & Lindy Rydman/ Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/ Spec’s Charitable Foundation Anonymous C. Howard Pieper Foundation Clare Attwell Glassell Janet F. Clark The Brown Foundation, Inc. The Joan & Marvin Kaplan Foundation Mr. John N. Neighbors Barbara & Pat McCelvey Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge Joella & Steven P. Mach Clive Runnells in memory of Nancy Morgan Runnells Beauchamp Foundation Lisa & Jerry Simon League of American Orchestras' Futures Fund BBVA Compass Robin Angly & Miles Smith Drs. Dennis & Susan Carlyle LTR Lewis Cloverdale Foundation Jay & Shirley Marks Vivian L. Smith Foundation Nancy & Robert Peiser Dave & Alie Pruner

Mr. Jay Steinfield & Mrs. Barbara Winthrop Michael J. Shawiak

Spir Star, Ltd. Shirley Wolff Toomim Daisy S. Wong / JCorp

Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan The Boeing Company Justice Brett & Erin Busby Ron Franklin & Janet Gurwitch Carol & Michael Linn and The Michael C. Linn Family Foundation Beth Madison Rita & Paul Morico Ms. Ellen A. Yarrell, in memory of Virginia S. Anderson and in honor of Cora Sue Mach

Brad & Joan Corson Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Estate of Freddie L. Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Marvy A. Finger Eugene Fong Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth & Dr. Kenneth J. Hyde Mr. Jackson D. Hicks Mr. & Mrs. U. J. LeGrange Gary Mercer Mike Stude Stephen & Kristine Wallace Texas Commission on the Arts

Robert G. Weiner & Toni Blankmann Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn Evan B. Glick Viviana & David Denechaud Christina & Mark C. Hanson Debbie & Frank G. Jones Dr. Stewart Morris Donna & Tim Shen Tad & Suzanne Smith Judith Vincent

PLANNED AND ENDOWMENT GIFTS

Vicki West & Mrs. Liv Estrada Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation BB&T / Courtney & Bill Toomey Marzena & Jacek Jaminski Cora Sue & Harry Mach Catherine & Bob Orr Mrs. Sybil F. Roos

Dr. & Mrs. George J. Abdo Robin Angly James Barton Paul M. Basinski Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Michael J. Shawiak C. Howard Pieper Foundation Dr. James E. & Betty W. Key The Hon. Stella G. & Richard C. Nelson Tad & Suzanne Smith Susan Gail Wood The Estate of Dorothy H. Grieves The Estate of David L. Hyde

EARLY ADOPTERS Margaret Alkek Williams Janice Barrow The Brown Foundation, Inc. Cora Sue & Harry Mach Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation Joella & Steven P. Mach Rochelle & Max Levit Steven & Nancy Williams Robin Angly & Miles Smith Carol & Michael Linn & The Michael C. Linn Family Foundation The Hearst Foundation, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Baker Botts L.L.P. Nancy & Robert Peiser Barbara & Pat McCelvey The Robert & Janice McNair Foundation / Palmetto Partners, Ltd. John & Lindy Rydman / Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods/ Spec’s Charitable Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis Billy & Christie McCartney Mr. & Mrs. Jim R. Smith Danielle & Josh Batchelor BBVA Compass Dave & Alie Pruner

For more information or to pledge your support for Vision 2025, please contact: Amanda T. Dinitz, Interim Executive Director/Chief of Strategic Initiatives, 713.337.8541 Mary Beth Mosley, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Institutional Giving and Stewardship, 713.337.8521 Molly Simpson, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts, 713.337.8526

InTUNE — December 2017 | 19

FEATURED PROGRAM

VERY MERRY POPS Friday Saturday Sunday

December 1, 2017 December 2, 2017 December 3, 2017

8:00pm 8:00pm 2:30 & 7:30pm

Jones Hall

Steven Reineke, conductor Megan Hilty, vocalist Houston Symphony Chorus

Betsy Cook Weber, director Arr. J. Stephenson J. Herman/R. Wendel E. Pola-J. Wyle/J. Kessler F. Bernard/T. Berens M. Tormé-R. Wells/A. Podd M. Leontovich/D. Hamilton Arr. J. Clurman-L. HockmanB. S. Mitchell Berlin/Berens Berlin/S. Shoup H. Martin-R. Blane/A. Podd

Holiday Overture We Need a Little Christmas from Mame It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Winter Wonderland lyrics by Richard B. Smith

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire) Carol of the Bells Songs of Freedom: A Celebration of Hanukkah I Oh Hanukkah! Oh Hanukkah!: Allegro, with joy— V Haneirot Halalu: Andantino con moto, with tenderness— VI Maoz Tsur (Rock of My Salvation): Maestoso, with jubilation Count Your Blessings from White Christmas Snow from White Christmas Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas I N T E R M I S S I O N

J. Williams J. Javits-P. Springer/M. Podd J. Mitchell/Shoup V. Guaraldi/T. Firth J. Beal-J. Boothe/Reineke Arr. D. Chase A. Menken-L. Ahrens/ C. McKonly W. Kent-K. Gannon-B. Ram/ Reineke Arr. Stephenson A. Adam/M. Podd Arr. Reineke 20 | Houston Symphony

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas from Home Alone

lyrics by Leslie Bricusse

Santa Baby River Linus and Lucy from A Charlie Brown Christmas Jingle Bell Rock The First Nowell A Place Called Home from A Christmas Carol I'll Be Home for Christmas A Charleston Christmas O Holy Night Christmas Sing-Along

Did you know?

• The Christmas Song (“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”) was written

by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells in about 40 minutes during a particularly hot summer’s day in 1945. The two were trying to cool off by thinking about winter.

When surveyed, Houston Symphony musicians most frequently cited it as their favorite Christmas song.

• When asked which orchestral instrument she would most like to play, Megan Hilty responded, “I'd definitely play the cello. The sound is hauntingly beautiful, and I'd get a great workout carrying one around!”

Very Merry Pops | Program Biographies

Program BIOGRAPHIES These performances are generously supported in part by: Sponsor Mr. & Mrs. U.J. Le Grange Partner Mr. & Mrs. Fred L. Gorman

Video enhancement of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation through a special gift celebrating the foundation’s 50th anniversary in 2015.

Steven Reineke | conductor Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America's leading conductors of popular music.

In addition to being Principal POPS Conductor at the Houston Symphony, Steven is the music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and principal pops conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He previously held the posts of principal pops conductor of the Long Beach and Modesto Symphony Orchestras and associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and has been on the podium with the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia. His extensive North American conducting appearances include San Francisco, Seattle, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Vancouver, Ottawa (National Arts Centre), Detroit, Milwaukee and Calgary.

On stage, Steven has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television and rock, including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra—in a first for the show’s 45-year history—performing live music excerpts between news segments.

As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.

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

InTUNE — December 2017 | 21

Program BIOGRAPHIES , continued

Megan Hilty | vocalist

NATHAN JOHNSON

Megan Hilty is most recognizable for her portrayal of seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn in NBC’s musical drama Smash. She followed up the series with a starring role on the comedy Sean Saves the World.

Last spring, Megan received critical acclaim for her role of Brooke Ashton in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Noises Off. She earned nominations for a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award and won a Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Featured Actress in a Play. Her television credits include guest-starring roles in Melissa & Joey, Bones, The Closer, Desperate Housewives, CSI, Shark, Ugly Betty, Eli Stone and The Suite Life of Zach & Cody.

Megan regularly performs with orchestras across the country and her solo show—including her sold-out Carnegie Hall debut—has received critical acclaim. She recently released an album of songs from her latest concert tour entitled Megan Hilty Live at the Café Carlyle and a Christmas album entitled A Merry Little Christmas with Megan Hilty.

A native of Seattle, Megan moved to New York City after graduating from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, and quickly made her Broadway debut as Glinda in Wicked. She went on to perform the role in both the national tour and in Los Angeles.

Founded by Monzer Hourani, the Medistar Corporation is a full-service real estate development company specializing in the design, development, financing and construction of medical office buildings and other medical facilities for the healthcare industry, as well as corporate developments and corporate facilities.

Working personally in consort with all governmental and regulatory agencies, Medistar is dedicated to producing exceptional buildings.

The company's continued success in developing dynamic medical facilities is due to its solid working relationships with physicians, healthcare companies and large hospital chains, which have been developed over many years.

Medistar gives its undivided attention to the development of quality exterior and interior design schemes. With its vast experience in design, development, and construction and the total coordination and control of these disciplines through an intrinsic management organization, Medistar successfully produces the most economical medical buildings available while maintaining excellent quality.

22 | Houston Symphony

InTUNE — December 2017 | 23

FEATURED PROGRAM

HANDEL'S MESSIAH Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

December 14, 2017 December 15, 2017 December 16, 2017 December 17, 2017

*Paul Agnew, conductor Yulia Van Doren, soprano *Daniel Taylor, countertenor *Sam Levine, tenor *Alex Rosen, bass Houston Symphony Chorus

Betsy Cook Weber, director *Houston Symphony debut

24 | Houston Symphony

8:00pm 8:00pm 8:00pm 2:30pm

Sugar Land Baptist Church Jones Hall

Handel/J. Tobin

Messiah ca. 2:25

Part the First Symphony: Grave—Allegro moderato Accompagnato (Tenor): Comfort ye, my people: Larghetto e piano Air (Tenor): Ev’ry valley shall be exalted: Andante Chorus: And the Glory of the Lord: Allegro Accompagnato (Bass): Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Air (Countertenor): But who may abide the day of His coming?: Larghetto—Prestissimo Chorus: And He shall purify the sons of Levi: Allegro Recitative (Countertenor): Behold, a virgin shall conceive— Air (Countertenor) and Chorus: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion: Andante Accompagnato (Bass): For behold, darkness shall cover the earth: Andante larghetto Air (Bass): The people that walked in darkness: Larghetto Chorus: For unto us a Child is Born: Andante allegro Pifa: Larghetto e mezzo piano Recitative (Soprano): There were shepherds abiding in the field— Accompagnato (Soprano): And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them: Andante Recitative (Soprano): And the angel said unto them— Accompagnato (Soprano): And suddenly there was with the angel: Allegro— Chorus: Glory to God in the highest: Allegro Air (Soprano): Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: Allegro Recitative (Countertenor): Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d— Duet (Soprano and Countertenor): He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: Larghetto Chorus: His yoke is easy, His burthen is light: Allegro I N T E R M I S S I O N Part the Second Chorus: Behold the Lamb of God: Largo Air (Countertenor): He was despised and rejected: Largo Chorus: Surely, He hath borne our griefs: Largo e staccato— Chorus: And with His stripes we are healed: Alla breve, moderato— Chorus: All we like sheep have gone astray: Allegro moderato Accompagnato (Tenor): All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn: Larghetto Chorus: He trusted in God: Allegro Accompagnato (Tenor): Thy rebuke hath broken His heart: Largo Arioso (Tenor): Behold, and see if there be any sorrow: Largo e piano Accompagnato (Tenor): He was cut off out of the land of the living— Air (Tenor): But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell: Andante larghetto Chorus: Lift up your heads, O ye gates: A tempo ordinario Air (Soprano): How beautiful are the feet: Larghetto Air (Bass): Why do the nations so furiously rage together?: Allegro— Chorus: Let us break their bonds asunder: Allegro e staccato Recitative (Tenor): He that dwelleth in Heaven— Air (Tenor): Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron: Andante Chorus: Hallelujah: Allegro Part the Third Air (Soprano): I know that my Redeemer liveth: Larghetto Chorus: Since by man came death: Grave—Allegro Accompagnato (Bass): Behold, I tell you a mystery Air (Bass): The trumpet shall sound: Pomposo, ma non allegro Chorus: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain: Largo—Amen: Allegro moderato

These performances are generously supported in part by: Supporter Terry Ann Brown

The Classical Season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham.

Video enhancement of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation through a special gift celebrating the foundation’s 50th anniversary in 2015.

This concert is being recorded for future broadcasts on Houston Public Media News 88.7 airing on Sundays at 8pm and streaming online at houstonpublicmedia.org.

InTUNE — December 2017 | 25

Program BIOGRAPHIES

DENIS ROUVRE

Paul Agnew is in continuous demand as an outstanding interpreter of the baroque and pre-classical repertoire.

His long association with the world’s leading conductors in the field of early music includes a discography of more than 100 recordings. Born in Glasgow, he was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford before embarking on an acclaimed vocal career that has taken him throughout the world.

His transition to a conducting career began following a highly successful debut with Les Arts Florissants in Paris in 2007, when William Christie appointed him joint musical director of the orchestra; he has since led the orchestra on tour to the Vienna Konzerthaus; throughout France; and to Salzburg, China and Lincoln Center. Paul is actively engaged in the training of the next generation of musicians through his work with Orchestre Français des Jeunes Baroque and Le Jardin des Voix. He has conducted Le Concert d'Astrée, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Atelier of the Opéra National de Paris, Opéra de Rennes, the Theatre an der Wien in Vienna, the Opera-Comique in Paris and London’s Early Opera Company.

This season, Paul’s engagements as guest conductor in the United States include the Houston Symphony, Portland Baroque Orchestra and Music of the Baroque in Chicago. Other recent engagements include appearances at the Staatstheater Nürnberg, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Helsinki, The Juilliard School, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony and the Seattle Symphony.

As joint musical director of Les Arts Florissants, he continues to present the complete cycle of Monteverdi Madrigals in concert.

Spread over nearly 100 concerts, this monumental project continues into 2017/18. The three recordings that have resulted from this project have received high critical acclaim, including four stars from The Guardian, “Editor's Choice” from Gramophone magazine and "Choc du mois" from Classica.

At the forefront of the revival of the French baroque repertoire, Paul Agnew made his critically-acclaimed debut singing the titlerole in Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie at the Palais Garnier in Paris conducted by Christie. He continues to perform demanding hautecontre roles worldwide.

Yulia Van Doren | soprano

ANDREW SCHAFF

Paul Agnew | conductor

Recognized by Opera as “a star-to-be” following her Lincoln Center debut, young Russian-American soprano Yulia Van Doren’s debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra was acclaimed as a “revelation...a ravishing lyric voice and an ease with vocal ornamentation that turned her into an enchanted songbird” (Toronto Star).

Highlighting Yulia’s 2017-18 season are appearances with the Colorado Symphony, Music of the Baroque, her return to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and performances of Handel’s Messiah here and with Early Music Vancouver and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.

Career highlights include creating the lead female role in the world premiere of Shostakovich’s Orango with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, directed by Peter Sellars and released on Deutsche Grammophon; two Grammy-nominated opera recordings with the Boston Early Music Festival; the modern revival of Monsigny’s opera Le roi et le fermier at Roya Opera of Versailles, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center (recorded for Naxos); a tour of Handel’s Orlando with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra to the Mostly Mozart, Ravinia and Tanglewood festivals; a leading role in Scarlatti’s Tigrane at Opéra de Nice; nationally-televised performances at the Cartagena International Music Festival with soprano Dawn Upshaw; and creating a leading role in the world premiere staging of Lera Auerbach’s The Blind in the Lincoln Center Festival. Yulia has performed with the majority of the North American Baroque festivals and orchestras, and has the distinction of being the only singer awarded a top prize in all four U.S. Bach vocal competitions.

Other recent debuts and engagements include performances with orchestras in San Francisco, Toronto, Houston, Cincinnati, Nashville, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Cleveland; Los Angeles Master Chorale; Washington, D.C.’s Folger Consort; and two trips to the Netherlands for performances with the Radio Chamber Philharmonic.

Born in Moscow, Yulia Van Doren was raised in the United States in a music-filled household in which she and her seven younger siblings were taught by her Russian mezzo-soprano mother and American jazz pianist father. She is honored to be an Astral Artist, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow and the recipient of a Beebe Grant.

Learn more at www.yuliavandoren.com.

26 | Houston Symphony

MARIE-REINE MATTERA

Handel's Messiah | Program Biographies

Daniel Taylor | countertenor

Sam Levine | tenor

An exclusive recording artist for Sony Classical, Daniel Taylor is one of the most sought-after countertenors in the world. His discography of more than 100 recordings includes the 2017 Juno Award-nominated Four Thousand Winter with The Trinity Choir; Bach Cantatas with the Monteverdi Choir; Renaissance duets with James Bowman and Ralph Fiennes; and Sakamoto’s pop-opera, Life, with the Dalai Lama and Salman Rushdie. Daniel can also be heard on recordings of Bach’s St. John Passion with The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, a soundtrack with Cirque du Soleil and a recital recording for Sony entitled Come Again, Sweet Love.

Sam Levine has emerged as a “wonderfully appealing,” “ardent tenor” (The New York Times), making a name for himself across a wide variety of repertoire. A recent recipient of the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at The Juilliard School, he appeared in the 2016-17 season as Váňa Kudrjaš in Káťa Kabanová at Juilliard, as Joe and Marcus in the world premiere of Three Way at Nashville Opera and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lurcanio in R.B. Schlather’s workshop production of Ariodante at National Sawdust, as El Remendado with Boston Lyric Opera, as Don José in Carmen with Bay Chamber Concerts, and as Viktor Frankenstein in Matthew Ozawa’s production of Frankenstein at West Edge Opera. In addition to this Houston Symphony debut, others include Opera Philadelphia and Opera Columbus.

He has received invitations from preeminent ensembles, appearing in opera (Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne, San Francisco, Rome, Welsh National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opera North, Montreal Opera and Munich), oratorio (Gabrieli Consort, Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, Bach Collegium Japan, Les Arts Florissants, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The King’s Consort), symphonic works (Cleveland, St. Louis, Lisbon, Philadelphia, Zurich, Toronto, Gothenburg, Rotterdam, Montreal); recital (Vienna Konzerthaus; Frick Collection and Carnegie Hall, New York; Forbidden Concert Hall, Beijing; Lufthansa Baroque Festival; and Wigmore Hall, London) and film (Podeswa’s The Five Senses—Cannes and Genie winner). Daniel was featured in the world premiere of Robert Lepage’s production of Adès’ The Tempest, as well as Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Daniel also sang at a Pow-Wow of First Nations in Alberta and on Parliament Hill for Queen Elizabeth and the Prime Minister of Canada. He appeared on German television for the Prime Minister of Germany, on Spanish television for the Queen of Spain and in a recital for the King and Queen of Sweden.

He is head of Early Music and professor of Voice at the University of Toronto, visiting professor at the University of Ottawa and an artist-in-residence at the L'Opéra de Montréal. Daniel is founder, artistic director and conductor of the Choir and Orchestra of the Theatre of Early Music, which performs more than 30 concerts every year around the world. He is also artistic director of the Quebec International Sacred Music Festival.

A champion of new and contemporary music, Sam has appeared in James MacMillan’s Clemency with Boston Lyric Opera, John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Wexford Festival Opera, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Last Savage with The Santa Fe Opera, Olga Neuwirth’s Lost Highway at the Miller Theater, Jack Perla’s River of Light with Houston Grand Opera East + West, Lembit Beecher’s I Have No Stories to Tell You at Gotham Chamber Opera and Opera Philadelphia, Three Way with Nashville Opera, American Opera Projects and BAM. In concert, he has sung Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Bernstein’s Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Vaughan Williams’ On Wenlock Edge, Bach’s Cantata 163 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; he has appeared with New York Festival of Song, Tanglewood Music Festival, the Orchestra Sinfonico di Milano, Chicago Symphony Center and Harris Theater, and at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall.

He has won awards from Opera Index, Inc., the Liederkanz Foundation and the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation.

An alumnus of the young artist training programs of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Santa Fe Opera and Tanglewood Music Festival, Sam holds degrees from Yale University and The Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. He lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with his wife, American mezzo-soprano Cecelia Hall.

Visit www.theatreofearlymusic.com.

InTUNE — December 2017 | 27

Program BIOGRAPHIES , continued

Program NOTES

Alex Rosen | bass

Messiah Bass Alex Rosen, a native of La Cañada, California, is a second-year candidate for the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies at The Juilliard School, studying with Edith Wiens.

Prior to his arrival in New York, he was twice a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera Company and a Fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute.

With Juilliard415, he sang under William Christie, in concerts including excerpts from the operas of Rameau and Monteverdi's Il ballo delle ingrate. He sang as the bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and the role of Dikój in Juilliard’s production of Kát'a Kabanová with the Juilliard Orchestra. This season at Juilliard, he will sing the roles of Sir John Falstaff in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor and Thésée in Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie. Also this season, in addition to these concerts, he will sing Handel’s Messiah with the Portland Baroque Orchestra, the role of Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea with Cincinnati Opera, and Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Acis and Galatea with Les Arts Florissants.

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28 | Houston Symphony

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Backstory Though German by birth, George Frideric Handel won fame as London’s leading composer of Italian opera, but by 1741, opera was waning in popularity. Just as Handel’s finances were becoming precarious, Charles Jennens, an ardent admirer of Handel’s music, sent him a text compiled of favorite bible verses, hoping it would inspire a piece of music that would “excell all his former Compositions, as the Subject excells every other Subject. The Subject…is Messiah.”

Handel composed the initial draft of Messiah in just 24 days and then accepted an invitation to present a series of concerts in Dublin. Messiah was first performed there as the grand finale of this concert series on April 13, 1742, and became an instant classic.

Handel donated the proceeds from the premiere to local charities, and upon his subsequent return to London, he devoted himself to composing other biblically-inspired works for the rest of his life.

Handel’s Style Messiah is an oratorio, a grand work for soloists, chorus and orchestra usually inspired by a biblical story. Messiah features four types of solo voices: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The alto part can be sung by a mezzo-soprano, contralto or countertenor, a male singer who specializes in singing falsetto. England has a long countertenor tradition. At the Dublin premiere, the music for alto was divided between male and female soloists.

In Handel’s day, vocal agility in singing was highly prized. Fast passages of vocal fireworks are known as coloratura, Italian for “coloring.” Messiah is full of many challenging coloratura passages for both the soloists and chorus.

Another hallmark of Handel’s style is his mastery of counterpoint, the art of weaving different melodies together simultaneously. In Messiah, counterpoint is most clearly on display in fugues. One can always recognize a fugue by the way it begins: the main melodic idea first appears alone, then in each of the other parts one by one, creating an increasingly complex texture. The first fugue in Messiah appears in the instrumental overture after a stately introduction.

Word painting occurs when music depicts the literal meanings of the words being sung. One famous example appears in the tenor’s air “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted.” On the word “exalted,” Handel writes a long coloratura that gradually rises. Thus, the melody is exalted along with the valleys. This is just one of many examples of word painting to be discovered in Messiah.

Recitatives, Airs and Choruses Messiah is divided into pieces of music that can be categorized into three main types: recitatives, airs and choruses.

Handel's Messiah | Program Notes

The simplest type is the recitative. Derived from the same root as the English word “recite,” recitative is a kind of sing-speaking often used for narration. The musical accompaniment allows Handel to heighten the effect of the words. Recitatives are normally written for a soloist accompanied by a small group of instruments. When a recitative is accompanied by the full ensemble, Handel calls it an accompagnato. One example is the opening “Comfort ye my people” for tenor.

The second kind is the air. Airs are more melodic than recitatives and usually have only a few words that are repeated as the music evolves. In Messiah, airs allow the soloists to reflect on the biblical narrative with great emotion. Occasionally, an air will feature two soloists, in which case it is called a duet. Airs often have an A-B-A structure, in which identical outer sections surround a contrasting middle section. One example is the countertenor’s air “But who may abide the day of his coming?” An arioso is an air-recitative hybrid; ariosos are more melodic than recitatives, but more speech-like than airs.

The last type is the chorus. Handel’s choral numbers display great variety and range from simple, direct statements to complex fugues.

Highlights Messiah is divided into three parts: Part the First focuses on prophesies of the birth of Jesus and the Christmas story; Part the Second on Jesus’ death and resurrection; and Part the Third on his reign in heaven and the coming of the kingdom of heaven on earth.

In addition to the numbers mentioned above, one especially vivid sequence in Part the First depicts the annunciation to the shepherds. The scene begins with an instrumental Pifa. A bagpipelike drone conjures images of an evening in the countryside with shepherds watching their flocks. In the following accompagnato for soprano, the violins begin a shimmering accompaniment, perhaps depicting heavenly light or the fluttering of angels’ wings. After the angel delivers the good news, the chorus, in the guise of a multitude of angels, sings “Glory to God.” Amid the many expressive numbers in Part the Second, two choruses stand out. “And with His stripes we are healed” is a dramatic fugue that would later influence Mozart when he wrote the Kyrie to his Requiem. Of course, the most famous number in Messiah is the famed “Hallelujah Chorus,” a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus which concludes Part the Second.

Part the Third features a theatrical accompagnato for the bass soloist, “Behold, I tell you a mystery,” which relates the resurrection of the dead at the end of the world as described by St. Paul. The following air, “The trumpet shall sound,” appropriately features a trumpet solo in reference to the last trumpet on judgment day. The final chorus is a glorious fugue on just one word: “Amen.”

The Instruments: 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 trumpets, timpani, harpsichord, organ and strings —Calvin Dotsey

did you know?

MESSIAH'S PREMIERE At the premiere of Messiah, the chorus included singers from St. Patrick’s cathedral, who were reluctantly given permission to perform by none other than the famous satirist Jonathan Swift, who was the cathedral’s rather grouchy and unmusical dean. Tickets for the premiere sold so well that advertisements advised ladies not to wear their hoop skirts and gentlemen to leave their swords at home so that there would be more room in the concert hall.

One can imagine the scene from a description of Handel offered by his contemporary Charles Burney: “Handel wore an enormous white wig, and, when things went well…it had a certain nod, or vibration, which manifested his pleasure and satisfaction.” One review of Messiah ’s premiere read: “On Tuesday last Mr. Handel's Sacred Grand Oratorio, the Messiah, was performed at the New Musick-Hall in Fishamble-street; the best Judges allowed it to be the most finished piece of Musick. Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crouded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear. It is but Justice to Mr. Handel, that the World should know, he generously gave the Money arising from this Grand Performance, to be equally shared by the Society for relieving Prisoners, the Charitable Infirmary, and Mercer's Hospital, for which they will ever greatly remember his Name..."

InTUNE — December 2017 | 29

Oratorio TEXT Messiah

George Frideric Handel Part the First

Symphony (Overture) Accompagnato (Tenor) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplish'd, that her iniquity is pardon'd.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:1-3) Air (Tenor) Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight, and the rough places plain.

(Isaiah 40:4) Chorus And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.

And all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

(Isaiah 40:5) Accompagnato (Bass-Baritone) Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts: Yet once, a little while, and I will shake the heav'ns and the earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come.

(Haggai 2:6-7) The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple; ev'n the messenger of the Covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

(Malachi 3:1) Air (Countertenor) But who may abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when He appeareth?

For He is like a refiner's fire.

(Malachi 3:2) Chorus And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

(Malachi 3:3) Recitative (Countertenor) Behold! a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, (Isaiah 7:14) and shall call his name Emmanuel: God with us.

(Matthew 1:23) 30 | Houston Symphony

Air (Countertenor) and Chorus O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain, O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid, say unto the cities of Judah: Behold your God! O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

(Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah 60:1) Accompagnato (Bass-Baritone) For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

(Isaiah 60:2-3) Air (Bass-Baritone) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. And they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

(Isaiah 9:2) Chorus For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called: Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace!

(Isaiah 9:6) Pifa (Pastoral Symphony) Recitative (Soprano) There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

(Luke 2:8)

Chorus Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men!

(Luke 2:14) Air (Soprano) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold, thy King cometh unto thee. He is the righteous Saviour, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.

(Zechariah 9:9-10) Recitative (Countertenor) Then shall the eyes of the blind be open'd, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

(Zechariah 35:5-6) Duet (Soprano and Countertenor) He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, and He shall gather the lambs with His arm; and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

(Isaiah 40:11) Come unto Him all ye that labour, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

(Matthew 11:28-29) Chorus His yoke is easy, His burthen is light.

(Matthew 11:30) I

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Accompagnato (Soprano) And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.

(Luke 2:9)

Part the Second

Recitative (Soprano) And the angel said unto them: Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

(Luke 2:10-11)

Air (Countertenor) He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.

(Isaiah 53:3)

Accompagnato (Soprano) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heav'nly Host praising God, and saying: (Luke 2:13)

Chorus Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.

(John 1:29)

He gave his back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, He hid not His face from shame and spitting.

(Isaiah 50:6)

Handel's Messiah | Oratorio (Text)

Chorus Surely, He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in!

Who is this King of Glory?

The Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory.

(Psalm 24:7-10)

For now is Christ risen from the dead, the firstfruits of them that sleep.

(1 Corinthians 15:20)

Chorus And with His stripes we are healed.

(Isaiah 53:5)

Air (Soprano) How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

(Romans 10:15)

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

(1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

Chorus All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned ev'ry one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:6) Accompagnato (Tenor) All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn; they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying: (Psalm 22:7) Chorus He trusted in God that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him. (Psalm 22:8) Accompagnato (Tenor) Thy rebuke hath broken His heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him. (Psalm 69:21, Anglican Book of Common Prayer) Arioso (Tenor) Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow?

(Lamentations 1:12) Accompagnato (Tenor) He was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of Thy people was He stricken.

(Isaiah 53:8) Air (Tenor) But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; nor didst Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.

(Psalm 16:10) Chorus Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in!

Who is this King of Glory?

The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

Air (Bass-Baritone) Why do the nations so furiously rage together, why do the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed.

(Psalm 2:1-2) Chorus Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their yokes from us.

(Psalm 2:3) Recitative (Tenor) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn, the Lord shall have them in derision.

(Psalm 2:4) Air (Tenor) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

(Psalm 2:9) Chorus Hallelujah, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth, Hallelujah!

(Revelation 19:6) The Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever.

(Revelation 11:15)

Chorus Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

Accompagnato (Bass-Baritone) Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be chang'd, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

(1 Corinthians 15:51-52) Air (Bass-Baritone) The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be rais'd incorruptible, and we shall be chang'd.

(1 Corinthians 15:52) Chorus Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.

Blessing and honor, glory and pow'r be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.

(Revelation 5:12-13) Chorus Amen.

Join the Chorus! To see this month's Chorus roster and learn more about how you can join the Houston Symphony Chorus see page 6.

King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

(Revelation 19:16) Part the Third Air (Soprano) I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth, and tho' worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. (Job 19:25-26)

InTUNE — December 2017 | 31

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Constantine Kitsopoulos, conductor Houston Symphony Chorus Betsy Cook Weber, director

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32 | Houston Symphony

Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsTM in Concert | Program Biographies

Program BIOGRAPHIES Constantine Kitsopoulos | conductor

LISA KOHLER

Constantine Kitsopoulos is a conductor whose musical experiences comfortably span the worlds of opera, symphony and musical theater.

The 2016-17 season marked his seventh as music director of the Festival of the Arts BOCA. He was artistic director of the OK Mozart Festival from 2013-15 and spent eight years as music director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra. In 16-17, Constantine made return engagements with the New Jersey, Baltimore, Vancouver and Detroit symphonies, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Louisiana and Calgary Philharmonics and Symphony Silicon Valley. He debuted with the Pacific and Fort Worth symphonies. He returned to Indiana Opera Theatre to lead its production of The Music Man and New York University to conduct three different programs with its orchestras. In addition to his work as a conductor, Constantine will made his debut as a composer at Michigan State University with a workshop of a new music theatre piece entitled Temple.

John Williams | composer In a career spanning five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage, and he remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices. He has composed the music for more than 100 films, including all seven Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, Memoirs of a Geisha, Home Alone and The Book Thief. His 40-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan and Lincoln. He has composed themes for four Olympic Games. He served as music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra for 14 seasons and remains its laureate conductor. He has composed numerous works for the concert stage, including two symphonies, and concertos commissioned by many of America’s most prominent orchestras. John has received five Academy Awards and 50 Oscar nominations (making him the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars), seven British Academy Awards, 23 Grammys, four Golden Globes and five Emmys. In 2003, he received the Olympic Order (the IOC’s highest honor) for his contributions to the Olympic movement. In 2004, he received the Kennedy Center Honors, and in 2009, he received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. Government.

In 2016, he received the 44th Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute—the first time a composer was honored with this award.

In January 1980, John was named 19th music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, succeeding the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He currently holds the title of Boston Pops laureate conductor, which he assumed following his retirement in December 1993, after 14 highly successful seasons. He also holds the title of artist-in-residence at Tanglewood. John has composed numerous works for the concert stage, among them two symphonies and concertos commissioned by several of the world’s leading orchestras, including a cello concerto for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a bassoon concerto for the New York Philharmonic, a trumpet concerto for The Cleveland Orchestra and a horn concerto for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, he composed and arranged Air and Simple Gifts especially for the first inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama, and in September 2009, the Boston Symphony premiered a new concerto for harp and orchestra entitled On Willows and Birches.

InTUNE — December 2017 | 33

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Program NOTES

LIVE IN CONCERT JANUARY 5-7

CineConcerts is one of the leading producers of live music experiences performed with visual media. Founded by producer/ conductor Justin Freer and producer/writer Brady Beaubien, CineConcerts has engaged millions of people worldwide in concert presentations that redefine the evolution of live experience. Recent and current live concert experiences include Gladiator, The Godfather, It’s a Wonderful Life, DreamWorks Animation In Concert, Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert Tour and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Justin Freer has quickly become one of the most sought-after conductors of film music with a long list of full symphonic live to projection projects. He has appeared with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. From full-length movie screenings with live orchestra to music-interactive sporting event experiences to original 3D-environment holiday programming, CineConcerts is at the forefront of live entertainment.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsTM in Concert produced by CineConcerts President/Founder/Producer Justin Freer Co-Founder/Producer Brady Beaubien

APRIL 20–22 Matinee Performance Just Added!

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Director of Production Jeffery Sells Vice President of Marketing Kory Kelly Head of Publicity and Communications Andrew Alderete Brand/Marketing Director, Ma’ayan Kaplan Brand/Marketing Manager, Phillip Aleman Brand/Marketing Manager, Brittany Fonseca Brand/Marketing Manager, Molly Kossoff Brand/Marketing Manager, Si Peng Office Manager, Gabe Cheng Worldwide Representation WME Entertainment

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HOUSTONSYMPHONY.ORG (713) 224-7575

Music Preparation JoAnn Kane Music Service Music Editing Ramiro Belgardt and Ed Kalnins Playback Operation and Synthesizer Production, iMusicImage Sound Remixing Justin Moshkevich, Igloo Music Studios Merchandising by Firebrand

Principal Corporate Guarantor

Principal Corporate Guarantor

Official Airline

34 | Houston Symphony

Official Television Partner

Official Health Care Provider

POPS

A Very Special Thanks to: Warner Bros. Consumer Products, The Blair Partnership, Mark Graham, Amos Newman, Jamie Richardson, Alex Rabens, and John Williams.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents A Heyday Films / 1492 Pictures / Duncan Henderson Production A Chris Columbus Film

“HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS™ ” Daniel Radcliffe • Rupert Grint • Emma Watson Starring Kenneth Branagh • John Cleese • Robbie Coltrane Warwick Davis • Richard Griffiths • Richard Harris • Jason Isaacs Alan Rickman • Fiona Shaw • Maggie Smith • Julie Walters Music by John Williams Edited by Peter Honess, A.C.E. Production Designer: Stuart Craig Director of Photography: Roger Pratt, B.S.C. Executive Producers: Michael Barnathan • David Barron • Chris Columbus • Mark Radcliffe Screenplay by Steve Kloves Based on the Novel by J.K. Rowling Produced by David Heyman Directed by Chris Columbus HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. J.K. ROWLING`S WIZARDING WORLD™ J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s17)

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THANK

Our DONORS ANNUAL SUPPORT

The Houston Symphony gratefully acknowledges those who support our artistic, educational and community engagement programs through their generosity to our Annual Fund and our Special Events.

For more information, please contact: Mary Beth Mosley, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Institutional Giving and Stewardship, 713.337.8521 Molly Simpson, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer /Director, Individual Giving and Major Gifts, 713.337.8526

Ima Hogg Society $150,000 or more 

Janice Barrow Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge Barbara J. Burger Jane & Robert Cizik Janet F. Clark Rochelle & Max Levit Cora Sue & Harry Mach

Joella & Steven P. Mach Barbara & Pat McCelvey Mr. John N. Neighbors John & Lindy Rydman / Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods / Spec's Charitable Foundation

Centennial Society



$100,000-$149,999

Mr. Monzer Hourani

Founder’s Society

w

Maestro’s Society



Clive Runnells in memory of Nancy Morgan Runnells

Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor

Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn

Billy & Christie McCartney

$75,000-$99,999

Robin Angly & Miles Smith

$50,000-$74,999

Mr. & Mrs. Philip A. Bahr Gary & Marian Beauchamp Drs. Dennis & Susan Carlyle Ron Franklin & Janet Gurwitch Clare Attwell Glassell The Estate of Miss Ima Hogg The Joan & Marvin Kaplan Foundation Dr. Sippi & Mr. Ajay Khurana Carol & Michael Linn & The Michael C. Linn Family Foundation

Concertmaster’s Society Mr. John Barlow Ralph Burch Justice Brett & Erin Busby Donna & Max Chapman Mr. Michael H. Clark & Ms. Sallie Morian Viviana & David Denechaud Linda & Gene Dewhurst Evan B. Glick Christina & Mark Hanson Dr. Rita Justice Drs. M.S. & Marie-Luise Kalsi Mr. & Mrs. U. J. LeGrange 36 | Houston Symphony

Mike Stude Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Margaret Alkek Williams

Beth Madison Mr. & Mrs. J. Stephen Marks Jay & Shirley Marks Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Janice & Robert McNair Nancy & Robert Peiser Dave & Alie Pruner Mr. & Mrs. William K. Robbins Jr. / The Robbins Foundation Sybil F. Roos 

Mr. & Mrs. Jim R. Smith Mr. Jay Steinfeld & Mrs. Barbara Winthrop Alice & Terry Thomas Ms. Judith Vincent Steven & Nancy Williams Ms. Ellen A. Yarrell

$25,000-$49,999

Rita & Paul Morico Dr. Stewart Morris Catherine & Bob Orr Mr. & Mrs. Anthony G. Petrello Mr. Jason Poon / Marine Foods Express, Ltd. Laura & Mike Shannon Michael J. Shawiak Donna & Tim Shen Lisa & Jerry Simon Dr. & Mrs. Robert B. Sloan Jr. / Houston Baptist University

Mr. & Mrs. Robert R. Springob Laredo Construction, Inc. Shirley Wolff Toomim Robert G. Weiner & Toni Blankmann Vicki West Mr. & Mrs. C. Clifford Wright Jr.

Conductor’s Circle



Ms. Farida Abjani Danielle & Josh Batchelor James M. Bell Mr. & Mrs. Walter V. Boyle Mary Kathryn Campion, M.D. Coneway Family Foundation Mr. Richard Danforth Valerie Palmquist Dieterich & Tracy Dieterich Kelli Cohen Fein & Martin Fein Mr. Richard W. Flowers Eugene Fong Erika & S. David Frankfort

Conductor’s Circle



Platinum Baton



Gold Baton



Mrs. Nancy C. Allen Nina Andrews & David Karohl Dr. & Mrs. Jeffrey B. Aron Ann & Jonathan Ayre Dr. Saul & Ursula Balagura Anne Morgan Barrett Mr. Paul M. Basinski Consurgo Sunshine Mrs. Bonnie Bauer Dr. & Mrs. Devinder Bhatia Drs. Laura & William Black Mr. Anthony W. Bohnert Mr. & Mrs. John F. Bookout III Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Bowman Ruth Brodsky Mr. Ken D. Brownlee & Ms. Caroline Deetjen Dougal & Cathy Cameron Marilyn Caplovitz Ann M. Cavanaugh Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Clark Mr. William E. Colburn Mr. & Mrs. Byron Cooley Mr. & Mrs. Larry Corbin Ms. Miquel A. Correll Lois & David Coyle Mr. & Mrs. Gregory S. Curran Vicky Dominguez

$10,000-$14,999



J.R. & Aline Deming Archie & Linda Dunham Terry Everett & Eric Cheyney Mr. & Mrs. Marvy A. Finger Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey B. Firestone Betsy Garlinger Dr. Nan Garrett Michael B. George Mr. & Mrs. Eric J. Gongre Jo A. & Billie Jo Graves Mr. & Mrs. Jerry L. Hamaker Maureen Y. Higdon Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth & Dr. Ken Hyde Mrs. James E. Hooks Catherine & Brian James Jacek & Marzena Jaminski

Silver Baton

Lilly & Thurmon Andress Beth & Jim Barton Mr. & Mrs. Charles G. Black Lilia Khakimova & C. Robert Bunch David Chambers & Alex Steffler Brad & Joan Corson Roger & Debby Cutler Andrew Davis & Corey Tu Mr. Stephen Elison Hon. & Mrs. John D. Ellis

Conductor’s Circle

$15,000-$24,999

Allen & Almira Gelwick Lockton Companies Lila-Gene George Mr. & Mrs. Fred L. Gorman Rebecca & Bobby Jee Debbie & Frank Jones Mrs. Gloria Pepper & Dr. Bernard Katz Dr. & Mrs. I. Ray Kirk Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis Michelle & Jack Matzer Stephen & Marilyn Miles/ Steven Warren Miles & Marilyn Ross Miles Foundation

Frances & Ira Anderson Edward H. Andrews III Dr. Angela R. Apollo Sr. Judge Mary Bacon Mr. & Dr. Karl-Heinz Becker Mr. & Mrs. Astley Blair Anne & George Boss Dr. & Mrs. Meherwan P. Boyce Nancy & Walter Bratic Terry Ann Brown Cheryl & Sam Byington Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Calder Mr. & Mrs. Bernard F. Clark Jr. Dr. Evan D. Collins Dr. Scott Cutler Leslie Barry Davidson & W. Robins Brice

Conductor’s Circle



Stephen & Kristine Wallace Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber Dede & Connie Weil Jeanie Kilroy Wilson & Wallace S. Wilson Ms. Vivian Wise Ms. Beth Wolff Daisy S. Wong / JCorp Scott & Lori Wulfe

Mr.* & Mrs. Gordon Leighton Marilyn G. Lummis Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm L. Mazow Martha & Marvin McMurrey Mr. Gary Mercer Sami & Jud Morrison Bobbie Newman Scott & Judy Nyquist Toni Oplt & Ed Schneider Maestro & Mrs. Andrés Orozco-Estrada John & Kathy Orton Susan & Edward Osterberg Radoff Family Lila Rauch Brooke & Nathaniel Richards Carol & Kamal Sandarusi

Mr. & Mrs. Walter Scherr Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Tad & Suzanne Smith Carol & Michael Stamatedes Dr. John R. Stroehlein & Miwa Sakashita Courtney & Bill Toomey Susan & Andrew Truscott Ms. Hallie A. Vanderhider Shirley & Joel Wahlberg Cyvia & Melvyn* Wolff Lorraine & Ed Wulfe Mr. & Mrs. Frank Yonish Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Ziegler Nina & Michael Zilkha Anonymous (2)

Dr. Robert M. Mihalo Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Nelson Tim Ong & Michael Baugh Michael P. & Shirley Pearson Jean & Allan Quiat Kathryn & Richard Rabinow Douglas & Alicia Rodenberger Mr. Glen A. Rosenbaum Linda & Jerry Rubenstein Mr. & Mrs. Rufus S. Scott

Drs. Ishwaria & Vivek Subbiah Mrs. Jennifer Chang & Mr. Aaron J. Thomas Candace & Brian Thomas Dr. Robert Wilkins & Dr. Mary Ann Reynolds Wilkins Nancy B. Willerson Anonymous (1)

Willy Kuehn* Jim & Amy Lee Sue Ann Lurcott Barbara J. Manering Alice R. McPherson, M.D. Mr. Ronald A. Mikita & Mr. Rex Spikes Dr. Cameron Mitchell Mr. & Mrs. Harvin Moore IV Ione & Sidney Moran Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Moynier Richard & Juliet Moynihan Ms. Leslie Nossaman Rochelle & Sheldon Oster Mr. & Mrs. C. Robert Palmer Christine & Robert Pastorek Mr. David Peavy & Mr. Stephen McCauley Mr. Robert J. Pilegge Mr. & Mrs. King Pouw Tim & Katherine Pownell Ms. Emily Reaser Mr. & Mrs. T.R. Reckling III Vicky & Michael Richker Mr. & Mrs. Claud D. Riddles Ed & Janet Rinehart Allyn & Jill Risley Mr. & Mrs. George A. Rizzo Jr. Carole & Barry Samuels

Susan D. & Fayez Sarofim Mrs. Richard P. Schissler Jr. Mr. Wolfgang Schmidt & Ms. Angelika Schmidt-Lange Mr. & Ms. Steven Sherman Mr. & Mrs. William T. Slick Jr. Mr. David Stanard & Ms. Beth Freeman Kimberly & David Sterling Pamalah & Stephen Tipps Saula & Paolo Valente Mr. & Ms. Luciano Vasconcellos Mrs. Ibolya E. Weyler & Mr. Philip Limon Mrs. Nelda Wilkomirski Ms. Barbara Williams Woodell Family Foundation Sally & Denney Wright Robert & Michele Yekovich Edith & Robert Zinn Erla & Harry Zuber Anonymous (3) *Deceased

$7,500-$9,999



Scott Ensell & Family Angel & Craig Fox Ms. Darlene Clark & Mr. Edwin C. Friedrichs Ms. Emily Keeton Ms. Nancey G. Lobb David & Heidi Massin Gene & Betty McDavid Terry & Kandee McGill Mr. & Mrs. William B. McNamara

Bronze Baton

The Estate of Terence Murphree Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan E. Parker Gloria & Joe Pryzant Ron & Demi Rand Ken* & Carol Lee Robertson Hugh & Ann Roff Mr. & Mrs. Manolo Sánchez Alana R. Spiwak & Sam L. Stolbun Mr. & Mrs. Alan Stein Drs. Carol & Michael Stelling Mr. & Mrs. Paul S. Thomas Margaret Waisman, M.D. & Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D.



$5,000-$7,499

Bob & Mary Doyle Connie & Byron Dyer Mr. William P. Elbel & Ms. Mary J. Schroeder Mr. Parrish N. Erwin Jr. Mrs. William Estrada Aubrey & Sylvia Farb Ms. Carolyn Faulk Jerry E.* & Nanette B. Finger Mr. & Mrs. Peter Fluor Mrs. Elizabeth B. Frost Mr. & Mrs. James E. Furr Mr. W. David George, Ph.D. Mr. & Mrs. Melbern G. Glasscock Bill Grieves Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Haas Dr. & Mrs. Carlos R. Hamilton Jr. Marilyn & Bob Hermance Mr. & Mrs. Frank Herzog Mr. Jackson Hicks Stephen Jeu & Susanna Calvo Beverly Johnson Mr. & Mrs. John F. Joity Gwen & Dan Kellogg Mary Louis Kister William & Cynthia Koch Mr. William L. Kopp Mr. & Mrs. John P. Kotts

InTUNE — December 2017 | 37

Our DONORS continued

Young Associates COUNCIL The Houston Symphony’s Young Associates Council is a philanthropic membership group for young professionals, music aficionados and performing arts supporters interested in exploring symphonic music within the confines of Houston’s flourishing artistic landscape. YAC members are afforded exclusive opportunities to participate in musically focused events that take place not only in Jones Hall, but also in the city’s most sought-after venues, private homes and friendly neighborhood hangouts. From behind-the-scenes interactions with the musicians of the Houston Symphony to jaw-dropping private performances by world-class virtuosos, the Houston Symphony’s Young Associates Council offers incomparable insight and accessibility to the music and musicians that are shaping the next era of orchestral music.

Young Associate Premium Farida Abjani Ann & Jonathan Ayre James M. Bell Ganesh Betanabhatla Eric Brueggeman David Chambers & Alex Steffler Darrin Davis & Mario Gudmundsson

Young Associate





$2,500 or more

Valerie Palmquist Dieterich & Tracy Dieterich Amanda & Adam Dinitz Vicky Dominguez Terry Everett & Eric Cheyney Jennifer & Joshua Gravenor Stacy & Jason Johnson Mandi Hunsicker-Sallee

Kiri & Jeffrey Katterhenry Brian McCulloch & Jeremy Garcia Sami & Jud Morrison Tim Ong & Michael Baugh Toni Oplt & Ed Schneider Kusum & K. Cody Patel Dr. Paulina Sergot & Dr. Theo Shybut

Tony Shih – Norton Rose Fulbright Molly Simpson Rebeca & Chad Spencer Drs. Ishwaria & Vivek Subbiah Georgeta Teodorescu Candace & Brian Thomas

$1,500 - $2,499

Dr. Genevera Allen & Michael Weylandt Michael Arlen Drs. Laura & William Black Drs. Tiffany & Desmond Bourgeois Sverre & Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl Divya & Chris Brown Sara Cain Helen Chen Crystal & Mike Cox Nina Delano & Wirt Blaffer Jennifer & Steve Dolman Emily Duncan

Christine Falgout – Island Operating Co., Inc. Kimberly Falgout – Island Operating Co., Inc. Mark Folkes & Christopher Johnston Alexandra & Daniel Gottschalk Rebecca & Andrew Gould Jeff Graham Nicholas Gruy Claudio Gutierrez Jarod Hogan Monica & Burdette Huffman Kurt Johnson & Colleen Matheu

Shamika Johnson – Van Cleef & Arpels Sara Kelly Connie Kwan-Wong Dr. Nashat Latib & Dr. Vinodh Kumar Joshua Lee & Julie Van Gerrit Leeftink Catherine & Matt Matthews Charyn McGinnis Ashley McPhail Shane Miller Cliff Nash & Dr. Lee Bar-Eli Courtney & Jose Obregon

Girija & Anant Patel Rosemin Premji Brooke & Nathaniel Richards Ahmed Saleh Liana & Andrew Schwaitzberg Becky Shaw Justin & Caroline Simons Michelle Stair Carol Tai Joel Towner Dr. Shilpa Trivedi Jovon Tyler Elise Wagner

The Young Associates Council is supported in part by BB&T. For more information, please contact: Liam Bonner, Manager, Annual Giving Groups, 713.337.8536.

The Houston Symphony thanks the 4,528 donors who gave up to $5,000 over the past year. To note any errors or omissions, please contact Tiffany Bourgeois, Development Associate, Annual Fund at 713.337.8559.

38 | Houston Symphony

Society Board of TRUSTEES

(2017-18 SEASON)

Executive Committee Janet F. Clark President Steven P. Mach Immediate Past President

Bobby Tudor Chairman Paul R. Morico General Counsel

Mike S. Stude Chairman Emeritus Barbara McCelvey Secretary

Danielle Batchelor Chair, Popular Programming Barbara J. Burger Chair, Finance Justice Brett Busby Chair, Artistic & Orchestra Affairs Mary Kathryn Campion, Ph.D. Chair, Pension Brad W. Corson Chair, Governance & Leadership Viviana Denechaud Chair, Development Tracy Dieterich Chair, Community Partnerships Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events

Billy McCartney Chair, Education Alexandra Pruner^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment David Pruner Chair, Strategic Planning Manolo Sánchez Chair, Marketing & Communications Jesse B. Tutor Immediate Past Chair, Chair, Audit Beth Wolff^ President, Houston Symphony League

Andrés Orozco-Estrada^ Music Director Amanda T. Dinitz^ Interim Executive Director Sergei Galperin^ Musician Representative Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative Christine Kelly-Weaver^ Assistant Secretary ^Ex-Officio

GOVERNING DIRECTORS Farida Abjani Michael W. Adler Marcia Backus Janice Barrow** Danielle Batchelor Gary Beauchamp Marie Taylor Bosarge Ralph Burch Barbara J. Burger Justice Brett Busby Andrew Calder Michael H. Clark Janet F. Clark Brad W. Corson Viviana Denechaud Michael Doherty David Frankfort

Ronald G. Franklin Stephen Glenn Joan Kaplan Sippi Khurana, M.D. Rochelle Levit, Ph.D. Cora Sue Mach ** Steven P. Mach Paul M. Mann, M.D. Jay Marks ** Mary Lynn Marks David Massin Rodney Margolis** Billy McCartney Barbara McCelvey Alexander K. McLanahan ** Paul R. Morico Kevin O’Gorman

Robert Orr Cully Platt David Pruner Ron Rand John Rydman** Manolo Sánchez Helen Shaffer ** Jerry Simon Jim R. Smith Miles O. Smith Mike S. Stude ** William J. Toomey II Bobby Tudor ** Betty Tutor ** Jesse B. Tutor ** Judith Vincent Margaret Alkek Williams **

Scott Wulfe David Wuthrich

Julia Anderson Frankel Betsy Garlinger Evan B. Glick Susan Hansen Eric Haufrect, M.D. Gary L. Hollingsworth, M.D. Brian James Rita Justice I. Ray Kirk, M.D. Ulyesse LeGrange ** Carlos J. Lopez Michael Mann, M.D. Jack Matzer Jackie Wolens Mazow Gene McDavid ** Gary Mercer Marilyn Miles Janet Moore Jud Morrison Bobbie Newman

Scott Nyquist Edward Osterberg Jr. Robert A. Peiser** Gloria G. Pryzant Richard A. Rabinow Roman Reed Gabriel Rio Richard Robbins, M.D. J. Hugh Roff Jr. ** Miwa Sakashita Ed Schneider Michael E. Shannon ** Donna Shen Robert Sloan, Ph.D. Tad Smith David Stanard Ishwaria Subbiah, M.D. L. Proctor (Terry) Thomas Shirley W. Toomim Andrew Truscott

Margaret Waisman, M.D. Fredric Weber Mrs. S. Conrad Weil Robert Weiner Vicki West Steven J. Williams Beth Wolff Ed Wulfe ** Ellen A. Yarrell Robert Yekovich Frank Yonish

Ex-Officio Mary Kathryn Campion, Ph.D. Tracy Dieterich Sergei Galperin Mark Hughes Martha McWilliams Mark Nuccio Robert A. Peiser** Gloria Pryzant Donna Shen **Lifetime Trustee

TRUSTEES Philip Bahr Devinder Bhatia, M.D. James M. Bell Anthony Bohnert Nancy Shelton Bratic Terry Ann Brown** Cheryl Byington Dougal Cameron Mary Kathryn Campion, Ph.D. John T. Cater ** Evan Collins, M.D., MBA Andrew Davis, Ph.D. Gene Dewhurst Tracy Dieterich Terry Elizabeth Everett Kelli Cohen Fein, M.D. Jeffrey B. Firestone Eugene Fong Craig Fox

Ex-Officio Alexandra Gottschalk Alexandra Pruner Art Vivar Jessie Woods

PAST PRESIDENTS OF HOUSTON SYMPHONY 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

THE SOCIETY E.C. Vandagrift Jr. 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 Robert B. Tudor III Robert A. Peiser Steven P. Mach

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY LEAGUE Mrs. W. Harold Sellers Miss Ima Hogg Mrs. John F. Grant Mrs. Harry H. Gendel Mrs. J. R. Parten Mrs. Robert M. Eury Mrs. Andrew E. Rutter Mrs. E. C. Vandagrift Jr. Mrs. Aubrey Leno Carter Mrs. J. Stephen Marks Mrs. Stuart Sherar Terry Ann Brown Nancy Strohmer Mrs. Julian Barrows Mary Ann McKeithan Ms. Hazel Ledbetter Ann Cavanaugh Mrs. Albert P. Jones Mrs. Ben A. Calhoun Mrs. James A. Shaffer Mrs. James Griffith Lawhon Lucy H. Lewis Mrs. Olaf LaCour Olsen Catherine McNamara Shirley McGregor Pearson Mrs. Ralph Ellis Gunn Paula Jarrett Mrs. Leon Jaworski Cora Sue Mach Mrs. Garrett R. Tucker Jr. Kathi Rovere Mrs. M. T. Launius Jr. Mrs. Thompson McCleary Norma Jean Brown Barbara McCelvey Mrs. Theodore W. Cooper Lori Sorcic Jansen Mrs. Allen W. Carruth Mrs. David Hannah Jr. Nancy B. Willerson Mary Louis Kister Jane Clark Nancy Littlejohn Mrs. Edward W. Kelley Jr. Donna Shen Mrs. John W. Herndon Mrs. Charles Franzen Dr. Susan Snider Osterberg Mrs. Harold R. DeMoss Jr. Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein Mrs. Edward H. Soderstrom Vicki West Mrs. Lilly Kucera Andress Mrs. Jesse Tutor Ms. Marilou Bonner Darlene Clark PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY LEAGUE BAY AREA Sue Smith Fran Strong Shirley Wettling Selma Neumann Jo Anne Mills Julia Wells Phyllis Molnar Dagmar Meeh Pat Bertelli Priscilla Heidbreder Harriett Small Emyre B. Robinson Nina Spencer Dana Puddy Elizabeth Glenn Angela Buell Ebby Creden Pat Brackett Charlotte Gaunt Joan Wade Norma Brady Yvonne Herring Cindy Kuenneke Deanna Lamoreux Helen Powell Glenda Toole Sharon Dillard Carole Murphy Diane McLaughlin Patience Myers Roberta Liston James Moore Suzanne Hicks Mary Voigt

**Lifetime Trustee

FRIENDS OF JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES Justice Brett Busby

Ronald G. Franklin

Steven P. Mach

Barbara McCelvey

InTUNE — December 2017 | 39

Corporate, Foundation & Government PARTNERS The Houston Symphony is proud to recognize the leadership support of our corporate, foundation and government partners that allow the orchestra to reach new heights in musical performance, education and community engagement for Greater Houston and the Gulf Coast Region.

For more information on becoming a foundation or government partner, please contact Mary Beth Mosley, Interim Co-Chief Development Officer/Director, Institutional Giving and Stewardship, at 713.337.8521 or marybeth.mosley@houstonsymphony.org.

For more information on becoming a Houston Symphony corporate donor, please contact Leticia Konigsberg, Director, Corporate Relations, at 713.337.8522 or leticia.konigsberg@houstonsymphony.org.

CORPORATE PARTNERS Principal Corporate Guarantor  $250,000 and above *Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods / Spec’s Charitable Foundation Grand Guarantor  $150,000 and above BBVA Compass ConocoPhillips *Houston Public Media— News 88.7 FM; Channel 8 PBS *KTRK ABC-13 Phillips 66 *Oliver Wyman Guarantor  $100,000 and above Bank of America Chevron *Houston Methodist Medistar Corporation PaperCity *Rand Group, LLC *Telemundo *United Airlines Underwriter  $50,000 and above *Baker Botts L.L.P. *BB&T *Cameron Management *Dignity Memorial Funeral Homes and Cemetaries ENGIE *The Events Company Exxon Mobil Corporation Frost Bank Houston Baptist University Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

(as of November 1, 2017)

*Jackson and Company Kirkland & Ellis LLP *The Lancaster Hotel Mann Eye Institute Occidental Petroleum Corporation Palmetto Partners Ltd./The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation Shell Oil Company Vinson & Elkins LLP Sponsor  $25,000 and above Bank of Texas The Boeing Company *Bright Star *Bulgari Enterprise Product Partners L.P. EOG Resources *Gittings Goldman, Sachs & Co. *Houston Chronicle *Houston First Corporation Kalsi Engineering KPMG LLP Marine Foods Express, Ltd. McGuireWoods, LLP *Neiman Marcus Northern Trust Norton Rose Fulbright Sidley Austin LLP *Silver Circle Audio SPIR STAR, Ltd. The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center Wells Fargo WoodRock & Co.

CORPORATE MATCHING GIFTS Aetna Aon Apache Corporation Bank of America BBVA Compass BHP Billiton The Boeing Company BP Foundation Caterpillar 40 | Houston Symphony

Partner  $15,000 and above Accenture Anadarko Petroleum Corporation *City Kitchen *Glazier’s Distributors Gorman’s Uniform Service Halliburton H-E-B Tournament of Champions Heart of Fashion Independent Bank Laredo Construction, Inc. Locke Lord LLP Lockton Companies of Houston The Newfield Foundation Republic National Distributing Company, LLP USI Southwest Supporter  $10,000 and above *Abraham’s Oriental Rugs *Agua Hispanic Marketing CenterPoint Energy Emerson Enbridge Energy Company *Silver Eagle Distributors Star Furniture *Zenfilm

*Randalls Food Markets Russell Reynolds Associates, Inc. *University of St. Thomas Wortham Insurance and Risk Management Patron  Gifts below $5,000 Adolph Locklar, Intellectual Property Law Firm Amazon Baker Hughes Bering's Beth Wolff Realtors Burberry Dolce & Gabbana USA, Inc. Intertek Kinder Morgan Foundation Quantum Bass Center* SEI, Global Institutional Group Smith, Graham & Company Stewart Title Company TAM International, Inc. The Webster * Includes in-kind support

Benefactor  $5,000 and above Barclay’s Wealth and Investment Management Beck Redden LLP Louis Vuitton Macy's Nordstrom Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, L.L.P. Plains All American

(as of November 1, 2017)

Chevron Chubb Group Coca-Cola ConocoPhillips Eli Lilly and Company EOG Resources Exxon Mobil Corporation Freeport – McMoRan Oil & Gas General Electric

General Mills Goldman, Sachs & Company Halliburton Hewlett-Packard Houston Endowment IBM ING Financial Services Corporation KBR Merrill Lynch

NAACO Industries, Inc. Neiman Marcus Northern Trust Occidental Petroleum Corporation Phillips 66 Shell Oil Company Union Pacific Williams Companies, Inc.

FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT AGENCIES Diamond Guarantor  $1,000,000 and above Houston Symphony Endowment Houston Symphony League The Wortham Foundation, Inc. Premier Guarantor  $500,000 and above The Brown Foundation, Inc. City of Houston and Theater District Improvement, Inc. Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation The C. Howard Pieper Foundation Grand Guarantor  $150,000 and above City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board The Cullen Foundation The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Guarantor  $100,000 and above Houston Endowment MD Anderson Foundation

(as of November 1, 2017)

Underwriter  $50,000 and above The Elkins Foundation The Fondren Foundation The Hearst Foundations Houston Symphony Chorus Endowment The Humphreys Foundation League of American Orchestras' Futures Fund LTR Lewis Cloverdale Foundation John P. McGovern Foundation The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation / Palmetto Partners Ltd. The Robbins Foundation

Partner  $15,000 and above Ruth & Ted Bauer Family Foundation The Melbern G. & Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation The Hood-Barrow Foundation Houston Symphony League Bay Area William S. and Lora Jean Kilroy Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Vaughn Foundation Supporter  $10,000 and above The Carleen & Alde Fridge Foundation Petrello Family Foundation Radoff Family Foundation The Schissler Foundation The Vivian L. Smith Foundation Anonymous

Sponsor  $25,000 and above Beauchamp Foundation Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation The Powell Foundation Sterling-Turner Foundation Texas Commission on the Arts

Chorus ENDOWMENT A. Ann Alexander Janice Barrow Eldo Bergman, Family Literacy Network, Inc. Nancy & Walter Bratic Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Chavanelle Roger & Debby Cutler Steve Dukes

DONORS



Benefactor  $5,000 and above William E. & Natoma Pyle Harvey Charitable Foundation The Scurlock Foundation Keith & Mattie Stevenson Foundation Strake Foundation Patron  Gifts below $5,000 The Cockrell Foundation Diamond Family Foundation First Junior Woman’s Club of Houston The Helmle-Shaw Foundation Huffington Foundation Leon Jaworski Foundation Lillian Kaiser Lewis Foundation Robert W. & Pearl Wallis Knox Foundation The Lubrizol Foundation State Employee Charitable Campaign

$500 or more

Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn Robert Lee Gomez Terry L. & Karen G. Henderson Beth Weidler & Stephen James Nobuhide Kobori Natalia Rawle Gabriel & Mona Rio Douglas & Alicia Rodenberger

Ms. Carolyn Rogan Michael J. Shawiak Susan L. Thompson Mr. & Mrs. Frederic A. Weber Beth Weidler & Stephen James Anonymous (2)

Sustainability FUND The Houston Symphony pays special tribute to the 137 donors who made transformational gifts to complete the Sustainability Fund.

On December 31, 2015, the Houston Symphony celebrated an extraordinary achievement: the completion of a five-year, $15 million Sustainability Fund, which has transformed the orchestra’s financial position. The Symphony was able to close out the campaign thanks to challenge grant funds totaling $1,050,000 provided by Bobby & Phoebe Tudor, Cora Sue & Harry Mach, Janice Barrow, Steve & Joella Mach and Robert & Jane Cizik.

The Ciziks provided the final $500,000 to allow the Symphony to reach its $15 million Sustainability Fund goal.

Houston Endowment Estate of Jean R. Sides Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge Janice Barrow Margaret Alkek Williams Jane & Robert Cizik

Clare Attwell Glassell Mrs. Kitty King Powell* The Cullen Foundation The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts The Brown Foundation, Inc. Cora Sue & Harry Mach The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

John & Lindy Rydman / Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods / Spec’s Charitable Foundation MD Anderson Foundation Joella & Steven P. Mach Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor

Barbara J. Burger Ron Franklin & Janet Gurwitch The Joan & Marvin Kaplan Foundation Carol & Michael Linn & The Michael C. Linn Family Foundation Barbara & Pat McCelvey Estate of Mary Ann Holloway Phillips Sybil F. Roos Steven & Nancy Williams

Robin Angly & Miles Smith Gary & Marian Beauchamp Laura & Michael Shannon Mr. & Mrs. Philip A. Bahr Nancy & Walter Bratic Janet F. Clark Linda & Gene Dewhurst Bert & Joan Golding Mr. & Mrs.* Robert M. Griswold

Marilyn & Robert Hermance C. Howard Pieper Foundation Tad & Suzanne Smith Alice & Terry Thomas Shirley W. Toomim Janet & Tom Walker *Deceased

InTUNE — December 2017 | 41

Legacy SOCIETY The Legacy Society honors those who have included the Houston Symphony Endowment in their long-term estate plans through bequests, lifeincome gifts or other deferred-giving arrangements. If you would like to learn more about ways to provide for the Houston Symphony Endowment in your estate plans, please contact Patrick T. Quinn, Director, Planned Giving, at 713.337.8532 or patrick.quinn@houstonsymphony.org.

Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey B. Aron Daniel B. Barnum George* & Betty Bashen Dr. Joan Hacken Bitar Dorothy B. Black Ermy Borlenghi Bonfield Kerry Levine Bollmann Zu Broadwater Joan K. Bruchas & H. Philip Cowdin Mr. Christopher & Mrs. Erin Brunner Eugene R. Bruns Sylvia J. Carroll Dr. Robert N. Chanon William J. Clayton & Margaret A. Hughes Mr. & Mrs. Byron Cooley The Honorable & Mrs. William Crassas Patricia Cunningham Dr. Lida S. Dahm Leslie Barry Davidson Judge & Mrs. Harold DeMoss Jr. Ginny Garrett Mr. & Mrs. Harry H. Gendel Lila-Gene George Mauro H. Gimenez & Connie A. Coulomb Mr. Robert M. Griswold Randolph Lee Groninger

Claudio J. Gutierrez Mr. & Mrs. Jerry L. Hamaker Mrs. Gloria Herman Marilyn & Robert M. Hermance Timothy Hogan & Elaine Anthony Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth Dr. Edward J. & Mrs. Patti Hurwitz Dr. Kenneth Hyde Brian & Catherine James Dr. & Mrs. Ira Kaufman, M.D. John S. W. Kellett Ann Kennedy & Geoffrey Walker Dr. James E. & Betty W. Key Dr. & Mrs. I. Ray Kirk Mrs. Frances E. Leland Mrs. Lucy Lewis E. W. Long Jr. Sandra Magers David Ray Malone & David J. Sloat Mr. & Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis Jay & Shirley Marks James G. Matthews Mr. & Mrs. John H. Matzer III Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm L. Mazow Mr. & Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan Dr. Tracey Samuels & Mr. Robert McNamara Mr. & Mrs. D. Bradley McWilliams

Catherine Jane Merchant Dr. Georgette M. Michko Marilyn Ross Miles & Stephen Warren Miles Foundation Katherine Taylor Mize Richard & Juliet Moynihan Gretchen Ann Myers Patience Myers Mr. John N. Neighbors, in memory of Jean Marie Neighbors Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Nelson Bobbie Newman John & Leslie Niemand Dave G. Nussmann John Onstott Macky Osorio Edward C. Osterberg Jr. Imogen “Immy� Papadopoulos Christine & Red Pastorek Peter & Nina Peropoulos Sara M. Peterson Darla Powell Phillips Geraldine Smith Priest Dana Puddy Patrick T. Quinn Lila Rauch Ed & Janet Rinehart Mr. Floyd W. Robinson

Evie Ronald Walter Ross Dr. & Mrs. Kazuo Shimada Lisa & Jerry Simon Tad & Suzanne Smith Sherry Snyder Marie Speziale Emily H. & David K. Terry Stephen G. Tipps Steve Tostengard, in memory of Ardyce Tostengard Jana Vander Lee Bill & Agnete Vaughan Dean B. Walker Stephen & Kristine Wallace David M. Wax* & Elaine Arden Cali Geoffrey Westergaard Nancy B. Willerson Jennifer R. Wittman Daisy S. Wong / JCorp Lorraine & Ed Wulfe David & Tara Wuthrich Katherine & Mark Yzaguirre Edith & Robert Zinn Anonymous (8)

Ione Moran Sidney Moran Sue A. Morrison & children in memory of Walter J. Morrison Robert A. Peiser Gloria G. Pryzant Clive Runnells, in memory of Nancy Morgan Runnells Mr. Charles K. Sanders Donna Scott Charles & Andrea Seay Mr. & Mrs. James A. Shaffer Michael J. Shawiak Jule* & Albert Smith Mr. & Mrs. Louis J. Snyder

Mike & Anita* Stude Mr. & Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor Elba L. Villarreal Margaret Waisman, M.D. & Steven S. Callahan, Ph.D. Mr. & Mrs. Fredric A. Weber Robert G. Weiner Vicki West in honor of Hans Graf Jo Dee Wright Susan Gail Wood Ellen A. Yarrell Anonymous (2)

CRESCENDO CIRCLE $100,000+ Dr. & Mrs. George J. Abdo Priscilla R. Angly Janice Barrow James Barton Paul M. Basinski Joe Brazzatti Terry Ann Brown Drs. Dennis & Susan Carlyle Janet F. Clark Mr. William E. Colburn Darrin Davis & Mario Gudmundsson Harrison R.T. Davis Jean & Jack* Ellis The Aubrey & Sylvia Farb Family Eugene Fong

In MEMORIAM

Michael B. George Stephen & Mariglyn Glenn Evan B. Glick Jo A. & Billie Jo Graves Jacquelyn Harrison & Thomas Damgaard Dr. Rita Justice Mr. & Mrs. U. J. LeGrange Ms. Nancey G. Lobb Joella & Steven P. Mach Bill & Karinne McCullough Betty & Gene McDavid Dr. & Mrs.* Robert M. Mihalo Mr. Ronald Mikita & Mr. Rex Spikes

*Deceased

We honor the memory of those who in life included the Houston Symphony Endowment in their estate plans. Their thoughtfulness and generosity will continue to inspire and enrich lives for generations to come.

Mr. Thomas D. Barrow George Bashen W. P. Beard Ronald C. Borschow Mrs. H. Raymond Brannon Anthony Brigandi Lawrence E. Carlton, M.D. Mrs. Albert V. Caselli Lee Allen Clark Jack Ellis Mrs. Robin A. Elverson Frank R. Eyler Dr. & Mrs. Larry L. Fedder 42 | Houston Symphony

Helen Bess Fariss Foster Christine E. George Mr. & Mrs. Keith E. Gott John Wesley Graham Dorothy H. Grieves Mrs. Marcella Levine Harris Gen. & Mrs. Maurice Hirsch Miss Ima Hogg Burke & Octavia Holman David L. Hyde Dr. Blair Justice Mr. Max Levine Dr. Mary R. Lewis

Mrs. L. F. McCollum Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. McKerley Doretha Melvin Monroe L. Mendelsohn Jr. Robert Austin Moody Mrs. Janet Moynihan Terrence Murphree Arthur Newman Constantine S. Nicandros Hanni Orton Stewart Orton, Legacy Society co-founder Dr. Michael Papadopoulos

Miss Louise Pearl Mary Anne H. Phillips Mr. Howard Pieper Walter W. Sapp, Legacy Society co-founder J. Fred & Alma Laws Lunsford Schultz Ms. Jean R. Sides Blanche Stastny John K. & Fanny W. Stone Dorothy Barton Thomas Dr. Carlos Vallbona Mrs. Harry C. Weiss Mrs. Edward Wilkerson

In-Kind DONORS 26 Daisies A Fare Extraordinaire Aker Imaging Alexander’s Fine Portrait Design Alpha-Lee Enterprises, Inc. Aspire Executive Coaching, LLC Bergner & Johnson Design Bering’s BKD, LLP Boat Ranch Burberry Cognetic Complete Eats Cullnaire Carl R. Cunningham DLG Research & Marketing Solutions Elaine Turner Designs

(as of November 1, 2017)

Elegant Events by Michael Elliot Marketing Group Elsie Smith Design Festari Foster Quan LLP Gremillion Fine Art Gucci Hermann Park Conservancy Hilton Americas – Houston Hotel Granduca Hotel Icon Houston Astros Houston Grand Opera Houston Texans InterContinental Hotel Houston JOHANNUS Organs of Texas John L. Worthan & Son, L.P.

John Wright/Textprint JW Marriott Houston Downtown Kuhl-Linscomb LG Entertainers Limb Design Martha Turner Properties Meera Buck & Associates Michael’s Cookie Jar Minuteman Press – Post Oak Momentum Jaguar Music & Arts New Leaf Publishing, Inc. Nos Caves Vin The Parson Family in memory of Dorothy Anne Parson Pro/Sound Randalls Food Markets

Rice University Richard Brown Orchestra Saint Arnold’s Brewery Saks Fifth Avenue Shecky’s Media, Inc. Singapore Airlines Staging Solutions Stewart Title Tony’s Tootsies Valobra Jewelry & Antiques Versace Village Greenway VISION Yahama

Education & Community Engagement DONORS The Houston Symphony acknowledges those individuals, corporations and foundations that support our education and community engagement initiatives. Each year, these activities impact the lives of more than 97,000 children and students and provide access to our world-class orchestra for more than 150,000 Houstonians free of charge.

Principal Guarantor $250,000+



John & Lindy Rydman / Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods /Spec’s Charitable Foundation

Guarantor

$100,000+



BBVA Compass Ms. Marie Taylor Bosarge City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board Houston Endowment Houston Symphony Endowment Mr. John N. Neighbors

Underwriter $50,000+



Chevron The Elkins Foundation ENGIE Exxon Mobil Corporation The Hearst Foundations, Inc. Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo League of American Orchestras' Futures Fund The John P. McGovern Foundation The Robert & Janice McNair Foundation Occidental Petroleum Corporation Mr. & Mrs. William K. Robbins Jr./ The Robbins Foundation Shell Oil Company

Sponsor



$25,000+

The Boeing Company Mr. & Mrs. John P. Dennis III/ WoodRock & Co. The Powell Foundation Sterling-Turner Foundation Wells Fargo

Partner



$15,000+

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Ruth and Ted Bauer Family Foundation The Melbern G. and Susanne M. Glasscock Foundation H-E-B Tournament of Champions The Newfield Foundation Mr. Jay Steinfeld & Mrs. Barbara Winthrop Texas Commission on the Arts Ellen A. Yarrell in memory of Virginia S. Anderson and in honor of Cora Sue Mach

Supporter



$10,000+

CenterPoint Energy George & Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Houston Symphony League Nancy & Robert Peiser Vivian L. Smith Foundation TPG Capital

Benefactor



$5,000+

Houston Symphony League Bay Area LTR Lewis Cloverdale Foundation Macy’s Nordstrom Randalls Food Markets Strake Foundation

Donor



$1,000+

Lilly & Thurmon Andress Diane & Harry Gendel Kinder Morgan Foundation Robert W. & Pearl Wallis Knox Foundation Lillian Kaiser Lewis Foundation Cora Sue & Harry Mach Karinne & Bill McCullough Tricia & Mark Rauch Hazel French Robertson Education & Community Residency

Support by Endowed Funds Education and Community programs are also supported by the following endowed funds, which are a part of the Houston Symphony Endowment: Margarett & Alice Brown Endowment Fund for Education Spec’s Charitable Foundation Salute to Educators Concert Fund The Brown Foundation's Miller Outdoor Theatre Fund in honor of Hanni & Stewart Orton The William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fund for Education Programs Lawrence E. Carlton, M.D. Endowment Fund for Youth Programs Richard P. Garmany Fund for Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition Endowed Fund Selma S. Neumann Fund

Support for Symphony Scouts Cora Sue & Harry Mach in honor of Roger Daily’s 13 years of service as Director of the Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Programs

Support for the Community-Embedded Musician Initiative The Community-Embedded Musicians Initiative is supported in part by a generous grant from the American Orchestras' Future Fund, a program of the League of American Orchestras made possible by funding from the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation.

The Houston Symphony residency at Crespo Elementary is presented

by BBVA Compass and the BBVA Compass Foundation. We are also thankful to HISD and these lead supporters of the CommunityEmbedded Musician program: Robert and Janice McNair Foundation Medistar National Endowment for the Arts Spec’s Wines, Spirits and Finer Foods / Spec’s Charitable Foundation Nancy & Robert Peiser Mr. Jay Steinfeld & Mrs. Barbara Winthrop H-E-B Tournament of Champions LTR Lewis Cloverdale Foundation

InTUNE — December 2017 | 43

Meet Jonathan Fischer, oboe Jonathan Fischer joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Oboe in September 2012, and joined the faculty of the University of Houston in September 2014. Previously, he served as associate principal oboe with the San Francisco Symphony for nine seasons. He has also held positions with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and several other orchestras and opera companies. Jonathan has performed as a guest principal with many of the nation’s leading orchestras, including the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and others. He has also performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony and other orchestras.

Jonathan teaches at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and the Texas Music Festival. He has taught and performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music; given masterclasses at the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Rice University and the University of Michigan; and coached for the New World Symphony. He studied with Richard Woodhams at the Curtis Institute of Music.

A native of South Carolina, Jonathan enjoys living in the Houston Heights with his two dogs, a Greyhound and a Louisiana Catahoula mix.

Are you particularly excited about a concert this season?

I'm looking forward to playing Escales by Jacques Ibert in February.

Ibert was inspired to compose Escales (Ports of Call) after his tour of duty with the French Navy during World War I. The second movement depicts Tunis and features the oboe. The oboe’s colorful "snake charmer" melody evokes the exotic sights and sounds of beautiful North Africa. It's as much fun to play as it is to listen to!

What inspired you to become a musician?

When I was very young, my parents took me to my oldest brother's violin recital. An oboist played with him on one of the pieces, and I was completely mesmerized by the sound. I never told anybody.

Several years later when my fifth grade band director asked me what instrument I wanted to play, I blurted out "oboe!" before she could finish the question. As you can imagine, she was surprised, but very happy! I grew up in a small town in eastern North Carolina, and she had never had a student request the oboe before. Then she surprised me by telling me she played the oboe and had one I could borrow! I played my first notes in her living room.

What would you be if you weren’t a professional musician?

Flight attendant! Free travel anywhere, anytime!

What are you up to when not performing?

Like all oboists, I spend a lot of time making oboe reeds...that's a whole other interview! I'm a voracious reader, and I enjoy spending time with my dogs. I love to travel, and I try to take a few exciting trips each year.

Jonathan Fischer is sponsored by Nancy & Robert Peiser

44 | Houston Symphony

Top: My official Houston Symphony portrait.

Middle: Hanging out with a llama on lunch break while coaching the students of the Colombian Youth Philharmonic.

Bottom: Enjoying the Colombian countryside during the same trip.

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