ABOUT THE MUSIC
DEBUSSY, JOPLIN, ABREU & MORE
LIVESTREAM OF HOUSTON SYMPHONY CONCERTS IS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Barbara J. Burger Robin Angly & Miles Smith The Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation
THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR GENEROUS SEASON SPONSORS
Principal Corporate Guarantor
Official Health Care Provider
Official Airline
Official Television Partner
Preferred Jewelry Partner
The Houston Symphony is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR GENEROUS SERIES SPONSORS
Gold Classics
Favorite Masters
RAND G ROUP
Great Performers
POPS Series
Family Series
Donations account for two-thirds of the Houston Symphony’s annual operating budget.
ways to DONATE houstonsymphony.org/donate 713.337.8559 text MUSIC to 41444 and pledge your gift
ABOUT THE MUSIC
HANDEL/ P. A R C H I B A L D “ A R R I VA L O F T H E Q U E E N O F SHEBA” FROM SOLOMON P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
NANCY GOODEARL HORN
IAN MAYTON HORN
RICHARD HARRIS ROBERT WALP ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL TRUMPET TRUMPET
PHILLIP FREEMAN BASS TROMBONE
DAVID KIRK PRINCIPAL TUBA
MARK HUGHES PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
JOHN PARKER ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
ALLEN BARNHILL BRADLEY WHITE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE
ABOUT THE MUSIC
HANDEL/ P. A R C H I B A L D “ A R R I VA L O F T H E Q U E E N O F SHEBA” FROM SOLOMON
G. F. HANDEL COMPOSER (1685–1759)
• One of the last of Handel’s many oratorios, Solomon is rarely performed in its entirety, but Handel’s bright and lively “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” interlude is often played during wedding ceremonies. • This arrangement of the work for brass ensemble is rarely performed as it is very technically challenging.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
D. HALL ESCAPE VELOCITY
P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
BRIAN DEL SIGNORE LEONARDO SOTO PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION PRINCIPAL TIMPANI
MARK GRIFFITH PERCUSSION
MATTHEW STRAUSS ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION
ABOUT THE MUSIC
D. HALL ESCAPE VELOCITY
DAVE HALL COMPOSER
• This piece is influenced by the melodic ideas of Béla Bartók and the grooves of “drum ‘n’ bass,” a genre of electronic music characterized by drum solos and heavy bass lines. • The quartet features three keyboard percussion instruments and a djembe, a West African drum, but each percussionist also plays extra instruments such as cymbals, rain sticks, crotales, and more to add unique colors to the piece. • Composer Dave Hall is also the assistant professor of percussion and jazz studies at the University of Nebraska. His music has been called “the aural equivalent of a Dalí painting” (New York Concert Review).
ABOUT THE MUSIC
D E B U S S Y / M . S T R AU S S / D . WA L L AC E STRING QUARTET IN G MINOR, O P. 1 0 , M V T. I I ( P E R C U S S I O N ) P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
BRIAN DEL SIGNORE LEONARDO SOTO PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION PRINCIPAL TIMPANI
MARK GRIFFITH PERCUSSION
MATTHEW STRAUSS ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION
ABOUT THE MUSIC
D E B U S S Y / M . S T R AU S S / D . WA L L AC E STRING QUARTET IN G MINOR, O P. 1 0 , M V T. I I ( P E R C U S S I O N )
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
COMPOSER (1862–1918) • Claude Debussy composed his String Quartet in G minor—his only string quartet—in 1893, the year before he wrote one of his most celebrated masterworks, Afternoon of the Faun. • The arrangement for percussion was made by the Houston Symphony’s own Matthew Strauss, associate principal timpani and percussion, and his colleague Doug Wallace. • The original version for string quartet is characterized by pizzicato throughout, which gives the piece a percussive quality. This translates well to the marimba, the keyboard percussion instrument featured in this arrangement.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
G E R VA I S E / A r r. P. R E E V E DANCES OF THE FRENCH RENAISSANCE P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
NANCY GOODEARL HORN
IAN MAYTON HORN
MARK HUGHES PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
JOHN PARKER ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
ROBERT WALP ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
RICHARD HARRIS TRUMPET
ALLEN BARNHILL PRINCIPAL TROMBONE
BRADLEY WHITE ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE
PHILLIP FREEMAN BASS TROMBONE
DAVID KIRK PRINCIPAL TUBA
BRIAN DEL SIGNORE MARK GRIFFITH PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION PERCUSSION
ABOUT THE MUSIC
G E R VA I S E / A r r. P. R E E V E DANCES OF THE FRENCH RENAISSANCE
CLAUDE GERVAISE
COMPOSER (1540–1583) • This piece, as well as other brass ensemble arrangements in this concert, was specially chosen by the musicians of the Houston Symphony brass section. These arrangements were written by members of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and they highlight the wide variety of colors a brass ensemble can produce. • The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble was one of the first modern classical brass ensembles (formed in 1951) and included some of the best brass players in London. The group presented concerts all over the world, including at Northwestern University where Mark Hughes, principal trumpet, and other members of the Houston Symphony brass section first heard the group perform. • Listen for the particularly beautiful, rich sound of the low brass section during the third dance, Pavanne d’Angelterra and Gaillardge: Trés calme.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
C AG E THIRD CONSTRUCTION
P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
BRIAN DEL SIGNORE LEONARDO SOTO PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION PRINCIPAL TIMPANI
MARK GRIFFITH PERCUSSION
MATTHEW STRAUSS ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION
ABOUT THE MUSIC
C AG E THIRD CONSTRUCTION
JOHN CAGE
COMPOSER (1912–1992) • John Cage (1912–1992) was a pioneer of new composition techniques, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments. He is remembered as one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde. • Third Construction is a monumental piece in the percussion ensemble repertoire because of its complexity. There were not very many percussion ensemble pieces written in the 1940s, so having a piece of this magnitude from that time period is remarkable. • John Cage is known for incorporating “found instruments,” or objects that are used to create music that are not made for that purpose. Notice the unique percussion instruments in this piece, such as tin cans and conch shells.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
JOPLIN/ J. IVESON THE EASY WINNERS
P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
NANCY GOODEARL HORN
IAN MAYTON HORN
JOHN PARKER ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
RICHARD HARRIS TRUMPET
ROBERT WALP ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
MARK HUGHES PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
ALLEN BARNHILL BRADLEY WHITE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE
DAVID KIRK PRINCIPAL TUBA
PHILLIP FREEMAN BASS TROMBONE
ABOUT THE MUSIC
JOPLIN/ J. IVESON THE EASY WINNERS
SCOTT JOPLIN COMPOSER (1868–1917) • Ragtime originated in African-American music in the late 19th century and descended from the jigs and march music played by African-American bands, referred to as “jig piano” or “piano thumping.” • This well-known rag was written by the “King of Ragtime,” American composer and pianist Scott Joplin. Joplin was the foremost composer of the genre in the early 20th century and his most famous works include “The Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer.” During his brief career, Joplin wrote over 100 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. • The Easy Winners was written for four trumpets, one horn, four trombones, and one tuba. Ian Mayton, horn, will perform transcribed versions of the fourth trombone parts on this and the other three works he plays on the program. • The practice of transcribing parts for other instruments is quite common. Sometimes, these arrangements even come with alternate parts that are transposed so they can be played by multiple configurations of brass instruments.
ABOUT THE MUSIC
ABREU/ IVESON TICO TICO
P A R T I C I P AT I N G M U S I C I A N S
NANCY GOODEARL HORN
IAN MAYTON HORN
MARK HUGHES PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
JOHN PARKER ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
ROBERT WALP ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL TRUMPET
RICHARD HARRIS TRUMPET
ALLEN BARNHILL BRADLEY WHITE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE
PHILLIP FREEMAN BASS TROMBONE
DAVID KIRK PRINCIPAL TUBA
BRIAN DEL SIGNORE PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION
MARK GRIFFITH PERCUSSION
MATTHEW STRAUSS ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION
LEONARDO SOTO PRINCIPAL TIMPANI
ABOUT THE MUSIC
ABREU/ IVESON TICO TICO
ZEQUINHA DE ABREU
COMPOSER (1880–1935) • Tico Tico was composed in 1917 by Zequinha de Abreu as a song in the Brazilian choro tradition—a song form that typically shrugs off misfortune with good humor, catchy tunes, and fast tempos. The lyrics in this song depict a little bird (“tico tico”) who wants to eat up all the grain in the silo. • This famous tune has been arranged in almost every instrumentation imaginable, from solo guitar to full orchestra, and has appeared in Hollywood films since the 1930s. • Carmen Miranda performed this piece in the famous 1947 American musical comedy film Copacabana, costarring Groucho Marx. Watch Here! • The Grateful Dead often played it as a between songs tuning jam in their concerts! Watch Here! • For this performance, the Houston Symphony percussionists have written their own percussion parts based on samba rhythms, incorporating original Brazilian instruments, to accompany the brass ensemble.
MUSICIAN BIOS
NANCY GOODEARL HORN
Nancy Goodearl, a member of the Houston Symphony since 1981, received a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Master of Music in Performance from Northwestern University. Since 1987, she has been a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She has performed with many orchestras, including the Houston Ballet Orchestra, the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho. Goodearl has performed extensively in recitals and chamber music ensembles throughout the Houston area, including brass and woodwind quintets from the Houston Symphony and faculty brass and woodwind quintets from the University of Houston. She also performs with the Monarch Brass Ensemble, a large brass ensemble of women from around the country affiliated with the International Women’s Brass Conference. In addition to performing, she enjoys coaching high school horn sections and teaching privately. She is a former faculty member of the University of Houston Moores School of Music, the Texas Music Festival, and the American Festival of the Arts.
IAN MAYTON HORN
Ian Mayton, a native of Durham, North Carolina, was appointed fourth horn of the Houston Symphony by Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada in November 2014. Mayton has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the North Carolina Symphony. After completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Mayton spent a year in the Master of Music program at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music studying with William VerMeulen.
MUSICIAN BIOS MARK HUGHES
PRINCIPAL TRUMPET GEORGE P. AND CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL CHAIR Mark Hughes “knows how to spin out a long line with the eloquence of a gifted singer,” says Derrick Henry of the Atlanta JournalConstitution. Hughes developed his abilities at Northwestern University where he studied with the late Vincent Cichowicz of the Chicago Symphony. After graduation, he joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as a scholarship student of Adolph Herseth, the legendary Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony. Hughes then began touring with Richard Morris as the popular organ and trumpet duo, “Toccatas and Flourishes,” performing throughout the United States and Canada. His appointment as Associate Principal Trumpet with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra followed, which he held for 12 years. During his time with the ASO, he appeared as soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions, performed on dozens of recordings, and was an active studio musician. Hughes is currently Principal Trumpet of the Houston Symphony, a position he has held since 2006. He has appeared as soloist with the orchestra on several occasions, including the performance of the Shostakovich Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Trumpet with Jon Kimura Parker, a performance heard nationally on American Public Radio’s SymphonyCast. Since his arrival in Houston, Hughes has performed and recorded with the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras and continues to be in demand as a soloist with orchestras and in recital. In addition, he serves on the faculties of the Brevard Music Center and the Texas Music Festival each summer. Hughes lives in Bellaire with his wife, Marilyn, and their two children, Thomas and Caroline.
JOHN PARKER
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TRUMPET John Parker, a native of High Point, North Carolina, joined the Houston Symphony in May of 2016 as Associate Principal Trumpet. Previously, he was Principal Trumpet with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, a position he attained after his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). While at UNC, Parker was a recipient of the Kenan Music Scholarship and also the Frank Comfort Education Scholarship. Parker has also performed as Principal Trumpet of the Charleston Symphony, the Roanoke Symphony, and the Greensboro Symphony. He attended the Aspen Music Festival and School on a full fellowship in both 2012 and 2013 and has also performed twice as a soloist at the National Trumpet Competition.
MUSICIAN BIOS
ROBERT WALP
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL TRUMPET Robert Walp joined the Houston Symphony as Assistant Principal Trumpet in 1983. Originally from Pasadena, California, Walp studied with Walter Laursen (Principal Trumpet, Pasadena Symphony) and Thomas Stevens (Principal Trumpet, Los Angeles Philharmonic) before moving to Chicago to study with Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern University. As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Walp studied with Adolph Herseth and Arnold Jacobs of the Chicago Symphony. After graduating from Northwestern University in 1982, Walp worked with Albert Calvayrac in France, and Timofei Dokschitzer (Solo Trumpet, Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra) in Moscow. Well known for his success in teaching young people, Walp substituted for Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern University, leading master classes, teaching, and giving a recital at his alma mater. Walp also served on the faculty of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music for five years. His students are some of the most sought-after musicians by major conservatories and schools of music. An active chamber musician and recitalist, Walp has performed with the Carmel Bach Festival in California, Rheingau Musikfestival in Germany, Albi Festival in France, and Gidon Kremer’s Laurie Festival in Köln and St. Petersburg, Russia. His solo appearances include numerous recitals throughout the United States and Europe, and concerti performances with the Houston Symphony. The Houston Brass Band appointed Walp as its first Music Director in 2006. He has led the band through an unprecedented period of improvement, tackling increasingly more challenging works and engaging the band with the community. In January 2015, Walp joined the faculty of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. Walp is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
MUSICIAN BIOS
RICHARD HARRIS TRUMPET
Richard Harris joined the Houston Symphony as second trumpet in 2018. Previously, he was a member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra where he performed for 8 years. In March of 2018, Harris gained the distinction of being the only musician in an American orchestra to have won auditions for each position in one orchestral trumpet section. He achieved this notable accomplishment during his tenure at the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra where he won nationally held blind auditions for the positions of Second Trumpet (2009), Associate Principal / 3rd Trumpet (2014) and Principal Trumpet (2018). As a soloist, Harris has performed J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 2, Copland’s Quiet City, and Concerti by Vivalidi, Hummel, Haydn, and Neruda. A Yamaha Performing Artist, he has enjoyed performing in orchestras all over the world including the Seoul Philharmonic in South Korea and the Jalisco Philharmonic in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has also performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, as well as many others. An avid educator, Harris has given masterclasses at universities and high schools across the country. He served on the faculty at Winthrop University from 2013– 2018 and at UNC Charlotte from 2007–2009. He also had the privilege of serving as the brass coach for the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra for 7 years. He strives to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere where children are encouraged and motivated to improve their playing. His primary goal is to ensure that their love of music remains an important and positive part of their lives, even beyond the stage. Harris’ students have enjoyed successful auditions for orchestras, wind ensembles, and prestigious programs of study. In addition to his passion for playing trumpet, Harris is a chess enthusiast. His volunteer work with inner-city schools in Charlotte allowed him to teach and run chess camps for underprivileged kids. As a master level chess player, he uses this game as a teaching tool to foster a sense of patience, sportsmanship, strategic thinking, and calm under pressure. Harris has studied with Thomas Booth, Barbara Butler, and many others. His degrees from Texas Tech University and Southern Methodist University (SMU) gave him a strong foundation. While a student at SMU he had the honor of playing two seasons with the National Repertory Orchestra. During his time at SMU he was hailed by the Dallas Observer as “a dream of a principal trumpet player.” Also, while a student at Texas Tech he won the concerto competition. He performed the Haydn Concerto at the Las Vegas Music Festival in 2003 as an invited soloist. Harris was born in Lander, Wyoming as the youngest of five siblings. Originally, he began his musical studies at age 5 on the cello. At age 8, he discovered his lifelong passion as he also began studying the trumpet. When he was given his first trumpet he felt instantly that it was the instrument he couldn’t put down. In 2013, he met his wife, Angela, and they have two children between them, Edward and Eva.
MUSICIAN BIOS
ALLEN BARNHILL
PRINCIPAL TROMBONE Principal Trombonist Allen Barnhill joined the Houston Symphony in 1977 and has appeared with the orchestra as a soloist on numerous occasions. Winner of the Swiss Prize at the 1979 Geneva International Solo Competition, he was also featured in the 2008 world premiere of Cindy McTee’s Solstice for Trombone and Orchestra. As an ensemble collaborator, Barnhill has appeared in concert and on recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Houston and San Antonio Symphonies, Chicago’s Music of the Baroque, and the Houston Symphony Chamber Players. Currently Associate Professor of Trombone at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, he has also held faculty positions at The University of Texas, University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, and the University of St. Thomas. A native of Elizabethtown, North Carolina, Barnhill graduated from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Donald Knaub. He enjoys water skiing, snow skiing, and golf.
BRADLEY WHITE
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TROMBONE Bradley White, trombone, joined the Houston Symphony in the fall of 2001 as Associate Principal and Second Trombone. He is a native Houstonian and earned his Bachelor of Music in Trombone Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 1993. He went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he received a Master of Music in 1997. White has performed with Ambient Brass, the Houston Ballet and Grand Opera Orchestras, and the San Antonio and Hawaii Symphonies.
MUSICIAN BIOS
PHILLIP FREEMAN BASS TROMBONE
Phillip Freeman joined the Houston Symphony in 2007 after six seasons with the Sarasota Opera. He has performed with the orchestras of Minnesota, Dallas, Montréal, Sarasota, and San Antonio. A graduate of the University of Houston, he received his bachelor’s degree in composition. Formerly on faculty at the Shepherd School of Music and the Moores School of Music, Freeman now sees a limited number of students privately and teaches at the Texas Music Festival each summer.
DAVID KIRK
PRINCIPAL TUBA David Kirk is Principal Tubist of the Houston Symphony and an Associate Professor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, holding these positions since 1982. Kirk enjoys an international reputation for effective teaching of musicianship and the physical aspects of wind playing. He has presented master classes throughout North America and in Japan. Kirk was selected for his teaching and playing positions during his final year of undergraduate studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. While at Juilliard, he studied with Don Harry. Kirk’s other teachers include David Waters, Chester Schmitz, Warren Deck, and Neal Tidwell. Kirk also appears as a guest performer with ensembles throughout the United States. Locally, he is an active recitalist, chamber music collaborator, and spokesperson for the musical arts. He serves on the faculty of the Texas Music Festival, a summer conservatory held at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. Kirk’s orchestral playing is heard on Houston Symphony recordings under conductors Sergiu Comissiona, Newton Wayland, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Krajewski, Hans Graf, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada. His solo playing is featured on Mark Custom Recordings’ The Music of Leroy Osmon, Volume 1.
MUSICIAN BIOS
BRIAN DEL SIGNORE
PRINCIPAL PERCUSSION Brian Del Signore joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1986. Prior to his Houston Symphony appointment, he held a one-year position as Principal Percussionist of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and performed with the Kalamazoo and Lansing Symphony Orchestras while there. Before moving to Michigan, Brian performed in many orchestras in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Brian Del Signore earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University in 1981, where he studied with the Pittsburgh Symphony percussionists. In 1984, Del Signore earned a Master of Music from Temple University, where he studied with Alan Abel of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Del Signore began piano lessons at age six and drums at age eleven. His first drum teacher in the late 1960’s was Lou Carto, pop star Bobby Vinton’s drummer and bandleader at that time. Besides keeping a very busy schedule with Houston Symphony performances, Brian maintains an active education and outreach schedule, where he presents educational percussion programs in elementary schools and percussion clinics in high schools across the Houston area. “Digital Recording Tools for the Performing Musician” is a clinic and master class for collegeaged percussionists and musicians which explores the use of recording technology to critique and improve performance ability. Del Signore has presented the clinic and master class at various music schools around the United States including Baylor University, Texas A&M- Commerce, Sam Houston State University, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Yale University, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, Peabody Conservatory, Carnegie Mellon University, Cleveland Institute of Music, The Colburn School in Los Angeles, and San Francisco Conservatory. Brian Del Signore endorses manufacturers of high-quality percussion instruments and accessories. These companies—Remo Corporation, Sabian Cymbals, Pearl/Adams Percussion, ProMark Sticks, and Black Swamp Percussion—as well as The Houston Symphony League Bay Area support Del Signore’s educational and outreach programs. For more information on these educational programs please visit www.briandelsignore.com. Brian and his wife Leah have three college aged children, Damian, Dominique and Dione.
MUSICIAN BIOS
LEONARDO SOTO
PRINCIPAL TIMPANI Leonardo R. Soto, Jr. is the newly appointed Principal Timpanist of the Houston Symphony. Before arriving in Houston, Leo served as Principal Timpanist of the Charlotte Symphony from 2009 until 2018, as well as the Michigan Opera TheatreDetroit Opera House from 2003 until 2009. He is also an active member of Miami’s Nu Deco ensemble. As an educator, Leonardo is a former faculty member of Queens University of Charlotte, was an Artist in residence at Central Piedmont College, and an instructor for the Charlotte Youth Symphony program. As a clinician, he has done master classes around the Unites States, including PASIC’s Pennsylvania day of percussion, the University of Charlotte NC, and Eastern Michigan University. Leo often travels back to his native Chile to perform recitals, master classes and clinics at the National University of Chile, the Youth Symphony Foundation and the National Symphony Concert Hall. Leonardo made his debut as a soloist with the Charlotte Symphony and, in January 2017, performed the world premiere of “Evolution Percussion Concerto,” written for him by composer Leonard Mark Lewis. Mr. Soto has the unique distinction of being the first native Hispanic Timpanist to play in a professional orchestra in the United States. He began his musical education with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chile, where he received the Teatro Municipal of Santiago National Scholarship. Concurrently, he was trained as a Latin percussionist by his father, Mr. Leonardo Soto, Sr., one of Chile’s most prominent musicians in the field. Leo embarked on his professional career with the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, where he gained experience in orchestral, opera and ballet repertoire. In 1997, he received the Fundacion Andes International Scholarship, which brought him to the US and Carnegie Mellon University, where he studied with Timpanist Timothy Adams from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He was made an honorary student at Cleveland State University by his mentor, Mr. Tom Freer of the Cleveland Orchestra. Leonardo has worked with ensembles such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, City Music Cleveland, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, among others. As a Latin percussionist, he has recorded and toured with a number of artists from the Pennsylvania, Southern Michigan and New York areas. Leo is a performing artist for Pearl/Adams Percussion, Remo Drumheads, and Freer Percussion.
MUSICIAN BIOS
MARK GRIFFITH PERCUSSION
Mark Griffith joined the Houston Symphony in 2004. Before coming to Houston, he was a member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony, performing regularly under the baton of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. He has also performed with the Honolulu Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Having grown up in Dallas, Griffith is a native Texan but received his education in various parts of the country. He did undergraduate music studies at Wheaton College outside of Chicago and earned a Master of Music from the University of Michigan. While at Wheaton, Griffith twice won the university’s concerto competition, performing marimba concertos by Paul Creston and Jorge Sarmientos. He was the recipient of the University of Michigan’s prestigious Charlie Owen Memorial Scholarship. His teachers include Alan Abel of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Salvatore Rabbio of the Detroit Symphony, Michael Udow of the Santa Fe Opera, and renowned marimba soloist Leigh Howard Stevens. Griffith’s playing can be heard on a growing number of Houston Symphony recordings, as well as those of the New World Symphony. One particularly unique recording features a concerto for electric guitar and orchestra, performed by composer and guitar soloist Steve Mackey with the New World Symphony. In addition to percussion, Griffith is a trained pianist and organist. He and his wife Katherine are the proud parents of their son, Benjamin, and daughter, Katie.
MUSICIAN BIOS
MATTHEW STRAUSS
ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL TIMPANI AND PERCUSSION Matthew Strauss has been applauded throughout the United States as an energetic percussionist and timpanist with a diverse musical background. In addition to his positions as Associate Principal Timpani and Percussion with the Houston Symphony and Timpanist with the American Symphony Orchestra at the Bard Music Festival, Strauss is currently on faculty at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and Texas Music Festival at the University of Houston. Prior to his post in Houston, he performed as a member of the percussion section in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra throughout the 2002–03 and 2003–04 seasons. Strauss has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and National Symphony Orchestras, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, to name a few. Solo appearances include performances with the Akron Symphony, New Hampshire Music Festival, and Reading Symphony Orchestra, and Delaware Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, Strauss has performed with the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Da Camera of Houston, Foundation for Modern Music, Bard Festival Chamber Players, Skaneateles Music Festival, and has participated in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary chamber series, Music Now, under the batons of Pierre Boulez and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Strauss received his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the Juilliard School and his Master of Music in Performance from Temple University. He is an alumnus of both the Tanglewood and Aspen Music Festivals and has participated in the Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Strauss taught percussion performance at the Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He has presented master classes and clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, The Juilliard School, Aspen Music Festival, Northwestern University, Temple University, New York University, Peabody Conservatory, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Roosevelt University, and DePaul University. Strauss is a performing artist and clinician for the Pearl/Adams Corporation, Zildjian Inc., and Evans Drumheads.