InTUNE
The Houston Symphony Magazine
John Malkovich in The Music Critic
ORCHESTRA ROSTER
Juraj Valčuha
Music Director
Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
FIRST VIOLIN
Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster
Max Levine Chair
Vacant, Associate Concertmaster
Ellen E. Kelley Chair
Boson Mo, Assistant Concertmaster
Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Fondren Foundation Chair
Tong Yan
Ferenc Illenyi
Si-Yang Lao
Christopher Neal
Sergei Galperin
James Gikas+
Tianxu Liu+
Samuel Park+
Timothy Peters+
Arutyun Piloyan+
Teresa Wang+
SECOND VIOLIN
Vacant, Principal
Vacant, Associate Principal
Amy Semes
Annie Kuan-Yu Chen
Mihaela Frusina
Jing Zheng
Anastasia Iglesias
Tina Zhang*
Yankı Karata!
Hannah Duncan
Alexandros Sakarellos
Zubaida Azezi+
Hanna Hrybkova+
VIOLA
Joan DerHovsepian, Principal
Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal
Samuel Pedersen, Assistant Principal
Paul Aguilar
Sheldon Person
Fay Shapiro
Keoni Bolding
Jimmy Cunningham
Meredith Harris+
Yvonne Smith+
CELLO
Brinton Averil Smith, Principal
Janice H. and Thomas D. Barrow Chair
Christopher French, Associate Principal
Jane and Robert Cizik Chair
Anthony Kitai
Louis-Marie Fardet
Je rey Butler
Maki Kubota
Xiao Wong
Charles Seo
Jeremy Kreutz
COMMUNITY-EMBEDDED MUSICIAN
Lindsey Baggett, Violin
LIBRARIANS
Ali Verderber, Associate Librarian
Megan Fisher, Assistant Librarian
DOUBLE BASS
Robin Kesselman, Principal
Timothy Dilenschneider, Associate Principal
Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate
Anthony J. Maglione, Director, Houston Symphony Chorus
Gonzalo Farias, Associate Conductor
Andrew Pedersen, Assistant Principal
Eric Larson
Logan May
Burke Shaw
Donald Howey
Avery Weeks
FLUTE
Vacant, Principal
General Maurice Hirsch Chair
Matthew Roitstein, Acting Principal
Judy Dines
Kathryn Ladner
Douglas DeVries+
PICCOLO
Kathryn Ladner
OBOE
Jonathan Fischer, Principal
Lucy Binyon Stude Chair
Anne Leek, Associate Principal
Vacant
Adam Dinitz
Pablo Moreno+
ENGLISH HORN
Adam Dinitz
Barbara and Pat McCelvey Chair
CLARINET
Mark Nuccio, Principal
Bobbie Nau Chair
Vacant, Associate Principal
Christian Schubert
Alexander Potiomkin
Ben Freimuth+
E-FLAT CLARINET
Vacant
Ben Freimuth+
BASS CLARINET
Alexander Potiomkin
BASSOON
Rian Craypo, Principal
Isaac Schultz, Associate Principal
Elise Wagner
Adam Trussell
CONTRABASSOON
Adam Trussell
STAGE PERSONNEL
Vacant, Stage Manager
José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager
Nicholas DiFonzo, Head Video Engineer
Justin Herriford, Head Audio Engineer
Connor Morrow, Head Stage Technician
Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager
HORN
William VerMeulen, Principal
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan
Endowed Chair
Robert Johnson, Associate Principal
Nathan Cloeter, Assistant Principal/Utility
Ian Mayton
Barbara J. Burger Chair
Brian Mangrum
Spencer Bay+
TRUMPET
Mark Hughes, Principal
George P. and Cynthia Woods
Mitchell Chair
John Parker, Associate Principal
Robert Walp, Assistant Principal
Richard Harris
TROMBONE
Nick Plato , Principal
Bradley White, Associate Principal
Phillip Freeman
BASS TROMBONE
Phillip Freeman
TUBA
Dave Kirk, Principal
TIMPANI
Leonardo Soto, Principal
Matthew Strauss, Associate Principal
PERCUSSION
Brian Del Signore, Principal
Mark Gri th
Matthew Strauss
HARP
Allegra Lilly, Principal
KEYBOARD
Vacant, Principal
LIBRARIAN
Luke Bryson, Principal
*on leave + contracted substitute
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
2025-26 se a son
S John Malkovich in The Music Critic
A p r il 14
S V í k i n g u r Ó l af s s o n Plays Beethoven
A p r il 17
A d a m s C on du c t s A d a m s &
A p p a l a c hi a n S p r i n g
A p r il 1 8 & 1 9*
I c o n : T h e Vo i c e s Th at C h a n ge d M u s i c
A p r il 24 , 25* & 26
A b r ac a d a b r a ! A Ma g i c a l M u s i c a l
A d ve n t u r e
A p r il 25
S Chanticleer: Our American Journey
A p r il 28
S Disney & Pixar’s Toy Story in Concert
Chamber Music Series: Ethereal Transformations
May 17
Val č u h a C on du c t s M a hle r 9
M ay 2 2 , 23* & 24
L i g h t s ! C am e r a ! M u s ic ! 1 0 0 Ye a r s o f
E p i c Fil m S c o r e s
M ay 2 9, 3 0* & 3 1
June 19 & 20 S Lyle Lovett with the Houston Symphony
Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY
June 6 & 7
May 2 & 3 S The Music of Queen
J o s h u a B e l l Re t u r n s :
i n C on c e r t T h e El e m e nt s
M ay 7, 9* & 1 0
T h e P l a ne t s
C o n c e r t o + Tcha i kovs k y ’s V i o li n
M ay 1 5 , 1 6* & 1 7
June 5 S Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert
June 26 & 27
SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OFFICERS
Barbara J. Burger President
John Rydman** Board Chair
Chair, Artistic & Orchestra A airs
Barbara McCelvey President-Elect Chair, Development
Mike S. Stude** Chair Emeritus
Paul Morico General Counsel
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Brad W. Corson Chair, Governance & Leadership
Carey Kirkpatrick Chair, Marketing & Communications
Evan B. Glick Chair, Popular Programming
Sippi Khurana, M.D. Chair, Education & Community Engagement
GOVERNING DIRECTORS
Gary Beauchamp
Eric Brueggeman
MK Campion
John Cassidy, M.D.
Khoa Dao
Lidiya Gold
TRUSTEES
Christopher Armstrong
David Balderston
David J. Beck
Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl
Nancy Shelton Bratic
Terry Ann Brown**
Ralph Burch
John T. Cater**
Robert Chanon
Heaven Chee
Michael H. Clark
Virginia Clark
Andrew Davis, Ph.D.
Denise Davis
Tracy Dieterich
Joan Du
Kelli Cohen Fein
Je rey B. Firestone
Lindsay Buchanan Fisher
Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events
Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning
Jesse B. Tutor** Chair, Audit
Leslie Nossaman^ President, Houston Symphony League
Jonathan Ayre Secretary Chair, Finance
Janet F. Clark^ Immediate Past Chair
Steven P. Mach^ At-Large Member
James H. Lee^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment
Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative
Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative
Bobby Tudor^** At-Large Member
Gary Ginstling^ Executive Director/CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Claudio Gutiérrez
David J. M. Key
Cindy Levit
Isabel Stude Lummis
Cora Sue Mach**
Rodney Margolis**
Eugene A. Fong
Aggie L. Foster
Kate Dearing Fowler
Julia Anderson Frankel
Aoife French
Carolyn Gaidos
Andrew Gould
Lori Harrington
Pablo Hernandez SchmidtTopho
Je Hiller
Grace Ho
Gary L. Hollingsworth
John W. Hutchinson
Brian James
Matthew Kades
I. Ray Kirk, M.D.
David Krieger
Matthew Loden
FOUNDATION FOR JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES
Janet F. Clark
As of February 26, 2026
Brad W. Corson
Meredith Marshall
Elissa Martin
Leslie Nossaman
Chris Powers
Brittany Sakowitz
Ed Schneider
Kirby Lodholz
Michael Mann, M.D.
Nancy Martin
Jack Matzer
Jackie Wolens Mazow
Diane Morales
Aprill Nelson
Tim Ong
Edward Osterberg Jr.
Gloria G. Pryzant
Miwa Sakashita
Ted Sarosdy
Andrew Schwaitzberg
Helen Sha er**
Becky Shaw
Robert B. Sloan, D.D., Theol.
Jim R. Smith
Miles O. Smith**
Quentin Smith
Barbara McCelvey
Jeremy Kreutz^ Musician Representative
Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative
Justin Stenberg
William J. Toomey II
Betty Tutor**
Robert Weiner
Margaret Alkek Williams**
Tad Smith
Anthony Speier
Tina Raham Stewart
Nanako Tingleaf
Terry Thomas
Margaret Waisman, M.D.
Gretchen Watkins
Fredric A. Weber
Vicki West
Steven J. Williams
David J. Wuthrich
Ellen A. Yarrell
Robert Yekovich
EX-OFFICIO
Alejandro Gallardo
Reverend Ray Mackey, III
Frank F. Wilson IV
Fredric Weber
LEADERSHIP GROUP
Gary Ginstling, Executive Director/CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial O cer
Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating O cer
Rolanda Gregory, Chief Marketing O cer
Jennifer Renner, Chief Development O cer
Mayenne Minuit, Executive Assistant
DEVELOPMENT
Leanna Aldis, Manager, Foundation Relations
Sarah Bhalla, Board Relations Associate
Lauren Buchanan, Development Communications Manager
Alex Canales, Manager, Donor Services
Jessie De Arman, Development Associate, Gifts, Records, & Research
Timothy Dillow, Senior Director, Individual Giving
Amanda T. Dinitz, Director, Principal Gifts & Endowment
Vivian Gonzalez, Annual Giving O cer
Kamra Kilmer, Manager, Corporate Relations
Karyn Mason, Institutional Giving O cer
Hadia Mawlawi, Endowment & Planned Giving O cer
Meghan Miller, Development Associate, Special Events
Emilie Moellmer, Membership Manager
Megan Mottu, Annual Giving O cer
Gavin Reed, Major Gifts O cer
Tim Richey, Major Gifts O cer
Katie Salvatore, Director, Annual Giving & Membership
Phillip Smith, Special Events and League Liaison O cer
Lena Streetman, Director, Development Operations
Stacey Swift, Director, Special Events
Sarah Thompson, Donor Events Manager
Christina Trunzo, Director, Institutional Giving
EDUCATION | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Olivia Allred, Education Manager
Allison Conlan, Senior Director, Education & Community Engagement
Austin Hinkle, Education & Community Engagement Coordinator
Jazmine Olwalia, Community Engagement Manager
Sheridan Richard, DeLUXE K!ds In Harmony Site Manager
Community-Embedded Musicians (CEM):
Lindsey Baggett, Lead CEM
Lucinda Chiu, CEM Teaching Artist
David Connor, Senior CEM Teaching Artist
Rainel Joubert, Senior CEM Teaching Artist
Bensen Kwan, CEM Education Specialist
Brittany Leavitt, CEM Teaching Artist
Bianca Lozano, CEM Teaching Artist
Alexis Mitrushi, CEM Teaching Artist
Adrian Ponce, CEM Teaching Artist
Lauren Ross, CEM Teaching Artist
Jaya Varma, CEM Teaching Artist
FINANCE | ADMINISTRATION | IT | HR
José Arriaga, Systems Engineer
Henry Cantu, Finance Accountant
Kimberly Cegielski, Sta Accountant
Heather Fails, Database Administrator
Ronin Jackson, IT Intern
Joel James, Director of Human Resources
Tanya Lovetro, Director of Budgeting & Financial Reporting
Freddie Piegsa, Help Desk Technician
Morgana Rickard, Controller
Gabriela Rivera, Senior Accountant
Pam Romo, O ce Manager/HR Coordinator
Lee Whatley, Senior Director, IT & Analytics
MARKETING | COMMUNICATIONS
Bryan Ayllon, UX & Conversion Specialist
Rachel Cheng, Marketing & External Relations Assistant
Bella Cutaia, Manager, Patron Services
Kathryn Judd, Director, Marketing
Priya Kurup, Senior Associate, Group Sales
Caroline Lawson, Patron Services Representative
Lien Le, Patron Experience Coordinator
Yoo-Ell Lee, Graphics & Media Designer
Milow Lozano, Ticketing Systems & Marketing Operations Specialist
Ciara Macaulay, Creative Director
Ashley Martinez, Patron Services Coordinator
Mariah Martinez, Email Marketing Coordinator
Casey Pearce, Graphic Design Manager
Aracely Quevedo, Patron Services Representative
Eric Skelly, Senior Director, Communications
Christian Sosa, Web Experience Director
Lily Townsend, Patron Services Representative
Alexa Ustaszewski, Manager, Revenue and Audience Insights
Sophie Volpe, Digital Content Specialist
Leecia Whatley, Patron Services Representative
Jenny Zuniga, Director, Patron Services
OPERATIONS | ARTISTIC
Stephanie Alla, Associate Director of Artistic Planning
Becky Brown, Associate Director of Orchestra Personnel
Juan Pablo Brand, Artistic Assistant
Ryan Diefenderfer, Concert Operations Assistant
Megan Fisher, Assistant Librarian
Michael Gorman, Director of Orchestra Personnel
Julia Hall, Assistant Director, Houston Symphony Chorus
Parker Hart, Concert Operations Manager
Adrian Hernandez, Concert Media Production Manager
Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager
José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager
Brad Sayles, Senior Recording Engineer
Nathan Trinkl, Artistic Assistant & Assistant to the Music Director
Ali Verderber, Associate Librarian
Meredith Williams, Director of Concert Operations
Rebecca Zabinski, Senior Director of Artistic Planning
April 14, 2026
John Malkovich in The Music Critic
John Malkovich, narrator
Aleksey Igudesman, artist
Hyung-ki Joo, artist
Program will be announced from the stage.
There will not be an intermission.
Tuesday, April 14
About the Music Program Bios
John Malkovich, narrator
John Malkovich has enjoyed a remarkably versatile career across theatre, film, fashion, and the arts, establishing himself as one of the most distinctive creative forces of his generation.
As a film actor, he has appeared in more than 100 movies, including The Killing Fields, Places in the Heart, Dangerous Liaisons, In the Line of Fire, Being John Malkovich, Rounders, The Ogre, Le Temps Retrouvé, Klimt, The Sheltering Sky, and Up Among the Clouds, among many others.
As a producer, his credits include The Accidental Tourist, Ghost World, Juno, Art School
Jones Hall
Confidential, Demolition, How to Draw a Bunny, Which Way Home, and The Dancer Upstairs, which he also directed.
On stage, Malkovich has delivered defining performances across decades. He appeared in David Mamet’s Bitter Wheat, performed in Burn This on Broadway and in London’s West End, and was an original ensemble member at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, where his credits include The Libertine, The Glass Menagerie, Of Mice and Men, Death of a Salesman, and True West. He is currently touring in a production of In the Solitude of the Cotton Fields.
As a director, his work includes an adaptation of Don DeLillo’s Libra; The Good Canary, staged in Paris, Mexico City, and London; Hysteria, presented in Chicago, Paris, and Barcelona; and most recently Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt at the Dailes Theatre in Riga, Latvia.
In recent years, Malkovich has become a central figure in innovative classical music collaborations, including The Infernal Comedy, The Giacomo Variations, Just Call Me God, The Music Critic, The Report on the
7:30 p.m.
Blind, A Rotating Drummer Inside a Box, and The Infamous Ramirez Hoffman.
He also spent many years as a fashion designer, creating 24 collections under the labels Uncle Kimono and Techno Bohemian.
Aleksey Igudesman, artist
Aleksey Igudesman is more than a musician—he is a cultural force redefining what it means to be an artist in the 21st century. As a virtuoso violinist, visionary conductor, genre-defying composer, educator, filmmaker, and entrepreneur, he transcends
Program Bios
musical traditions, infusing storytelling, humor, and innovation into every stage he touches.
Classically trained at the Yehudi Menuhin School and under Boris Kuschnir, Igudesman combines impeccable technique with theatricality and cross-genre creativity. He has collaborated with icons such as Gidon Kremer, Viktoria Mullova, Janine Jansen, and Vadim Repin, performing at venues including Carnegie Hall, Musikverein Vienna, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Konzerthaus Berlin.
As a composer published by Universal Edition, he has written works that have been commissioned and performed by major orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, TonhalleOrchester Zürich, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. He fearlessly bridges genres—from scoring Hollywood films with Hans Zimmer (including Sherlock Holmes) to creating acclaimed stage productions with John Malkovich, and performing alongside Yuja Wang, Joshua Bell, and Emanuel Ax.
As a conductor, Igudesman transforms the orchestral experience by integrating movement, humor, and storytelling into his programs. He has led ensembles including the Vienna Symphony, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
As a filmmaker, he has directed and performed in Noseland, Breaking Beethoven, and The Music Critic (starring John Malkovich), and produced
documentaries featuring Sir Roger Moore, Billy Joel, and Eric Carmen.
As founder of The Limitless Orchestra—with Hans Zimmer as Musical Patron—Igudesman pioneers a groundbreaking orchestral model blending cinematic storytelling with symphonic power. He is also co-founder of Music Traveler, a global platform for booking rehearsal and performance spaces, endorsed by Billy Joel, Hans Zimmer, and John Malkovich.
Through international workshops and masterclasses, he inspires musicians of all generations to embrace boundless creativity.
Aleksey Igudesman performs on a 1717 Santo Seraphin violin, loaned by Erste Bank. Visit alekseyigudesman.com for more information.
Hyung-ki Joo, artist
Called “a smart, dashing performer with an industry buzz created as much by his charismatic presence as by his work at the keyboard” (Billboard ), pianist, composer, and creative force Hyung-ki Joo is redefining the concert experience, blending
storytelling with musical innovation to engage audiences beyond traditional classical formats. Renowned for his jovial, contagious stage presence and brilliantly virtuosic performances, he crafts projects that showcase his versatility as pianist, conductor, communicator, composer, and artistic director.
As a soloist, he appears regularly with leading orchestras worldwide, with recent engagements including the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Romanian Radio Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony, and Zagreb Philharmonic. Highlights include serving as curator and director for the opening of the 2023 Wiener Festwochen, play-conducting the Hong Kong Sinfonietta in Haydn Seek, and collaborating with Tarmo Peltokoski, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra.
In 2025, he performed in the opening concerts of the Busan Concert Hall and appeared at the Salzburg Festival alongside soprano Asmik Grigorian in A Diva Is Born, first premiered at the Vienna State Opera. The collaboration continued with a Lied recital at La Scala in Milan and further performances across Europe. Later this year sees the premiere of his new program,
Piano vs. Orchestra, with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn under Dirk Kaftan.
A devoted collaborator, Joo has worked with singers including Dame Felicity Lott and Pretty Yende, and instrumentalists such as Gidon Kremer, Janine Jansen, Joshua Bell, and the Belcea
Program Bios
Quartet. Beyond the classical mainstream, he has collaborated with jazz pianist Stefano Bollani, actor John Malkovich, and Billy Joel, arranging and recording Joel’s last album, Fantasies and Delusions, for Sony Classical.
Committed to education, he mentors young musicians internationally and leads his Beyond the Practice Room workshops, focusing on creativity and communication beyond conventional performance. He is
the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.
As a composer, Joo has written works that are performed worldwide and published by Universal Edition and Modern Works. The Miró Quartet commissioned him for a work that was featured on their recent album Hearth. He is currently working on a film score with award-winning visual artist and filmmaker Elly Cho.
THE PLANETS + TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO
Houston favorite Augustin Hadelich returns for one of the most treasured works in all of music, Tchaikovsky’s lushly romantic (and dizzyingly di cult) Violin Concerto. Be transported to a world of soaring beauty and limitless possibility in Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral, which, in Higdon’s words, represents an imaginary journey “through a glass cathedral in the sky.” Then, fasten your seatbelts and blast o to menacing Mars, jolly Jupiter, and beyond as the Symphony performs Holst’s sonic, celestial showpiece, The Planets.
May 15, 16 & 17
Jones Hall