InTUNE
The Houston Symphony Magazine
Lyle Lovett with the Houston Symphony
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
Vacant
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
S
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
2026-27 se a son
Lyle Lovett with the Houston Symphony
June 5
Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY
June 6 & 7
S The Music of Queen
June 19 & 20
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™ in Concert
June 26 & 27
A. R. Rahman with the Houston Symphony
July 24 & 25
Opening Night: Celebrating
America at 250 with Isabel Leonard
September 19
Simply the Best: A Tribute to Tina Turner
September 25, 26* & 27
Rachmanino f Festival: Rachmanino f ’s Second Symphony
October 2, 3* & 4
Rachmanino f Festival: Rachmanino f ’s Piano Concerto No. 3
October 9, 10* & 11
Mozart’s Jupiter & JIJI
October 16 , 17 * & 18
Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony
October 30, November 1
Haunted Halloween
October 31
Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony & Yoonshin Song
November 6, 7* & 8
La Vida Loca
November 21 & 22*
See our full year calendar for even more concerts!
SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OFFICERS
Barbara McCelvey President
John Rydman** Board Chair Chair, Artistic & Orchestra A airs
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
Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events
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
Kelli Cohen Fein
Je rey B. Firestone
Eugene A. Fong
Aggie L. Foster
Barbara J. Burger Immediate Past President
Mike S. Stude** Chair Emeritus
Paul Morico General Counsel
Jonathan Ayre Secretary Chair, Finance
Janet F. Clark^ Immediate Past Chair
Ed Schneider Chair, Development
Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning
Jesse B. Tutor** Chair, Audit
Jerre Williams President, Houston Symphony League
James H. Lee^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment
Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative
Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative
Jeremy Kreutz^ Musician Representative
Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative
Gary Ginstling^ Executive Director/CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Claudio Gutiérrez
David J. M. Key
David Krieger
Cindy Levit
Isabel Stude Lummis
Cora Sue Mach**
Kate Dearing Fowler
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.
Matthew Loden
Kirby Lodholz
Michael Mann, M.D.
Nancy Martin
Jack Matzer
FOUNDATION FOR JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES
Janet F. Clark
Brad W. Corson
Rodney Margolis**
Meredith Marshall
Leslie Nossaman
Chris Powers
Brittany Sakowitz
Ed Schneider
Jackie Wolens Mazow
Diane Morales
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
Tad Smith
Anthony Speier
Tina Raham Stewart
Nanako Tingleaf
Terry Thomas
Barbara McCelvey
Steven P. Mach^ At-Large Member
Bobby Tudor^** At-Large Member
Gretchen Watkins^ At-Large Member
Justin Stenberg
William J. Toomey II
Betty Tutor**
Robert Weiner
Margaret Alkek Williams**
Margaret Waisman, M.D.
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
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
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
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
June 5, 2026
Lyle Lovett with the Houston Symphony
Jason Seber, conductor
Lyle Lovett, vocalist & guitarist
Program to be announced from the stage.
There will be an intermission.
Friday, June 5
About the Music Program Bios
Lyle Lovett, vocalist & guitarist
A singer, composer, and actor, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel, and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers. Lovett’s live performances show not only the breadth of this Texas legend’s deep talents, but also the diversity of his influences, making him one of the most compelling and captivating musicians in popular music.
Since his self-titled debut in 1986, Lyle Lovett has evolved into one of music’s most vibrant and iconic performers. Among his many accolades, besides the four Grammy Awards, he was given the
Jones Hall
7:30 p.m.
Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award, and was named Texas State Musician.
His works, rich and eclectic, are some of the most beloved of any artist working today.
Jason Seber, conductor
Jason Seber is a celebrated conductor known for his versatility leading classical, pops, film, and cross-genre programs. He is committed to making orchestral music accessible, relevant, and engaging for diverse audiences nationwide.
Seber has conducted many leading American orchestras, including the National, St. Louis, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, San Diego, Baltimore, Kansas City, Colorado, Milwaukee, Nashville, Indianapolis, Oregon, North Carolina, Phoenix, and Fairfax Symphony; the
Minnesota and Louisville Orchestra; the Buffalo Philharmonic; and the Cincinnati Pops, among others.
He has conducted more than 30 full feature films and has had the pleasure of performing with a wide range of artists including Boyz II Men, Melissa Etheridge, Leslie Odom, Jr., Trisha Yearwood, Lyle Lovett, Stephen Schwartz, Indigo Girls, Ben Folds, Wynonna Judd, Lindsey Stirling, Violent Femmes, Pink Martini, Natalie Merchant, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Katharine McPhee, Brian Stokes Mitchell, My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Patti Austin, Mason Bates, Doc Severinsen, Aoife O’Donovan, Ashley Brown, Susan Egan, and DeVotchKa, among many others. To learn more, please visit jasonseber.com.
THE MUSIC OF QUEEN
June 19 & 20 at The Hobby Center
