Special Program | Nosferatu: Silent Film with Live Organ
InTUNE
Nosferatu: Silent Film with Live Organ
November 16
JONES HALL
Since the opening of Jones Hall in 1966, millions of arts patrons have enjoyed countless musical and stage performances at the venue. Dominating an entire city block, Jones Hall features a stunning travertine marble facade, 66-foot ceilings, and a brilliantly lit grand entrance. Jones Hall is a monument to the memory of Jesse Holman Jones, a towering figure in Houston during the first half of the 20 th century.
CONCERT DISRUPTION
We strive to provide the best possible auditory experience of our world-class orchestra. Noise from phones, candy wrappers, and talking is distracting to the performers on stage and those around you. Please help us make everyone’s concert enjoyable by silencing electronic devices now and remaining quiet during the performance.
FOOD & DRINK POLICY
The Encore Café and in-hall bars are open for Symphony performances, and food and drink will be permitted in bar areas. Food is not permitted inside the auditorium. Patrons may bring drinks into the auditorium for Bank of America POPS Series concerts and Symphony Specials. Drinks are not permitted inside the auditorium for Classical concerts.
LOST & FOUND
For lost and found inquiries, please contact Patron Experience Coordinator Lien Le during the performance. She also can be reached at lien.le@houstonsymphony.org. You may contact Houston First after the performances at 832.487.7050.
“WHEN SHOULD I CLAP?”
It’s a question we hear often! Traditionally, audiences wait to applaud until the very end of a piece, especially when it has several sections (called movements). This allows the music to flow without interruption and helps the performers stay focused. If you’re unsure, a simple cue is when the conductor lowers their arms and turns toward the audience—that’s your signal the piece has finished. That said, there’s no wrong way to show your appreciation. If the music inspires you in the moment, don’t hesitate to clap! Your enthusiasm and energy are always welcome at the Symphony.
CHILDREN
Children ages six and up are welcome to all Classical, Bank of America POPS, and Symphony Special concerts. Children of all ages are welcome at PNC Family Series performances. Children must have a ticket for all ticketed events.
LATE SEATING
Each performance typically allows for late seating, which is scheduled in intervals and determined by the conductor. Our ushers and Patron Experience Coordinator will instruct you on when late seating is allowed.
TICKETS
Subscribers of five or more concerts may exchange their tickets at no cost. Tickets to Symphony Specials or single ticket purchases are ineligible for exchange or refund. If you are unable to make a performance, your ticket may be donated prior to the concert for a tax-donation receipt. Donations and exchanges may be made in person, over the phone, or online.
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
Marina Brubaker
Tong Yan
MiHee Chung
Sophia Silivos
Rodica Gonzalez
Ferenc Illenyi
Si-Yang Lao
Kurt Johnson*
Christopher Neal
Sergei Galperin
Timothy Peters+
Tianxu Liu+
SECOND VIOLIN
Vacant, Principal
Vacant, Associate Principal
Amy Semes
Annie Kuan-Yu Chen
Mihaela Frusina
Jing Zheng
Tianjie Lu
Anastasia Iglesias
Tina Zhang*
Yankı Karataş
Hannah Duncan
Alexandros Sakarellos
Samuel Park+
Teresa Wang+
VIOLA
Joan DerHovsepian, Principal
Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal
Samuel Pedersen, Assistant Principal
Paul Aguilar
Sheldon Person
Fay Shapiro
Keoni Bolding
Jimmy Cunningham
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
Jeffrey Butler
Maki Kubota
COMMUNITY-EMBEDDED MUSICIAN
Lindsey Baggett, Violin
ASSISTANT LIBRARIANS
Ali Verderber
Hae-a Lee
Xiao Wong
Charles Seo
Jeremy Kreutz
DOUBLE BASS
Robin Kesselman, Principal
Timothy Dilenschneider, Associate Principal
Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate
Gonzalo Farias, Associate Conductor
Andrew Pedersen, Assistant Principal
Eric Larson
Burke Shaw
Donald Howey
Avery Weeks
Michael Zogaib+
FLUTE
Aralee Dorough, Principal
General Maurice Hirsch Chair
Matthew Roitstein, Associate Principal
Judy Dines
Kathryn Ladner
PICCOLO
Kathryn Ladner
OBOE
Jonathan Fischer, Principal
Lucy Binyon Stude Chair
Anne Leek, Associate Principal
Colin Gatwood
Adam Dinitz
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
STAGE PERSONNEL
Stefan Stout, 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
CONTRABASSOON
Adam Trussell
HORN
William VerMeulen, Principal
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan
Endowed Chair
Robert Johnson, Associate Principal
Nathan Cloeter, Assistant Principal/Utility
Brian Thomas*
Brian Mangrum
Ian Mayton
Barbara J. Burger Chair
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 Platoff, 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 Griffith
Matthew Strauss
HARP
Allegra Lilly, Principal
KEYBOARD
Vacant, Principal
LIBRARIAN
Luke Bryson, Principal
*on leave + contracted substitute
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
2025-26 se a son
Journey to Light: Valčuha Conducts
Shostakovich 10
November 21, 22* & 23
Chamber Music Series: Chamber 2
November 23
Thanksgiving Weekend: Tchaikovsky’s
Piano Concerto No. 1
November 28, 29* & 30
S H and e l s M es si a h
D ec e mb e r 5 , 6* & 7
S J oy f u l Fa n fa r e s ! H o l i d ay B r a s s S p ec t ac u l a r
D ec e mb e r 6 & 7
S Voctave: It Feels Like Christmas
D ec e mb e r 8
Ve r y M e rr y Po ps
D ec e mb e r 11 , 13* & 14
O h , W h at Fu n ! A H o l i d ay C o n c e r t f o r K i d s
D ec e mb e r 13
S S Elf i n C on c e r t !
Merry-Achi Christmas
Dec e mb e r 15
D ec e mb e r 1 9, 20 & 2 1
A N at K i ng C o l e N ew Ye a r
J a nu a r y 2 , 3* & 4
S St a r Wa r s : Re t u rn of t h e J e d
C on c e r t J a nu a r y 9 & 1 0
S Mr. Symphonic: Shaggy with the Houston Symphony
J a nu a r y 11
A r t u r o S and oval : J o u rn ey t o Fr e edo m
J a nu a r y 17 & 1 8*
M a ri n A ls o p C on du c t s B r a h m s 2
J a nu a r y 23 , 24* & 25
P i an o M a n : T
& 8
W h e n I n s t r u m e nt s Ro a m e d t h e E a r t h
Fe br u a r y 7
Sy m p h on ie e s p a g n o l e + Sy m p hon ie f a nt asti q u e
Fe br u a r y 13 , 14* & 1 5
Chamber Music Series: Musician Spotlight
Fe br u a r y 15
Tch a i kovs k y ’s Ro m e o a n d J u l ie t
Fe br u a r y 20, 2 1* & 2 2
Wa g n e r ’s Tri s t a n a n d I so l d e
Fe br u a r y 28 & M a r c h 1
Mozart + Elgar’s Enigma Variations
M a r c h 13 , 14* & 1 5
Chamber Music Series: Chamber 3
March 15
B e et h ove n’s Fi f t h Symp ho ny +
T i m pa n i Wo rl d P r e m ie r e
M a r c h 20, 2 1* & 2 2
G ri eg ’s Pe e r G y nt
M a r c h 2 7, 28* & 2 9
S L a ng L a ng i n Re c it a l
A p ril 1
D isn ey s Fa nt a s i a i n C on c e r t
A p ril 3 & 4
S A p ril 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 ri n g
A p ril 1 8 & 1 9*
I c o n : T h e Vo i c e s Th at C h a nge d M u s i c
A p ril 24 , 25* & 26
A b r ac ad a b r a ! A Ma g i c a l M u s i c a l A d ve nt u r e
A p ril 25
S Chanticleer: Our American Journey
A p ril 28
J os h u a B e l l Ret u rn s : T h e El e m e nt s i n C on c e r t
M ay 7, 9* & 1 0
T h e Pl a ne t s + Tcha i kovs k y ’s V i o li n C o n c e r t o
M ay 1 5 , 1 6* & 17
Chamber Music Series: Chamber 4
May 17
Val č u h a C on du c t s M a hle r 9
M ay 2 2 , 23* & 24
NOSFERATU: SILENT FILM WITH LIVE ORGAN
BRETT MILLER, ORGANIST
As one of the youngest in a rare art form, Brett Miller is an active organist, conductor, and arranger specializing in silent film accompaniment. Currently, he is the Assistant Conductor of the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and the Eastman Philharmonia.
In the Spring of 2021, he was appointed Music Director of the Empire Film and Media Ensemble, an ensemble based in Rochester, NY, that advocates for the education, performance, and production of film music. In the Fall of 2022, he was appointed Artistic Director of the organization. Brett shares a close relationship between the ensemble and the Beal Institute of Film and Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music.
His recent scores have been recorded with organizations such as the Eye Filmmuseum, the FriedrichWilhelm-Murnau Foundation, and Kino Lober Classics. He has been featured in the past at various film festivals and has played events in conjunction with film preservationists from the Library of Congress and George Eastman House. Highlights include sold-out performances of Nosferatu at Verizon Hall in conjunction with the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Boston Pops, and Houston Symphony. He is a frequent recitalist at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, playing the world’s largest pipe organ.
Brett studied organ with renowned organist Jelani Eddington and piano with Beth Crompton. He studied film accompaniment with Ben Model and Bernie Anderson. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Eastman School of Music where he studies with Neil Varon.
AD HANDEL’S MESSIAH
Dec. 5, 6* & 7
*Livestream Performance 7:30 p.m.
Holiday Series
A NAT KING COLE NEW YEAR
Enjoy an “Unforgettable” start to 2026 as Byron Stripling, Denzal Sinclaire, and the Houston Symphony Big Band perform the timeless hits of Nat King Cole, along with well-known songs by other jazz legends. Hear the songs you know and L-O-V-E, including “Mona Lisa,” “Nature Boy,” “When I Fall in Love,” “Just One of Those Things,” and more.
