InTUNE
Voctave: It Feels Like Christmas
The Houston Symphony Magazine
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
Christopher Neal
Sergei Galperin
Timothy Peters+
Samuel Park+
SECOND VIOLIN
Vacant, Principal
Vacant, Associate Principal
Amy Semes
Annie Kuan-Yu Chen
Mihaela Frusina
Jing Zheng
Tianjie Liu*
Anastasia Iglesias
Tina Zhang
Yankı Karataş
Hannah Duncan
Alexandros Sakarellos
Tianxu Liu+
James Gikas+
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+
Suzanne LeFevre+
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
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
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
CONTRABASSOON
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
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 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
S
PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
2025-26 se a son
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 li d ay C o n c e r t fo r K i ds
D ec e mb e r 13
Mariachi Sol De Mexico de José Hernández presents: José Hernández’
Merry-Achi Christmas
Dec e mb e r 15
S S Elf in C on c e r t !
Dec e mb e r 17
D ec e mb e r 1 9, 20 & 2 1
A N at K ing C o l e N ew Ye a r
J a nu a r y 2 , 3* & 4
S Sta r Wa r s: Retu rn of t he Jed i in 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 rin 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
Pi an o M a n : T h e M us i c of B ill y J o e l
Fe br u a r y 6 , 7 * & 8
W h e n I ns 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
Sym p honie e s p ag nole + Sym p honie fa ntasti que
Fe br u a r y 13 , 14* & 1 5
Chamber Music Series: Musician Spotlight
Fe br u a r y 15
Tch a ikovs k y ’s Romeo a nd Jul iet
Fe br u a r y 20, 2 1* & 2 2
Wa g n e r ’s Tris ta n a nd Isolde
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: Springtime in Italy March 15
B e et h ove n’s Fif t h Symp ho ny +
T im pa n i Wo rl d Pr e m ie r e
M a r c h 20, 2 1* & 2 2
G ri eg ’s Pee r G ynt
M a r c h 2 7, 28* & 2 9
S L a ng L a ng in Re c it a l
A p ril 1
A p ril 3 & 4
S John Malkovich in The Music Critic A p ril 14
S V í k ing u r Ó l af s s o n in Re c it a l
A p ril 17
A d a m s C on du c t s A d a m s & A pp alac hia n S p ri ng
A p ril 1 8 & 1 9*
A p ril 24 , 25* & 26
A b r ac ad a b r a ! A Ma
A p ril 25
S Chanticleer: Our American Journey
A p ril 28
S Disney & Pixar’s Toy Story in Concert May 2 & 3
J os h u a B e ll Ret u rns : T he Ele me nt s in C on c e r t
M ay 7, 9* & 1 0
T he Pla net s + Tcha ikovs k y ’s V i o lin C o n c e r t o
M ay 1 5 , 1 6* & 17
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
Juraj valČuha
Houston Symphony Music Director Juraj Valčuha is recognized for his effortless expressiveness and depth of musicianship. He is known for his sharp baton technique, natural stage presence, and the impressive ease of his interpretations that translate even the most complex scores into immersive experiences.
Before joining the Houston Symphony in June 2022, Valčuha was Music Director of the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, from 2016 to 2022 and first guest conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. He was Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI from 2009 to 2016. In 2023, he assumed the post of Principal Guest Conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.
The 2005–06 Season marked the start of his international career on the podium of the Orchestre National de France followed by remarkable debuts in the United Kingdom with the Philharmonia London, in Germany with the Munich Philharmonic, in the United States with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and in Italy with Puccini’s La bohème in Bologna.
He has since led the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Dresden Staatskapelle, Munich Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Philharmonic,
Music Director
Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
Orchestre de Paris, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rome, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Montréal Symphony, and the NHK and Yomiuri orchestras in Tokyo.
He enjoys regular collaborations with the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the San Francisco Symphony , the Minnesota Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. International touring with the Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI took them to the Musikverein in Vienna, Philharmonie in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Zurich, and Munich; to the Enesco Festival in Bucharest; and to the Abu Dhabi Classics. With the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, he visited Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn to mark the 100 th anniversary of the Baltic nations.
Valčuha champions the compositions of living composers and aspires to program contemporary pieces in most of his concerts. He has conducted world premieres, including Christopher Rouse’s Supplica with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Steven Mackey’s violin concerto with Leila Josefowicz and the BBC Symphony in Manchester, and Nico Muhly’s Bright Idea with the Houston Symphony. In 2005, he conducted, in the presence of the composer, Steve Reich’s Four Seasons at the MelosEthos Festival in Bratislava. Other composers
he has supported and continues to follow with interest are Bryce Dessner, Steven Stucky, Andrew Norman, James MacMillan, Luca Francesconi, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, Anna Clyne, Julia Wolfe, and Jessie Montgomery, among others.
Including his engagements in Houston, the 2023–24 Season took him to the Pittsburgh and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, San Francisco Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra as well as to the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo. On the European stage, he performed La fanciulla del West and Tristan und Isolde at the Bavarian State Opera and at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Jenůfa at the Opera di Roma. He led concerts with the RAI Orchestra, the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre National de France, the NDR, SWR, and the Bamberg Symphony, among others.
In the 2024–25 Season, Valčuha joined the Semperoper in Dresden with Strauss’s Salome as well as the Paris Opéra Bastille with Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and the Deutsche Oper Berlin with Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame. In addition to his concerts with the Houston Symphony, he returned to the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the London Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester, the San Francisco Symphony,
the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the Yomiuri Nippon Orchestra in Tokyo.
The 2025–26 Season marks his fourth season with the Houston Symphony. His guest engagements will lead him to the San Francisco, Chicago, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. In Europe, he will join the Orchestre National de France, the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, the Bamberg Symphony, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome, the Basque National Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and on tour, and the RAI National Orchestra in Turin. On the opera stage, he will conduct Pelleas et Mélisande at the Geneva Opera as well as Don Carlo and La bohème at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Valčuha studied composition and conducting in his birthplace, then at the conservatory in St. Petersburg (with Ilya Musin), and finally, at the Conservatoire Supérieur de la Musique in Paris.
SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
OFFICERS
Barbara J. Burger President
John Rydman** Board Chair Chair, Artistic & Orchestra Affairs
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
Aoife Cunningham
Andrew Davis, Ph.D.
Denise Davis
Tracy Dieterich
Joan Duff
Connie Dyer
Kelli Cohen Fein
Barbara McCelvey President-Elect Chair, Development
Mike S. Stude** Chair Emeritus
Paul Morico General Counsel
Jonathan Ayre Secretary Chair, Finance
Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events
Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning
Jesse B. Tutor** Chair, Audit
Janet F. Clark^ Immediate Past Chair
Steven P. Mach^ At-Large Member
Claudio Gutiérrez
Rick Jaramillo
David J. M. Key
Cindy Levit
Isabel Stude Lummis
Cora Sue Mach**
Jeffrey B. Firestone
Lindsay Buchanan Fisher
Eugene A. Fong
Aggie L. Foster
Julia Anderson Frankel
Carolyn Gaidos
Andrew Gould
Lori Harrington
Pablo Hernandez SchmidtTophoff
Jeff Hiller
Grace Ho
Gary L. Hollingsworth
John W. Hutchinson
Brian James
Dawn James
Matthew Kades
I. Ray Kirk, M.D.
David Krieger
FOUNDATION FOR JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES
Janet F. Clark
As of October 10, 2025
Barbara McCelvey
Bobby Tudor^** At-Large Member
Leslie Nossaman^ President, Houston Symphony League
James H. Lee^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment
Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director
Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair
Gary Ginstling^
Executive Director/CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Rodney Margolis**
Elissa Martin
Chris Powers
Brittany Sakowitz
Ed Schneider
Justin Stenberg
Matthew Loden
Michael Mann, M.D.
Nancy Martin
Jack Matzer
Jackie Wolens Mazow
Aprill Nelson
Tim Ong
Edward Osterberg Jr.
Gloria G. Pryzant
Miwa Sakashita
Ted Sarosdy
Andrew Schwaitzberg
Helen Shaffer**
Becky Shaw
Robert B. Sloan, D.D., Theol.
Jim R. Smith
Miles O. Smith**
Quentin Smith
Tad Smith
Fredric Weber
Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative
Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative
Jeremy Kreutz^ Musician Representative
Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative
William J. Toomey II
Betty Tutor**
Robert Weiner
Margaret Alkek Williams**
Anthony Speier
Tina Raham Stewart
Nanako Tingleaf
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
LEADERSHIP GROUP
Gary Ginstling, Executive Director/CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial Officer
Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer
Jennifer Renner, Chief Development Officer
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 Officer
Kamra Kilmer, Manager, Corporate Relations
Karyn Mason, Institutional Giving Officer
Hadia Mawlawi, Endowment & Planned Giving Officer
Meghan Miller, Development Associate, Special Events
Emilie Moellmer, Membership Manager
Megan Mottu, Annual Giving Officer
Gavin Reed, Major Gifts Officer
Tim Richey, Director, Major Gifts & Board Relations
Katie Salvatore, Director, Annual Giving & Membership
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
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, Staff Accountant
Heather Fails, Database Administrator
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, Office 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
Ruben Gandara, Patron Services Representative
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
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
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
Hazel Landers, Chorus Library Intern
Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager
José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager
Jennifer Romig, Interim Chorus Librarian
Brad Sayles, Senior Recording Engineer
Stefan Stout, Stage Manager
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
Featured Program
Voctave: It Feels
Like Christmas
Voctave, vocalists
Program will be announced from the stage
About the Music
Monday, December 8
Program Bio
Voctave, vocalists
A cappella sensation Voctave has had more than 160 million social media views of their videos, and their albums frequently debut in the top 10 on the Billboard and iTunes charts. In 2024, they released the third volume in their popular The Corner of Broadway & Main Street series and recorded a
Jones Hall
7:30 p.m.
number of collaborations with guest artists, including Tituss Burgess and The Swingles.
Last season, Voctave released a brand-new holiday album It Feels Like Christmas and embarked on a North American holiday tour. Other recent highlights include an album of lullabies entitled Goodnight, My Someone and tours of their popular show The Corner of Broadway & Main Street.
The group was formed in 2015 by producer and arranger Jamey Ray, and the voices that bring their arrangements to life represent a wealth of diverse backgrounds and musical experiences. Hailing from Central Florida, the 11 members of
Voctave have performed across the globe and appear on countless recordings.
Sponsors
The group has performed with Grammy, Dove, and American Music Award recipients, including Sandi Patty, Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado, Mark Lowry, David Phelps, and Jody McBrayer. Voctave’s albums are digitally available on all platforms.
Voctave is:
E.J. Cardona
Tiffany Coburn
Ashley Espinoza
John Hannigan
Karl Hudson
Chrystal Johnson
Kate Lott
Drew Ochoa
Jamey Ray
Kurt Von Schmittou
Sarah Whittemore
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.
Jan. 2, 3* & 4
Juraj Valčuha, Music Director