certmaster for The American Sinfonietta and the Rochester Philharmonic, Carolyn Vandiver, who would become the first Virtuosi Manager. Earle Steinberg, who had been Chairman of the Board of the Greater Houston Youth Orchestra, and would form and lead the first Virtuosi board of directors, and Franz Anton Krager, international conductor, and the Hourani endowed professor of music and director of orchestras at the Moores School. It was agreed that Virtuosi would have two conductors, Grabiec and Krager. I know them both well and have worked with them often during my many years of volunteer involvement at the Moores School. I once engaged Andrzej to perform a challenging work of the Russian composer, Alfred Schnittke, the Prelude in Memoriam Dmitri Shostakovich, written for two violins. This thoughtful piece requires the “soloist� to play both violin parts. Grabiec was tremendous in his interpretation and his soaring virtuosity. Similarly, Franz Anton Krager and I had collaborated before as I produced a six-day Shostakovich Festival and a three day Sibelius Festival at the Moores School. Franz was the General and Artistic Director of both. Membership was open to students in the Houston area up to 18 years of age. Rehearsals were intentionally scheduled for weeknights to allow members of the Houston Youth Symphony and the Greater Houston Youth Orchestra to join and participate as well. The first performance took place in late 1996 with a performance of Mozart, Bach with an orchestra of 38 students.
Slowly the board of directors grew with many influential people in the community. With board strength and leadership, the future was positive. Another Moores School of Music Society leader, Betty Jukes, recruited Zarine and Meherwan Boyce, both to fill essential roles for many years. Other leaders also made contributions such as Susan Love Fitts and Cynthia Martin. Virtuosi of Houston performs at various venues throughout the year. These include stand-alone performances as well as being with the Houston Symphony during their annual Youth Symphony Festival. They also present during the Texas
September - October 2018
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