Mercury to Close Out 14th Season with All-Beethoven Evening

Mercury closes out the 2014-15 season with an all-Beethoven concert led by Artistic Director Antoine Plante featuring the composer's beloved Eighth Symphony and Triple Concerto on Friday, May 16 at 8 PM at the Wortham Center's Cullen Theater. The rarely heard Triple Concerto will feature Mercury concertmaster Jonathan Godfrey, principal cellist Kevin Downs and guest pianist, Wendy Chen, playing on an 1832 Bösendorfer 80-key fortepiano, on loan from the Moores School of Music. The Eighth Symphony is the penultimate performance in Mercury's cycle of Beethoven symphonies, which started in 2009 and will conclude next May in Mercury's 15th Anniversary Season finale with Symphony No. 9, "Choral". This concert is sponsored in part by Haynes and Boone with underwriting support from Hans and Lili Kirchner, Vey and Brigid Spin, and Stephen and Kristine Wallace. Tickets start at $18, to purchase or for more information visit www.mercuryhouston.org or call 713.533.0080.

A founding member of Mercury, violinist Jonathan Godfrey has served as Concertmaster and violin soloist since the orchestra's inception. A graduate of Rice University, Mr. Godfrey is currently Assistant Concertmaster of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras. Mr. Godfrey has performed with many ensembles including the Houston Symphony, the Houston Bach Society, the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. He has also served as Concertmaster of the Sinfonietta Cracovia, The Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, The American Radio Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra X, and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra. He has concertized in the US and abroad, performing solo and chamber music recitals in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Interlochen, and Kansas City, as well as Guanajuato, León, Monterrey, and Santiago, Mexico; Yokohama, Kyoto, Matsumoto, Sapporo, Date, and Tokyo, Japan; and Quito and Ambato, Ecuador. A music educator as well, Mr. Godfrey has taught for twenty years, including positions on the violin faculty of both the Interlochen Arts Camp and the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory. Mr. Godfrey plays on the first of a set of instruments to be made specifically for Mercury by violinmaker Dorian Barnes. This instrument was generously donated to Mercury by the Kirchner family.

American cellist Kevin Downs is an orchestral and chamber musician, soloist, and teacher in North America and Europe. After studying in Houston with Cornelia Watkins, Mr. Downs received his Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master of Music at the New England Conservatory. He then moved to Paris to study with Michel Strauss as a recipient of the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship. Completing his studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, he was awarded the highest distinction for his final recital. A special love for chamber music has led to performances at many prestigious music festivals, including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Perlman Music Program, and the Banff Centre Chamber Music Residency. Mr. Downs has studied with such renowned ensembles and musicians as the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets, members of the Cleveland String Quartet, and Itzhak Perlman. Mr. Downs has premiered many works in support of new composers, including three world premieres at the June 2014 Thailand International Composition Festival. Along with his private teaching studio, Kevin is principal cellist of Mercury: The Orchestra Redefined and founder and cellist of Vicennium Void and Quartus Chamber Players.

Born in California, Wendy Chen debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the age of 15 under conductor André Previn. She won First Prize in the National Chopin Competition, the Young Concert Artists auditions, was an inaugural recipient of the Gilmore Young Artists Award, and was named a Presidential Scholar by the National Foundation for the Arts. Ms. Chen is one of the most sought after pianists and chamber musicians, performing on many of the world's most prestigious concert stages. She has appeared in unique programs that also featured musical legends Art Garfunkel and James Taylor; and in a private concert for The Justices at the US Supreme Court presented by The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Highlights have included an all-Chopin recital at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, recording with The London Philharmonic, duo recitals with cellist Andrés Diaz, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, and appearances in South America, The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, and at Festival Week in Tokyo, presented by CHANEL. Ms. Chen's performances are regularly heard on NPR's Performance Today. She gives masterclasses and lectures throughout the US, and serves as panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT MERCURY

Founded in 2000, Mercury has a mission to serve the community by celebrating the power of music, Baroque and beyond, teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence. The orchestra offers performances of a broad repertoire of music on period instruments and has garnered critical acclaim around the world through innovative and accessible performances, domestic and international tours, and groundbreaking music education programs.

What makes a Mercury performance unique?

Mercury musicians perform on period instruments similar in style and sound to those used by composers of the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods. Differences between modern and period instruments can be seen in the string section where players use gut rather than steel strings and often utilize a Baroque bow that is shorter and more curved than a modern bow. Brass instruments have no valves and are more modest in shape than their modern equivalents, and the timpani drums utilize leather skins rather than synthetic heads. Perhaps the most recognizable differences can be seen in the woodwind section; these instruments have less keys and are actually crafted from wood as opposed to metal or plastic like many modern instruments. Mercury chooses to perform with period instruments to create a distinctive and exciting sound, true to the composer's intent. Mercury musicians also perform standing to better express the passion and vitality of the music. All of this provides a singular listening experience for our audience.

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