Flute And Harpsichord Take Center Stage In Mercury Chamber Orchestra's 2018-19 Expanded Neighborhood Series

Mercury Chamber Orchestra opens its 2018-19 Neighborhood Series this October 20 - 25 with Johann Sebastian Bach's spirited Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. Featuring not one, but three instruments - the flute, violin and harpsichord, it is the only one of the six Brandenburg Concerti in which the harpsichord has a solo part. Written for a smaller ensemble, but with symphonic proportions, this sublime work features musicians playing both leading and supporting roles in an ever-changing pattern of give and take.

Completing the program are popular flute works - Bach's friend, Georg Philipp Telemann's enticing Suite in E minor Overture, and Bach's son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's exciting Flute Concerto in G major, which features a similar dynamic back-and-forth conversation between the instruments as his father wrote in the Brandenburg. Mercury Principal Flutist David Ross, Concertmaster Jonathan Godfrey, and internationally-renowned harpsichordist Mario Aschauer take star solo turns under the baton of Artistic Director Antoine Plante.

Mercury's Neighborhood Series, sponsored by Phillips 66, offers short, affordable concerts to music lovers of all ages performed in intimate atmospheres at four unique venues across Houston. The series expands this season due to popular demand, adding a second performance at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, where performances now take place at 6:30 and 8:30 PM.

Mercury is proud to also offer this concert on the Houston Methodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine's Margaret Alkek Williams Crain Garden Performance Series at Houston Methodist Hospital. The hour-long lunch-time concert takes place in the Crain Garden at 12 noon on October 25th.

MERCURY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES Bach's Brandenburg 5 OCTOBER 20-25, 2018 Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050 GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN Overture-Suite in E minor TWV 55:e10 CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH Flute Concerto in G major, H.445 Wq.169 David Ross, Flute Jonathan Godfrey, Violin (Mercury Concertmaster) Mario Aschauer, Harpsichord Antoine Plante, Conductor MDPC Memorial Drive

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 2:30 PM MFAH, Museum District

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 6:30 PM MFAH, Museum District

Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8:30 PM Dosey Doe, The Woodlands

Sunday, October 21, 2018, 7:00 PM MATCH in Midtown

Thursday, October 25, 2018, 7:00 PM The Neighborhood Series is sponsored by Phillips 66 and made possible also in part by the Houston Endowment and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

The Baroque gallery in the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) Beck Building, has been home to Mercury since 2006. Located in the Historic District between Midtown, Rice University and the Medical Center, with an additional concert added this season at 8:30 PM;

MATCH, one of Houston's newest performing arts venues, is located in Midtown, Houston's thriving hotbed of culture, creativity and foodie favorites; Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church (MDPC) is a multi-sensory experience of sight and sound set in a simply gorgeous location in the west side of Houston. The stunning stained glass of the chapel is a vibrant backdrop, adding to the concert experience; Dosey Doe in The Woodlands. Music lovers get the complete Texas experience at the Dosey Doe Big Barn - a 165-year-old tobacco barn approximately thirty miles north of Downtown Houston. The space features incredible acoustics and delicious southern-style meals.

Innovation, accessibility and dynamism are just three of the distinguishing characteristics of Mercury Chamber Orchestra, the acclaimed Houston-based period instrument ensemble that continues to redefine the orchestra experience. Now in its 18th season, Mercury celebrates the power of music - from the Baroque period and more - serving the Houston community and beyond through teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence.

In addition to performances in multiple venues throughout the Houston area, including its flagship series at Wortham Center's Cullen Theater and its Neighborhood Series, Mercury continues to invest in the community. It offers free community performances annually, including the community concert at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and public concerts in the Crain Garden at Houston Methodist Hospital. Recognized for its award-winning team-teaching programs, Mercury also provides in-school performances for Houston area students and master classes for school orchestras. Active in the recording scene, to date, Mercury has released eight albums on its own label, featuring works by Corelli, Mozart, Schubert, Rameau, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and Handel.

Mercury continues its collaboration with The Juilliard School's Historical Performance Program for the third year. The Mercury-Juilliard Fellowship initiative encourages the development of talented young instrumentalists and fosters a strong relationship between two major players in America's period instrument performance scene, as well as introducing Houston audiences to the next generation of great period performance musicians.

Mercury gratefully acknowledges the following organizations and corporations for their ongoing support: The City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc., Texas Commission on the Arts, the Wyatt Foundation, the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation, Phillips 66, The Brown Foundation, Inc., The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The John M. O'Quinn Foundation, Shell Oil Company Foundation, The Petrello Family Foundation, Houston First, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For additional information on Mercury, its events and concerts, tickets, directions to the venues, or to learn more about its recordings, please visit www.mercuryhouston.org.

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