Houston Native Timothy McCallister Joins Houston Symphony For John Adams Celebration

The Houston Symphony joins musicians and orchestras around the world in the continued celebration of American composer John Adams' 70th birthday with a performance of Adams' Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra featuring world-renowned saxophonist Timothy McAllister at 8 p.m. Feb. 23 and 25 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Jones Hall.

Former Houston Symphony Music Director Hans Graf, the orchestra's longest-serving music director, returns to the Jones Hall stage to lead the orchestra in a program with a heavy focus on woodwind and brass instruments, beginning with Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments and followed by Adams' Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra.

Composed for and dedicated to McAllister after finding inspiration in classic jazz saxophone recordings of the 1950s and 1960s, Adams' Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra is a major addition to the instrument's repertoire. In 2013, McAllister performed the world premiere of this work with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the composer in the Sydney Opera House. A Houston resident in his youth, McAllister graduated from Clear Lake High School and made his solo debut with the Houston Civic Symphony at age 16. His rise to international acclaim came in 2009 with his celebrated work in Adams' City Noir, filmed as part of Gustavo Dudamel's inaugural concert as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The program concludes with Ravel's classic orchestration of Mussorgsky's wildly imaginative Pictures at an Exhibition, a masterpiece inspired by the artworks of Viktor Hartmann, a close friend of Mussorgsky who suffered a tragic early death. One of history's most popular orchestral works, Pictures at an Exhibition is a tribute to the power of art and friendship to withstand the test of time.

The concert will take place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston's Theater District. For tickets and information, please call (713) 224-7575 or visit www.houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, 2:30 p.m.

Hans Graf, conductor

Timothy McAllister, saxophone

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments

John Adams: Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra

Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition

Tickets from $25

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