Houston Symphony Announces 2016-17 Season
By: Sally Henry Fuller Jan. 25, 2016
The Houston Symphony's 2016-17 season, Andrés Orozco-Estrada's third season as music director, celebrates more than a century of leadership in Houston's cultural landscape. In its 103rd year, the Houston Symphony announced the upcoming season at Jones Hall on Monday, January 25, in front of several hundred guests and supporters, emphasizing the institution's ongoing collaboration with living composers, a continued focus on new music, a renewed concentration on innovative programming, and world-class musicianship and entertainment. Houston Symphony Music Director Orozco-Estrada, Principal POPS Conductor Michael Krajewski, and Executive Director/CEO Mark C. Hanson were on hand to unveil the new season and share their favorite highlights.
"The Houston Symphony is embarking on yet another action-packed season with a wide range of Classical, POPS, Family, Community and Special programming that is sure to inspire audiences of all ages and walks of life," said Hanson. "We invite new and returning audiences to experience every unique moment of our upcoming concert season by joining us for an exciting, fun and enriching musical journey."
As Orozco-Estrada's artistic bond with the orchestra deepens, so does his ability to develop and curate programs appreciated by audiences old and new. Orozco-Estrada has made several appointments of orchestral players during his tenure as music director and music director designate of the Houston Symphony, a key element of his artistic vision to build a strong orchestra and elevate its artistic excellence.
Orozco-Estrada continues his collaboration with distinguished guest artists, composers, conductors and the Houston Symphony Chorus. All of these elements, along with the creation of compelling and innovative programming and Orozco-Estrada's natural ease at speaking with audiences, make the live orchestral experience more impactful than ever for audiences at Jones Hall and many venues across Houston.
"As I embark on my third season as music director, I feel more confident than ever that this orchestra is reaching new artistic heights with an impressive 2016-17 season filled with a stellar group of guest artists, conductors and a wide range of exciting repertoire," said Orozco-Estrada. "The orchestra and I invite you to join our musical journey as we deepen our powerful partnership and share with you this magnificent world of symphonic music."
Cultivating relationships with living composers remains a priority of Orozco-Estrada this season. The Symphony will celebrate John Adams' 70th birthday in early 2017 with performances of the composer's Doctor Atomic Symphony, a work inspired by Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project, and his Saxophone Concerto from the virtuoso who inspired it, Timothy McAllister. In April 2017, the orchestra will perform The Red Violin Concerto, drawn from John Corigliano's celebrated score to the iconic film. In May 2017, Orozco-Estrada, along with the Houston Symphony Chorus under the leadership of Betsy Cook Weber, will give the premiere of Houston Symphony Composer-in-Residence Gabriela Lena Frank's Requiem. This important commission will also include texts commissioned from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Nilo Cruz.
Connecting with audiences in Houston and beyond is part of the Symphony's plan to fulfill its mission as an inspiring artistic leader in Houston and around the world. A podcast series led by Musical Ambassador/Assistant Conductor, Carlos Andrés Botero, aims to keep audiences engaged and connected to the music even after they leave the concert hall. The new podcast series, "On the Music," accompanies each subscription concert weekend and offers concert goers musical context and commentary on the score.
The season was announced at a multimedia event on Monday, January 25, at Jones Hall and featured a preview of the 30-minute season announcement special from Houston Public Media TV 8 as well as a performance by Houston Symphony musicians. The season announcement special, hosted by Houston Public Media's St.John Flynn and co-hosted by Mark Hanson, will air on Houston Public Media TV 8 on Friday, January 29, at 8:30 p.m.
2016-17 CLASSICAL SEASON OVERVIEW
Opening Night
Orozco-Estrada opens the 2016-17 season with an unforgettable performance of Prokofiev's enduring classic, Peter and the Wolf, on September 17, 2016, featuring a celebrity guest narrator. The Opening Night Concert at Jones Hall and Gala at The Corinthian is chaired by Ralph Burch and generously supported by ConocoPhillips, the lead corporate supporter of the Opening Night Concert and Gala for 40 consecutive years.
Great Masterworks
Orozco-Estrada will open the 2016-17 classical season of 18 concert weekends with a performance of Mahler's titanic Symphony No. 1. Other orchestral masterpieces to be performed include Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Brahms' Symphony No. 1 and the completion of the three-season Beethoven cycle of all nine symphonies featuring the composer's Sixth and Seventh Symphonies as well as Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio.
Distinguished Guest Artists
Orozco-Estrada welcomes superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma back to the Houston Symphony for Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto, a powerful masterpiece written during the time Dvo?ák spent in America. One of the world's most beloved musicians, Yo-Yo Ma has entranced audiences since his performances for Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy at age seven. The classical season includes return appearances by violin virtuosos Leonidas Kavakos and Gil Shaham, as well as pianists Daniil Trifonov, Jeffrey Kahane, Denis Kozhukhin, Ingrid Fliter and Yefim Bronfman. Pianist Behzod Abduraimov will be making his Houston Symphony debut with Beethoven's majestic Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor and violinist Elina Vähälä will debut in Corigliano's Red Violin Concerto.
Guest Conductors & Debuts
In addition to Music Director Orozco-Estrada's 10 conducting appearances during the subscription season, 2016-17 will feature the return of distinguished conductors including former Houston Symphony Music Directors Hans Graf and Christoph Eschenbach, as well as Houston favorite Fabien Gabel, who will make his Houston Symphony subscription debut in the 2015-16 season. Also returning to the podium are acclaimed conductors James Gaffigan and Vasily Petrenko. Making his Houston Symphony debut is Kazuki Yamada, Principal Guest Conductor of Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Rapidly establishing a name for himself on the international scene, Yamada is appearing with such orchestras as Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony and Gothenburg Symphony.
Houston Symphony Musicians in Spotlight Roles
Principal Bass Robin Kesselman and Principal Cello Brinton Averil Smith will be featured as soloists in the second half of the season. Entering his second full season as Principal Bass of the Houston Symphony, Kesselman will step into the spotlight as he performs Serge Koussevitzky's virtuoso concerto for double bass and orchestra. In April 2017, Principal Cello Brinton Smith presents Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's lost Cello Concerto, giving the first professional performance of this acclaimed composer's work since its 1935 premiere by the great cellist Piatagorsky under the baton of Toscanini.
Commissions, Contemporary Composers and Music of the Americas
The coming season will include the first-ever Houston Symphony Young Composers Competition featuring a rising young composer, the world premiere of the winning work and music of the Americas, including music from Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas and Argentine composer and arranger Astor Piazzolla. Featuring rising young talent and music from the American continents are all important elements of Orozco-Estrada's artistic vision.
Another recurring theme this season is the continued collaboration with living composers including American pianist and composer Gabriela Lena Frank. In her third year as composer-in-residence, Frank returns to unveil and premiere her Requiem, a multicultural work that interweaves traditional Latin and Meso-American texts with new text by Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz. The season will also feature music of prominent American composer and Grammy-Award and Academy-Award-winning composer John Corigliano as the orchestra performs the composer's The Red Violin Concerto, based on the composer's Oscar-winning score of the 1998 film The Red Violin. The story of "The Red Violin" spans three centuries in the life of a magnificent but haunted violin in its travels through time and space.
Continuing our tradition of celebrating new music, Orozco-Estrada leads a program in spring 2017 in celebration of American music and John Adams' 70th birthday as the Symphony performs Gershwin's jazzy An American in Paris and Adams' Doctor Atomic Symphony, a work inspired by Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project. In February 2017, the orchestra performs yet another work by Adams, his Saxophone Concerto featuring the virtuoso who inspired it, native Houstonian Timothy McAllister. Orozco-Estrada's continued focus on music from the American continents is a thematic priority during his tenure as music director, leading a program of Piazzolla's brooding Tangazo, Revueltas' serpentine tone poem, Sensemayá, and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
Concert Enhancement and Audience Engagement
New and improved initiatives aimed at breaking down barriers and further deepening connections with audiences of all ages will be present throughout the season, including the new "On the Music" podcast series led by the Symphony's new Musical Ambassador Carlos Andrés Botero. This series will accompany each subscription concert weekend and is meant for concert goers to gain a deeper appreciation of the music through musical context and commentary on the score. "On the Music" episodes can be downloaded at houstonsymphony.org/onthemusic beginning in March 2016.
Now in its third season, the lively "Musically Speaking" series at Rice University's Stude Concert Hall gives audiences an opportunity to go behind the score and learn about the historical and contextual elements of the music being performed. This season, there are two "Musically Speaking" concerts planned in the intimate setting of Stude Concert Hall at the Shepherd School of Music, including the world premiere of Frank's new Requiem.
Three of the 10 classical concerts led by Orozco-Estrada this season will feature OnStage Insights with Andrés, a concept that was formalized in the 2015-16 season after Andrés delighted audiences during his inaugural season with impromptu remarks from the podium during classical performances. OnStage Insights with Andrés features brief commentary and anecdotes about the music during select concerts at Jones Hall.
Another key concert-enhancement element this season is the return of the "Margaret Alkek Williams Sound + Vision" series, which consists of six classical concerts that mix the music with multimedia elements to further enhance the concert going experience. The incorporated video, dialogue, visual images or special lighting can be seen in these select performances at Jones Hall through the 2016-17 season. This season's "Sound + Vision" series includes "Haydn's The Creation" in September and October, "A Mozart Thanksgiving" on Thanksgiving weekend, "Gershwin & Rachmaninoff" in January, "Mendelssohn & Petrouchka" in March, "Beethoven's Fidelio-Opera in Concert" also in March, and "A New Requiem" in May. The "Margaret Alkek Williams Sound + Vision" concerts are sponsored by Margaret Alkek Williams and supported in part by The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts Endowed Fund for Creative Initiatives. Video enhancement of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by the Albert & Ethel Herzstein Foundation.
In addition to the six "Sound + Vision" classical concerts, this season will also feature two films with live orchestral accompaniment presentations, a popular concept and a growing trademark of the Houston Symphony where the orchestra performs the soundtracks of iconic films live as audiences watch the screening of the films. This season's Film with Live Orchestra programs will include Raiders of the Lost Ark as part of our Summer Series at Jones Hall as well as the American Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life.
Showcasing the Houston Symphony Chorus
The Houston Symphony will feature the Houston Symphony Chorus in four of its classical programs in the 2016-17 season, three of which will be led by Orozco-Estrada. Among the choral masterpieces featured this season are Haydn's The Creation, a musical depiction of the Genesis creation story. This program will feature soprano Nicole Heaston, an active concert and recital soloist and a regular guest at opera houses throughout the U.S.
Orozco-Estrada will lead the chorus and orchestra in two more programs this coming season: Beethoven's Fidelio and Frank's Requiem. Former Houston Symphony Music Director Christoph Eschenbach will lead the chorus in an uplifting Anton Bruckner program featuring the composer's Te Deum (We Praise Thee, O God) and his First Symphony.
The Houston Symphony chorus will also be featured in two POPS programs: Very Merry Pops and Classic Broadway. In her third season as Director of the Chorus, Dr. Betsy Cook Weber, a professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, prepares the all-volunteer chorus for all performances.
The classical season is endowed by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. Andrés Orozco-Estrada is the fourth music director to hold the Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair. This position is endowed in perpetuity by The Cullen Foundation.
Recordings and Broadcasts
Orchestral Recordings & National Broadcast Series
In a recent partnership with Dutch recording label PENTATONE that began in the 2015-16 season with the scheduled 2016 release of the last four great symphonies of Antonin Dvo?ák, Andrés and the orchestra are planning to record and subsequently release a series of recordings of the Music of the Americas. These recordings will include Gershwin's An American in Paris, Revueltas' Sensemayá, Piazzolla's Tangazo and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, which will be recorded over the course of two concert weekends in early 2017. Additional recording projects with PENTATONE include recordings of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Denis Kozhukhin and Haydn's The Creation.
Beyond commercial recordings, the Symphony will release six programs from the classical series for national radio broadcast in conjunction with American Public Media's "SymphonyCast" and "Performance Today." Locally, the Houston Symphony continues its recently expanded broadcast of Houston Symphony concerts from the current season on both Houston Public Media's News 88.7 and Classical 91.7FM with a weekly Sunday night broadcast and Wednesday night rebroadcast respectively. The weekly series will feature Houston Symphony's current season and favorite past performances.
The Houston Symphony's recording and electronic media initiatives are supported by The Wortham Foundation, Inc. and Bobby and Phoebe Tudor.
2016-17 Family Season overview
Each season, the Houston Symphony reaches 17,000 children, parents and grandparents through its family educational programs, which include the Symphony's Family concert series, a popular Saturday morning destination for Houston families. This season, the four-concert series features educational, fun-for-all performances led by Associate Conductor Robert Franz.
"A Magic Carpet Ride" will include the music from Disney's Aladdin, with songs "A Whole New World," and "A Friend Like Me," as well as Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade narrated by storyteller Hope Shiver. To celebrate the holiday season, "12 Days of Christmas" will be a delightfully interactive program with the orchestra and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Chorale. And to kick off the Mardi Grass celebrations, a jazzy "Mardi Gras Menagerie" will feature two pianists and a party of animals with Carnival of the Animals and music from Happy Feet. Concluding the Family series will be "Dr. Seuss at the Symphony," which will spotlight music from Green Eggs and Ham. The wacky and imaginative celebration will pay tribute to the characters of Dr. Seuss and the sounds of classic animation.
Held on Saturday mornings, the programs combine unique lobby activities such as an Instrument Petting Zoo, theme-related music and craft activities, and student musician performances to stimulate children's young minds. These pre-concert activities take place one-hour prior to the 10 am concerts and one-hour following the 11:30 am concerts.
2016-17 BBVA COMPASS POPS OVERVIEW
Michael Krajewski's Farewell Season
After 17 exciting and progressive years at the helm of the BBVA Compass POPS Series, Principal POPS Conductor Michael Krajewski will step down from his position at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. Succeeding Krajewski will be Principal POPS Conductor Designate Steven Reineke, a familiar face to Houston audiences and a popular conductor, composer and arranger in the POPS music scene. Steven Reineke is the music director of The New York Pops, Principal POPS Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center and Principal POPS Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Both conductors will alternate as POPS concert leaders throughout Michael's farewell season.
In commenting on the transition, Michael Krajewski says, "My tenure with this fabulous orchestra in this wonderful city has been a true joy for me, both personally and professionally; however, I have made the decision to turn the page and embrace the next chapter of my career. I will be passing the baton to my colleague Steven Reineke, a familiar face to Symphony audiences. In the meantime, I look forward to conducting my final season with the Houston Symphony."
2016-17 BBVA Compass POPS Highlights
A collage of Krajewski's best concerts with the Houston Symphony, the 2016-17 BBVA Compass POPS season will be brimming with Houston's favorite guest artists and programs. The first half of the POPS season will feature Broadway vocalist Linda Eder, who will kick off the lineup with a tribute to classic movie star Judy Garland. Then musical duo AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle will capture the essence of Simon and Garfunkel's 1960s counterculture harmonies. Tony DeSare, who was last at Jones Hall for the 2015-16 celebration of American legend Frank Sinatra's birthday, will return in a program that will honor ultimate piano men Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Billy Joel and Elton John, culminating with Gershwin's immensely popular Rhapsody in Blue.
The second half of the POPS season features the return of Krajewski's 2006 brainchild Cirque de la Symphonie, a show of brilliantly choreographed aerial and acrobatic acts that has captivated audiences around the world. Cirque de la Symphonie returns with a brand new program where the stunning acts are set to film scores played by the orchestra. Also returning to perform with the Houston Symphony is Pink Martini, a group of a dozen classically-trained musicians who perform in several different languages on concert stages and with orchestras around the world. Actor, singer and dancer Joshua Henry, who made his Houston Symphony debut in 2015 when he shared the stage with Broadway sensation Sutton Foster, is back at Jones Hall this season to perform a brand new soulful tribute to one of the world's greatest artists, Stevie Wonder.
To wrap up the 2016-17 BBVA Compass POPS season, the orchestra gives a nod to Agent 007 in celebration of over 50 years of music from the successful James Bond film franchise. This program features the franchise's greatest theme songs from films such as Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, Diamonds are Forever and Casino Royale. The Bond films are an indelible part of pop culture for their action-packed scenes, sound effects and musical accompaniment. The films' theme songs have received several Academy Award nominations and one win. Concluding the season is Krajewski's final concert weekend featuring a "Classic Broadway" celebration featuring composers Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Cole Porter and George Gershwin. This program will feature powerhouse performers Lisa Vroman, Doug LaBrecque and Rachel York, along with the Houston Symphony Chorus. 2016-17 marks the eighth consecutive year of BBVA Compass' commitment to the POPS series.
Symphony Specials
Raiders of the Lost Ark-Film with Live Orchestra
The film that gave the world one of its greatest movie heroes, Indiana Jones, is back as part of the Symphony's Summer Series at Jones Hall. Audiences can join the orchestra in the celebration of the film's 35th anniversary when the Houston Symphony performs John Williams' score in its entirety as fans watch the epic film on the big screen. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning April 8.
The Music of Queen
The Houston Symphony celebrates the contributions of Queen's 1970s era and beyond with an electronic symphonic-rock tribute to the iconic band. This program features all the classics of this incredible "Bohemian Rhapsody," complete with Brody Dolynuik's soaring vocals, full rock band and live orchestra. This performance takes place at Jones Hall on September 3, 2016.
Seth MacFarlane with the Houston Symphony
Multi-talented, Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated artist Seth MacFarlane makes his highly-anticipated Houston Symphony debut on September 4, 2016. The consummate showman and Family Guy creator joins the orchestra on Labor Day weekend to lend his baritone voice to the hidden gems of the 1940s and 1950s swing era and sing selections from the Great American Songbook. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning April 8.
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It's a Wonderful Life-Film with Live Orchestra
There's something special happening at the Houston Symphony during the holidays. This holiday season will feature Frank Capra's great American Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life. The Houston Symphony and members of the Houston Symphony Chorus are accompanying the extraordinary journey of George Bailey (James Stewart) and his guardian angel with a live performance of Dimitri Tiomkin's heartwarming score and newly-restored music. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning July 1.
Andrea Bocelli at Toyota Center
The Houston Symphony collaborates for the fourth time with global super star Andrea Bocelli, who has sold 80 million records and performed countless worldwide tours. Bocelli returns to the Toyota Center with the Houston Symphony on December 11, 2016. The Italian tenor brings with him a stunning new production based on his latest album Cinema, which includes epic theme songs from films such as Scent of a Woman, The Godfather, Love Story, Life is Beautiful and many more. This special performance also features Bocelli's beloved repertoire of soaring arias and crossover hits. Visit houstonsymphony.org for ticket prices and on-sale information.
Andrés welcomes superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma back to the Houston Symphony on February 4, 2017 for Dvo?ák's Cello Concerto. One of the world's most beloved musicians, Yo-Yo Ma has entranced audiences since his performance for Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy at age seven. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning December 19.
NEW this season: National Geographic Live Lecture Series
National Geographic Live!, a four-event lecture series at Jones Hall, will bring audiences thought-provoking presentations from leading explorers, scientists and photographers. Each incredible program
features compelling, lavishly-illustrated presentations on some of the world's most remote locations and perilous journeys. The series, held on select Tuesday evenings throughout the 2016-17 season, will document the world's natural beauty through the lenses of Nat Geo wildlife and underwater photographers and the incredible stories that climbers and engineers will bring audiences while helping educate and expand their knowledge of the world's most precious natural assets. The Houston Symphony will not appear during the lectures.
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