Houston Symphony to Present Two-Week SCHUMANN FESTIVAL

This February, the Houston Symphony, under the direction of Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, presents a two-week, in-depth exploration of the life and works of the great German Romantic composer Robert Schumann. The Schumann Festival comprises not only full symphonic performances at Jones Hall, but also a recital, a lecture, chamber and vocal music concerts, and a gallery tour/performance in venues across Houston, making it an exceptionally immersive artistic experience.

To kick off the Festival, Houston Symphony Associate Principal Viola Joan DerHovsepian and Principal Clarinet Mark Nuccio give an intimate recital on Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. at Duncan Recital Hall in Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. The duo performs works by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Brahms. General admission is free and open to the public.

On Feb. 6 at 6 p.m., the Symphony partners with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston to present a gallery tour of Romantic-era art complemented by live performances by Symphony musicians: Annie Chen, Jarita Ng, Maki Kubota, and MuChen Hsieh. The guided tour connects the Romantic themes and ideas seen in the Museum's permanent collection with those heard in Robert Schumann's music. MFAH and tour admission is free on Thursdays.

Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. at Jones Hall prior to the evening concert, noted Juilliard-trained and Harvard-educated psychiatrist Dr. Richard Kogan hosts a presentation and performance titled Music, Mood Swings & Madness. Free to all, Dr. Kogan delivers a program that explores the connections between mental illness and creativity, focusing specifically on Robert Schumann's mental health and creative output. The presentation includes a performance of the Andante Cantabile movement from Schumann's Piano Quartet by Dr. Kogan (piano), Sophia Silivos (violin), Johan DerHovsepian (viola), and Christopher French (cello). General admission is free, but ticket reservations are required.

Following the presentation, at 8 p.m. on Feb. 8 Orozco-Estrada conducts the Symphony in Schumann's Symphony No. 1, his Piano Concerto with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and the composer's Symphony No. 2. The performance also features The Alley Theatre actor Jay Sullivan portraying Robert Schumann. Following the evening's performance, Grosvenor performs an exclusive post-concert recital at a sky bar located at Kirkland & Ellis in downtown Houston starting at 10:30 p.m. Grosvenor performs Schumann's Kreisleriana.

At Jones Hall on Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., Orozco-Estrada leads the orchestra in Schumann's Symphony No. 4, reprises the Piano Concerto with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, and concludes with Schumann's Symphony No. 3. The performance also features The Alley Theatre actor Jay Sullivan portraying Robert Schumann.

On Feb. 12 at 5 p.m., Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra perform in the Crain Garden at Houston Methodist Hospital. The free community performance will include excerpts from Schumann's symphonies interspersed with commentary about the composer's life. General admission is free and open to the public.

To celebrate Valentine's Day week, the program Intimate Songs & Grand Choruses takes place on Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. in Jones Hall. The first half features Houston Grand Opera Studio tenor Richard Trey Smagur and pianist Alex Munger in Schumann's song cycle Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love). The concert concludes with Schumann's choral masterwork The Pilgrimage of the Rose, performed by the Houston Symphony Chorus and Principal Keyboard Scott Holshouser under the direction of Dr. Betsy Cook Weber.

On Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) at 7:30 p.m., cellist Alisa Weilerstein joins a small ensemble of Houston Symphony musicians in an intimate and romantic chamber music performance at 7:30 p.m. in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center, the third of four performances in this season's Chamber Music Series. Principal Oboe Jonathan Fischer and Principal Keyboard Scott Holshouser perform Schumann's Three Romances for Oboe and Piano. Then, First Violin Sophia Silivos and Holshouser join forces in Clara Schumann's Three Romances for Violin and Piano. Closing out the romantic evening, Weilerstein performs Schumann's Piano Quartet with Concertmaster Yoonshin Song, Associate Principal Viola Joan DerHovsepian, and Holshouser. The performance features readings of letters between Robert and Clara Schumann by actors Jay Sullivan and Alicia Beard from The Alley Theatre, who will portray the musical figures. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive before the concert and share a romantic meal with dessert and champagne at the Diana American Grill inside the Hobby Center.

On Feb. 15 at 8 p.m., Orozco-Estrada conducts the orchestra in Schumann's Symphony No. 4, his Cello Concerto with soloist Alisa Weilerstein, and his Symphony No. 3 at Jones Hall. Orozco-Estrada closes the two-week festival on Feb. 16 with Schumann's Symphony No. 1, a reprise of the Cello Concerto with Weilerstein, and his Symphony No. 2 at Jones Hall. The performances also feature The Alley Theatre actor Jay Sullivan portraying Robert Schumann.

The Encore Café located inside Jones Hall will feature German-inspired food and wines before and during all scheduled performances (except on Feb. 13) at the concert hall. In addition, concertgoers can enjoy the Steinway & Sons Spirio, the world's finest high-resolution player piano, in the lobby of Jones Hall prior to all performances. The Steinway & Sons Spirio will play Schumann works performed by some of the greatest pianists.

The Schumann Festival is made possible thanks to the generous support from the Houston Symphony Endowment, The Humphreys Foundation, Bobby & Phoebe Tudor, and Drs. M.S. & Marie-Luise Kalsi. Visit houstonsymphony.org/schumann for more information. For tickets, please call 713.224.7575. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

During the 2019-20 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its sixth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and continues its second century as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring, and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $35.2 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony's four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches reaching more than 200,000 people in Greater Houston annually.

The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg's Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.

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