Houston Chamber Orchestra Announces 2006-2007 Season

HOUSTON – The Houston Chamber Orchestra (HCO) announces programming for the 2006-07 season, opening September 18, 2006 at Zilkha Hall in Houston’s Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and running through May 7, 2007.

HCO founder and artistic director Michael Lowe unveils five dynamic concerts for the orchestra’s sixth season. The diverse spectrum of programming runs from the baroque era with works by Bach and Telemann and the classics of Mozart and Beethoven to the more modern works of Saint-Saëns, Vaughan Williams and Sibelius, and is topped off with a number of contemporary pieces.

“This season is one of the most exciting we’ve put together,” said Lowe. “In addition to classical favorites, we’re continuing the momentum we have achieved over the past five years of presenting new and contemporary works. We’ll be performing ‘Brazos de Dios,’ a guitar concerto by J. Todd Frazier; a double bass concerto by Louisiana composer Dave Anderson; and a work by Hollywood film and television composer Joel McNeely.”

HCO has a wealth of exceptionally gifted musicians joining them in solo performances this season. Featured guest artists include pianist Timothy Hester, double bassist Deborah Dunham, guitarist Marc Teicholz, pianist Charles Asche, violinist Margaret Batjer, flutist Judy Dines, oboist Anne Leek, and harpsichordist Molly Hammond. Ensemble appearances include: The Eastwood Quartet featuring violinists Ferenc Illényi and Kurt Johnson, violist Eliseo Salazar and cellist Barrett Sills; and the Fidelis String Quartet with violinists Rodica Oancea-Gonzalez and Mihaela Oancea-Frusina, violist Wei Jiang and cellist Jeffrey Butler.

THE CONCERTS:

The French Masters – Monday, September 18, 2006

This all-French program opens with music by Maurice Ravel, as HCO performs his “Le Tombeau de Couperin,” “Pavane pour une infante défunte” and “Tzigane,” which features violinist Ferenc Illényi, a member of the Houston Symphony and concertmaster of HCO. The orchestra also performs French romanticist Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Havanaise.”

Pianist Timothy Hester joins the orchestra for Saint-Saëns’ “Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor.” A native Houstonian, Hester graduated from The Juilliard School and is currently associate professor of piano at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music where he also serves as director of keyboard collaborative arts. The Moores Society named him outstanding faculty member in 2003. He has appeared in venues around the world and is a regular performing faculty member of the Schlern International Music Festival in Northern Italy. He has also performed in numerous U.S. series, including New York City’s Bargemusic, Ojai Festival in California and the Texas Music Festival.

The Other Water Music – Monday, November 6, 2006

The Fidelis String Quartet, composed of Houston Symphony musicians and one of Houston’s leading chamber music ensembles, takes the stage with the orchestra in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Serenade No. 6, K. 239 (Serenata Notturna).”

HCO presents the premiere of Charles Fitts’ “Concerto for Flute and Orchestra,” showcasing the talents of Houston Symphony flutist Judy Dines. Dines won first prizes in both the National Symphony Young Soloist Competition and the Temple University Student Soloist Competition. She received a bachelor’s degree in music performance from Temple University and was a master’s degree candidate at Peabody Institute.

Georg Philip Telemann’s “Sinfonia Melodica in C Major” and “Water Music” complete the program.

Concertos, Early to Modern – Monday, January 29, 2007

HCO’s first concert of 2007 gives audiences the opportunity to hear seven talented Houston artists in solo performances. Anne Leek, Houston Symphony associate principal oboist, joins with orchestra in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Concerto for Oboe and Strings.”

Harpsichordist Molly Hammond performs J. S. Bach’s “Concerto for Harpsichord in A Major” with the orchestra. Hammond, co-founder of HCO, is the principal keyboardist with the orchestra.

Deborah Dunham, principal bass with Boston Baroque, performs Dave Anderson’s “Concerto for Double Bass.”

Anderson began his pursuits in composition in 1984, recognizing that the solo repertoire for his instrument was limited. Prior to joining the Louisiana Philharmonic in 1996, he performed and recorded regularly with the Louisville Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Rounding out the program is Sir Edward Elgar’s “Introduction and Allegro” featuring The Eastwood Quartet.

Old World to New Texas – Monday, March 26, 2007

Two internationally acclaimed artists join the orchestra for this diverse program.
Pianist Charles Asche performs as soloist in Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58.” Asche has performed throughout the United States, in Russia and South America and is currently on the piano faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He was among the first American pianists to perform in the historical city of Samara, Russia, which was closed to foreigners for more than 40 years.

Guitarist Marc Teicholz performs J. Todd Frazier’s guitar concerto “Brazos de Dios,” commissioned by Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts and premiered at Wortham Center in 2001.

Frazier is founding director of the American Festival for the Arts (AFA), where he works to safeguard the availability of high-quality K-12 music education in Texas through the AFA Summer Music Conservatory campuses. He received his training from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Eastman School of Music and Juilliard School, which recently recognized him as one of 100 distinguished alumni on the occasion of the school’s 100th anniversary.

Teicholz, described by Gramophone as “arguably the best of the new young guitarists to have emerged,” has performed around the globe. He has recorded for the Naxos and Sugo labels, as well as the pilot soundtrack for George Lucas’ “Young Indiana Jones.” He currently serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory at California State University at Hayward.

The program also includes two works by Jean Sibelius: his “Romanze” and “Guten Abend” from his “Rakastava” suite.

Mozart and McNeely – Monday, May 7, 2007

Artistic director Lowe conducts from the piano as he performs Mozart’s “Concerto for Piano in A Major, K. 488” with the orchestra.

Emmy award-winning Hollywood film and television composer Joel McNeely takes the baton for the second half of the concert to conduct his composition “Portraits,” featuring violinist Margaret Batjer.


McNeely is known for his film scores, including such movies as “Terminal Velocity,” “Force One,” and “The Avengers.” His compositions for television include episodes of the “The Young Indiana Jones” series, one of which won him the Emmy.

Batjer is concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. She made her first solo appearance at the age of fifteen with the Chicago Symphony and recently recorded a CD with Hilary Hahn of the Bach double violin concerto.

TICKET AND VENUE INFORMATION

HCO performances are at 7:30 p.m. in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston’s Theater District, 800 Bagby, Houston, Texas 77002.

Individual tickets are $30 and are available to students for $10. A 20 percent discount is offered to seniors and KUHF members.

Season subscriptions are $130 and include an invitation to HCO’s post-concert champagne receptions. A 15 percent discount is available to seniors and KUHF members, and season subscribers save 15 percent on additional tickets purchased.

To purchase tickets, call the Hobby Center at 713-315-2525 or go online at www.UniquelyHouston.org.

ABOUT MICHAEL LOWE AND THE HOUSTON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA:
Founder Michael Lowe is in his sixth season as conductor and artistic director of the Houston Chamber Orchestra, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to concerts, educational programs, commercial recordings and tours to strengthen Houston’s arts community and musical culture. The orchestra’s repertoire exploits the virtuosity of individual members who are frequently featured as soloists. Programs and venues are chosen to provide intimate interaction between the audience, the orchestra as a whole, and individual orchestra members.

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