Houston Chamber Orchestra Announces 2007-2008 Season

The Houston Chamber Orchestra has announced programming for the 2007-2008 season, opening October 22, 2007 at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and continuing through May 19, 2008.

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings is followed by J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, featuring Houston Symphony violinists Ferenc Illényi and Kurt Johnson. Russian pianist Zoya Shuhatovich and Houston Chamber Orchestra principal trumpet, Theresa Hanebury, take the stage as soloists in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concerto for Piano and Trumpet.

Beethoven and Beyond
Monday, November 26, 2007

From the Classical era, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Serenade for Strings in F Major features violinist Ferenc Illényi. Moving on to the Romantic, the orchestra performs Carl Maria von Weber’s Concerto for Clarinet in E Flat with Houston Symphony associate principal clarinetist Thomas LeGrand. Representing the Modern era, Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher for Viola and Orchestra features Houston Symphony and Fidelis String Quartet violist Wei Jiang.

Two Classics and a Three-ring Circus
Monday, February 25, 2008

Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 46 in B Major and Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra are audience favorites. Featured soloists for the Mendelssohn Concerto are Houston Symphony and Fidelis String Quartet violinist Rodica Oancea-Gonzales and pianist Melissa Marse, artist in residence at The Kincaid School. Theresa Hanebury is the featured soloist in Circus Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by Texas composer Charles Fitts.

Classical Superstars: Mozart & Haydn
Monday, April 28, 2008

Pianist Domonique Launey joins the orchestra’s artistic director and pianist Michael Lowe in W. A. Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos in E Flat Major. Launey performs chamber music in her hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina and has appeared with the Wilmington Symphony. The concert concludes with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 in B Flat Major.

Contrasting Moods: Shostakovich & Bizet
Monday, May 19, 2008

Dmitri Shostakovich’s introspective Cello Concerto is a stark contrast with Georges Bizet’s light and lively Symphony in C Major. Jeffrey Butler, Houston Symphony cellist and a favorite with Houston audiences, is soloist in the Shostakovich piece.

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.

THE HOUSTON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA:
Founder Michael Lowe is in his seventh 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.