Bach meets Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich Houston Chamber Orchestra opens 2007-2008 season

The Houston Chamber Orchestra opens its 2007-2008 season Monday, October 22, 2007, 7:30 p.m. in Zilkha Hall with “Bach meets Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.” The varied program embraces musical history from the Baroque, Russian Romantic and Modern Russian eras and features four outstanding soloists. The orchestra’s artistic director, Michael Lowe, conducts.

Russian pianist Zoya Shuhatovich and trumpet virtuoso Theresa Hanebury are featured in one of Dmitri Shostakovich’s best-known works, Concerto for Piano and Trumpet.

Violinists Ferenc Illényi and Kurt Johnson join the orchestra as soloists in J. S. Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, an excellent example of Bach’s contrapuntal compositions and representative of early orchestral music in the Baroque style.

Lowe rounds out the program with quintessential melodist Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

ABOUT THE SOLOISTS:

Theresa Hanebury, Houston Chamber Orchestra principal trumpet and personnel manager, is a member of the Houston Ballet Orchestra and performs with the Bach Society, Houston Symphony and the Ambient Brass Quintet. She teaches privately in the Houston area and is on the brass faculty at the American Festival for the Arts.

Hungarian native Ferenc Illényi is a member of the Houston Chamber Orchestra and a first violinist with the Houston Symphony. He made his debut in Budapest performing Beethoven and Tchaikovsky concerti and earned a master’s degree in music from Liszt Music Academy in Budapest.

Violinist Kurt Johnson, a member of the Houston Chamber Orchestra and the Houston Symphony, received his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his master’s from Northwestern University. During the summer, he attends the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin.

Steinway artist Zoya Shuhatovich received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the Gorky State Conservatory in Russia. She immigrated to the United States in 1993 and joined the faculty of Moores School of Music at the University of Houston the following year, working there until 2001. She travels extensively, maintaining an active performance schedule.

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.

SAVE THE DATES – MORE HCO CONCERTS!

Beethoven and Beyond
Monday, November 26, 2007
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Serenade for Strings in F Major
Carl Maria von Weber’s Concerto for Clarinet in E Flat
Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher for Viola and Orchestra

Two Classics and a Three-ring Circus
Monday, February 25, 2008
Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 46 in B Major
Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra
Charles Fitts’ Circus Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra

Classical Superstars: Mozart & Haydn
Monday, April 28, 2008
W. A. Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos in E Flat Major
Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 in B Flat Major

Contrasting Moods: Shostakovich & Bizet
Monday, May 19, 2008
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto
Georges Bizet’s Symphony in C Major.



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.

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