Immerse yourself in majestic, lively, stirring, and riveting music performances from classical music’s rising stars in a series of nearly 30 concerts at the annual Texas Music Festival, now through Sunday, July 1, 2018.
Now in its 29th year, Texas Music Festival is a one-month international music residency that brings 95 fellows from top-tier music schools and conservatories from around the world to Houston.
Once here, these up-and-coming musicians practice with distinguished conductors and faculty artists, putting on an impressive 30 performances in a single month. That means Houstonians and visitors get to partake in a diverse assortment of classical and contemporary music, from virtuoso settings of beloved classics to Houston premieres of contemporary works.
Most of the concerts are held indoors at Moores Opera House and Dudley Recital Hall, both in Moores School of Music on the University of Houston Campus. There is also a special free, all ages performance outdoors at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands.
Many of the performances are free and student and senior discounts are available for ticketed events.
Featured Concerts at Texas Music Festival 2018
The highlights of this year’s Texas Music Festival are the weekly Saturday night Orchestra Series through Saturday, June 30, and the MSM Concert Chorale Send-Off Concert that closes the festival on Sunday, July 1, 2018.
Note that children 5 and under are not admitted to Moores Opera House, but all ages are welcome at the free performance of Dancing the Night Away in the Woodlands on Friday, June 23, 2018.
- TMF Orchestra Series: Heroic Statements at Moores Opera House | Saturday, June 16 – Horst Förster conducts the orchestra with guest piano soloist Timothy Hester, professor of piano and director of the Keyboard Collaborative Arts at UH, in Johannes Brahms’ “Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83”. The program also features Piotr Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74” (Pathétique). $25; $15 for students with valid ID and ages 65 and up. 7:30pm.
- TMF Orchestra Series: Dancing the Night Away at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands | Friday, June 23 | FREE – The performance is conducted by Carlos Spierer, who held guest conducting engagements with many renowned orchestras and opera houses, including San Francisco Opera, Komische Oper Berlin and Estonian National Opera Tallinn. The program features Leonard Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the iconic composer’s birth. There is no intermission in this program. All ages are welcome. 8pm.
- TMF Orchestra Series: Dancing the Night Away at Moores Opera House | Friday, June 23 – Conductor Carlos Spierer brings his exhilarating program back to the UH campus. In addition to the selection for West Side Story, both programs also feature Arturo Márquez’ Danzón No. 2, Johann Baptist Vanhal’s “Double Bass Concerto in D Major, I”. “Allegro moderato”, and more. $25; $15 for students with valid ID and ages 65 and up. 7:30pm.
- TMF Orchestra Series: Shostakovich: First and Last at Moores Opera House | Saturday, June 30 – Dmitri Shostakovich’s first and final compositions come to life under the direction of Austrian conductor, Maestro Hans Graf, who served as music director of the Houston Symphony from 2001 to 2013. This is Graf’s first conducting appearance in Houston since he won the Grammy Award with the Houston Symphony. Russian bass soloist Nikolay Didenko, a graduate of Moscow Academy of Choral Art and former member of Houston Grand Opera Studio, will solo during “Suite on Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti, Op. 145a”. The program also features “Scherzo No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1” and “Symphony No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 10”. $25; $15 for students with valid ID and ages 65 and up. 7:30pm.
- MSM Concert Chorale Send-Off Concert at Moores Opera House | Sunday, July 1 | FREE – Catch a preview concert by the MSM Concert Chorale, under the direction of Betsy Cook Weber. The choir will be flying off to Debrecen, Hungary to compete in the Bela Bartok International Choir Competition, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious choral competitions. 3pm.
Pre-concert activities for each Orchestra Series performance at Moores Opera House include pre-performances by members of Virtuosi of Houston at and “Settling the Score”, a lecture series by noted music theorist Dr. Andrew Davis, dean of the UH Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts. Both start at 6:30pm.
Additional Music Series & Texas Music Festival Performances
The annual event is also marked by a series of smaller performance by talented music faculty and students from around the world. The Perspective Series is a weekly performance by the festivals faculty artists, while the Young Artist Series highlights tomorrow’s leading talent in classical music.
- Perspective Series: Faculty Chamber Music at Dudley Recital Hall | Each Tuesday Through Tuesday, June 26 – Each performance will showcase the talents of Texas Music Festival’s faculty artists. Programs will feature beautiful compositions including Strauss’s “Don Quixote for Sextet”; Schumann’s “Fairy Tales”; and a program of American composers with works by Persichetti, Copland, Bernstein, Larsen, and Ran. Tickets are $20; $10 for students with valid ID and ages 65 and up. 7:30pm weekly. Click here for more details. Click here for more information.
- Young Artist Series at Moores School of Music | Select Dates Through Sunday, July 1 | FREE – See, hear, and feel Classical music’s rising stars perform chamber music at a series of free concerts in Dudley Recital Hall at Moores School of Music. You can also cap off the series at the TMF Jazz Institute Final Concert at Moores Opera Hall, presenting a program of classical to contemporary jazz in a big band setting. Click here for more information.
About Texas Music Festival 2018
Texas Music Festival is considered on par with renowned festivals as Aspen or Tanglewood Music Festivals. Its founders, the late Immanuel and Helen Olshan, were Houstonians who loved attending those summer music festivals in Colorado and New England. They sought to bring the same experience home to Texas, to the benefit of music students, classical artists, and audiences.
Texas Music Festival 2018
- Dates: Select dates through Sunday, July 1, 2018. Click here for a complete schedule of performances.
- Times: Times vary by date and performance. Click here for more information.
- Location: Most shows and events will be at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston Campus, 3333 Cullen Blvd #120, Houston, TX 77004
- Admission: Tickets for the Orchestra Series are $25; $15 for students with valid ID and ages 65 and up. Tickets for the Perspective Series are $20; $10 for students with valid ID and ages 65 and up. Click here to order tickets. Additional combination passes are available. Tickets are not required for the free Young Artist Series shows. Click here for more information.
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