The Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival, a classical and jazz music festival and school hosted by the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, is proud to announce its 2024 season. This distinguished summer program includes intensive musical training for aspiring musicians and more than 25 public performances for Houstonians to enjoy.
The Festival's 2024 season runs June 4 – 22. Highlights include the Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano Series (June 6, 13, 20), performances by the Festival Orchestra (June 7, 8, 15, 22), the Cynthia Woods Mitchell – Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition Finals (June 9) and guest performances by Formosa Quartet, Kenny Broberg (piano), William Wolfram (piano), Vadym Kholodenko (piano, McGovern Distinguished Artist) and more.
The season opens June 4 with a performance by the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts quartet-in-residence, the Formosa Quartet, and faculty featuring works by Dvořák, Koechlin and von Weber's "Clarinet Quintet" with Richie Hawley. The Formosa Quartet won both the First Prize and the Amadeus Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in 2006.
Renowned pianist Vadym Kholodenko, winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2013, is slated to take the stage alongside the Festival Orchestra and Festival Chorus on June 7, and again during one of the marquee events of the Festival, the League of American Orchestras 79th National Conference in collaboration with the Houston Symphony at Jones Hall on June 8.
The Texas Music Festival summer concerts also include performances by the College Piano Institute, the High School and Middle School Jazz Institute orchestras, with classical and big band jazz and much more.
On June 22, Hans Graf, former music director of the Houston Symphony, will conduct the Festival Orchestra's season finale concert showcasing the winner of the 2024 Cynthia Woods Mitchell – Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition. This is the second year for the event where young musicians compete for cash prizes and performances at the Texas Music Festival and an exclusive invitation to perform with the Houston Symphony in the upcoming season.
"We invite you to join us and witness first-hand the emergence and evolution of exceptional young professionals," said Brian Kai Chin, director of the Moores School of Music at UH. "The Texas Music Festival is positioned at the forefront of contemporary professional music training programs, and we at the Moores School of Music are excited to extend a warm welcome to talented individuals from across the nation to come hone their craft and find inspiration here."
The Texas Music Festival prepares young professionals and emerging artists from around the country who are pursuing future careers in music. The intensive Orchestral Institute is guided by distinguished faculty from the Moores School of Music, the principal players and members of the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet orchestras, as well as internationally recognized guest artists from universities and concert halls across the world.
TEXAS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2024 SUMMER CONCERT SEASON
Chamber Music I: Dialogues - June 4, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Faculty artists in Dvořák's "Terzetto", Koechlin's "Sonata for Two Flutes", and Formosa Quartet join clarinetist Richie Hawley in von Weber's virtuoso "Clarinet Quintet"
Piano Series I - June 6, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Vadym Kholodenko Recital
Handel: "Chaconne"; Beethoven: "Sonata Op. 111"; Prokofiev: "Sonata No. 8"
Festival Orchestra with Festival Chorus - June 7, 7:30 p.m. at Moores Opera House
Franz Anton Krager, conductor; Paulo Gomez, choral conductor; Vadym Kholodenko, piano soloist; Krista Renée Pape, soprano soloist; Sarah Dyer, mezzo-soprano soloist; Zachary Averyt, tenor soloist; Mark Diamond, bass soloist
Stravinsky: "Firebird Suite (1919)"; Strauss: "Burleske for Piano and Orchestra"; Bruckner: "Psalm 146"
- Pre-concert performance by members of Virtuosi of Houston
6:30 - 7:20 p.m. | Moores Opera House Lobby
- Settling the Score: Pre-concert lecture with Dr. Andrew Davis
6:30 - 7:10 p.m. | MSM Room 108
Festival Orchestra at League of American Orchestras Conference - June 8, 5 p.m. at Jones Hall
Franz Anton Krager, conductor; Vadym Kholodenko, piano soloist
Stravinsky: "Firebird Suite (1919)"; Strauss: "Burleske for Piano and Orchestra"
Mitchell-Hogg Young Artist Competition - FREE - June 9, 2 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Chamber Music II: Transformations - June 11, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Faculty share the stage with Orchestra Fellows in music of Bach, Beethoven and Mendelssohn
College Piano Institute Chamber Music Concert - FREE - June 12, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Piano Series II - June 13, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Kenny Broberg Recital
Poulenc: "Melancolie"; Mozart: "Piano Sonata, K.311"; Medtner: "Two Skazki"; Chopin: "Polonaise Fantasie"; Dukas: "Piano Sonata"
College Piano Institute Final Performance - FREE - June 15, 2 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Festival Orchestra - June 15, 2 p.m. at Moores Opera House
Carl St. Clair, conductor
Ravel: "Daphnis & Chloe Suite No. 2"; Strauss: "Ein Heldenleben"
- Pre-concert performance by members of Virtuosi of Houston
6:30 - 7:20 p.m. | Moores Opera House Lobby
- Settling the Score: Pre-concert lecture with Dr. Andrew Davis
6:30 - 7:10 p.m. | MSM Room 108
Chamber Music III: Echoes - June 18, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Faculty share the stage with Orchestra Fellows in music of Martinu, JacobTV and Brahms
Piano Series III - June 20, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
William Wolfram Recital
Liszt: "Sonata in B minor"; Schumann: "Fantasie"; Chopin: "Mazurkas"
Honors Student Chamber Music - FREE - June 21, 7:30 p.m. at Dudley Recital Hall
Jazz Institute Middle School & High School Orchestras - FREE - June 21, 7:30 p.m. at Moores Opera House
Noe Marmolejo, director
Festival Orchestra - June 22, 7:30 p.m. at Moores Opera House
Hans Graf, conductor; 2024 Mitchell-Hogg Competition Winner, soloist
Ravel: "Une Barq Sur L'Ocean"; Bruckner: "Symphony No. 9"
- Pre-concert performance by members of Virtuosi of Houston
6:30 - 7:20 p.m. | Moores Opera House Lobby
- Settling the Score: Pre-concert lecture with Dr. Andrew Davis
6:30 - 7:10 p.m. | MSM Room 108
TICKETS
Individual Tickets:
Festival Orchestra Series
$30 General Admission
$18 Student/Senior
Faculty Chamber Music Series
$20 General Admission
$16 Student/Senior
Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano Series
$20 General Admission
$16 Student/Senior
Jones Hall Orchestra Concert
$25 General Admission
*Must be purchased through Houston Symphony: https://houstonsymphony.org/tickets/concerts/strauss-soiree-firebird-presented-by-texas-music-festival/
Full Festival Package
Includes all nine ticketed Moores Opera House & Dudley Recital Hall Concerts
$200 General Admission
$125 Student/Senior
Purchase tickets online or call the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Box Office at 713-743-3388
PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS
Moores Opera House: 3333 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77004
Dudley Recital Hall: 4188 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004
Jones Hall: 615 Louisiana, Houston, TX 77002
