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    Symphony Skydiving

    A classical music feud: Competing for $25,000 pushes young artists to their limits

    Joel Luks
    Jun 1, 2013 | 11:18 am

    Imagine then exact moment when a skydiver is about to jump out of a plane. You look down into the abyss — there's no going back.

    The massive adrenaline rush is how violinist Elizabeth Fayette — she prefers Libby — describes her experience waiting on the wings, treading on stage and preparing to sound the first notes of her solo showpiece as an entrant in the 38th Annual Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition, hosted by the Houston Symphony League. Fayette was one of 137 applicants that submitted audio recordings in hopes of being invited to audition in person, one of 10 musicians who performed at the semifinals on Thursday at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and one of four who will move on to the final round, set for 8 p.m. Saturday at Stude Concert Hall at Rice.

    Fayette, who just completed her masters degree in violin performance from The Juilliard School, chose two contrasting staples of the solo repertoire: Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor and Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major. The virtuoso scores allowed her to explore diverse aesthetic characters of her fiddle — a dash of comedy and plenty of seriousness.

    "Now that it's all over, I'm ready for a nap," she laughs.

    Also advancing from the day-long semifinals are Ukrainian-born, Russian pianist Vladimir Khomyakov, Israeli clarinetist Moran Katz and South Korean pianist Min Jung Kim, who opted for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major.

    "Some could say that the Mozart is a weak piece for a competition of this caliber," Kim explains. "But I think the tender qualities can move people to tears. I believe in the power of Mozart's music."

    Wind players are often at a disadvantage when competing against pianists and string players. The repertoire is more limited and can sometimes lack the luster of big romantic violin and keyboard concerti. In training to take on Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major and Nielsen's Clarinet Concert, Katz spent equal time preparing technically and psychologically. Visualization is a powerful tool, but it sometimes can play mind games with a performer.

    "Maybe we don't agree with the opinion or viewpoint. But when they are so convincing, because it's such a part of who they are, in the end, that's what artistry is about."

    "I'm dying, I'm dying — these are the words that are going through my mind before I play," Katz, who graduated from Juilliard in 2010, jokes. "It's like being on a really bad flight during really bad turbulence.

    "But as soon as I play the first note, and it works, I know I can do this. The first note is a big deal — it sets the tone for how the rest of the performance will go."

    You could've cut the tension with a knife as the semifinalists waited for more than one hour for the verdict from the panel of judges. The deciders included James Feddeck, assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and recent recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award; Monica Felkel, director of artist management at Young Concert Artists; and Charles Ward, former music critic of the Houston Chronicle.

    "All three of us heard very similar things, but had different ways of describing them," Feddeck explains. "We are hearing these individuals in one performance, just today and what we will hear on Saturday evening. It's not a very complete view."

    But within each performance snapshot, what the trio of judges focused on was identifying the markers of a complete artist.

    "Someone who has an opinion about what they are doing, someone who can communicate that in a complete and wholehearted way, someone who can connect to the audience that part of their personality," he continues. "Maybe we don't agree with the opinion or viewpoint. But when they are so convincing, because it's such a part of who they are, in the end, that's what artistry is about."

    It isn't about being right or wrong, he says. It's about being persuasive in offering a clear and fully dimensional interpretation that's contagious.

    The stakes were higher than ever before for this classical music feud. The first prize was increased from $5,000 to $25,000 thanks to a gift from Tracy and John Dennis in honor of his grandmother, who was close friends with Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg, and the efforts of 2013 competition chairman April Lykos.

    The Gold Medal winner will be offered a solo opportunity with the Houston Symphony at the Houston Chronicle Concert on July 13, while the Silver Medal winner will perform with the Houston Symphony at a Miller Outdoor Theatre concert, set for June 29.

    Pianist Min Jung Kim, left, clarinetist Moran Katz, violinist Elizabeth Fayette and pianist Vladimir Khomyakov, finalists of Houston Symphony's Ima Hogg Competition.

      
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    Houston's iconic Rothko Chapel receives new grant to restore Beryl damage

    Jef Rouner
    May 12, 2025 | 10:30 am
    Rothko Chapel exterior
    Courtesy of the Rothko Chapel
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    Houston's beloved Rothko Chapel is one step closer to recovery after Hurricane Beryl in 2024. A substantial new grant from Bank of America will fund the restoration of Mark Rothko pieces damaged by the storm.

    “This grant comes at a pivotal moment – not only for the Rothko Chapel, but in the broader context of our changing climate and growing vulnerability to extreme weather events,” said David Leslie, executive director of the Chapel. “The conservation process will require extensive time, specialized materials, and expert technical support to stabilize and restore these works, ensuring they can once again inspire visitors within this sacred space. Bank of America’s support underscores the urgent need to preserve culturally significant artworks like these, especially as we face new environmental challenges that threaten our artistic legacy.”

    The Bank of America Art Conservation Project has been used to fund the preservation and restoration of culturally significant artworks since 2010. In 2021, the project also funded the restoration of an 13th Century Incan textile housed at Houston's Menil Collection. This year's other recipients include the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Museo Nacional de San Carlos in Mexico City, Sir John Soane's Museum in London, and the Sydney Opera House.

    Since 1971, Rothko Chapel has been one of the best meditative spaces in Houston. Commissioned by John and Dominique de Menil in 1964, Rothko designed the space and painted its famous black panels. Rothko himself did not live to see the completion, dying by suicide in New York in 1970. Now, the chapel stands as a non-denominational spiritual center, hosting concerts, mindfulness clinics, and other events designed to promote mental healing in visitors.

    When Hurricane Beryl hit Houston on July 8, high winds and torrential hammered the chapel's roof. Water leakage damaged the walls and one of Rothko's black triptychs on the east side of the building. It took seven months of work before the chapel was reopened to the public in December, but the damaged art was still housed off site for restoration. Bank of America's grant should hopefully speed up the process of returning the iconic pieces back to public view.

    “It is devastating to see the domino effects of an event like Hurricane Beryl, jeopardizing the storied institutions and culturally significant works that provide so much context into the Houston identity,” said Hong Ogle, President, Bank of America Houston. “I am very proud that Bank of America’s Art Conservation Project allows us to support the arts in a unique and impactful way and preserve the works that mean the most to our community.”

    In addition to the restoration, Rothko Chapel recently broke ground on a $42 million campus expansion. Two new buildings to the north with house administrative services and an archive, and a meditation garden dedicated to Kathleen and Chuck Mullenweg. A new program center will follow after.

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