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Sexy new Houston Symphony conductor to lead a season with twist, surprises: Chasing music electricity

From the moment when Andrés Orozco-Estrada stepped onto the podium to lead his first concert with the Houston Symphony, the musicians knew they had found their guy. There was chemistry. There were sparks. And then there was passionate music.

It's fitting that in announcing its 2014-15 concert lineup on Friday night, the Houston Symphony themed the official inaugural season of the Colombian-born music director "Conducting Electricity," a nod to the the synergies between his stimulating conducting style, the 87 orchestral players and a hungry audience aching to be moved.

"I want to make music in a way that brings everyone together," Orozco-Estrada tells CultureMap. "My goal is for my guests to experience what can only happen in live performance — the excitement, the energy, the magic. If you've never been to a Houston Symphony concert, I promise to make this a thrilling experience."

Will you accept his invitation? Here's how the season unfolds.

You can expect the Opening Night Concert and Gala (Sept. 13) at the Corinthian to be a sold-out social affair teeming with the who's who of the city's philanthropists. British trumpeter and 2013 Gramophone Artist of the Year Alison Balsom is front and center for Haydn's Trumpet Concerto plus Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro.

SIX DON'T MISS CONCERTS WITH OROZCO-ESTRADA

The horns will wail and the woodwinds will twirl in Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), a tone poem of epic proportions, scheduled as part of Watts Play Rachmaninoff (Sept. 19-21). Pianist André Watts joins Orozco-Estrada for the opulent Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. Of note in this program is the world premiere of a commission by the Houston Symphony from composer Gabriela Lena Frank, who will serve as artist-in-residence for a community engagement program.

Is there such thing as too much Beethoven?

The symphony doesn't think so with the series Three Weeks of Beethoven Nov. 14-30), the first installment of a Beethoven Cycle to be completed in subsequent seasons. His first, fourth and fifth symphonies plus the overtures to Coriolan and Egmont are complemented by other important repertoire of the region, including Brahms' Schicksalslied, Mozart's Requiem and Schumann's Cello Concerto with principal cellist Brinton Averil Smith.

The Vienna-trained music director has a penchant for opera, but without a theater suitable for full productions, Orozco-Estrada is trying the next best thing. Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio (Jan. 23-25, 2015) will be performed in concert version with the help of vocal students from the Shepherd School of Music and the Moores School of Music. The main roles will be cast with singers of international repute.

"If you've never been to a Houston Symphony concert, I promise to make this a thrilling experience."

Beethoven and Bartók (May 7-10, 2015) couples two completely different works that test the dexterity of the soloists. Violinist James Ehnes will interpret Beethoven's Violin Concerto while the full ensemble shows their goods in Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.

Lang Lang Joins Andrés (May 12, 2015) reunites the flamboyant piano badass with Orozco-Estrada for one night only. Expect tuneful fireworks and lots of gratuitous head bangs and facial expressions from the main man.

Mahler's Symphony No. 3 (May 15-17, 2015) brings the classical season to a close. The massive orchestral forces are complemented by the women of the Houston Symphony Chorus for this longest symphony among the standards.

UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL

No more Access concerts, a format that attempted to add an educational and social component to traditional performances. Instead, Musically Speaking with Andrés (Jan. 15, March 12 and May 7, 2015) at Rice University reinvents the concept with interactive talks with Orozco-Estrada. In addition, the maestro will be available after several concerts to engage in informal question-and-answer sessions with patrons. Cyber savvy guests can even interact with him using hashtag #1415AndresHS on Twitter.

BIG NAMES

Remember Sarah Chang? The violinist is back for Sarah Chang Plus Copland (Oct. 2-5) to perform Barber's Violin Concerto. Beefing up the program led by conductor Cristian Macelaru is local composer Karim Al-Zand's City Scenes.

Always popular with audiences of every walk of life, Andrea Bocelli (Dec. 10) headlines a concert at the Toyota Center.

Classical music celeb Itzhak Perlman (Feb. 12-15, 2015) conducts and plays fiddle in Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2 and Schubert's Symphony No. 9. In between that concert run, Bernadette Peters (Feb. 13, 2015) comes to town for a Valentine's soirée filled with popular Broadway tunes.

The passionate maestro Robert Spano leads Ohlsson Plays Chopin (April 17-19, 2015) with pianist Garrick Ohlsson tickling the ivories to Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. Also on the program are two works by American composer Jennifer Higdon, an effort by the Houston Symphony to showcase more works by female composers.

GRAF RETURNS

Ravel and Debussy (Oct. 23-26) sees the return of former Houston Symphony music director Hans Graf in a concert with piano virtuoso Jon Kimura Parker. Graf will travel back for Graf Conducts Schumann (Feb. 20-22, 2015) to share music by Hindemith, Saint-Saëns and Schumann.

FREE STUFF

The first concert of the year happens to be free. ¡Bienvenido, Andrés! (Sept. 12) at Miller Outdoor Theatre introduces Orozco-Estrada to the city with a program that highlights music from the Americas. Adding prowess to this playbill is Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero, who's known for her ability to improvise on the spot.

Fiesta Sinfonica con Andrés (Sept. 14) at Jones Hall continues the welcoming ceremonies with Orozco-Estrada again with Montero in a program that celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month.

Think of the Second Annual Day of Music (July 12) as a cacophonous 12-hour concert marathon in which Jones Hall transforms into a showcase of many music presenters of all genres in Houston, including jazz, rock, blues, cultural groups, choirs and on and on.

WHAT TO DO

Season subscriptions — which are available in packages that include three to 18 concerts — start at $99. Subscriptions may be purchased online or by calling 713-224-7575.

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Stay tuned (pun intended) for CultureMap's coverage of the Houston Symphony's new Cynthia Woods Mitchell POPS season at Jones Hall.

The Houston Symphony themed the official inaugural season of Andrés Orozco-Estrada "Conducting Electricity."

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a high note for Houston

New international partnership brings fresh talent to Houston Grand Opera

Courtesy of Houston Grand Opera/Instagram

Houston Grand Opera's new partnership with Gran Teatre del Liceu means new collaborations between the two internationally renowned companies.

Houstonians know that Houston Grand Opera is among the city’s finest arts organizations. What they may not know is that it is also among the leading opera companies in the world, garnering awards like a Grammy and being praised as an innovator in the arts.

Now, the company is pushing its innovation and arts leadership reputation even further by launching a partnership with another internationally renowned opera company. This week, HGO announced its new alliance with Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu to foster cultural exchange and collaboration.

The partnership officially launches January 26, 2025 at the Liceu’s 62nd Tenor Viñas International Singing Competition, where HGO will present the Torras Family Foundation Prize of $25,000. The prize will be awarded to a finalist whose voice and artistry demonstrate potential for an international opera career. It is underwritten by the Torras Foundation and Ignacio and Isabel Torras. Ignacio “Nacho” Torras, who founded Tricon Energy in 1996 — now a leading multinational commodities trading platform — also owns Houston restaurants MAD, Rocambolesc, and BCN Taste & Tradition, which was recently awarded a Michelin star.

The Tenor Viñas International Singing Competition is one of Europe’s most prestigious contests for new voices in opera. HGO’s Colin Michael Brush, director of the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio, the company’s elite training program for young artists, will travel to Barcelona to select the first winner of the annual prize.

“We are honored to be part of this partnership between two great houses, Houston Grand Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, from two cities that are so close to our hearts,” said Ignacio Torras. “By creating and underwriting this new prize to be awarded at the Tenor Viñas International Singing Competition, we expect to build a strong bridge that allows art to transcend borders and cultures through the sublime form of opera.”

HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor expressed gratitude for the underwriting support of the partnership and her excitement at working with Gran Teatre del Liceu.

“HGO is an international company serving a vast, diverse metropolis where people from across the world live and do business,” she said. “With this new partnership, we seek to build upon Houston’s emerging identity as a global hub, attracting the finest young artists from around the world to Houston while welcoming international audiences from throughout our city to the Wortham Theater Center to experience our art form. We are thrilled to join forces with our close colleagues at the Gran Teatre del Liceu.”

The winner of the Torras Family Foundation Prize also receives automatic entry as a semifinalist to Houston Grand Opera’s 38th annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias in 2026. The annual event recognizes the most talented emerging artists in opera while helping the company to identify candidates for its highly competitive Butler Studio program. Tickets for the 2025 Concert of Arias, which takes place on January 17, are available now.