Symphony at home

Houston Symphony strings together new virtual concerts series

Enjoy the symphony from your sofa with this new series of concerts.

Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make large gatherings a no-go, the Houston Symphony steps in to provide fans and newbies alike an opportunity to hear the orchestra from their own homes.

The "Live from Jones Hall" concert series continues this month, with weekly, hour-long performances from the symphony's downtown home, each one welcoming a guest conductors back to the stage to lead the orchestra.

Tickets are $10 per concert, and ticket buyers get a private link to access the live stream.

The August installment of the series kicks off August 8, with guest conductor Nicholas McGegan joining the symphony for a show featuring some of classical music's most recognizable and beloved pieces. The program includes Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik as well as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, spotlighting four members of the Symphony’s violin section. The evening’s program also includes “Summerland” from Three Visions by composer William Grant Still.

The August 15 concert features George Walker’s Lyric for Strings, conducted by Houston Symphony conducting fellow Yue Bao, and Mozart’s Oboe Quartet in F major. Audiences can also expect a horn quartet that, at press time, was still to be announced.

On August 22, the symphony's principal double bass Robin Kesselman is spotlighted in Dark with Excessive Bright Concerto for Double Bass by American composer Missy Mazzoli. The program opens with opera arias from Mozart’s romantic and comic The Marriage of Figaro, transcribed for an ensemble of winds.

The series concludes the month on August 29, with Giancarlo Guerrero, music director of the Nashville Symphony, joining the orchestra for a concert showcasing the symphony's virtuosity. First up is “The Fiddler’s March” from The Fiddler’s Tale, by American composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, followed by Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale Suite. Guerrero wraps up the program with Schubert’s effervescent Symphony No. 2.

Those who want to share their love of classical music, or want to support Houston's own Grammy Award-winning orchestra, might think about encouraging friends to buy tickets and gather for a virtual watch party.

However music lovers watch, though, kudos to the Symphony for finding a way to continue making art and sharing it with the city — and beyond.

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10-dollar founding father

Broadway behemoth Hamilton announces first Houston shows in 3 years

Photo by Joan Marcus

Hamilton returns to Houston in March

From the minute it opened on Broadway nine years ago, Hamilton caused a sensation, infusing traditional musical theater with rap and hip-hop stylings, and turning the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton into an immigrant’s epic American Dream.

Now, Houstonians have an opportunity to catch the global sensation for the first time since 2022. Single tickets to the show, which runs at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts March 4-23, 2025, go on sale at 10 am Thursday, November 21 at TheHobbyCenter.org. Patrons can also purchase tickets in person at the Hobby Center box office.

Prices start at $49. A limited number of premium seats, priced at $229-269, will be available for each performance. Each performance will also hold a lottery for 40 tickets priced at $10 each. Those wishing to grab seats before the general public are encouraged to sign up for the Broadway at the Hobby Center eClub.

“It's tempting to get tickets any way you can," producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement. "There are many sites and people who are selling overpriced, and in some cases, fraudulent tickets. For the best seats, the best prices, and to eliminate the risk of counterfeit tickets, all purchases for the Houston engagement should be made through TheHobbyCenter.org or BroadwayAtTheHobbyCenter.com.”

Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography, with book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton won 11 Tony Awards, also bringing home Grammy, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Focusing on Alexander Hamilton, "the ten-dollar Founding Father's" rise from penniless immigrant to Secretary of the Treasury (as well as founder of the Coast Guard and writer of the majority of the Federalist Papers, among many other contributions to U.S. history), the show brings to life the Revolutionary War era, and the challenges facing the new United States of America.

The musical has become a phenomenon, impacting culture, politics, and education, and garnering scores of “HamilFans” around the world. With its diverse casting and propulsive music, Hamilton includes characters like George Washington, King George III, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and other names from the history books, tying their experiences and stories together and making history come alive for a new generation of Broadway fans.

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