• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Welcome to H-Town!

    Symphony's new principal oboist is surprised to discover a hipper, moredog-friendly Houston

    Joel Luks
    Sep 30, 2012 | 5:00 pm
    • Jonathan Fischer, 44, is the newest member of the Houston Symphony's windsection. As principal oboe, his sound will toll the start of each and everyHouston Symphony concert.
      Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    • Jonathan Fischer is thrilled to perform Brahms' Symphony No. 1, Debussy's La Merand Mahler's Symphony No. 2 at the end of the season.
      Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    • The Houston Symphony had two national auditions, though the search committeedidn't hire anyone from those. Then, there was a smaller invitational auditionfor eight candidates. From that, they offered Fischer a trial week. After that,he was offered the job.
      Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    There's a new sound tolling in the woodwind section of the Houston Symphony, one that's impossible to miss. It's the rich, reverberant, clear pitch that aligns the orchestra in tone and timber before each and every performance, the Concert A that segues the cacophony of musicians warming up, leading up to the silence before the first down beat.

    When long-time principal oboist Robert Atherholt announced that he would retire from his post, one that he held since 1984, Houston Symphony disciples felt a sense of loss, that somehow things wouldn't be the same without this high-class artist's signature voice.

    For those who pay close attention, there was an oboe ringer during RachFest's final week in January. That would have been Jonathan Fischer, former associate principal oboe with the San Francisco Symphony. He was on trial for the important spot.

    Fischer is the chosen man for the job and has already performed his first Houston Symphony concert run.

    Yet prior to playing his first solos as the official double reed divo, CultureMap sat down with this genteel — and hilarious — Southern gent after his third rehearsal with the large ensemble.

    In the comfort of the cozy and stylish Jones Hall green room, we chatted about moving from San Francisco to Houston, about his legendary mentor at the Curtis Institute of Music and his search for a bluegrass banjo coach.

     CultureMap: People think of San Francisco as one of the most beautiful cities in the country — the place to be. Weather is perfect, the terrain is gorgeous. And Houston is thought of as being a hot, humid, hell zone.

     Jonathan Fischer: A lot of people have asked me, "What are you doing?"

     

      "Squat and blow, as some like to say (laughs). . . blow and move your fingers."

     CM: Exactly. Why did you leave your position as associate principal in San Francisco to come here?

    My position in San Francisco was associate principal oboe; I came here for the opportunity to be principal. When you are the principal you choose the repertoire you play. (The rest is performed by the associate.)

    When you are in music conservatory, preparing for orchestral life and taking auditions, you spend hours perfecting orchestral excerpts. These are eight- to 16-bar passages that are short. You practice them over and over again — some of which I've been practicing for more than 20 years. And there's a long list of these excerpts that I've never played concert.

    Now that I have a principal position, I will have the opportunity to play them — starting with Brahms' Symphony No. 1.

    That I'm 44 years old and have never played principal on the Brahms, well that just breaks my heart.

    Now I get to play Brahms, so it better be good, right?

     CM: Right. Though Brahms is very sensitive to intonation. Tell me, how do you approach performing with a group you hardly know? Isn't this officially your third rehearsal?

     JF: Yes, third rehearsal.

    If you ask a flight attendant how they cope with an air crisis — like when the US Airways Flight 1549 landed on the Hudson River — they all say that you fall back on your training. You do what you've been told to do and follow along what the manual says. It's automatic; you do it.

    So you sit back in your chair and think to yourself: I am a well-trained, highly-skilled, professional musician and I am going to do what I've been trained to do. You rely on that training. At the end of the day, you have to just play your part and focus on task at hand.

    Squat and blow, as some like to say (laughs). . . blow and move your fingers.

     

      "I grew up in the South — I was born in South Carolina but grew up in North Carolina — so I love the Southern vibe, the oak trees that shade the streets, the friendliness of the people."

    When you get nervous and you freak out while wondering if this note is going to speak just right, if it will be in tune with the flute, if it's going to be the right color, you can work yourself into a frazzle.

     CM: What are you most excited about playing this year?

     JF: I thought it was serendipitous that the season started with Brahms' Symphony No. 1 since it was one of those hallmark pieces that I've always wanted to perform. Debussy's La Mer is a big deal for oboe and a colorful work for the orchestra. And of course Mahler's Symphony No. 2 at the end of the season.

     CM: How does someone win a job like Houston Symphony's principal oboe spot?

     JF: It was a long and drawn out procedure. The Houston Symphony had two national auditions in the course of a year or two; the search committee didn't hire anyone from those. Then, there was a smaller invitational audition for eight candidates. From that, they offered me a trial week. So I came back to perform as part of RachFest. After that, I was offered the job.

     CM: Was location a consideration when accepting this position?

     JF: Music jobs are so few and far between, and principal oboe jobs don't come around every day. It really doesn't matter where the job is; that's such a secondary consideration for musicians. You basically go where the work is. If that positions happens to be in Houston or in San Francisco, so be it.

    But I am really pleasantly surprised by Houston. It's so much hipper than people think.

     CM: I know; we don't have the greatest reputation out there.

     JF: And I think there are more museums in Houston than San Francisco?

    I grew up in the South — I was born in South Carolina but grew up in North Carolina — so I love the Southern vibe, the oak trees that shade the streets, the friendliness of the people. Houston is also much more cosmopolitan than I expected it to be. I've heard people speaking all kinds of languages just walking down the street. It's very diverse; much more sophisticated than I thought it would be before I moved here.

     CM: How are your reeds?

     

      "If it's sharp, how musical is it, really? If the tone was beautiful but the playing was boring, then how was the tone beautiful? If it was boring, that includes the tone. It's all part of the same thing — all or nothing."

     JF: How are my reeds? Oh, my gosh. Reeds hate dry weather, and reeds love humidity. That means so far, so good.

    The climate here is stable; the difference between summer and winter isn't huge. It's not like it's 95 degrees in the summer and 20 below zero in the winter, like it is in the Midwest. Or super dry in the winter and humid in the summer. The change is more moderate.

    If I were to play principal in the Anchorage Symphony, that would be a problem.

     CM: Let's talk about your oboe lineage. You are a Curtis graduate, a school with a long tradition of training the country's — the world's — leading oboists. Among them John de Lancie, John Mack, New York Philharmonic's Liang Wang, Kathy Greenbank and your teacher, Richard Woodhams, principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

     I remember being a student at the Aspen Music Festival and School rehearsing Strauss' Don Juan — I was playing second flute. After the first octave leap of the infamous oboe solo, the conductor stopped to correct something in the strings. That low D to middle D interval — two notes — earned an orchestral clap.

     Two notes. That's all it took to wow other musicians.

     Woodhams is one of those rare, legendary artists that can play and teach, and his studio puts out exceptional talent. Why and how is that?

     JF: For me — I have not heard other Curtis graduates say it this way — the most important thing he imparted on me, and I don't have a succinct way of saying this, begins with how people listen to music.

    When people say, that person was sharp, but very musical; or they had a beautiful tone, but it was boring; what they are doing is categorizing different aspects of playing, like musicality, intonation, tone color, rhythm, expression and so on. And that's the way I thought before I studied at Curtis.

    With Woodhams, those were all one thing — each just as important as the other.

    If it's sharp, how musical is it, really? If the tone was beautiful but the playing was boring, then how was the tone beautiful? If it was boring, that includes the tone. It's all part of the same thing — all or nothing. If one of those aspects is missing, the whole thing isn't good enough.

    I don't think he made an effort to impart that on me; I took that from my time with him.

    He demanded perfection in each lesson, and perfection meant all those categories. If one of them wasn't there, it ruined the others. It's either right or it's wrong. That was clear with Woodhams. His was a holistic approach to playing the oboe.

    What he did make an effort to impart on me was a cross-disciplinary awareness between art forms. He is well read and aware of history and traditions, and what was happening at the time each piece was written. He though it was very important for us to cultivate an appreciation for art and literature. He would talk about that a lot in our lessons, especially how the arts informed one another.

     CM: What about your interests outside of classical music?

     JF: I have two dogs. I have a mutt Labrador and a retired greyhound. I am having fun exploring things to do in Houston with them — and I found the city to be super dog friendly.

    What else do I do? I make oboe reeds . . .

    I also play bluegrass banjo, though I am looking for a local teacher.

    I listen to a lot of podcasts — about current events, history, historical non-fiction, state of the world sort of programs — and bluegrass. I love the 49 Specials, a San Francisco indie band, and The Avett Brothers. I am big bookworm, though I hardly ever read fiction.

    unspecified
    news/arts

    Best July Art

    Where to see art in Houston now: 9 fun new exhibits opening in July

    Tarra Gaines
    Jul 9, 2025 | 4:30 pm
    ​Artechouse presents "Blooming Worlds"
    Photo courtesy of Artechouse
    Artechouse presents "Blooming Worlds"

    Art blooms in our world class museums but also on our city streets this July. From exhibitions featuring traditional paintings and sculptures to high tech immersive and interactive shows, we’re weaving art into the best of summertime fun and dreaming up beautiful new artistic creations all over Houston.

    “Town Meeting 1978-2028” at Art League Houston (now through July 20)
    Pioneering Houston-based interdisciplinary artists Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin continue their decades-long project to create new and sometimes monumental artworks in response to little-known pre-Stonewall queer histories. For this latest exhibition, the duo explore a more recent and influential piece of Houston history, “Town Meeting I,” the pivotal convening of 4,000 LGBTQIA+ Houstonians at the Astro Arena in 1978. For this show at Art League, they’ve used their “wind drawing” technique of stenciling unfixed charcoal powder on paper and blowing it away, leaving a ghost-image. Using archival images of “Town Meeting I” as the bases of their stenciling, the finished “wind drawings” highlight the ephemerality, beauty, and loss of queer histories. In addition to these new works, Vaughan and Margolin hope to inspire, facilitate, and develop programming in 2028 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Town Meeting 1.”

    “Fragmentos de un sueño que yo también soñé (Fragments of a Dream I Also Dreamed)" at Art League Houston (now through July 20)
    “Every house is a body, and every individual body is a house full of memories and hopes,” says award-winning Venezuela born, Chicago-based artist, Jeffly Gabriela Molina, of her artistic focus. Molina’s fragmented, layered, and figural compositions explore that idea of home and memories. Delving into memories and stories, these figurative compositions, depicting people and relationships, fluctuate between stories of the present, past, and future. Taken together, the works in “Fragmentos de un sueño” aim to visually capture the feelings of vulnerability, nostalgia, and hope embedded in the experience of many immigrants. Art League notes that Molina’s pieces emphasize optimism over hardship, specifically addressing the longing for a home that no longer exists while striving to create a new one.

    “Every Fiber of Their Bodies” at Art League Houston (now through July 20)
    Working with natural fibers such as linen, paper collage, and hand-spun paper yarn made from calligraphy paper and book pages, textile artist Lin Qiqing weaves stories ofhuman relationships, gender, immigration, and language. As the title hints, the labor-intensive weaving process brings thematic depth to the images of bodies depicted in the pieces. The woven pieces also make connections to the natural world, as when Lin crumples then smooths handmade mulberry paper to resemble human skin, or when she uses handwoven fiber to mimic the body’s movement. Lin process includes research and experimenting with natural materials to explore themes of the internal human struggle for existence and our interactions with the world around us.

    “Annual Juried Exhibition” at Archway Gallery (now through July 31)
    For the 17th year, the artist owned Archway Gallery celebrates Houston artists with its juried exhibition of area artists who are not members of the space. This year’s exhibition is juried by Project Row Houses founder and MacArthur "genius" fellow, Rick Lowe. The acclaimed artist and social activist has selected work from over 35 area artists representing a diversity of medium and styles. Sales from the exhibition will go to Houston’s Brave Little Company, the theater company for Houston’s kids and their gown ups.

    “Foyer Installation: René Magritte” at Menil Collection (now through August 3)
    After a critically acclaimed trip to Australia, some of our favorite Belgian-born Houstonians are back home. Yes, the Magritte paintings have returned to the Menil Collection after taking a star turn in a monumental Magritte retrospective at Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales. Now the Menil is celebrating their return with a special installation in the main building foyer. The Menil Collection owns the largest collection of work by René Magritte outside the artist’s native Belgium, and this display focuses on a core group of paintings from the 1950s and ’60s that truly represent Magritte’s status as a master creator of impossible painted worlds and an icon of the Surrealist movement. The paintings were purchased within a couple years of their making by the museum’s founders, John and Dominique de Menil. They represent and important part of 20th century art history, as the de Menils became Magritte’s biggest champions in the United States, helping to shape the artist’s reception and reputation in the postwar American art world. Stop by to welcome them home and slip into their enigmatic wonder.

    “Blooming Wonders” at Artechouse (now through September)
    The latest immersive exhibition from the Houston venue that brings art, science, and technology home together, Artechouse, lets the flowers blossom. The exhibition contains several dynamic installations, including “Timeless Butterflies,” a 270 degrees projection space that puts visitors in the middle of a butterfly cloud. Audiences journey with a flock of butterflies into an immense garden of flowers. Another immersive piece, “Infinite Blooms” takes audiences on a journey through an endless digital forest of cherry blossoms. The installation, “Akousmaflore et Lux” creates a very different type of garden where plants transform into musical instruments. “Clay Pillar” by Interactive Items / Vadim Mirgorodskii invites visitors to sculpt new forms using clay and a little help from an AI program. Note that “Blooming Wonders” runs simultaneously with the rock ‘n’ roll exhibition, “Amplified” with “Wonders” open during the daytime.

    “Weci | Koninut” at Avenida Houston (now through September 1)
    Houston is a place for big dreams, and this wondrous outdoor exhibition near George R. Brown Convention Center gives us the space to do so. Created by First Nations artists Julie-Christina Picher and Dave Jenniss, this interactive installation weaves together visual arts, Indigenous storytelling and sensory technologies in the form of six immense sculptural dreamcatchers. Each of these dreamcatchers are unique and represent one of the six seasons from the Atikamekw culture, an Indigenous people in Canada. Activated by people passing by, the dreamcatchers come to life with lights, sounds, and story, making the whole installation truly interactive. “Weci | Koninut” creators say that they want the installation to offer a total immersion experience for visitors, to create a moment where nature and dreams converge. Each piece offers a place for the public to slow down, sit, reflect, and yes, dream.

    New Murals in the East End and Midtown (ongoing)
    We could spend days viewing all the new murals painted across town, just in the last few years. But in honor of summer outdoor art viewing, we thought we’d spotlight two noteworthy new additions to our city-wide gallery of murals. As part of his major exhibition last spring at the CAMH, Vincent Valdez worked with San Antonio muralist Rubio and local students to create “Memoria, Memory.” Dedicated to his mother Theresa Santana Valdez (1947–2020), the vivid mural on historic Navigation Boulevard features her favorite bird and flower. Over in Midtown, check out “Stellar Illumination,” the latest installation in the city’s Big Walls Big Dreams mural series. Created by Robin Munro, also known as Dread, the seven stories high “Illumination” depicts a celestial scene of an astronaut gazing at Earth from space.

    “The Weight of Place” at Anya Tish Gallery (July 11-August 23)
    This group exhibition will explore themes of memory and the emotional, psychological, and physical landscapes memories can evoke. The will showcase three contemporary Texas-based female artists: Megan Harrison, Marisol Valencia, and Lillian Warren. While these artists work in different mediums–including large-scale paintings, mixed media works, and elegant porcelain sculptures–they are inspired by personal reflection and nature to create artworks that reflect on the ways we hold onto the past through sensory experience.

    “In Residence: 18th Edition” at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (July 12-June 27, 2026)
    This annual exhibition celebrating the Center’s Artist Residency Program reaches it’s big 18th anniversary. Over the many years, the residency program has supported so many emerging, mid-career, and established artists working in all craft media. The program gives them a space for creative exploration, exchange, and collaboration with other artists, arts professionals, and the public. Now arts and craft lovers will get a chance to see the culmination of that work with this exhibition featuring pieces in fiber, clay, copper, and found objects by 2024-2025 resident artists Prerata Bradley, Stephanie Bursese, Atisha Fordyce, Nela Garzón, Gbenga Komolafe, Gabo Martinez, Preetika Rajgariah, Macon Reed, Jamie Sterling Pitt, Adam Whitney, and Dongyi Wu.

    “My Texas” at Our Texas Cultural Center (July 27-August 22)
    Award winning, Russian-born photographer, Anatoliy Kosterev, chronicles his personal exploration of Texas with photographs he took around the Lone Star State. The photos offer extraordinary views of Texas, from our dynamic cities to dramatic and sometimes lonesome landscapes. Kosterev’s photographic style blends science and technology with an artistic eye. He puts those two perspectives into practice when documenting all facets of life in Texas. Using HDR, drone imaging, macro photography, and traditional camera methods, he captures a diversity of subjects from quiet human moments to vast landscapes to delicate close-ups of insects and flowers.

    \u200bArtechouse presents "Blooming Worlds"
      

    Photo courtesy of Artechouse

    Artechouse presents "Blooming Worlds."

    museumsopeningsvisual-art
    news/arts
    Loading...