The Houston Symphony is an American

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

based in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts.

History

The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, 1913, sponsored by the Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg. Initially, the orchestra was composed of only 35 part-time musicians. Despite its small stature and budget, the orchestra and its first conductor, Julien Paul Blitz, enjoyed a good response and continued to perform. He conducted until 1916, then Paul Bergé, until the orchestra disbanded in 1918. The orchestra reformed in 1930, still as a semi-professional orchestra, and gave its first full season of concerts the following year conducted by Uriel Nespoli. In the spring of 1936, the symphony society officially became the Houston Symphony Society. Ernst Hoffmann began his tenure that year with increased support from the Society and began hiring professional musicians. The orchestra continued to expand over the next several decades, and its first 52-week contract was signed in 1971. In 1946, the present-day Houston Symphony Chorus was founded as the Houston Chorale, and the chorus has performed with the Houston Symphony since then.

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

was music director from 1955 to 1961. During his tenure, the Houston Symphony gave the American premiere of the Symphony no. 11 of

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

, and subsequently made the first commercial recording of the work. When Stokowski invited African-American opera singer Shirley Verrett to sing with the Houston Symphony in the early 1960s, he was forced to rescind his invitation when the orchestra board refused to accept a black soloist. Stokowski later made amends by giving her a prestigious date with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

. The orchestra performed in either the City Auditorium or the Music Hall until the construction in 1966 of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. In 2001, the orchestra lost millions of dollars' worth of instruments, music, and archives when Tropical Storm Allison flooded the basement levels of Jones Hall. In 2003, the musicians went on strike for 24 days, and the settlement included a pay cut for the musicians and a reduction in the size of the orchestra. Hans Graf was the music director of the orchestra from 2001 to 2013, the longest tenure of any Houston Symphony music director. In September 2009, the orchestra announced the conclusion of his tenure as music director at the end of the 2012–2013 season, upon which Graf took the title of conductor laureate of the orchestra. Andrés Orozco-Estrada became music director in September 2014, with an initial contract of five years. In March 2017, the orchestra announced an extension of Orozco-Estrada's contract through the 2021–2022 season. Orozco-Estrada and the orchestra have recorded commercially for the PENTATONE label. Orozco-Estrada concluded his Houston music directorship at the close of the 2021–2022 season. Juraj Valčuha first guest-conducted the orchestra in 2011. He returned as a guest conductor twice, in April 2018 and in March 2021. In July 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Valčuha as its next music director, effective with the 2022–2023 season. Past executive directors and chief executive officers of the orchestra have included John Mangum, who held the post from January 2018 to July 2024. In January 2025, the orchestra announced the appointment of Gary Ginstling as its next executive director and chief executive officer, effective 3 February 2025.

Music Directors

* Julien Paul Blitz (1913–1916) * Paul Bergé (1916–1918) * Uriel Nespoli (1931–1932) * Frank St. Leger (1932–1935) * Ernst Hoffmann (1936–1947) * Efrem Kurtz (1948–1954) *

Ferenc Fricsay Ferenc Fricsay (; 9 August 1914 – 20 February 1963) was a Hungarian conductor. From 1960 until his death, he was an Austrian citizen. Biography Fricsay was born in Budapest in 1914 and studied music under Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály, Ern ...

(1954) *

(1955–1961) *

John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 1943 ...

(1961–1967) *

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

(1967–1969) * Lawrence Foster (1971–1979) * Sergiu Comissiona (1980–1988) *

Christoph Eschenbach Christoph Eschenbach (; born 20 February 1940) is a German pianist and conductor. Early life Eschenbach was born on 20 February 1940 in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) as Christoph Ringmann. His parents were Margarethe (née Jaross), a ...

(1988–1999) * Hans Graf (2001–2013) * Andrés Orozco-Estrada (2014–2022) * Juraj Valčuha (2022–present)

Conductors laureate

* Christoph Eschenbach * Hans Graf * Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Notable musicians, past and present

The following Houston Symphony musicians have articles in Wikipedia: * Arlene Weiss Alda, clarinet, assistant principal 1956–1957 * James Austin, trumpet, principal 1960–1977 * Edward Carroll, trumpet, associate principal 1975–1976 * Wayne Crouse, viola, principal 1951–1983 * Willard Somers Elliot, bassoon 1946–1949 *

Paul Ellison Paul Ellison may refer to: * Paul Ellison (bassist), American classical double-bassist * Paul M. Ellison, British choral conductor, organist, and Beethoven scholar * Paul J. Ellison, member of the Boston School Committee {{hndis, Ellison, P ...

, bass, principal 1964–1987 * Armando Ghitalla, trumpet 1948–1950 *

Desmond Hoebig Desmond Hoebig is a Canadian cellist with a career as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician. Hoebig has held the chair of Principal Cellist in the Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Hoebig is ...

, cello, principal 1991–2003 * Frank Huang, violin, concertmaster 2010–2015 * Benjamin Kamins, bassoon, principal 1981–2003 * Julie Landsman, horn, co-principal 1982–1985 * Cristian Măcelaru, violin 2004–2006 * Erik Ralske, horn, associate principal 1987–1993 * Beatrice Schroeder Rose, harp, principal 1953–1984 * Hal Robinson, bass, assistant principal 1977–1985 * Elaine Shaffer, flute, principal 1948–1953 * Joseph Silverstein, violin 1950–1953 * Brinton Averil Smith, cello, principal 2005–present * Laila Storch, oboe, principal 1948–1955 * John McLaughlin Williams, violin 1981–1982 * Harold Wright, clarinet, c. 1949–1952

References

External links

Houston Symphony official websiteHistory from The Handbook of Texas Online
{{Authority control American symphony orchestras Musical groups from Houston Organizations based in Houston Tourist attractions in Houston Musical groups established in 1913 Orchestras based in Texas 1913 establishments in Texas