Czech Conductor Jakub Hrusa and Pianist Denis Kozhukhin Join the Houston Symphony

Step into musical storytelling at its best on October 17, 18 and 19 with the Houston Symphony's performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Young Czech conductor Jakub Hr?ša joins with the Symphony once again for a concert that will captivate and seduce with vibrant tales of Arabian nights. Let your imagination soar as dazzling symphonic sounds portray Scheherazade's stories that captured the Sultan's curiosity and admiration.

Hr?ša has been touted by the Los Angeles Times as "an engaging maestro...summoning crispness and expressive robustness."

Plus, hear world-renowned young Russian pianist and winner of the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition Denis Kozhukhin perform Prokofiev's virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 2. Audience members interested in learning more about the background of the music are invited to attend the free Prelude pre-concert discussion 45-minutes prior to the start of the concert. This Prelude will be led by Zoe Miller from Houston Public Media's "Music in the Making" with Denis Kozhkukhin as guest.

HOUSTON SYMPHONY CLASSICAL CONCERT Scheherazade Friday, October 17, 2014, 8:00pm Saturday, October 18, 2014, 8:00pm Sunday, October 19, 2014, 2:30pm Jakub Hr?ša, conductor Denis Kozhukhin, piano Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Tickets from $25 Jones Hall 615 Louisiana St. Houston, TX 77002

About Jakub Hr?ša Born in the Czech Republic and described by Gramophone as "on the verge of greatness," Jakub Hr?ša is Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Prague Philharmonia and Principal Guest Conductor of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest with many of Europe's leading orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Finnish Radio Symphony, SWR Symphony Stuttgart, WDR Symphony Cologne and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 2010 he became the youngest conductor since 1949 to lead the opening concert of the Prague Spring Festival. Jakub Hr?ša made his North American debut in 2009, and has since appeared with The Cleveland Orchestra, Washington National Symphony, the Symphony Orchestras of Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Seattle, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. In the same year he made his Australian debut with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, followed by visits to Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. He is also a regular visitor to Asia where, in addition to his commitments with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, he led the Prague Philharmonia on a major tour of Japan in 2012. He has also appeared as a guest conductor with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic and Osaka Philharmonic. Jakub Hr?ša studied conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague where his teachers included Ji?í B?lohlávek. He is currently President of the International Martin? Circle.

About Denis Kozhukhin Denis Kozhukhin was launched onto the international scene after winning First Prize in the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels at the age of 23. He has quickly established a formidable reputation and has already appeared at many of the world's most prestigious festivals and concert halls including the Verbier Festival, where he won the Prix d'Honneur in 2003, Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Rheingau Music Festival, Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, Carnegie Hall, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Auditorium du Louvre Paris. Born in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, in 1986 into a family of musicians, Denis Kozhukhin began his piano studies at the age of four with his mother. As a boy, he attended the Balakirev School of Music where he studied under Natalia Fish. From 2000 to 2007, Kozhukhin was a pupil at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid learning with Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martinez-Mehner. Upon graduating, he received his diploma personally from the Queen of Spain and was named best student in his year and twice best chamber group with his own Cervantes Trio. After his studies in Madrid, Kozhukhin was invited to study at the Piano Academy at Lake Como. He completed his studies with Kirill Gerstein in Stuttgart. Kozhukhin has also been awarded 1st Prize at the Vendome Prize in Lisbon in 2009, and 3rd Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006.

About Houston Symphony During the 2014-15 season, the Houston Symphony enters its second century as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. This season also marks the inaugural year for new Music Director Andrés Orozco- Estrada. The Houston Symphony is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas whose inaugural performance was held at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $30.7 million, the full-time ensemble of 87 professional musicians is the largest performing arts organization in Houston, presenting more than 286 performances for 300,000 people, including 82,000 children, annually. For tickets and more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call (713)224-7575.

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