Baroque Specialist Jane Glover Leads Houston Symphony In Holiday Performances

The Houston Symphony celebrates the holiday season with what is arguably the greatest oratorio ever written: the spiritual, Baroque-era masterpiece, Handel's Messiah, at 8 p.m. Dec. 21-22 and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 23 in Jones Hall. Baroque specialist Jane Glover leads the orchestra, a stellar quartet of soloists and the Houston Symphony Chorus (prepared by director Dr. Betsy Cook Weber).

Conductor, scholar and specialist in Baroque-era repertoire, Glover returns to the Houston Symphony to celebrate the holiday season. Considered the best-known English-language oratorio primarily on the strength of its most famous number, the universally beloved "Hallelujah Chorus," Messiah has become a Houston Symphony holiday tradition. Through its brilliant arias and choruses, Messiah tells the story of Jesus Christ's life from prophecy to death and resurrection. From "Comfort ye, my people" to the final "Amen" chorus, Messiah gets listeners into the spirit of the holiday, reminding its listeners of the original Christmas story.

The chorus will join the orchestra and soloists Ying Fang (soprano), Elizabeth DeShong (mezzo-soprano), Thomas Cooley (tenor) and Christòpheren Nomura (baritone) for this unforgettable performance. Fang and Nomura will make their Houston Symphony debuts with returning guest artists Deshong and Cooley.

Handel's Messiah takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston's Theater District. For tickets and information, please call (713) 224-7575 or visit www.houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

About the Houston Symphony

During the 2018-19 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its fifth season with Music Director Andrés Orozco- Estrada and continues its second century as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $33.9 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony's four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 900 community-based performances each year, reaching thousands of people in Greater Houston.

The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Naxos, Koch International Classics, Telarc, RCA Red Seal, Virgin Classics and, most recently, Dutch recording label PENTATONE. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg's Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.