Houston Symphony to Feature Tchaikovsky's ROMEO AND JULIET, BRONFMAN PLAY BEETHOVEN 4 and More, April 2014

The Houston Symphony's April calendar provides several unique treats that are sure to excite Houston audiences. Conductor Laureate Hans Graf will return to the podium to lead the orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet on April 10, 12 and 13, followed directly by Music Director Designate Andrés Orozco-Estrada's return to conduct Bronfman Play Beethoven 4 on April 17, 18 and 19.

April also brings family fun to the hall and beyond with Belle of the Ball on the morning of April 25 and a FREE concert at Discovery Green featuring Houston Symphony Concertmaster Frank Huang as leader and soloist. The Houston Symphony also honors local educators in its annual Salute to Educators concert on April 24. A POPS concert on April 25, 26 and 27 will feature Grammy®-Award winning superstar Chris Botti as he returns to Houston to perform works fromhis newest CD.

Unless otherwise noted, all concerts take 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 unless otherwise noted. 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.

The full schedule of events for April 2014 follows:

Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet

Thursday, April 10, 2014, 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 12, 2014, 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 13, 2014, 2:30 pm

Hans Graf, conductor
Johannes Moser, cello
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy-Overture
Tchaikovsky: Pezzo capriccioso for Cello and Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations for Cello and Orchestra
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3

Conductor Laureate Hans Graf leads the Symphony in a powerful all-Russian program. First, hear the ripening love and impending tragedy in Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. Then, hear rising-star cellist Johannes Moser perform Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, a piece that earned him a special prize in addition to the top prize in the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition. Finally, thrill to the frenzied passages and crazed sliding melodies of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 3.

Bronfman Play Beethoven 4

Thursday, April 17, 2014, 8:00 pm
Friday, April 18, 2014, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 19, 2014, 8:00 pm

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Smetana: Overture to The Bartered Bride
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
Dvorák: Symphony No. 8

Yefim Bronfman returns to Houston to lend both depth and brilliance to Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Music Director Designate Andrés Orozco-Estrada then brings out the exuberant woodwind melodies and carefree waltzes of Dvorák's Symphony No. 8.

Due to the Easter holiday, Sunday subscribers will attend on Thursday. Due to high demand, exchanges will not be allowed into this program.

Discovery Green Concert

Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 7:30 pm

Frank Huang, leader and violin soloist
Piazzolla: Cuatro estaciones porteñas
(Four Seasons of Buenos Aries)
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings

Houston Symphony Concertmaster Frank Huang performs as soloist and leads the orchestra in
composer Astor Piazzolla's tango inspired Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings.

Salute to Educators

Thursday April, 24, 2014, 7:30pm

Robert Franz, conductor
Charles Seo, cello
Houston Youth Symphony - Michael Webster, Music Director
Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6

Each year, the Houston Symphony honors the Houston-area teachers by providing a concert to celebrate educators and the great work they do in developing the leaders of our future. This concert features the winner from the Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition in the first half and a performance of one of the best-known orchestral masterworks in the second half, with the Houston Symphony performing side-by-side one of our partnering youth orchestras. Thanks to the generous support of Spec's Charitable Foundation, this concert is free for all teachers/educators and their guests.

Chris Botti

Friday, April 25, 2014, 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 26, 2014, 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 27, 2014, 7:30 pm

Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Chris Botti, trumpet

With his uniquely expressive sound and soaring musical imagination, superstar Chris Botti is heading back to Houston to perform some of his favorite tunes along with music from his newest CD Impressions. Since the release of his 2004 CD When I Fall in Love, Botti has become the largest selling American jazz instrumental artist, having appeared in countless PBS specials, and earned four #1 Jazz Albums and multiple Grammy® Awards throughout his career. Don't miss this incredible trumpet talent, performing together with your Houston Symphony.

Belle of the Ball

Saturday, April 26, 2014, 10:00 am
Saturday, April 26, 2014, 11:30 am

Robert Franz, conductor

Even today, nothing is more magical than getting dressed up and going to a ball! Graceful ballet dancers will partner with the Symphony, together with the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Chorale, to create the atmosphere of a royal ball.

During the current 2013-14 Season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its 100th year as one of America's leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities. In the upcoming 2014-15 Season, the orchestra begins its next century under the direction of Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the organization's first Hispanic music director and 15th overall. 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, visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

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