January at The Houston Symphony Includes MUSICALLY SPEAKING WITH ANDRES, SUTTON FOSTER, and More

The Houston Symphony's January calendar starts the New Year with an impressive lineup of concerts including an intimate concert experience with commentary from Andrés Orozco-Estrada. "Musically Speaking with Andrés" begins with Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12, The Year 1917. On January 17-18, twin sisters Christina and Michelle Naughton will perform a masterful two-piano musical dialogue in Mozart and Shostakovich. Join Andrés and the Houston Symphony for Mozart's Abduction, an exotic opera-in-concert performance featuring a damsel in distress, Turkish pirates and Pasha's harem on January 23 and January 25. Spend January 24 with Bill Cosby at Jones Hall as he shares his unique style of comedy that has entertained generations. On January 29, Associate Conductor Robert Franz will share the world of music with Houston-area elementary students at theDetectives Concert on January 29. Sutton Foster will wrap up the month with two riveting evenings filled with hits from Shrek: The Musical and Anything Goes on January 30-31. 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. Musically Speaking with Andrés Thursday, January 15, 2014, 7:30pm Rice University - Stude Concert Hall Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor Shostakovich: Symphony No. 12, The Year 1917 An intimate concert experience focused on single works with commentary from Andrés Orozco-Estrada. These three Thursdays are part of the "Musically Speaking with Andrés" series, held at Rice University's Stude Concert Hall at 7:30 pm. They feature shorter programs, musical commentary and a post-concert Q&A session. The first concert explores the political upheaval of the Russian Revolution and its leader Lenin. Shostakovich described his Twelfth Symphony as an "effort to embody the mighty image of the greatest man of our most complex epoch" (Lenin). Andrés leads the orchestra in this continuous, four-movement symphony, complete with insights and discussion on Shostakovich, who was a master of the double-entendre throughout his turbulent dance with the Communist Party. Mozart and Shostakovich Saturday, January 17, 2014, 8:00 pm Sunday, January 18, 2014, 2:30 pm Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor Christina and Michelle Naughton, piano Twin sisters Christina and Michelle Naughton share the Jones Hall stage to perform Mozart's Concerto or Two Pianos. Watch and listen in awe as the duo exchanges musical dialogue across the two pianos in this light and playful concerto. Next, experience a rare performance of Shostakovich's intense and expansive Symphony No. 12, The Year 1917. Mozart's Abduction Friday, January 23, 2014, 8:00pm Sunday, January 25, 2014, 2:30pm Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor Opera-in-Concert Laugh along to Mozart's humorous The Abduction from the Seraglio, filled with colorful and exotic musical themes. The Symphony and guest vocalists portray a classic damsel in distress story in this opera-in-concert performance. Captured by Turkish pirates, an affluent Spanish woman awaits her fate - will her fiancé come to rescue her, or will she forever belong to the Pasha's harem? Bill Cosby: Far From Finished Friday, January 24, 2014, 7:30pm One of America's most beloved comedians of all time, Bill Cosby has captivated generations of fans with his comedy routines, iconic albums and best-selling books such as Fatherhood. His comedy transcends age, gender and cultural barriers. Cosby broke television's racial barrier with I Spy, becoming the first African American to costar on a television series while winning three consecutive Emmys. Perhaps Cosby's greatest contribution to American entertainment and culture is The Cosby Show, about a close-knit, upper middle class black family. Cosby has received the Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (America's highest civilian honor), the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and the Marian Anderson Award. Detectives Concert Thursday, January 29, 2014, 9:30am Thursday, January 29, 2014, 11:15am The Robbins Foundation Symphony Detective Concerts introduce students to the orchestra's key players. This season's program, The Science of Sound, supports the focus on developing active listening and critical thinking skills, and incorporates the STEM curriculum for grades 1-3. Sutton Foster Friday, January 30, 2014, 8:00pm Saturday, January 31, 2014, 8:00pm Sunday, February 1, 2014, 7:30pm "Triple threat" and Tony Award®-winning singer, actress and dancer Sutton Foster, who starred in Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes and Shrek: The Musical, joins the orchestra to help kick-off the New Year with a powerhouse song and dance extravaganza. Foster, who Vanity Fair describes as "the new Ethel Merman (meets Barbra Streisand)," belts hits such as "Gimme, Gimme" and "Anything Goes." 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 $29 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.