Mercury's Annual Free Concert Presents Exciting Twist on 'Battle of the Bands' Concept

Mercury Chamber Orchestra opens its 18th season, with their annual free community concert on Saturday, September 1, at Houston's Miller Outdoor Theatre celebrating the venue's 95th anniversary. Conductor and concert co-creator Antoine Plante leads Mercury in a daring, energetic performance with violin soloists Jonathan Godfrey and Anabel Detrick vying for bragging rights for their chosen composer. Who will win? Who will the audience choose? Will it be the innovative Vivaldi, with his bold, passionate music, full of simple dramatics and rich colors, or Paganini, a legend in his own day, with his brilliant, energetic and flamboyant music? Guitarist David Jacques joins Mercury for a special performance. Concert co-creator Denis Plante directs the high-octane, fun-filled music showcase featuring a variety of works by the two Italian masters. "La Follia" a dazzling showpiece from Vivaldi's contemporary, Francesco Geminiani, rounds out the program.

MERCURY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT
SATURDAY, SEPT 1 at 8 PM, MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE

Vivaldi vs. Paganini

ANTONIO VIVALDI

Selections from:

Sinfonia in E major, RV 131

Concerto for 2 Violins in G major, RV 516

Concerto for Strings in G minor, RV 152

Violin Concerto in G minor, RV 324

NICCOLÒ PAGANINI

Sonata for Violin & Guitar in E minor, Op. 3, No. 6

Il carnevale di Venezia, Op.10

FRANCESCO GEMINIANI

Concerto Gross in D minor, Op. 5, No. 12 "La Follia"

Antoine Plante, Conductor and Co-Creator

Denis Plante, Director and Co-Creator

Jonathan Godfrey, Violin

Anabel Detrick, Violin

David Jacques, Guitar

Innovation, accessibility and dynamism are just three of the distinguishing characteristics of Mercury Chamber Orchestra, the critically acclaimed Houston-based period instrument ensemble that continues to redefine the orchestra experience. Now in its 18th season, Mercury celebrates the power of music - from the Baroque period and more - serving the Houston community and beyond through teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence.

In addition to performances in multiple venues throughout the Houston area, including its flagship series at Wortham Center's Cullen Theater, and Neighborhood Series at the Baroque gallery in the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) Beck Building (with an addition concert added this season at 8:30 PM), Midtown's MATCH, the chapel at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, and Dosey Doe in The Woodlands, Mercury continues to invest in the community. It offers free community performances annually, including the community concert at The Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and public concerts in the Crain Garden at Houston Methodist Hospital. Recognized for its award-winning team-teaching programs, Mercury also provides in-school perfor-mances for Houston area students and master classes for school orchestras. Active in the recording scene, to date, Mercury has released eight albums on its own label, featuring works by Corelli, Mozart, Schubert, Rameau, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and Handel.

Mercury continues its collaboration with The Juilliard School's Historical Performance Program for the third year. The Mercury-Juilliard Fellowship initiative encourages the development of talented young instrumentalists and fosters a strong relationship between two major players in America's period instrument performance scene, as well as introducing Houston audiences to the next generation of great period performance musicians.

Mercury gratefully acknowledges the following organizations and corporations for their ongoing support: The City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc., Texas Commission on the Arts, the Wyatt Foundation, the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation, Phillips 66, The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston First, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Curated by Maestro Plante, Mercury's Downtown Series opens in October with Brahms' Third Symphony, and Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony. For additional information on Mercury, its events and concerts, tickets, directions to the venues, or to learn more about its recordings, please visit www.mercuryhouston.org

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best New Musical - Top 3

1. The Lost Boys

31.8% of votes

2. Schmigadoon!

24.6% of votes

3. Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

22% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats