Principal Oboist Jonathan Fischer to Solo with the Houston Symphony October 24-27

On October 24, 26 and 27, the Houston Symphony's recently appointed Principal Oboe Jonathan Fischer will take solo spotlight on the Jones Hall stage to perform Mozart's tuneful Oboe Concerto. Written when Mozart was just 21 years old, the concerto is one of the most important works in the oboe repertoire. Fischer joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Oboe in September 2012 and will make his solo debut with these performances. In addition to the Mozart Oboe Concerto, returning Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu will conduct Helix, a short piece written in 2005 by fellow Finnish composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. Also on the program is Schumann's Symphony No. 2, which is famous for its energetic and whimsical Scherzo.

The 2013-14 season marks Hannu Lintu's first season as Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Until summer 2013, he held the positions of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. He has previously held Artistic Director positions with the Helsingborg Symphony and Turku Philharmonic orchestras.

Highlights of Hannu Lintu's 2013-14 season include appearances with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony and Toronto Symphony orchestras; MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa; plus debuts with the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In the U.S., he returns to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Lintu studied cello, piano and then conducting with Jorma Panula at the Sibelius Academy. He participated in master classes with Myung-Whun Chung at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy and took first prize at the Nordic Conducting Competition in Bergen in 1994.

He has made several recordings for Ondine, Naxos, Danacord and Hyperion, with whom he recently recorded Schumann's complete works for piano and orchestra featuring soloist Angela Hewitt.

He has received several prizes for his recordings both at home and abroad, including a Grammy nomination in the 2011 Best Opera CD category and a Gramophone Award nomination for his recording of Enescu's Symphony No. 2 with the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

About Jonathan Fischer

Jonathan Fischer joined the Houston Symphony as Principal Oboe in September 2012 and is also currently serving as Acting Principal Oboe of the San Francisco Symphony for the 2013-14 season. He also serves as Principal Oboe with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho. He has held positions with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Grant Park Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Savannah Symphony and the New World Symphony. Fischer has performed as a guest Principal with many of the nation's leading orchestras including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony, Atlanta Symphony and the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the Grant Park Symphony, the New World Symphony and several times with the San Francisco Symphony. He makes his Houston Symphony solo debut with these performances of the Mozart Oboe Concerto.

Jonathan has taught and performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Oberlin Conservatory. He has given master classes at the San Francisco Conservatory, Rice University, University of Michigan and the Texas Music Festival, and he enjoys coaching frequently at the New World Symphony. He holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Woodhams.

Jonathan grew up in the Carolinas and travels there often to visit his family. He has a black Lab mutt and a Greyhound who take him on long walks along Buffalo Bayou every day.

In years past, he has volunteered at the Marine Mammal Center where his duties included tube feeding "fish milkshakes" to injured and sick elephant seals in order to fatten them up for their release back into the wild. He also developed and taught a citizenship test preparation course at Arriba Juntos in San Francisco's Mission District and participated in voter registration drives for new citizens. Jonathan is enjoying getting to know his new hometown - Houston, Texas!

About the Houston Symphony

During the 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. 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 $30.4 million, the full-time ensemble of 87 professional musicians is the largest performing arts organization in Houston, presenting more than 280 concerts for 280,000 people, including 84,000 children, annually. For tickets and more information, please visit www.houstonsymphony.org or call 713-224-7575.

HOUSTON SYMPHONY CLASSICAL SERIES

Jones Hall

615 Louisiana St.

Houston, TX 77002

Thursday, October 24, 2013, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 26, 2013, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 27, 2013, 2:30 p.m.

Mozart and Schumann

Hannu Lintu, conductor
Jonathan Fischer, oboe

Salonen: Helix

Mozart: Oboe Concerto

Schumann: Symphony No. 2

Tickets: from $25