Ken Caryl Concierge

This concert highlights several works by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius including his symphonic poem Nightride and Sunrise, as well as Lemminkäinen's Return, Swan of Tuonela and his most well-known piece, Finlandia. For the second half of the program, Pianist André Watts returns to the CSO to give a rousing performance of Grieg's epic Piano Concerto.

MAR 12-14 (FRI 7:30, SAT 7:30 & SUN 2:30)
CHOPIN PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 · NATASHA PAREMSKI - CSO Masterworks
Peter Oundjian, conductor | Natasha Paremski, piano

BORODIN                           Overture to Prince Igor
CHOPIN                             Piano Concerto No. 2
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV             Scheherazade

Guest conductor Peter Oundjian and dynamic pianist Natasha Paremski return to the CSO to perform Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2. The orchestra also performs Borodin's Overture to Prince Igor and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

MAR 16 (TUE 7:30)
CHERISH THE LADIES: A TRULY IRISH EVENING - CSO Pops
Scott O'Neil, associate conductor
Celebrate all things Irish with this spectacular group of artists. A blend of instrumental talents, beautiful vocals, captivating arrangements and stunning step dancing, Cherish the Ladies combines all the facets of Irish traditional culture into an immensely entertaining evening.

MAR 20 (SAT 7:30)
CHARLIE CHAPLIN · A Dog's Life and The Kid - CSO Goes to the Movies
Scott O'Neil, associate conductor
Two classic silent films for the price of one! The second concert in the CSO Goes to the Movies series features two Chaplin films with the musical score played in perfect synchronization by the CSO. Join the Tramp and "Scraps," Chaplin's animal co-star in A Dog's Life, as Scraps helps the Tramp and Edna toward a better life. The Kid is a heart-string-tugging story Chaplin himself dubbed "a story with a smile-perhaps, a tear." The Kid was not only a turning point in Chaplin's career, it was also an immensely personal film.

MAR 21 (SUN 2:30*)
HALEAKALA: HOW MAUI SNARED THE SUN - CSO Family Series
Scott O'Neil, conductor
Journey to Hawaii with the CSO in a performance of Haleakala: How Maui Snared the Sun, composed by Dan Welcher. This music uses ancient Hawaiian chant-tunes and authentic instruments. The narration tells the story of Maui, known as 'the trickster' in Polynesian lore. This is the CSO premiere performance of this piece by Dan Welcher.
*Pre-concert activities at 1:00

APR 2-3 (FRI 7:30 & SAT 7:30)
TCHAIKOVSKY, BERNSTEIN - CSO Masterworks
Andrew Litton, conductor | Karen Gomyo, violin

WAGNER                          Overture to The Flying Dutchman
BERNSTEIN                       Serenade
TCHAIKOVSKY                  Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique"

Conductor Andrew Litton returns to the CSO to conduct Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique," as well as Wagner's Overture to The Flying Dutchman and Bernstein's Serenade, performed by young violinist Karen Gomyo, making her CSO debut. "Gomyo's big sound, excellent tone, rich lyricism and, above all, compelling authority made her performance very pleasurable." - Houston Chronicle.
APR 9-11 (FRI 7:30, SAT 7:30 & SUN 2:30)
DVORÁK, SHOSTAKOVICH - CSO Masterworks
Douglas Boyd, principal guest conductor | Ralph Kirshbaum, cello

SIBELIUS                         Pelléas and Mélisande
SHOSTAKOVICH               Cello Concerto No. 1
DVORÁK                          Symphony No. 9, "From the New World"

CSO Principal Guest Conductor Douglas Boyd returns to conduct the CSO in a performance of Dvoøák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." The program opens with Sibelius' incidental music Pelléas and Mélisande, based on the drama by Maurice Maeterlinck. Internationally acclaimed cellist Ralph Kirshbaum performs Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1, a lively and rich piece in which a single horn plays off the solo cello line, while the winds scamper around the concerto's main themes and motifs.
APR 16-17 (FRI 7:30 & SAT 7:30)
RAVEL, ELGAR, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - CSO Masterworks
Douglas Boyd, principal guest conductor | Yumi Hwang-Williams, violin

RAVEL                              Le Tombeau de Couperin
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS           The Lark Ascending
RAVEL                              Tzigane
ELGAR                              Enigma Variations

For one of the most moving performances of the season, Principal Guest Conductor Douglas Boyd leads the orchestra in Elgar's fourteen Enigma Variations, the ninth of which, "Nimrod," remains one of the most well-known musical variations. Also on the program, Ravel's colorful Le Tombeau de Couperin enlightens the evening along with solo performances by CSO Concertmaster Yumi Hwang-Williams in Ravel's Tzigane and Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending.

APR 23 (FRI 7:30)
MUSIC FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD - CSO Pops
Richard Kaufman, conductor
From The Alamo to The Philadelphia Story, this program captures the very best music of Hollywood's Golden Age of Movies in a program dedicated to the creations of Franz Waxman. Richard Kaufman conducts the music that made the movies you love - the movies you love! From Sunset Boulevard to The Commacheros and Bride of Frankenstein - this program has it all


3motions

Mar 19-28, 2010

The season finale features three great works including a lighthearted world premier by New York choreographer Brian Reeder. Plus, see the Company premiere of the stirring Antony Tudor ballet, 'Echoing Trumpets', and the powerful and rousing ballet, 'Celts'!