The Houston Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra based in Houston, Texas. Since 1966, it has performed at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston.

The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony Orchestra took place on June 21, 1913, sponsored by the Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg. Initially, the orchestra was composed of only 35 part-time musicians. Despite its small stature and budget, the orchestra and its first conductor, Julien Paul Blitz, enjoyed a good response and continued to perform. Blitz conducted until 1916, then Paul Bergé, until the orchestra disbanded in 1918.

It reformed in 1930, still as a semi-professional orchestra, and gave its first full season of concerts the following year conducted by Uriel Nespoli. In the spring of 1936 the symphony society officially became the Houston Symphony Society. Ernst Hoffmann began his tenure that year with increased support from the Society and began hiring professional musicians. The orchestra continued to expand over the next several decades, and its first 52-week contract was signed in 1971. It is now considered one of the major orchestras in the United States.

The orchestra performed in either the City Auditorium or the Music Hall until the construction in 1966 of the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. In 2001, the orchestra lost millions of dollars worth of instruments, music, and archives when Tropical Storm Allison flooded the basement levels of Jones Hall. In 2003, the musicians went on strike for 24 days, and the settlement included a pay cut for the musicians and a reduction in the size of the orchestra^{1 2}.

Contents 1 Music Directors 2 Musicians 3 References 4 External links

Music Directors

1913–1916 Julien Paul Blitz 1916–1918 Paul Bergé 1918–1930 dissolved 1931–1932 Uriel Nespoli 1932–1935 Frank St. Leger 1936–1947 Ernst Hoffmann 1948–1954 Efrem Kurtz 1954 Ferenc Fricsay (released mid-season)

1954 Sir Thomas Beecham 1955–1961 Leopold Stokowski 1961–1967 John Barbirolli 1967–1969 André Previn 1970–1979 Lawrence Foster 1980–1988 Sergiu Comissiona 1988–1999 Christoph Eschenbach 2001–present Hans Graf

Musicians

Members of the Houston Symphony with Wikipedia articles include:

• Edward Carroll, trumpet, associate principal 1970s
• Wayne Crouse, viola, principal 1951–1983
• Paul Ellison, bass, principal 1964–1987
• Hal Robinson, bass, assistant principal 1977–1985
• Elaine Shaffer, flute, principal 1948–1953
• Joseph Silverstein, violin 1950–1953
• Harold Wright, clarinet, c. 1949–1952

References

External links

• Houston Symphony official website
• Extensive history from The Handbook of Texas Online

v • d • e Houston Symphony Music Directors Julien Paul Blitz (1913) · Paul Bergé (1916) · Uriel Nespoli (1931) · Frank St. Leger (1932) · Ernst Hoffmann (1936) · Efrem Kurtz (1948) · Ferenc Fricsay (1954) · Thomas Beecham (1954) · Leopold Stokowski (1955) · John Barbirolli (1961) · André Previn (1967) · Lawrence Foster (1970) · Sergiu Comissiona (1980) · Christoph Eschenbach (1988) · Hans Graf (2001)

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 20 November 2008, at 21:26.

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