(L-R: conductors Franz Anton Krager, Josep Caballé Domenech, and Mei-Ann Chen)
(L-R: pianists Barry Douglas, Clayton Stephenson, and Gabriela Martínez)
Barry Douglas, Clayton Stephenson, and Gabriela Martínez
✔ A Week of FREE Concerts Across Greater Houston
HOUSTON, TX – The Texas Music Festival (TMF) kicks off on June 5 at the University of Houston, offering fans four weeks of exciting concerts by young musicians launching their careers in
classical music. Fans can pick their favorite musician on the way to stardom at the annual Cynthia Woods Mitchell–Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition (June 8), hear concerts led by internationally acclaimed conductors, and enjoy the intimacy of recitals by acclaimed pianists Barry Douglas (Irish), Clayton Stephenson (American), and Gabriela Martínez (Venezuelan and a proud Houstonian).
This year’s festival showcases music from 10 living composers—today’s working composers writing about today’s issues for today’s audiences—such as Anna Clyne, Hiromi Uehara, Jessica Meyer,
Andrew Norman, and Caroline Shaw, in addition to thrilling pieces by Brahms, Gershwin, Handel, Mahler, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Villa-Lobos, and many others.
New this year: A FREE family-friendly, fairytale-themed fashion event, before the TMF Orchestra performs music from the ballet Cinderella. Local artists and Art Car creators will help participants get ready for a red-carpet entry into the June 14 concert.
Also new this year: Week 3 concerts are all FREE and performed off-campus, at venues around town. A musical gift for Houstonians, from Houston’s summer festival!
This year saw the retirement of Alan Austin, the festival’s director of three decades, and the appointment of two-time TMF alumnus, cellist Evan Leslie (‘00, ‘01) to the helm. “Twenty-five years ago, Texas Music Festival changed my life,” said Leslie. “My musicianship grew by light-years because of the caliber of the faculty, the conductors, and my fellow musicians. I was a different person after four weeks, and it is an honor to create that transformational experience for other young musicians.”
“This festival gives Houstonians a sneak peek at today’s up-and-coming talent from around the world, and the chance to witness their intrepid musical advancement in real time,” said Brian Chin, director of the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where TMF is based. “We are dedicated to training the next generation of musical artists while our audience gets to experience for themselves why our alumni earn positions in orchestras all over the globe.”
As TMF helps music students launch their careers, many have fallen in love with Houston and have chosen to make it their artistic home: TMF alumni spearhead some of Houston’s arts groups, while others perform in the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Mercury Chamber Orchestra.
BY DAY: TMF is one of the nation’s premier summer training programs for young orchestral musicians. Competing against nearly 300 other musicians for a coveted spot in the program, this year’s nearly 100 fellows (participants) hail from 11 different countries and attend some of the most prestigious music schools in the U.S., such as Cleveland Institute of Music, Colburn, Manhattan School of Music, Eastman, New England Conservatory, Indiana University, San Francisco Conservatory, and all the major Texas music schools. Their days are spent in rehearsals, private lessons, master classes, concerts, and career workshops. They learn from educators, performers, and conductors who are at the top of their fields. This rigorous, intensive experienc squeezes years of training into just 4 weeks, helping them hone their craft and opening doors for their careers.
BY NIGHT: Houstonians are invited to enjoy performances showcasing TMF’s young musicians playing alongside some of today’s most accomplished musicians. AND since many of the concerts are FREE and the ticketed shows start at just $16, the festival is an ideal place for families to hear great music and escape the Houston heat.
In addition to their musical talent, some TMF fellows have unique hobbies; among this year’s are axe throwing, baking, cardistry (card tricks), hiking, origami, photography, rock climbing, salsa and bachata dancing, snowboarding, thrifting, ultimate frisbee, and woodworking.
2025 Festival Artists
Evan Leslie is an arts educator and cellist. He is the Managing Director of the Texas Music Festival and the director of University of Houston Community Arts. In Houston, Evan was formerly the Director of Education at Da Camera of Houston and the Managing Producer of Public Programs for the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. He has taught at HSPVA, American Festival for the Arts, University of St. Thomas, University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Houston. From 2013 to 2020, Evan was Artistic Producer of Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. At the “Lincoln Center Library,” Evan directed hundreds of music, theater, and dance programs, working collaboratively with the Metropolitan Opera, the Juilliard School, The Public Theater, New York City Ballet, WNYC radio, The New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall and Sesame Workshop. He has worked with a diverse spectrum of artists, from pianist Emanuel Ax to Grover the Muppet; from actor Alan Cumming to choreographer Pam Tanowitz; from composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda to multi-talented performance-artist Laurie Anderson. As a cellist, Evan has performed with New York Classical Players, New York Chamber Music Festival, The Grand Teton Music Festival, Da Camera of Houston, Houston’s Catastrophic Theater, and the indie-rock band Hearts of Animals. He attended the UH Moores School of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano Series (June 5, 12, 26):
June 5: Barry Douglas has established a major international career since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, Moscow. As Artistic Director of Camerata Ireland, the only all-Ireland orchestra and the Clandeboye Festival, he continues to celebrate his Irish heritage whilst also maintaining a busy international touring schedule. In recent seasons, Barry has performed with orchestras including the London Symphony, Estonian National Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille, Nuremberg Symphony, and Staatskapelle Halle, among others. Learn more. June 12: American pianist Clayton Stephenson’s love for music is immediately apparent in his joyous charisma onstage, expressive power, and natural ease at the instrument. Hailed for “extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts” and interpretations that are “fresh, incisive and characterfully alive” (Gramophone), he is committed to making an impact on the world through his music-making. Stephenson was the first Black finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, he was named a 2022 Gilmore Young Artist, as well as a 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts and a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation. He also received a jury discretionary award at the 2015 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival. Learn more. June 26: Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martínez has a reputation for the lyricism of her playing, her compelling interpretations, and her elegant stage presence. Her playing has been described as “magical… a remarkable pianist, with a cool determination, a tone full of glowing color and a seemingly effortless technique” (Mark Swed/LA Times) and “compelling …versatile, daring and insightful” (New York Times). Gabriela has performed with over 100 orchestras since including the San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, San Diego, New Jersey, Pacific and Fort Worth symphonies; Germany’s Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nurnberger Philharmoniker; the Costa Rica National Symphony, and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela. She has performed with Gustavo Dudamel, James Gaffigan, James Conlon, JoAnn Falleta, Michael Francis, Marcelo Lehninger and Guillermo Figueroa, among many others. Learn more.Conductors of the large-scale Festival Orchestra concerts (June 7, 14, 28):
June 7: Since making his prize-winning European conducting debut in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Koncertsalen in 1978, Franz Anton Krager has led orchestras in the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Moscow’s State Kremlin Palace, Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, Birmingham England’s Adrian Boult Hall, Guangzhou China’s Xinghai Music Center, the Sydney Opera House, The Hague’s Congresgebouw, Kazan’s State Philharmonic Hall in Russia, Guadalajara’s Degollado Theater, and Sarasota’s Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. His affiliations with leading music festivals include the Lancaster International Concert Series and Lichfield and Aberystwyth International Arts Festivals in the U.K., the Festival Internacional de Santa Lucía in Mexico, and the Texas Music Festival and Interlochen National Music Camp in the U.S. Maestro Krager has led the Houston, Russian State, Traverse City Michigan and Florida West Coast symphonies, Romanian and Kazan State philharmonics, and orchestras in Berlin, London, Chicago, Paris, Singapore, Leipzig, Bratislava, Monterrey, Pordenone, Ingolstadt, Neuss, and Honolulu. In 2015, he was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the North Shore Chamber Arts Ensemble in Chicago. Krager is the Hourani Endowed Professor of Music, Director of Orchestras, and Chair of the Conducting Department at the Moores School of Music. Learn more. June 14: conductor Josep Caballé Domenech is in his eleventh season as Music Director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic (USA) and since 2018 Chief Conductor of the Moritzburg Festival Orchestra (Germany). He has also held the position of General Director of the Halle Opera and Staatskapelle (Germany) from 2013 to 2018, Artistic Director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia) in 2018 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Norköping Symphony in Sweden between 2005 and 2007. As guest conductor, Caballé Domenech has conducted a prominent list of orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic, with which he recorded Respighi’s “Roman Trilogy” on Onyx Classics, BBC Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Hr-Sinfonieorchester, Bayerischen Rundfunk, Bamberg Symphony, WDR Sinfonieorchester, DSO Berlin, Czech Philharmonic, RSO Wien, Tonkünstler Symphony, Belgian National Symphony, Antwerp Symphony, LaVerdi Milano, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic and the Symphony Orchestras of Baltimore, Houston, San Antonio, Tucson, Fort Worth and Sichuan, among numerous others. Learn more. June 28: Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen has served as Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, her contract has been unanimously extended through the end of the 2028-2029 season. Named Artistic Advisor of Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA) in March 2024, Chen has been Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation-Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte since fall 2021, following two seasons as the orchestra’s first-ever Principal Guest Conductor, making her the first female Asian conductor to hold this role with an Austrian orchestra. She has served as the first-ever Artistic Partner of Houston’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra since 2019, and since 2022, as an Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). In the recording field, she has made recordings for Cedille Records, Innova Records, and Naxos. Ms. Chen dedicates significant time in mentoring young conductors through various programs, including the Chicago Sinfonietta Freeman Conducting Fellowship program and the Taki Alsop Fellowship, and conducts ensembles at important educational institutions, both nationally and abroad. She has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, U.K., and Scandinavia, and continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide (over 150 orchestras to date). Learn more.Additional Guest Artists:
June 14 Concerto Soloist: Dr. Kirsten Yon is Associate Professor of Violin and Head of the String Division at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. Her active solo career includes recital engagements and masterclasses throughout the United States (including Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall), Brazil, Czech Republic, England, South Korea, Honduras, Mexico, Germany, France, Iceland, and Norway. Previously on the faculty of Texas Tech University, Yon additionally taught for many years at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the International Music Academy Pilsen (Czech Republic), the Nathan Schwartzman String Festival (Uberlândia, Brazil), and the Cambridge International String Academy (England). She toured Brazil with the Botticelli String Quartet and pianist Cristina Capparelli Gerling, traveling to Curitiba, Florianopolis, and performing several concerti with the Orquestra de Câmara Theatro São Pedro in Porto Alegre (Brazil). The winner of multiple competitions, Yon has received outstanding accolades for her performances as a concert soloist, chamber musician, and for her concerto appearances. Learn more. June 10 Chamber Concert Soloist: Matthew Dirst pursues a varied career as an organist, harpsichordist, conductor, and musicologist. Professor of Music at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston, he is the first American musician to win major international prizes in both organ and harpsichord, including the American Guild of Organists National Young Artist Competition and the Warsaw International Harpsichord Competition. He is also the founder and artistic director of the critically-acclaimed period instrument ensemble Ars Lyrica Houston. Learn more.2025 SUMMER CONCERT SEASON (JUNE 5-28, 2025)
Weekly Schedule: Tuesdays: Faculty Chamber Music Concert (except Fri. June 6) Thursdays: Piano Recital by Guest Artist Saturdays: Full-Orchestra Concert Week 1, 2, and 4 performances are at UH Moores School of Music. Week 3 performances are at off-site venues across Houston and do not follow the above schedule.WEEK 1:
Thursday, June 5, 7:30pm
Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano SeriesRecital: BARRY DOUGLAS
A thrilling open to the 2025 Festival, with a recital from one of the world’s most admired and in-demand virtuosos, Irish pianist/conductor Barry Douglas. Since winning the gold medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition (Moscow), Douglas has become a highly sought-after recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician, annually performing across the globe from Royal Albert Hall, Barbican and Wigmore Hall and the Verbier Festival to the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, Grand Theatre in Shanghai and other cities in China. Schubert: Four Impromptus, D.899, Op. 90; Tchaikovsky: Romance, No. 5 from Six Pieces, Op. 51, Valse Sentimentale, No. 6 from Six Pieces, Op. 51, Nocturne in F Major, Op. 10, No. 1, Danse Charactéristique, No. 4 from Eighteen Pieces, Op. 72; Liszt: Sonata in B minorFriday, June 6, 7:30pm
Chamber Music Concert: FORMOSA QUARTET & FACULTY An adventurous concert of chamber music. TMF’s faculty artists share the stage with the “spellbinding” (The Strad magazine) Formosa Quartet, UH’s string quartet in residence. The evening will include a “Formosa Set, an assortment of shorts from their collection of folk, pop, jazz, and poetry arrangements. Curated especially for each concert, these sets are like a flight of desserts after a main course, offering a chance for audiences to tap their toes and enjoy the string quartet medium in somewhat less-conventional contexts. Fazil Say (b. 1970): The Moving Mansion (Hommage à Atatürk) for Piano Quintet; Gran Sestetto Concertante SATURDAY, JUNE 7 6:30PM, FREEPre-concert lecture: Settling the Score, Dr. Andrew Davis
7:30PMFestival Orchestra Concert
FRANZ ANTON KRAGER, conductor Mahler’s fifth symphony: an exhilarating journey from despair to elation, with a musical love letter in the middle! The celebratory launch of the 2025 festival’s large-scale concerts, featuring an all-star orchestra of emerging professionals from across the world in their first performance of the season. This concert is dedicated to Alan Austin, an extraordinary artist and leader, who was director of the Texas Music Festival for three decades. From the thousands of TMF alumni now performing and teaching worldwide: Thank you, Alan! Mahler: Symphony No. 5WEEK 2:
Sunday, June 8, 2:00pm
CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL–IMA HOGG YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION, Final Round TMF’s young artists compete for the chance to win cash prizes and to be the featured soloist in the festival’s final orchestral concert on June 28. A distinguished panel of judges chooses the winner, but YOU can help choose the Audience Favorite prize. Come discover classical music’s rising stars!Tuesday, June 10, 7:30pm
Faculty/Fellows Chamber Music Concert: Harpsichordist Matthew Dirst, Faculty, and Fellows Music has the power to transport us across time, around the world, and into the sublime and mysterious realms of the spirit. This concert begins with an musical portrait of Houston’s own Rothko Chapel, whirls through the famous churches of Rome, lounges in an ornamented interior of Venice, and swaggers carefree through the streets of roaring- twenties Paris. Renowned harpsichordist and Ars Lyrica Houston Artistic Director Mathew Dirst guides this invigorating tour of baroque and new music masterworks. Lee R. Kesselman (b. 1951): Blocks for Bassoon Quartet; Handel: Concerto Grosso Opus 6, no. 7; Caroline Shaw (b. 1982): “Stucco & Brocatelle”; Andrew Norman (b. 1979): “Sabina” from A Companion’s Guide to Rome; Francis Poulenc: Sextet for Winds and Piano FP 100Thursday, June 12, 7:30pm
Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano SeriesRecital: CLAYTON STEPHENSON
The charismatic 2022 Cliburn Competition finalist and “…a poet, a dramatist and a master story-teller…” (Gramophone) performs an eclectic program of classical music favorites, including Gershwin and Stravinsky, alongside gems like Art Tatum’s Tea for Two and Keith Jarrett’s take on the classic Harold Arlen song “Over the Rainbow”, as well as music from Japan’s breakout composer Hiromi Uehara. Arlen-Keith Jarrett (b. 1945): “Over the Rainbow”; Albéniz: Iberia, Book I; Stravinsky: Trois mouvements de Petrouchka; Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue; Gershwin-Say (b. 1970): “Summertime” Variations; Price/Stephenson: Piano Concerto in One Movement (III. Andantino--Allegretto); Tatum: “Tea for Two”; Hiromi Uehara (b. 1979): “Green Tea Farm”, “The Tom and Jerry Show” SATURDAY, JUNE 14 2:00PM, FREE College Piano Institute Final Performance 4:30PM, FREE Costume Workshop Met Ball-esque runway meets Houston’s own Art Car-esque DIY artistry. Houston’s artists will help participants create an eclectic Art Car-inspired costume, which they can show off at TMF’s glamorous 21st-century Cinderella’s ball. Get decked out as a pumpkin, a prince, a princess, Cinderella’s evil stepparent or fairy godparent, or even a Houston hero or heroine! Register here and get a code for FREE tickets to the evening’s concert! 6:30PM, FREE- Pre-concert lecture: Settling the Score, Andrew Davis
- Red Carpet Night at TMF!
Saturday, June 14 (con’t) 7:30pm
Festival Orchestra Concert JOSEP CABALLEÉ DOMENECH, conductor KIRSTEN YON, violinist Fairy tales come to life in the Moores Opera House! One of Spain’s most renowned and established conductors, Josep Caballé-Domenech, leads the TMF Orchestra in Respighi’s enchanting Fountains of Rome. Houston’s own hometown- virtuoso violinist, Kirsten Yon, performs Prokofiev’s alluring and adventurous Violin Concerto, followed by music from the ballet Cinderella. This concert is a celebration of Houston’s home-grown art scene. Respighi: Fountains of Rome; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D; Suite from CinderellaWEEK 3:
“No Zoning!” TFM fellows present FREE chamber music concerts while experiencing several of the city’s iconic cultural landmarks. Chamber music performances in collaboration with Houston arts groups. SATURDAY, JUNE 21 3:00PM, FREE Performance with DACAMERA’s Young Artists at Menil Collection (1533 Sul Ross St, 77006)7:00PM, FREE
An evening of German chamber music, group singing, and general good times with Houston Saengerbund, at the Saengerhalle (1703 Heights Blvd, 77008) SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 1:00PM Block party with percussion and brass chamber music at Houston’s folk-art masterwork, the Beer Can House (222 Malone, 77007)WEEK 4:
Tuesday, June 24, 7:30pm
Chamber Music Concert The faculty and fellows team up for the finale of the 2025 chamber music series, offering their most beloved—and often most challenging—masterworks. The art of leadership, of listening, of consensus-building, of bold experimentation and mutual support: chamber music embodies all of that and more. Young professional musicians reach new heights of maturity and artistry, in collaboration with the world-class TMF faculty. Stravinsky: Octet; Early Jazz Repertory; Brahms: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34Thursday, June 26, 7:30pm
Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano SeriesRecital: GABRIELA MARTÍNEZ
A Venezuelan superstar concert pianist who calls Houston her home, Gabriela Martínez makes her TMF debut with a stunning and unexpected program, juxtaposing works by Rachmaninoff, Szymanowski, and Villa-Lobos with works by brilliant composers of our day. Rachmaninoff: Moments Musicaux Op. 16 (Selections); Jessica Meyer (b. 1974) Halcyon Skies; Caroline Shaw (b. 1982) Gustave Le Gray; Villa Lobos: Bachianas Brazileras No. 4; Federico Ruiz (b. 1948) Triptico Tropical (Selections), Mason Bates (b. 1977) White Lies for Lomax, Szymanowski: Variations In B-flat minor FRIDAY, JUNE 27 5:00PM, FREE CONCERT: Jazz Institute Middle School & High School Orchestras Noe Marmolejo, Institute director Jesse Espinosa, middle school director Classic to contemporary big-band jazz, played by Houston middle and high school all-stars.6:00PM, FREE
CONCERT: High School Wind Ensemble Institute David Bertman, director Blake Wilkins, Percussion Ensemble director A concert featuring more than 25 Texas All-State players, plus other outstanding Houston-area talent, aspiring to careers in music. SATURDAY, JUNE 28 6:30PM, FREEPre-concert lecture: Settling the Score, Dr. Andrew Davis
7:30PM Festival Orchestra Concert MEI-ANN CHEN, conductorwith 2025 Cynthia Woods Mitchell–Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition Winner, TBA
TMF Orchestra closes out the 2025 Festival with Rachmaninoff’s enchanting Symphonic Dances and Grammy- nominated composer Anna Clyne’s Restless Oceans. The evening also introduces Houstonians to a new shooting star, this year’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell–Ima Hogg Competition winner from June 8, in a solo performance backed up by the might of the full Orchestra. This evening is dedicated to Houston’s all-star arts educators! The night will celebrate extraordinary music, theater, dance, and art teachers. Anna Clyne (b. 1980): Restless Oceans, TBA solo; Rachmaninoff: Symphonic DancesLocations:
All ticketed concerts are at the University of Houston, at Moores School of Music, 3333 Cullen Blvd at Elgin, Houston, TX 77204.- NOTE: There is construction around the Moores Parking updates here.
- Orchestra concerts are in Moores Opera
- Chamber concerts are in Dudley Recital
- Pre-concert lectures are in Moores School of Music Room
