First concerts of the semester set for Oct. 4 and 6

BY AMY HODGES
Rice News staff

Rice’s Shepherd School Chamber and Symphony orchestras will kick off their fall seasons Oct. 4 and 6, respectively, with free performances at 8 p.m. in Alice Pratt Brown Hall’s Stude Concert Hall.

	Rice’s Shepherd School Chamber and Symphony orchestras will kick off their fall seasons Oct. 4 and 6, respectively, with free performances at 8 p.m. in Alice Pratt Brown Hall’s Stude Concert Hall.

On Oct. 4, the chamber orchestra will perform Rossini’s “Overture to La Gazza Ladra,” Dallapiccola’s “Piccola Musica Notturna” and Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D Major, “London.” Larry Rachleff, the Walter Kris Hubert Professor of Orchestra Conducting, will conduct.

“We’ve chosen two short Italian favorites, followed by one of the best-known symphonies in the Austro-German canon,” Rachleff said. “Haydn is without question one of the greatest symphonists in music history, and his ‘London’ symphony is a tribute to his years spent in the city.”

Rachleff will also conduct the symphony orchestra Oct. 6 as it performs Hector Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival,” Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, “Titan” and Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63, featuring soloist Cho-Liang Lin, professor of violin at the Shepherd School.

“It’s such an honor for the orchestra to accompany our colleague, world-renowned violinist Cho-Liang Lin,” Rachleff said. “It’s a great opportunity for Houstonians to hear his extraordinary talent.”

“I am excited to perform with the Shepherd School Symphony,” Lin said. “With the beautifully enchanting Violin Concerto No. 2 by Prokofiev coupled with the grand music of Berlioz and Mahler, this concert should be a great opener for the school year.”

The Oct. 6 event will also honor members of The Shepherd Society. The performance is free and open to the public; however, tickets are required for reserved seating. For tickets, call 713-348-8000.