It's only appropriate that the biggest city in Texas host the state's biggest orchestral festival.
The Helen and Immanuel Olshan Texas Music Festival (TMF) has been entertaining concert-goers and educating student musicians for 20 years. Presented by the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, the festival has built a tradition of hosting noted musicians from around the globe and grooming tomorrow's classical music superstars.
This year's event runs June 7 - July 3. Concerts will be performed at the University of Houston, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas, and Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Among this year's highlights is the "Perspectives" classical music and jazz concert series, which features performances curated by faculty artists and guests. Another TMF cornerstone is the "Classical Minds Guitar Festival and Competition," which includes recitals by faculty, students and competition winners.
This year's line-up of guest musicians includes:
Conductor Mei-Ann Chen from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
- Conductor Horst Foerster from Akadesmisches Orchester Leipzig
- Conductor Franz Krager from the Moores School of Music
- Stefan Sanderling from the Florida Orchestra, Chatauqua
- Brothers Leonel (piano) and Jesús (marimba) Morales
- Violist Rita Porfiris, professor at the Hartt School of Music
- Flutist Aralee Dorough, professor with the Moores School of Music
In 1990, Immanuel and Helen Olshan founded the festival as a four-week orchestral fellowship program dedicated to developing the talents of student musicians. Since then, TMF has attracted students from across the globe and entertained local audiences with performances ranging from chamber music to jazz.
Students are accepted to the festival based on live and taped auditions. The festival's faculty includes guest musicians, members of the acclaimed Houston Symphony Orchestra and professors from the Moores School of Music.
For guest artist bios and a complete schedule of events and performances, visit http://www.tmf.uh.edu/.
Ticket prices for performances vary, and some are free. For ticket information, call the Moores box office at (713) 743-3313.