The Houston Civic Symphony will make their debut in the Zilkha Hall of the Hobby Center on Friday, April 1^st 2005 at 7:30 pm.

This concert will showcase the exceptional talents of the winners of the Young Artists Competition and will be conducted by the eminent Dr. Robert Linder who has garnered awards for his contributions to Music Education and Music Theatre in Houston.  Amongst his many other accomplishments, Dr. Linder was the conductor for the Houston Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Society for 40 seasons and conducted Theatre Under The Stars Musicals for 21 seasons.

The program will start with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture to be followed by a performance of Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra Op 26 in E Flat Major.  The soloist, Vani  Rajendran,  is a junior at Clear Creek High School and is principal clarinetist with the Houston Youth Symphony as well as playing in Region and State orchestras. 

Naomi Benecasa, a home-schooled 7^th grader, will then perform the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto in A minor Op 33.  An accomplished orchestral performer, Naomi is currently 1^st chair for TMEA’s  Region 19 Middle School Symphony  Orchestra as well as 1^st chair for the Houston Youth Symphony’s Philharmonia Orchestra.

After the interval, the concert resumes with the haunting tone-poem The Swan of Tuonela by Sibelius.  Memorial Middle School 8^th grader, Anna Czerniak will then take the stage with the Symphony to perform the Violin Concerto in E Minor by Russian composer Jules Conus.  Having studied violin from the age of 3, Anna is a winner of several local competitions for junior violinists and in 2001 participated in a summer music program at the Krakow Conservatory of Music in Poland.

The concert concludes with Emileigh Vandiver, a junior at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, playing the Cello Concerto No.1 in E Flat Major, Op 107 by Dmitri Shostakovich.  Ranked the number one cellist in Texas since 9^th grade, Emileigh has performed with numerous adult orchestras and serves as principal cellist in Virtuosi of Houston.

The concert will be hosted by Houston Public Radio’s Chris Johnson.

  As always our concerts are free to members of the public  
and tickets are not required.

For further information please call 281 586 2100  
or visit our website at www.civicsymphony.org