The holiday season is in full swing, which means the choices for annual concerts and family traditions are abundant and people have to pick and choose where to spend their free time. Luckily for those who need a little persuasion, DaCamera is presenting a particularly strong, Houston-centric reason why people should opt to attend its concert with Telegraph Quartet this December.
Soprano Lauren Snouffer will join a program of classical music from Telegraph Quartet during New Worlds. The performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on December 10 at The Menil Collection.
Snouffer, who was born and raised in Texas, is especially excited for this performance because she has an extensive background in Houston. She is a Rice University alumna from the Shepherd School of Music as well as a previous member of Houston Grand Opera’s Butler Studio.
The special place Houston holds in her heart is undeniable.
“I’ve had sort of a massive transformation as a musician throughout the years. I started college at Rice when I was 17,” she said. “I’ve always had an artistic mind, but it’s been a journey to figure out who I am as an artist and how I approach music, and I’ve really done that entirely in Houston [with Rice and Houston Grand Opera.]”
“A lot of it has been a result of having people around me believe in what I do, and they helped to build my confidence over time so that I don’t second guess my intuitive musical choices.”
As a side note, her voice teacher during college who she still works with to this day is Stephen King. (And no … it is not THAT Stephen King … but it is still quite the attention-grabbing name.)
Just as interesting, the music lineup presents a noteworthy assortment of characters and compositions that hold their special place in classical music’s lore, especially considering they were all written during a time of great conflict or during music history’s evolutionary hallmarks.
Ludwig Van Beethoven’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 74, “Harp” quartet was composed during a French attack on Vienna, is known as one of his most melodious works. Mieczeslaw Weinberg’s String Quartet No. 6 in E Minor, Op. 35 was banned in Stalin’s USSR and never performed during his lifetime. Arnold Schoenberg’s String No. 2 in F-sharp Minor, with soprano solo, Op. 10 was revolutionary, marking a new era in 20th-century music and introducing a vocal line in the last two movements, ushering in “the air of another planet.”
The final piece of the program is when Snouffer’s vocals will support the quartet, adding the perfect complement to what she feels is an otherworldly piece of music – and it is one that Snouffer spoke of with adoration in her voice.
“It’s a really amazing piece of music, and I’m thrilled that I’m a part of it,” she said. “I am a huge fan of Schoenberg’s music. He was such a visionary, and this piece contains so much within it.”
Even though the Schoenber work remains a relatively short piece of music compared to the works of his peers, it still functions almost like an opera.
“It’s very full of meaning,” Snouffer said. “There are a couple of movements without the vocal accompaniment, and then when the vocal part comes in, it amplifies what the string quartet has already been doing. It’s a masterpiece, in my opinion.”
This concert also provides an opportunity for Houstonians to take in the fine work of Telegraph Quartet, which has racked up an impressive number of accolades through the years. The San Francisco Chronicle described the group as “powerfully adept… with a combination of brilliance and subtlety.” Further, Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
Being surrounded by this company sounds like a tempting way to spend a Tuesday evening. Add to that the holidays have a habit of creating jam-packed schedules, so this concert provides a surefire way to slow down and enjoy the music.
DaCamera will present Telegraph Quartet’s New Worlds’ at 7:30 p.m., December 10 at The Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross. For more information, call 713-524-5050 or visit dacamera.com. $63.50.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
