People often ask me what does the SOST do during the summer months. There’s really two perspectives: Our musicians, in addition to the upcoming July 4th concert, will perform with other orchestras in Houston and Southeast TX, which keeps them pretty busy. As for me and the staff, this is planning time- we review all of our feedback on concerts, then begin to set programs for future seasons.
Programming is fun yet tricky as there really isn’t any fixed guide beyond Classics and Pops concerts. We aim to appeal to diverse constituencies: audience, sponsors, donors, and then music that challenges and satisfies the orchestra members, themselves. Add to this, a review of most recent seasons, and that repertoire and artists which I feel displays our best qualities, and those we can afford!
Our staff is quite busy designing program books, ordering music, and selling season subscriptions to a growing audience-which makes us quite happy!
So while it seems like we’re on vacation, everyone is running at full speed so that we’re ready for your return! Our best wishes to you for a relaxing summer, and know we anxiously await the chance to thrill and entertain you in September.
