MUSIC

The Houston Symphony presents Joshua Bell's Mendelssohn, October 1-3, 2010, Friday-Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2:30pm, in Jones Hall.

From amazing child prodigy to breathtaking virtuoso, Joshua Bell (pictured, photo by Bill Phelps) has performed with every major orchestra worldwide. Marvel as he plays Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, loved for its romantic spirit and technical fireworks, on the Gibson Stradivarius. Stolen twice from Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman, this remarkable Stradivarius went missing for 51 years, only to resurface after the thief’s death.

Internationally celebrated violin virtuoso and classical music superstar Joshua Bell joins the Houston Symphony and Music Director Hans Graf in Jones Hall on October 1, 2, 3. The orchestra will have an all-Mendelssohn first half with Scherzo for Orchestra from the Octet for Strings followed by Bell’s performance of the most popular of violin pieces, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.

Following Bell’s performance, the orchestra will charge into Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, The Great Symphony, his final orchestral work.  Looking ahead to this performance, Hans Graf said, “Joshua Bell with the Mendelssohn speaks for itself….and the Schubert really goes to an extreme of orchestra explosion. It’s about everything you can expect from a dramatic symphony.”

For more than two decades, Joshua Bell has enchanted audiences worldwide with his breathtaking virtuosity and tone of rare beauty. He came to national attention at the age of 14 in a highly acclaimed orchestral debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. A Carnegie Hall debut, the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a recording contract further confirmed his presence in the music world. Today he is equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra leader. His restless curiosity and multifaceted musical interests have taken him in exciting new directions that has earned him the rare title of "classical music superstar." In addition to his concert career, Bell enjoys chamber music collaborations with artists such as Pamela Frank and Steven Isserlis.

Bell and his two sisters grew up on a farm in Bloomington, Indiana. As a child, he indulged in many passions outside of music, becoming an avid computer game player and a competitive athlete. He placed fourth in a national tennis tournament at age 10 and still keeps his racquet close by. Bell received his first violin at age four after his parents, both psychologists by profession, noticed him plucking tunes with rubber bands he had stretched around the handles of his dresser drawers. By 12 he was serious about the instrument, thanks in large part to the inspiration of renowned violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold, who had become his beloved teacher and mentor.

In 1989, Bell received an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University. His alma mater also honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award only two years after his graduation. He has been named an "Indiana Living Legend" and received the Indiana Governor's Arts Award. In '05 he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and he is the recipient of coveted The Avery Fisher Prize.

Scheduled Program:
Mendelssohn: Scherzo for Orchestra from the Octet for Strings
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Schubert: Symphony No. 9, The Great

Artists:
Hans Graf, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin