Why Not Go Out for New Year's Eve-Eve?! CityCentre Concert Offers Songs for Celebration from Around the World

Why Not Go Out for New Year's Eve-Eve?! CityCentre Concert Offers Songs for Celebration from Around the World

ECHO's New Year's Eve celebration, 2021 (photo by Friedhelm Luening)

ON DEC. 30, the Energy Corridor of Houston Orchestra (ECHO) celebrates New Year’s Eve a day early at the CityCentre-area Queensbury Theatre, with an entertaining concert titled “New Year’s Around The World.”


Led by ECHO music director and conductor Michael Fahey, the diverse program includes Strauss waltzes; songs from Venezuela, featuring violinist Eddy Marcano and flautist Katherine Fuentes; Vivaldi’s violin concerto “Winter” from The Four Seasons, with soloist Ellen Seok, a finalist in ECHO’s Young Artist Concerto competition; and a selection of Broadway numbers from Camelot, Porgy and Bess, and Showboat sung by Houston bass-baritone Leon Turner. The concert wraps up with a sing-along of “Auld Lang Syne,” followed by a Champagne reception with food, wine and the opportunity for the audience to meet members of the orchestra.

Fahey, who relocated from New York to Houston in 1991 to teach music full-time, co-founded ECHO in 2014 with Sarah McDonner. ECHO’s mission is to bring affordable, professional-level performances of classical and contemporary music to the Energy Corridor. At the time, Fahey admits the district was “a little bit of a cultural desert,” but thanks to ECHO’s accessible and family-friendly repertoire, that has since changed.

The orchestra’s combined membership of professional and volunteer players is another reason for its appeal and success. “Each one enriches the other,” says Fahey of ECHO’s mix of vocational and “avocational” musicians. “The excitement that the avocational players have for their instruments excites the professionals, and the skill level of the professional players really boosts the motivation and abilities of the avocational players.” This synergy mirrors the ideal of what a community should be, in which each person raises the other up.

Having recently retired from Stratford High School after 30 years as a music educator, Fahey remains fully committed to ECHO’s vision of inclusivity and high-level artistry. “I’ve never believed classical music is only for the elite or the wealthy,” says Fahey. “I always believed it was for everybody.”

Art + Entertainment
‘Culture of Service and Accountability’ Supports Mission of Orion EMS

Gerard O’Brien, President/CEO & Founder, and Sumi Patel, Vice President

HOW DID YOU get where you are today? The EMS industry, quite literally, never stops. Our staff and units are called to serve our community every hour of every day; there are no weekends, holidays, or “days off.” Obviously, the demands of EMS are not for the faint of heart, and we have established a culture of service and accountability that is different than nearly every other organization. Our leadership team sets this culture by exhibiting their passion for this industry daily. Their tireless dedication makes a better experience for our staff when they come to work and for our patients and clients when they call on us to transport their loved ones.

Keep ReadingShow less

David Adickes and Bun B

SOME OF THE CITY'S most influential VIPs gathered at Steak 48 in River Oaks District for the annual toast to CityBook’s “Leaders & Legends,” a recurring franchise for the publication whose past honorees have including a Tony and Grammy winner, a Nobel laureate, a member of Congress, an Olympic medalist, multiple billionaire business moguls, TV stars, artists and scientists of every sort, and the city’s most glamorous and generous socialites.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parties

Tay Butler’s Lawndale installation, spring 2023

DESPITE ITS PAIN and pitfalls, there’s no denying that the pandemic inspired artists like never before. This season, one of the most ambitious public-art projects to emerge from the Covid years comes to a close.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment