Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music Announces 2026–27 Season

Six World Premieres — including four by Shepherd students — and the Texas Premiere of
Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice

(Houston, TX, June 10, 2026) — Today, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University announces orchestral, chamber, opera, and faculty recital programming for its 2026–27 season. Following the landmark 2025–26 50th anniversary season, the Shepherd School puts its extraordinary students and faculty on full display in the 2026–27 season, which also includes a Texas Premiere and multiple World Premieres.

“For this 2026–27 season, the Shepherd School has curated programming that will be invigorating both for our talented student performers and audiences alike,” said Shepherd School Dean Matthew Loden. “With multiple premieres, stellar guest artists, and exciting collaborations across campus, this season positions Shepherd as a cultural leader in Houston’s thriving arts scene.”

 “The orchestral repertoire this season features works that I consider essential for launching our students into the professional orchestra world, but it is also world-class music that audiences anywhere would be lucky to hear,” said Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras Miguel Harth-Bedoya. “I am particularly excited to have some of my colleagues on the Shepherd faculty perform as soloists with the Shepherd School Orchestras, and to explore works from Mahler to Strauss, Tchaikovsky and new premieres. Our students will have the opportunity to work directly with performing faculty and living composers.”

 “The two mainstage operas this season, while very different on the surface, both feature complex female protagonists, roles that are vocally and dramatically stimulating, and a compelling blend of tragedy and comedy that will be irresistible to audiences,” said Director of Opera Studies Joshua Winograde. “Every year, we select operas tailored to the strengths of our incoming students, and I know that they are more than up for the challenge.”

 Season highlights include:

• Ten symphony and chamber orchestra concerts, all but one of which are conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya, featuring a balanced diet of repertoire spanning major works by Beach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Martinu, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, and more. The Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” which marks the beginning of a planned multi-year journey through Mahler’s symphonic output.

• Shepherd faculty Jon Kimura Parker (Professor of Piano) and Erin Hannigan (Professor of Oboe) perform as soloists with the Shepherd School Orchestras, and guest conductor Michelle Di Russo (Music Director, Delaware Symphony) leads one Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra program.

• Fully staged productions of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos (Christian Reif, conductor; Paul Curran, director) and the Texas premiere — and first-ever university performance — of Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice (Lina González-Granados, conductor; Matt Hune, director), presented by the Shepherd School Opera, helmed by Director of Opera Studies Joshua Winograde. Aucoin will come to Houston to work with students and give an Inside Opera pre-show talk. Opera students also perform on the Bel Canto Opera Scenes with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

• Multiple concerts that highlight the extraordinary achievements of Shepherd students across disciplines. This season’s offerings feature Shepherd School Concerto Competition winners Diego Jaquez (tuba), Max Milian (piano), Samantha Washecka (violin), and Marina Ziegler (violin), as well as Shepherd Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting students Kyle Haake, Clayton Hinton, and Ana Spasovska; World Premieres by alumni composers Jake Berran (winner of the 2026 Cooper Prize), Ethan Resnik, Gavin Sol Goodrich, and Yu-Shiuan Mei; and opera students.

• World Premieres of Another Starry Night by Professor of Composition Pierre Jalbert (a Shepherd School 50th anniversary commission), with mezzo-soprano and Shepherd alumna Sasha Cooke joining the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, and Soft as the Massacre of Suns by Jeremy Gill, commissioned by Shepherd for oboe soloist Erin Hannigan with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra.

• Visits by distinguished guest artists, who will share their expertise with Shepherd students and give public concerts, including Aleko Endowed Artist Julia Bullock, [who will curate a special recital which she will perform alongside select Shepherd Opera students], and composer/vocalist and Shepherd alumna Kate Soper, who will work with composition students over a three-day residency and perform with her New York Times Best Classical Music Ensemble, Wet Ink Ensemble.

• Two Shepherd School Chamber Players concerts with repertoire ranging from J.S. Bach to Jennifer Higdon, plus two chamber music festivals that involve all Shepherd instrumental students and multiple programs of chamber music featuring winds, brass, and percussion.

• Faculty recitals throughout the season and Sharing the Spotlight performances, in which Shepherd students share the stage with their faculty mentors.
  
  
• The Adventurous Electric Guitar Festival, which explores contemporary electric guitar and electroacoustic performance through concerts, workshops, artist presentations, seminars, and community engagement events, presented in collaboration with Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs (REMLABS).
  
  
• Family-friendly programming, including a holiday Spirit of the Season concert in December and a Family Concert by the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra in February, featuring selections from Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.
  
  
• The first year of a brand-new orchestral conducting undergraduate degree program, the only one of its kind in the nation, with two undergraduate students studying with Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

• Free livestreams of most Shepherd School performances, including orchestra, chamber music, and faculty and student recitals.

The Shepherd School of Music provides a one-of-a-kind experience to its students: a world-class conservatory training with the opportunities and resources of a leading research university, pairing artistic mastery with academic rigor and curiosity. In just over half a century, Shepherd has become one of America’s premier music schools, particularly renowned for its focus on ensemble building. With a student body capped at just 285, Shepherd students also reap the benefits of individualized attention from the school’s stellar faculty, which comprises tremendously successful performing artists who have made a commitment to sharing their knowledge with the next generation.

Ticketing Information:
With more than 400 events each season, many of which are free or low-cost, the Shepherd School offers a variety of programming options. The Shepherd School events calendar includes the latest schedule updates and which performances require tickets.

Tickets for fall semester orchestra performances will go on sale on August 21. Tickets for spring semester performances will go on sale in the new year. Shepherd School annual fund donors at the Ambassador level ($250) and above receive presale ticket access.

Patrons are encouraged to sign up for the Shepherd School’s email list for on-sale alerts and news.

Tickets are available online at music.rice.edu/events or over the phone at 713-348-8000, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Season Event Listing:

Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra
All performances take place at 7:30pm in Stude Concert Hall

Symphonic Transformations
Sat, Sep 26, 2026
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Ravel: Alborada del gracioso
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration
Jake Berran: Probabolophony (2026 Cooper Prize Winning Composition & World Premiere)
Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Mahler’s Titan
Sat, Oct 24, 2026
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Beach: Alla siciliana —  Allegro vivace, from Symphony in E Minor, “Gaelic”
Smyth: “On the Cliffs of Cornwall” – Prelude to Act 2 of The Wreckers
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, “Titan”

Shepherd Spotlight: Bartók 3
Sat, Nov 7, 2026
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Ana Spasovska, Kyle Haake, and Clayton Hinton, assistant conductors
Max Milian, piano (2026 Shepherd School Concerto Competition Winner)

Ethan Resnik (MM ’26): OVERDRIVE (World Premiere)
Orchestral Songs featuring Shepherd vocal students (to be announced)
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
*This performance will not have an intermission

Parker Plays Brahms
Fri, Dec 4, 2026
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Martinu: Symphony No. 1

Starry Fate with Sasha Cooke
Sat, Feb 6, 2027
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano

Pierre Jalbert: Another Starry Night (World Premiere; 50th anniversary commission)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

Symphonie Fantastique
Sat, Mar 6, 2027
Michelle Di Russo, conductor

Barber: Adagio for Strings
Carlos Simon: Four Black American Dances
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Shepherd Spotlight: Brahms Violin Concerto
Sat, Apr 3, 2027
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Ana Spasovska, Kyle Haake, and Clayton Hinton, assistant conductors
Samantha Washecka, violin (2026 Shepherd School Concerto Competition Winner)

Gavin Sol Goodrich (MM ’26): A Breathing Work of Art (World Premiere)
Orchestral Songs featuring Shepherd vocal students (to be announced)
Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major
*This performance will not have an intermission

Pictures at an Exhibition
Sat, Apr 24, 2027
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Marina Ziegler, violin (2026 Shepherd School Concerto Competition Winner)

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2
Yu-Shiuan Mei (MM ’26): … in wonderland (World Premiere)
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel)

Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra
All performances take place at 7:30pm in Stude Concert Hall

Beethoven 5 & Hannigan’s Debut 
Fri, Sep 25, 2026
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Erin Hannigan, oboe

Milhaud: Le Bœuf sur le toit
Jeremy Gill: Soft as the Massacre of Suns, fantasies for oboe and orchestra, on poems by Emily Dickinson (World Premiere, Commissioned by the Shepherd School of Music)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Orchestral Reimaginations
Fri, Mar 5, 2027
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Diego Jaquez, tuba (2026 Shepherd School Concerto Competition Winner)

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5, “Reformation”
Vaughan Williams: Concerto for Bass Tuba
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, “Classical”

Shepherd School Chamber Players
All performances take place at 7:30pm in Stude Concert Hall
Unconducted unless otherwise noted

The Art of Shifting Colors
Thu, Dec 3, 2026

Jennifer Higdon: Quiet Art
Tournier: Suite, Op. 34
Paul Terracini: Gegensätze
Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11

Dynamic Contrasts
Thu, Feb 4, 2027

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047
Tailleferre: Image
Shostakovich: Prelude and Scherzo, Op. 11
John Adams: Son of a Chamber Symphony (Jerry Hou, conductor)

Shepherd School Opera
Morrison Theater, Brockman Hall for Opera

Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos
Fri, Oct 30, 2026 at 7:30pm
Sun, Nov 1, 2026 at 2:00pm

Christian Reif, conductor
Paul Curran, director

Bel Canto Opera Scenes
Sun, Feb 7, 2027 at 2:00pm

Bel Canto scenes accompanied by the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor

Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice (Texas Premiere)
Fri, Apr 16, 2027 at 7:30pm
Sun, Apr 18, 2027 at 2:00pm 

Lina González-Granados, conductor
Matt Hune, director

Chamber Music Festival 
Duncan Recital Hall
Nov 13-15, 2026 & Dec 9, 2026
Apr 9-11, 2027 & Apr 28, 2027

Chamber Music for Winds
Duncan Recital Hall

Wed, Nov 11, 2026 at 7:30pm
Tue, Nov 17, 2026 at 5:00pm & 7:30pm
Wed, Apr 7, 2027 at 7:30pm
Tue, Apr 13, 2027 at 5:00pm & 7:30pm

Chamber Music for Brass
Duncan Recital Hall

Thu, Oct 1, 2026 at 5:00pm 
Tue, Dec 1, 2026 at 5:00pm 
Thu, Feb 25, 2027 at 7:30pm 
Tue, Apr 6, 2027 at 7:30pm 

Chamber Music for Percussion
Dates TBA

Spirit of the Season
Sat, Dec 5, 2026 at 7:30pm
Morrison Theater, Brockman Hall for Opera

Family Concert 
Sat, Feb 27, 2027 at 11:00am
Stude Concert Hall

Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Ana Spasovska, Kyle Haake, and Clayton Hinton, assistant conductors

Faculty Recitals
All performances at Duncan Recital Hall

Sharing the Spotlight: David Chan & Friends
Sun, Sep 13, 2026 at 5:00pm

Joan DerHovsepian & James Dunham, violas
Norman Fischer, cello
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Brian Connelly, piano

Marianne Gedigian, Flute
Sun, Sep 20, 2026 at 5:00pm

Sharing the Spotlight: Shepherd Wind Faculty
Thu, Oct 1, 2026 at 7:30pm

Marianne Gedigian, flute
Erin Hannigan, oboe
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn
Eliza Ching, piano

Sharing the Spotlight: David Chan & Friends
Tue, Oct 13, 2026 at 7:30pm

David Chan & Cho-Liang Lin, violins
Joan DerHovsepian & Ori Kam, violas
Brinton Averil Smith, cello

Fischer Duo
Sun, Oct 18, 2026 at 5:00pm

Norman Fischer, cello
Jeanne Kierman Fischer, piano

Sharing the Spotlight: Shepherd Wind Faculty
Thu, Nov 5, 2026 at 5:00pm

Marianne Gedigian, flute
Erin Hannigan, oboe
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn

Kathleen Winkler & Friends
Sun, Jan 24, 2027 at 2:30pm

Kathleen Winkler, violin
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Timothy Pitts, double bass
Jon Kimura Parker, piano 

Fischer Duo
Thu, Jan 28, 2027 at 7:30pm

Norman Fischer, cello
Jeanne Kierman Fischer, piano

Sharing the Spotlight: Jon Kimura Parker & the Fiammetta Quartet
Tue, Feb 9, 2027 at 7:30pm

Benjamin Kamins, Bassoon
Thu, Feb 18, 2027 at 5:00pm

Brinton Averil Smith, Cello
Mon, Mar 1, 2027 at 7:30pm

Evelyn Chen, piano

Richie Hawley & Friends 
Sun, Mar 7, 2027 at 5:00pm

David Chan, Violin
Wed, March 24, 2027 at 7:30pm

David Chan, violin
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Cho-Liang Lin & Friends
Mon, Mar 29, 2027 at 7:30pm

Cho-Liang Lin, violin
TBA, viola
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Timothy Pitts, bass
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn

Sharing the Spotlight: Shepherd Faculty Wind Quintet
Sun, Apr 4, 2027 at 7:30pm

Marianne Gedigian, flute
Erin Hannigan, oboe
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn

Sohyoung Park, Piano
Sun, Apr 25, 2027 at 5:00pm

Shepherd School Concerto Competition Finals
Stude Concert Hall

Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion & Harp - Sat, Jan 30, 2027 at 3:00pm
Piano - Thu, Feb 25, 2027 at 7:00pm
Strings - Sun, Mar 7, 2027 at 2:00pm

Guest Artist Master Classes & Recitals

Julia Bullock & Friends in Recital
Fri, Oct 9, 2026 at 7:30pm
Morrison Theater

Dong-ill Shin, Organ
Fri, Jan 29, 2027 at 7:00pm
Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ

Victor Rosenbaum, Piano
Mon, Feb 1, 2027 at 7:30pm (recital)
Tue, Feb 2, 2027 at 1:00pm (master class)
Duncan Recital Hall

Wet Ink Ensemble with Kate Soper
Fri, Feb 19, 2027 at 7:30pm
Duncan Recital Hall

Andrew Brownell, Piano
Wed, Feb 24, 2027 at 7:30pm (recital)
Thu, Feb 25, 2027 at 12:00pm (masterclass)
Duncan Recital Hall

Callisto Quartet
Fri, Mar 26, 2027 at 7:30pm
Duncan Recital Hall

Adventurous Electric Guitar Festival
Oct 8 & 9, 2026
Wortham Theatre

This festival explores contemporary electric guitar and electroacoustic performance through concerts, workshops, artist presentations, seminars, and community engagement events. Supported in part by the Rice Creative Ventures Fund and produced in collaboration with Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs (REMLABS). 

Thu, Oct 8, 2026 at 7:00pm
Wortham Theatre
Keynote speaker and pre-concert lecture by Erik Broess

Rice University Ensembles

Campanile Orchestra

Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Music Director
Ana Spasovska, Kyle Haake, and Clayton Hinton, associate conductors
Stude Concert Hall

Sun, Nov 22, 2026 at 4:00pm
Sat, April 17, 2027 at 4:00pm

Rice Chorale

Thomas Jaber, Music Director
Edythe Bates Old Organ Hall
Fri, Sep 11, 2026 at 7:00pm

Mozart: Requiem

Mon, Apr 12, 2027 at 4:15pm

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Media Contact:

Caroline Finane, 8VA Music Consultancy
caroline@8vamusicconsultancy.com