New Year’s in Berlin

Sunday, December 31

Pre Concert Dinner* at Artista at 7:30 pm
New Year's in Berlin Concert in Zilkha Hall at 9:00 pm
Post Concert Gala* in Founders Club at 10:15 pm

Zilkha Hall / Hobby Center For The Performing Arts

Ars Lyrica’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration—which includes an elegant dinner, musical program, and festive gala—is always our most popular event of the year. For New Year’s Eve 2017 we visit the Berlin salon of Sara Itzig Levy, whose home was a meeting place for literary and musical giants, including Bach’s eldest sons and the young Felix Mendelssohn, Levy’s grandnephew. This Levy-inspired program includes several works from her legendary collection, including a W. F. Bach flute concerto and a C. P. E. Bach double concerto for fortepiano and harpsichord—a work closely connected with our legendary hostess, who played one of the solo parts at its 1788 première.

*separate ticketed events

SOLOISTS

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Austrian conductor, harpsichordist, and musicologist Mario Aschauer works at the interface of music scholarship and performance. He has built up a diverse repertoire specializing in Austrian Baroque music. As member of the Calamus-Consort he has performed at numerous renowned early music festivals such as Resonanzen Vienna, Bach Fest Leipzig, and Itinéraire Baroque en Périgord Vert (France). Having earned a degree in conducting from the Linz Bruckner Conservatory at the young age of seventeen, Mario had already conducted major works from the choral and symphonic canon before he graduated from high school. He holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Vienna and an MA in harpsichord performance from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. Before Mario came to Texas to teach music history, historically informed performance, and early keyboard instruments at Sam Houston State University, he was a postdoctoral fellow and visiting guest lecturer at the Yale School of Music. 

Colin St-Martin, who since childhood was interested in 17th and 18th century European culture, began playing the traverso at the age of 14.  His studies took him to Brussels, Belgium, where he obtained a First Prize (bachelor of music) from the Royal Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of the renowned master, Bart Kuijken. He returned to the US to complete graduate work at the Early Music Institute at Indiana University. Currently, Mr St-Martin is busy as a performer and recording artist with many early music ensembles across the US in addition to being sought after as a master teacher. 

Gala Soloist: Sonja Bruzauskas, mezzo-soprano

Born and raised in Germany, mezzo-soprano Sonja Bruzauskas was trained on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Along with her expansive stage career in Musical Theater, Opera and Operetta, Sonja is a well established concert singer and recitalist, focusing on German Art Song and contemporary music. Appearances include the Staatsoperette Dresden, where Sonja was under full contract for several years before moving to the United States, the Santa Fe Opera, Volkstheater Rostock, Nordharzer Staedtebundtheater, Babelsberger Filmorchester, Bochumer Symphoniker, Baton Rouge Symphony , Da Camera, the Bach Society Houston, Mercury, the Greenbriar Consortium, the Houston Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Chamber Choir, ROCO, The Roundtop Institute and Ars Lyrica Houston.

Enter the gala raffle with purchase of feather boa, and your name will be entered into the raffle to win prizes TBD. Winners of raffle prize will be announced at the German cabaret themed gala in the Founders Club.