MERCURY ANNOUNCES 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
02 April 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 3, 2025
Contact: Brittany Schroeder, 713.533.0080; brittany@mercuryhouston.org
MERCURY ANNOUNCES 25TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Featuring Baroque Masterworks, Audience Favorites and World Premieres to Celebrate 25 Years of Connecting in the Houston Community.
HOUSTON, TX – April 7, 2025, Antoine Plante, Artistic Director, and Brian Ritter, Executive Director announce Mercury Chamber Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Season: a bold celebration of diverse masterworks, beloved audience favorites from the past 25 years, and dramatic collaboration with acclaimed playwright and director Pascal Rambert.
This season’s highlights include Bach’s Complete Brandenburg Concertos, a performance of all six of Bach’s virtuosic concertos in one unforgettable evening. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, featuring The Mercury Singers in an adaptation by Antoine Plante that captures the grandeur and festive spirit of the season. Hémisphères which will take audiences on a global musical journey, blending the fiery passion of tango with Nordic soundscapes and classical elegance. The program features cellist Stéphane Tétreault and bandoneónist Denis Plante, culminating in the world premiere of Nordic Tango, Concerto for Cello and Bandoneón. Later in the spring, Mercury presents LOVE, a theatrical experience created by playwright Pascal Rambert and Mercury’s Antoine Plante, intertwining spoken word with the hauntingly beautiful music of Purcell and Dowland to explore love, memory, and loss.
Mercury is also delighted to return to Houston’s beloved Miller Outdoor Theatre for its annual free community concert, officially launching the 2025-2026 season on Labor Day weekend. This year’s program will showcase the timeless brilliance of Handel & Vivaldi, offering audiences a thrilling and uplifting evening of music in one of the city’s most iconic outdoor venues.
As part of our commitment to bringing exciting, accessible, and diverse performances to audiences across Houston, Mercury’s ConocoPhillips Neighborhood Series continues to connect communities through intimate music experiences. This season, we are thrilled to continue performances across Houston at beloved venues including Saengerhalle in the Heights, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Dosey Doe in The Woodlands. In celebration of our 25th anniversary, we invite audiences to experience Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons honoring the 300th anniversary of its first publication alongside Songs of the Virgin: An Italian Baroque Christmas and Bolero Querido, where the passion of bolero meets the grandeur of concert music. These short, affordable concerts, hosted at unique venues across Houston, offer audience members access to one-of-a-kind programs and memorable concert experiences beyond the concert hall.
With a season that honors its rich history while embracing bold new artistic directions, Mercury invites audiences to join in this milestone celebration of music, creativity, and community.
FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE
Saturday, August 30, 2025, 8 PM
Handel & Vivaldi: Celebrating Mercury’s 25th Season
VIVALDI: Summer from The Four Seasons
HANDEL: Water Music
DOWNTOWN SERIES Wortham Center | Hobby Center
ONE
Bach’s Complete Brandenburg
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 8 PM
TWO
Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 8 PM
Thomas Carroll, Clarinet
HAYDN: Symphony No. 88 in G Major
MOZART: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622
MOZART: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551, “Jupiter”
THREE
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio Saturday,
December 13, 2025, 8 PM
The Mercury Singers, Betsy Cook Weber, Director
J.S. BACH: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 (adapted by Antoine Plante)
FOUR
Hémisphères
Saturday, January 10, 2026, 8 PM
Stephane Tetreault, Cello Denis Plante, Bandonéon PIAZZOLLA: Escualo
GINASTERA: Danza Argentina
VILLA-LOBOS: Bachiana Brasileira No. 5
DE FALLA : Ritual Fire Dance
GRIEG: First movement from String Quartet No. 1 in G minor
SIBELIUS: Valse Triste PÄRT : Fratres
D. PLANTE : Nordic Tango, Concerto for Cello and Bandonéon (World Premiere)
FIVE
Birds, Bees, & Beethoven 6
Saturday, February 14, 2026, 8 PM
MENDELSSOHN: Incidental music from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, “Pastoral”
SIX
LOVE
Friday, March 20, 2026, 8 PM Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:30 PM & 8 PM (Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center)
A creation by Pascal Rambert and Antoine Plante Playwright: Pascal Rambert Music: Purcell & Dowland Love, a new musical play by Pascal Rambert and Antoine Plante, explores the depths of love, memory, and loss through a seamless blend of spoken word and song. Set to the haunting music of Purcell and Dowland, including pieces like Flow My Tears and The Plaint, the play draws audiences into an emotional journey where words and music intertwine.
SEVEN
Vivaldi’s Voices
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 8 PM
The Mercury Singers, Betsy Cook Weber, Director
VIVALDI Kyrie, RV 587 Ascende laeta, RV 635 Cantata: Cessate, omai cessate, RV 684 Laudete pueri, RV 602 Concerto for Cello, RV 419 Credo, RV 591
CONOCOPHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD SERIES
Saengerhalle (Heights) | MDPC (Memorial) | MFAH (Museum) | Dosey Doe (Woodlands)
ONE
October 23, 24, 25, 26, 2025
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons (Complete)
In celebration of the 300th anniversary of its first publication
TWO
December 18, 19, 20, 21, 2025
Songs of the Virgin: An Italian Baroque Christmas
Michael Skarke, Countertenor
THREE
April 16, 17, 18, 19, 2026
Bolero Querido
Step into the enchanting world of Bolero Querido, where the passion of bolero meets the grandeur of concert music. This captivating show takes you on a journey through time and across borders, sharing fascinating stories of legendary artists like Cantinflas, Consuelo Velásquez, and Ravel. From early seguidillas to contemporary ballet, experience the beauty, diversity, and cultural legacy of this rich musical heritage.
NEIGHBORHOOD DAYS | TIMES | VENUES
Thursday, 7:30 PM | Saengerhalle (Heights)
Friday, 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM | MFAH (Museum)
Saturday, 2:30 PM | MDPC (Memorial)
Sunday, 7:00 PM | Dosey Doe (Woodlands)
About Mercury: Mercury was founded by four friends in the year 2000 as an intimate chamber ensemble with the goal of enriching and entertaining Houston audiences with an exciting repertoire of music performed on period instruments. Today, we strive to be the most welcoming arts organization in Houston, and celebrate the power of music through teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence.