Heroism and Freedom! (Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony)

PROGRAM

Mendelssohn | Overture to The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave)

Montgomery | Five Freedom Songs, featuring soprano Gwendolyn Alfred

Haydn | March for the Royal Society of Musicians

Beethoven | Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, "Eroica"

Join us for an unforgettable evening of powerful music and emotional depth as the orchestra presents a stirring program spanning centuries of inspiration. The journey begins with Mendelssohn’s evocative Overture to The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave), evoking the wild beauty and untamed spirit of the Scottish coastline, a sonic tribute to the grandeur and freedom of nature. Jessie Montgomery’s Five Freedom Songs follows, a moving testimonial to the enduring spirit of hope through the lens of African American spirituals. Haydn’s regal March for the Royal Society of Musicians ends the first half with a touch of ceremony and charm, a nod to the nobility of artists who dedicate their lives to service through music - quiet heroes of their craft.

After intermission, we have the grand finale—Beethoven’s revolutionary Third Symphony. Bold, heroic, and deeply human, it stands as a towering monument to individual heroism and the fight against the tyranny of Napoleon, redefining the symphonic form in a bold declaration of artistic and human freedom. Together, these works explore freedom in its many forms—natural, personal, societal, and political—each echoing the courage of those who strive for something greater.

GUEST ARTIST PROFILE | GWENDOLYN ALFRED

Praised for her “bright and passionate tone” (Houston Chronicle), soprano Gwendolyn Alfred made her Houston Grand Opera debut in a newly-commissioned work which landed her in the prestigious Texas Monthly magazine. Her Houston Symphony debut featured her as a soloist in their touring Summer Community Concert Series and she additionally sang the soprano solos in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Houston Civic Symphony and Fort Bend Symphony) and Carmina Burana (Fort Bend Symphony). Her most notable opera roles include: Emeline (What Wings They Were), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Giulietta (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Magda (The Consul), Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Madama Cortese (Il Viaggio a Reims), Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium), Cinna (Lucio Silla), and Maria Corona (The Saint of Bleecker Street) with such companies as HGOco, Opera in the Heights, Miami Music Festival, and The Moores Opera Center. Additionally, Alfred recently made her off-Broadway debut as a soprano soloist in the original dramatic work The Women Have Something to Say.

Dr. Alfred is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Texas Christian University. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston, Master of Music from Lamar University, and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Houston. Her research on William Grant Still’s opera, Troubled Island, has been published in Black Americans in Higher Education: A Review or Social Science Research, Volume 8. Alfred has also published research on black women composers in the NATS Journal of Singing and has presented at the International Florence Price Festival and regional and national NATS Conferences. In 2024, she sang as part of the Mahogany Chamber Music Series at the Crosstown Theater in Memphis, Tennessee and premiered Colossus: Mother of Exiles by Christopher Aspaas with the TCU Concert Chorale. She has toured “The Black Female Composer” trio recital nationally with Drs. Artina McCain and James Rodriguez, and has been recently performing her newly-curated solo recital, featuring contemporary black women composers and new commissions on national and international stages. Her mission is to influence and build well-rounded musicians from diverse backgrounds with her love for a wide array of genres, and her eclectic experience with various musical styles.