The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University today announced orchestral, chamber, opera and faculty recital programming for its 2026-27 season. Following the landmark 50th anniversary season, the Shepherd School puts its extraordinary students and faculty on full display in the upcoming 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 Matthew Loden, the Lynette S. Autrey Dean of Music. “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 features works considered essential for launching Rice’s students into the professional orchestra world. They are also world-class pieces that audiences anywhere would be lucky to hear, said Miguel Harth-Bedoya, the distinguished resident director of orchestras.

“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,” Harth-Bedoya said. “Our students will have the opportunity to work directly with performing faculty and living composers.”

Every year, the Shepherd School selects operas tailored to the strengths of incoming students, said Joshua Winograde, director of opera studies.

“The two main stage 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,” Winograde said.

Season highlights include:

Orchestral performances and featured artists

• 10 symphony and chamber orchestra concerts, all but one of which are conducted by Harth-Bedoya, featuring a balanced diet of repertoire spanning major works by Beach, Beethoven, Berlioz, Martinů, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and more. The Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” which marks the beginning of a planned multiyear journey through Mahler’s symphonic output.
• Professor of piano Jon Kimura Parker and professor of oboe Erin Hannigan perform as soloists with the school’s orchestras, and guest conductor Michelle Di Russo leads one Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra program.

Opera productions and collaborations

• Fully staged Shepherd School Opera productions of Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” with conductor Christian Reif and director Paul Curran as well as the Texas premiere (and first-ever university performance) of Matthew Aucoin’s “Eurydice” conducted by Lina González-Granados and directed by Matt Hune. Aucoin will come to Houston to work with students and give an “Inside Opera” preshow talk.
• Opera students also perform on the Bel Canto Opera Scenes with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra conducted by Harth-Bedoya.

Student achievement and emerging artists

• Multiple concerts that highlight the extraordinary achievements of Shepherd students across disciplines. This season’s orchestra 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.

New music and guest artists

• World premieres of “Another Starry Night” by professor of composition Pierre Jalbert (a 50th anniversary commission) with mezzo-soprano and Shepherd alumna Sasha Cooke ’04 joining the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, and “Soft as the Massacre of Suns” by Jeremy Gill, commissioned by Shepherd for oboist Erin Hannigan with the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra.
• Visits by distinguished guest artists, who will share their expertise with students and give public concerts, including Aleko Endowed Artist Julia Bullock, who will curate a special recital that she will perform alongside select Shepherd Opera students
• Composer/vocalist and Shepherd alumna Kate Soper ’03, 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.

Chamber music and faculty performances

• Two Shepherd School Chamber Players concerts with repertoire ranging from J.S. Bach to Jennifer Higdon
• Two chamber music festivals that involve all Shepherd instrumental students and multiple programs of chamber music featuring wind, brass and percussion.
• Faculty recitals throughout the season and “Sharing the Spotlight” performances in which students share the stage with their faculty mentors.

Family and community programs

• Family-friendly programming including a holiday “Spirit of the Season” concert in December
• 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.”

Festival in collaboration with REMLABS

• “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.

Academic innovation and accessibility

• The launch of a new undergraduate orchestral conducting degree program, the only one of its kind in the nation, with two undergraduate students studying with Harth-Bedoya.
• Free livestreams of most performances including orchestra, chamber music and faculty and student recitals.

The Shepherd School 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 more than 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, 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 events calendar includes the latest schedule updates and which performances require tickets.

Tickets for fall semester orchestra performances will go on sale Aug. 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 7:30 p.m. in Stude Concert Hall.

Symphonic Transformations - Sept. 26
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Ravel: “Alborada del gracioso”
Strauss: “Death and Transfiguration”
Jake Berran: “Probabolophony” (2026 Cooper Prize-winning composition and world premiere)
Hindemith: “Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber”

Mahler’s Titan - Oct 24
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 - Nov. 7
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Ana Spasovska, Kyle Haake and Clayton Hinton, assistant conductors
Max Milian, piano (2026 Shepherd School Concerto Competition Winner)
Ethan Resnik ’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 - Dec. 4
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Jon Kimura Parker, piano
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
Martinů: Symphony No. 1

Starry Fate with Sasha Cooke - Feb. 6
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Pierre Jalbert: “Another Starry Night” (world premiere; 50th anniversary commission)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5

Symphonie Fantastique - March 6
Michelle Di Russo, conductor
Barber: “Adagio for Strings”
Carlos Simon: “Four Black American Dances”
Berlioz: “Symphonie Fantastique”

Shepherd Spotlight: Brahms Violin Concerto - April 3
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 ’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 - April 24
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Marina Ziegler, violin (2026 Shepherd School Concerto Competition Winner)
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2
Yu-Shiuan Mei ’26: “… in wonderland” (world premiere)
Mussorgsky: “Pictures at an Exhibition” (arr. Ravel)

Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra

All performances take place at 7:30 p.m. in Stude Concert Hall.

Beethoven 5 & Hannigan’s Debut - Sept. 25
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)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Orchestral Reimaginations - March 5
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 7:30 p.m. in Stude Concert Hall.
Unconducted unless otherwise noted.

The Art of Shifting Colors - Dec. 3
Jennifer Higdon: “Quiet Art”
Tournier: Suite, Op. 34
Paul Terracini: “Gegensätze”
Brahms: Serenade No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11

Dynamic Contrasts - Feb. 4
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’ Ariadne auf Naxos
Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Paul Curran, director

Bel Canto Opera Scenes
Feb. 7 at 2 p.m.
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor
Bel Canto scenes accompanied by the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra

Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice (Texas premiere)
April 16 at 7:30 p.m.
April 18 at 2 p.m.
Lina González-Granados, conductor
Matt Hune, director

Chamber Music Festival

Duncan Recital Hall
Nov. 13-15 and Dec. 9
April 9-11 and April 28

Chamber Music for Winds

Duncan Recital Hall
Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
April 7 at 7:30 p.m.
April 13 at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Chamber Music for Brass

Duncan Recital Hall
Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.
Dec. 1 at 5 p.m.
Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
April 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Chamber Music for Percussion

Dates TBA

Spirit of the Season

Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Morrison Theater, Brockman Hall for Opera

Family Concert

Feb. 27 at 11 a.m.
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

Sept. 13 at 5 p.m.
Joan DerHovsepian & James Dunham, violas
Norman Fischer, cello
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Brian Connelly, piano

Marianne Gedigian, flute

Sept. 20 at 5 p.m.

Sharing the Spotlight: Shepherd Wind Faculty

Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Marianne Gedigian, flute
Erin Hannigan, oboe
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn
Eliza Ching, piano

Sharing the Spotlight: David Chan & Friends

Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
David Chan & Cho-Liang Lin, violins
Joan DerHovsepian & Ori Kam, violas
Brinton Averil Smith, cello

Fischer Duo

Oct. 18 at 5 p.m.
Norman Fischer, cello
Jeanne Kierman Fischer, piano

Sharing the Spotlight: Shepherd Wind Faculty

Nov. 5 at 5 p.m.
Marianne Gedigian, flute
Erin Hannigan, oboe
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn

Kathleen Winkler & Friends

Jan. 24 at 2:30 p.m.
Kathleen Winkler, violin
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Timothy Pitts, double bass
Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Fischer Duo

Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Norman Fischer, cello
Jeanne Kierman Fischer, piano

Sharing the Spotlight: Jon Kimura Parker & the Fiammetta Quartet

Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Benjamin Kamins, Bassoon

Feb. 18 at 5 p.m.

Brinton Averil Smith, cello

March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Evelyn Chen, piano

Richie Hawley & Friends

March 7 at 5 p.m.

David Chan, violin

March 24 at 7:30 p.m.
David Chan, violin
Valentin Radutiu, cello
Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Cho-Liang Lin & Friends

March 29 at 7:30 p.m.
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

April 4 at 7:30 p.m.
Marianne Gedigian, flute
Erin Hannigan, oboe
Richie Hawley, clarinet
Benjamin Kamins, bassoon
Elizabeth Freimuth, horn

Sohyoung Park, piano

April 25 at 5 p.m.

Shepherd School Concerto Competition Finals

Stude Concert Hall

Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion and Harp

Jan. 30 at 3 p.m.

Piano

Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

Strings

March 7 at 2 p.m.

Guest Artist Master Classes and Recitals

Julia Bullock & Friends in Recital

Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Morrison Theater

Dong-ill Shin, organ

Jan. 29 at 7 p.m.
Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ

Victor Rosenbaum, piano

Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. (recital)
Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. (master class)
Duncan Recital Hall

Wet Ink Ensemble with Kate Soper

Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Duncan Recital Hall

Andrew Brownell, Piano

Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. (recital)
Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. (master class)
Duncan Recital Hall

Callisto Quartet

March 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Duncan Recital Hall

Adventurous Electric Guitar Festival

Oct. 8-9
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.

Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.
Wortham Theatre
Keynote speaker and preconcert 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
Nov. 22 at 4 p.m.
April 17 at 4 p.m.

Rice Chorale
Thomas Jaber, music director
Edythe Bates Old Organ Hall
Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. - Mozart: “Requiem”
April 12 at 4:15 p.m.