Cellist

Aperio, Music of the Americas, kicks off it’s 20th concert season with Southern Revival, a captivating program of chamber and orchestral music on Friday, October 17, 2025 at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston (MATCH). Featuring musicians from Aperio’s core ensemble conducted by Marlon Chen, this evening of poignant American music explores the power of nostalgia and collective memory, highlighting an array of composers and historical perspectives.

Anchored by Samuel Barber’s evocative and powerful work for soprano and orchestra Knoxville: Summer of 1915, the program navigates a variety of perspectives on childhood nostalgia and collective tragedy. Showcasing an evocative text drawn from James Agee’s prose masterpiece A Death In The Family, Barber’s music evokes a nostalgic, dreamlike memory of a peaceful summer evening from a child's perspective, casting an idyllic, peaceful scene in the foreboding shadow of personal tragedy. 

In contrast, Shawn Okpebholo's Two Black Churches gives voice to the painful historical and ongoing racial violence against Black communities. While Barber's work is a personal, gentle reflection, Okpebholo's is a powerful lament and a somber meditation on collective trauma.

The program also highlights significant works by Black composers, including Florence Price’s beautiful Andante Moderato from her String Quartet No. 1, Jessie Montgomery’s dynamic Strum for string quartet and introspective cello and piano duet titled Peace, Margaret Bonds' powerful piano work Troubled Water, and William Grant Still's elegant Serenade. The performance concludes with Richard Farina’s folk-inspired Birmingham Sunday.

EPSG:4326

Southern Revival

Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston

The Valley Symphony Orchestra presents SPRING STRINGS at the awe-inspiring and visually stunning Gelman Stained Glass Museum. Curated by esteemed Concertmaster Geoffrey Wong, this chamber music program honors our mothers and features works from all female composers.

Spring Strings

Gelman Stained Glass Museum

Cellist Daniel Saenz has performed and presented master classes throughout South America, Mexico, and the USA. Recent engagements have taken him to internationally renowned venues throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with orchestras in the United States, France, and Bolivia. An advocate of the music of our time, Mr. Saenz has performed under the auspices of Aperio, Music of the Americas, The Foundation for Modern Music, the University of Missouri Kansas City Musica Aestas Composition Festival, and SoundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange in Maccagno, Italy. More recently, Daniel performed at the Schlern International Music Festival in Völsam Schlern, the Rio International Cello Festival in Rio de Janeiro, and the National Arts Institute (UNA) in Buenos Aires. A graduate of the University of Houston, Rice University and the Eastman School of Music, Mr. Saenz is the Associate Professor of Cello at Sam Houston State University School of Music where he teaches cello, coaches chamber music, and is a member of the Kolonneh String Quartet.

Guest Masterclass: Daniel Saenz, cello

University of Houston

Celebrated Mexican composer Manuel Ponce is recognized the world over as a pivotal figure in the revival of classical guitar repertoire. Ponce’s music has found an easy place in modern classical repertoire for its abundant melodies, remarkable technical flourishes, and use of Mexican folk idioms. Working in a sympathetic manner, composers Pablo Borras (Argentina) and Clarice Assad (Brazil) combine musical elements drawn from their respective homelands, finding inspiration in popular musical styles mixed with contemporary compositional techniques. The program is anchored by the panoramic Suite for Two Cellos and Two Guitarras by Mexican composer Samuel Zyman. 

Strings & Hammers

A concert in tribute to the VSO’s past, present, and future featuring guest soloist Daniel Saenz

Cellist

Daniel Saenz

Events

Past events

Oct 17, 2025

Southern Revival · Aperio, Music of the Americas

May 10, 2025

Spring Strings · Valley Symphony Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Cello in Strum for string quartet by Montgomery

Aperio, Music of the Americas

Cello in Andante moderato by Price

Aperio, Music of the Americas

Cello in Piano Quartet in A Minor by Andrée

Valley Symphony Orchestra

Cello in Piano Quartet in F Minor by Beau

Valley Symphony Orchestra

About

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