Acclaimed Actor David Rainey Joins Mercury in the Theatrical Premiere of “Four Seasons”

David Rainey is the Executive Artistic Director of The Landing Theatre Company and has been an Alley Theatre Resident Company Member since 2000. Nationally, he has performed for Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the National Actors Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre, Joseph Papp Public Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Acting Company, New York Shakespeare Festival, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Ford’s Theatre, Asolo Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Resident Ensemble Players, Shakespeare Festival LA, Crossroads Theatre Company, Stark Naked Theatre Company, the Houston Grand Opera, among others. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he was recipient of the Drama Division’s highest honor, the Michel and Suria Saint-Denis Prize. Since then he has received numerous awards and nominations for acting and directing.

A founding member of Mercury, violinist Jonathan Godfrey has served as Concertmaster and violin soloist since the orchestra’s inception. A graduate of Rice University, Mr. Godfrey is currently Assistant Concertmaster of the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras. Mr. Godfrey has performed with many ensembles including the Houston Symphony, the Houston Bach Society, the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. He has also served as Concertmaster of the Sinfonietta Cracovia, The Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, The American Radio Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra X, and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra. He has concertized in the US and abroad, performing solo and chamber music recitals in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Interlochen, and Kansas City, as well as Guanajuato, León, Monterrey, and Santiago, Mexico; Yokohama, Kyoto, Matsumoto, Sapporo, Date, and Tokyo, Japan; and Quito and Ambato, Ecuador. A music educator as well, Mr. Godfrey has taught for twenty years, including positions on the violin faculty of both the Interlochen Arts Camp and the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory. Mr. Godfrey plays on the first of a set of instruments to be made specifically for Mercury by violinmaker Dorian Barnes. This instrument was generously donated to Mercury by the Kirchner family.

The creator of previous Mercury multi-media events “Bach and Piazzolla”, and audience-favorite, “The Crimson Prince”, Denis Plante has long been a partner in Mercury’s creative endeavors. His unusual career as a performer and composer has made him the bandoneón artist in Canada, and an exceptional figure in contemporary tango on the world scene. Denis is frequently invited to perform as a soloist with symphony orchestras or chamber-music ensembles. A spiritual son of Astor Piazzolla, he has enriched the bandoneón repertoire with dozens of works capturing the essential pulse of the tango. He has recorded seven CDs of his work, composed two operas and a ballet, and has been awarded the title of Creator of the Year by Quebec’s Art Council and an Opus prize for best Global album.