MERCURY ANNOUNCES NEW VENUE FOR FIRST THREE CONCERTS OF 2017-18 DOWNTOWN SERIES RELOCATED FROM WORTHAM THEATER CENTER DURING RECOVERY EFFORTS

“We thank our loyal audiences who continue to support us and check in on us during the recovery process. The damage to the Theater District will have a long-lasting impact on the arts, but continued attendance and contributed support will keep Houston’s cultural arts strong.”

He continued, “Mercury is fortunate that the venues for our Neighborhood Series in the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) Beck Building, MATCH, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, and Dosey Doe in The Woodlands are open and that there will be no change in location. These concerts will all continue as announced, beginning October 14, 2017 at MFAH.”

Details on the upcoming concerts follow below.

6100 Main Street, Houston 77005

MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5 “Reformation”
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Antoine Plante, conductor

Pre-Concert Lecture 7:15 PM Location TBA

This concert is made possible in part by the Houston Endowment and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Nearly 500 years ago, the Protestant Reformation rocked Europe – Mendelssohn dramatizes and pays tribute to this world-changing event in his Fifth Symphony. Brahms’ Second Symphony is packed with warm, joyful melodies that will sweep you off your feet.

6100 Main Street, Houston 77005

HAYDN Symphony No. 22, “The Philosopher”
HAYDN Symphony No. 49, “The Passion”
MOZART Sinfonia concertante, K. 364

Jonathan Godfrey, violin
James Dunham, viola

Antoine Plante, conductor

Pre-Concert Lecture 7:15 PM Location TBA

This concert is made possible in part by the Houston Endowment and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

The eminent conductor Sir Mark Philip Elder calls Haydn’s Symphony No. 22 one of the five symphonies that changed music forever. Two remarkable Haydn symphonies are paired with Mozart’s equally impressive Sinfonia concertante. You won’t want to miss this one – featuring James Dunham, violist of the Grammy-winning Cleveland Quartet, who joins Mercury’s concertmaster for a performance that features Mercury fully in its element.

6100 Main Street, Houston 77005

MOZART Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165
MOZART Laudamus te from Great Mass, K. 427
MOZARTAgnus Dei from Coronation Mass, K. 317

BACH Aria from Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248

CORELLI Christmas Concerto

HAYDN Christmas Symphony

Lauren Snouffer, soprano

Antoine Plante, conductor

Pre-Concert Lecture 7:15 PM Location TBA

This concert is made possible in part by the Houston Endowment and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Celebrate the warmth and company of friends and family this holiday season, and join Mercury for a sparkling Christmas concert: featuring Corelli’s famous Christmas Concerto (a holiday tradition for nearly 300 years) as well as works by Bach, Mozart, and Haydn with audience favorite Lauren Snouffer.

Directions to Stude Hall can be found at

Sponsored by Phillips 66 and also made possible in part by the Houston Endowment and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Mercury’s 2017-18 Neighborhood Series of 12 concerts features short, affordable concerts performed in intimate atmospheres at four unique venues across Houston:

Mercury’s music sets the mood for contemplating the lush paintings of the Baroque gallery in the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) Beck Building, home to Mercury since 2006. Locatedin one of Houston’s largest arts and culture hubs, the Historic District between Midtown, Rice University and the Med Center;

MATCH, the newest venue in Mercury’s neighborhood lineup, located in the thriving hotbed of culture and creativity that is known as Midtown;

MDPC, a multi-sensory experience of sight and sound set in a simply gorgeous location, in the West side of Houston. The stunning stained glass of the prayer chapel at the Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church adds to the concert experience;

Dosey Doe in The Woodlands. Music lovers get the complete Texas treatment at Mercury’s Dosey Doe Big Barn location – a 165-year-old tobacco barn painstakingly relocated approximately thirty miles north of Downtown Houston. The space features incredible acoustics and delicious southern-style meals.

Venue directions can be found on the Mercury website in the “Getting Here” section for each concert at http://www.mercuryhouston.org/2017-2018-season

5601 S. Main Street, Houston, TX 77005
Dosey Doe, The Woodlands, Sunday, October 15, 2017, 7:00 PM

25911 North Fwy Service Road, Spring, TX 77380
MDPC Memorial Drive, Saturday, October 28, 2017, 2:30 PM

11612 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77024
MATCH in Midtown Thursday, November 2, 2017, 8:00 PM

3400 Main Street Houston, TX, 77002

Mendelssohn Octet

Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 565

Bach Passacaglia in C minor for String, BWV 582

Antoine Plante, conductor

Bach’s darkly dramatic side shines in this concert – featuring his most famous work, his Toccata and Fugue, here performed by solo violin for a new, fascinating take on this favorite. The Passacaglia, arranged for Strings, complements this perfectly – along with a lovely, expressive and unabashedly warm Octet by Mendelssohn – a composer who championed Bach in his lifetime. Experience them all in four unique, intimate venues across Houston.

Tickets can be purchased at

Innovation, accessibility and dynamism are just three of the distinguishing characteristics of Mercury, the critically acclaimed Houston-based period instrument ensemble that continues to redefine the orchestra experience. Now in its 17th season, Mercury celebrates the power of music – from the Baroque period and more – serving the Houston community and beyond through teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence.

In addition to performances in multiple venues throughout the Houston area, including its flagship series at Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater, Mercury continues to invest in the community. It offers free community performances annually, including the community concert at The Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, and the public concerts in the Crain Garden at Houston Methodist Hospital. Recognized for its award-winning education outreach programs comprising classroom music education and performances in Houston area schools, Mercury also presents master classes for school orchestras. Active in the recording scene, to date, Mercury has released eight albums on its own label, featuring works by Corelli, Mozart, Schubert, Rameau, Vivaldi, Piazzolla, and Handel.

Mercury gratefully acknowledges the following organizations and corporations for their ongoing support: the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc., Texas Commission on the Arts, the Wyatt Foundation, the Ting Tsung and Wei Fung Chao Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Additional information on Mercury, its events and concerts, directions to the venues, and to learn more about its recordings, please visit www.mercuryhouston.org

Click Here for Artist bios

Click Here for Conductor Antoine Plante and Brian Ritter bios