Before Harmonium of Texas played a single note, the audience for its debut concert showered the musicians with thunderous applause and cheers.
The new orchestra premiered Friday night with a well-attended performance at the Lila Cockrell Theatre downtown. Many of the musicians had played with the defunct San Antonio Symphony and the San Antonio Philharmonic, which was founded by symphony musicians.
Their deep roots in the community were emphasized throughout the evening.
“I think I can speak for the rest of the musicians when I say, we’ve been here, we are here, we’re here for you and we’re here to stay,” said Joshua Bullock, acting principal oboe, after intermission.
Harmonium was founded by Jeffrey Kahane, the noted pianist and conductor who served as music director for the Philharmonic until February. He resigned about midway through his three-year commitment. He announced the formation of Harmonium three months later.
The Philharmonic filed a lawsuit against Kahane and Harmonium days before the concert. It alleged that he had misled the organization about his reasons for resigning, and that he used “trade secrets” to which he had access – including donor lists and an email marketing list – to assist him in starting the competing orchestra.
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The Philharmonic, which canceled much of its 2025-26 season though it did perform a season finale in May, has not yet announced a 2026-27 season. Executive Director Roberto Treviño has said they are finalizing logistics.
There were no direct references to the lawsuit from the stage Friday, though conversations about it could be overheard in the lobby before the doors to the theater opened and during intermission.
Harmonium of Texas founder Jeffrey Kahane conducts the orchestra during it debut concert at the Lila Cockrell Theatre. (Blaine Young/For the Express-News)
Jason Bell, Harmonium’s executive director, welcomed the audience at the start of the evening. He talked about the founding of the group, saying that the goal is to “build a symphony for San Antonio that has local musicians and lasts way into the future.”
Bell also joked about the scope of the concert: “I thought this was a Cecil B. DeMille production. It’s actually a Jeffrey Kahane production.”
Kahane and crew managed to pack 68 Harmonium musicians and 22 members of the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio Philharmonic onstage. After intermission, they were joined by more than 100 vocalists with the San Antonio Mastersingers, the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio and the University of Texas at San Antonio Chamber Singers. Three soloists — soprano Rachele Gilmore, tenor Brian Giebler and baritone Christopher Briggs Rodriguez — also were in the mix.
It definitely was an epic evening. Kahane, who conducted, kicked things off with “The Star Spangled Banner,” with many in the audience on their feet singing along. The musicians then played Gabriela Ortiz’ “Antrópolis,” a lively work inspired by her experiences in Mexico City dance clubs in her youth.
Guest violinist Tessa Lark then joined the musicians to play the joyous “Sky.” Composer Michael Torke wrote it expressly for her, uniting the bluegrass Lark grew up with in Kentucky with the classical music on which she has built her career.
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To the clear delight of the audience, Lark returned to the stage while they were still applauding for “Sky” to play and sing a bluegrass tune.
Guest violinist Tessa Lark performs “Sky,” a piece composed for her, as part of Harmonium of Texas’ debut concert. (Blaine Young/For the Express-News)
The second half of the program featured “Carmina Burana,” Carl Orff’s epic choral masterpiece about love and fate. Screens on either side of the stage bore English translations of the lyrics as well as pieces of art illustrating the tale.
The thrilling rendering won a standing ovation.
Kahane was not done.
“Although ‘Carmina Burana’ ends in triumph, the end of the text is pretty depressing, actually,” he said, drawing laughs from the audience. “So we thought it would be wonderful to leave you with one very special gift. This is the final number from Leonard Bernstein’s wonderful operetta ‘Candide.’
“I suspect many of you know the story of Candide and his beloved Cunégonde. He’s a young guy who goes through the most unimaginable and unbelievable adventures, and everything bad that could possibly happen, happens. But at the very end, he and his beloved are reunited and they and their adopted family agree that they will live in their house and chop their wood and make their garden grow, which is exactly what we hope will happen here.”
That piece and Lark’s bluegrass song, which were not listed in the program, delighted audience member Anne Hohenberger, who said she liked the surprise element.
She enjoyed the rest of the evening, too.
“I thought the musicianship was tremendous,” said Hohenberger, who works in marketing. “I thought it was a fabulous program. I’d never heard ‘Carmina Burana” from beginning to end, and it was great. I loved the soloists. It was all wonderful.”
She attended with her friend, lawyer Susan Kilgore, who serves on the board of the Mastersingers.
“I’m just thrilled that professional classical music is continuing,” said Kilgore, who had been a symphony supporter and a member of the San Antonio Symphony League. “And I’m very impressed with the musical selections. I think they’ve done a nice job of selecting music that isn’t quite so stodgy.”
Next up for Harmonium of Texas: a Nov. 16 concert featuring superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
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This article originally published at Harmonium of Texas debuts with crowd-pleasing program, promises of a long future.
