HOUSTON – February 23, 2007 - The Houston Chamber Orchestra performs its fourth program of the 2006-07 season on Monday, March 26, 7:30 p.m. at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston's Theater District.

Founder and artistic director, Michael Lowe, conducts the program, "Old World to New Texas,” featuring famous works from the old world of Beethoven and Sibelius and a work from new Texas evoking images of the Brazos River by Houston composer J. Todd Frazier.

Pianist Charles Asche performs as soloist in Ludwig van Beethoven's beloved "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58.”

Asche has performed throughout the United States, Russia and South America and was the first American pianist to perform in the historical Russian city of Samara, which was closed to foreigners for more than 40 years. He currently serves on the piano faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

New Texas is represented by J. Todd Frazier's guitar concerto, "Brazos de Dios.” Houston's Society for the Performing Arts commissioned the work, which was premiered at the Wortham Center in 2001.

Frazier is founding director of the American Festival for the Arts, where he works to safeguard the availability of high-quality K-12 music education in Texas. He received his training from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, which recently recognized him as one of its 100 distinguished alumni.

Guitarist Marc Teicholz will perform Frazier's concerto. Teicholz has been called "arguably the best of the new young guitarists to have emerged” by Gramophone magazine. He has performed around the globe and has recorded for the Naxos and Sugo labels, and he performed on the soundtrack for George Lucas' movie "Young Indiana Jones.” Teicholz is currently on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory at California State University at Hayward.

Two works by Jean Sibelius, the Romanza in C and the Guten Abend from the Rakastava Suite, are on the program. These are interesting examples of Sibelius' early romantic works coming just after his student years in 1891 and before his first symphony, which appeared in 1899. They are scored for strings but have interesting short appearances for kettle drums in a few appropriate passages.

HCO performances are at 7:30 p.m. in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston's Theater District, 800 Bagby, Houston, Texas 77002.

Individual tickets are $30 and are available to students for $10. A 20 percent discount is offered to seniors and KUHF members. Season subscriptions are $130 and include an invitation to HCO's post-concert champagne receptions. A 15 percent discount is available to seniors and KUHF members, and season subscribers save 15 percent on additional tickets purchased. To purchase tickets, call the Hobby Center at 713-315-2525 or go online at www.UniquelyHouston.org.

About Michael Lowe and the Houston Chamber Orchestra

Founder Michael Lowe is in his sixth season as conductor and artistic director of the Houston Chamber Orchestra, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to concerts, educational programs, commercial recordings and tours to strengthen Houston's arts community and musical culture. The orchestra's repertoire exploits the virtuosity of individual members who are frequently featured as soloists. Programs and venues are chosen to provide intimate interaction between the audience, the orchestra as a whole, and individual orchestra members.