​​The CARNIVAL! recital program grew out of the reflections I've had on personal traditions and the unique journey of raising a family across cultures.

My husband and I are both immigrants to the United States, but our daughters were born in Houston, which has led me to think deeply about how their cultural upbringing differs from my own.  I've always been intentional about giving my daughters a strong sense of place; what this means to me is that I try to balance the cultural traditions of our family origins with a deep, authentic feeling of belonging to the place where they were born. One way we've planted roots here on the Gulf Coast is by embracing Mardi Gras as a family tradition.

This seems obvious, I know: adopting Mardi Gras has been a huge hit in our household.  Who wouldn't love a holiday dedicated to uninhibited and playful excess?

Musicians throughout history have always loved a good party, so it's no surprise that the classical tradition offers a wealth of Carnival-inspired music.  In this program, the holiday takes on many names: Shrovetide, Fasching, and Mardi Gras, and spans France, Austria, Germany, Russia and Brazil. From Couperin's satirical pageantry and Villa-Lobos's mischievous characters to Liszt's riotous street scenes, the spirit of Carnival is a rich trove of musical treasures, representing some of the most vibrant party music ever written for the piano.

François Couperin
Onziême Ordre de Clavecin (pub. 1717)
Les fastes de la grand et ancienne Mxnxstrxndxsx

Robert Schumann
Faschingsschwank aus Wien (1839)

Franz Liszt
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9, Carnival in Pest (1847)

Igor Stravinsky
Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka (1921)

Heitor Villa-Lobos
Carnaval das crianças (1919-20)