The Conroe Symphony Orchestra Opens 28th Season Celebrating Dance Classics

CONROE, TX -- It was a packed house at the First Methodist Church in Conroe this past Saturday, as the Conroe Symphony Orchestra (CSO) began their 28th Season, 2025-2026, with everyone awaiting the music that once graced 19th century royal courts and grand Viennese ballrooms with magical nights of wondrous music and incredible dancing that would yield memories for a lifetime. CSO President Bill Thompson welcomed all who attended ‘Shall We Dance?’ the orchestra’s first concert of the new season, featuring big names such as Strauss and Tchaikovsky, as well as Latin influenced selections and other recognizable music that ranged from over 120 years, even up until recent modern times. For the ballroom dancers in the house, it was spine-tingling, no doubt sparking urges to dance in the aisles, and for the rest, they were eagerly remembering listening instances, from cartoons watched as kids, to the dance floors of the Disco era. For conductor Gary Liebst, back in his tuxedo tailcoat for this one, he relished the moments on stage in leading his orchestral players in bringing to life to music dating from nearly 160 years ago.

The evening was filled with a musical salad of tango, opera, ballet, and modern dance that had the audience enthralled awaiting the next treasure, and the CSO did not disappoint in their performance.

“It was an incredible performance of the music from Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty,” said Liebst. “Tchaikovsky is one of my favorites.”

Conductor Liebst started the concert off with the ‘Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz,’ by Johan Strauss II, which is obviously the most famous waltz ever written in 1866. Just the hint of the introduction with the violins and horns, gives rise to that recognizable waltz theme lead by the cellos and horns, and don’t forget the harp. To hear it played live is quite the treat, bringing a little bit of Vienna to Conroe, along with a trip down the Danube River.

George Bizet’s ‘Carmen, A Suite for Orchestra,’ from 1873, and arranged by Jack Bullock, was Bizet’s most famous work. The second movement, Habanera, a reference to Havana’s dance or music, and arranged by Richard Meyer, portrays one of the most famous scenes from the opera. To hear its aria by famed Brazilian soprano Carmen Monarcha is very alluring. The powerful tonal shifts, from minor to major, quite simply bubbles the skin. It’s exciting, and embodies the evasive and at times uncontrollable nature of love. The Conroe Symphony Orchestra, of course, handled it with total ease.

Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s, ‘Swan Lake Overture to Act 1’ (1875), and ‘Sleeping Beauty Waltz’ (1899), were played to contrasting themes. The introduction to Swan Lake was played, and it can be imagined initially as one of those Disney 10-layered entrance scenes of old as you enter the story with the view of the lake in the background before being introduced to Prince Siegfriend, and Swan Queen Odette. The tension is there, love, strife, struggle, tricked betrayal, all in a piece that lasts but a few short minutes. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Sleeping Beauty Waltz,’ is thankfully much brighter, with a much merrier mood, befitting a late 19th century Romanov ballroom. It’s easy to fall in love with the variations on the theme, that celebratory mood, that highlight of the rising orchestral sequence, before the lovely strong melody, coupled with the harp and bass string in pizzicato. No wonder Disney fell for the concept that brought Aurora and Prince Phillip to the big screen.

‘El Choclo,’ by Argentinian Angel Villoldo, perhaps the best Tango of all time, has that Latin-flare with bongos, and reminiscences of female dancers with flowers between their teeth. The xylophone is catchy, and the strings add that extra little excitement to the piece. The piece took Liz Royce from her French Horn to the accordion, just another little extra surprise to learn that she is fluent on no less than eight (8) instruments. Incredibly, for all of its iconic and alluring fame, El Choclo, means corncob in Spanish.

Sergei Prokofiev’s ‘The Dance of the Knights from the ballet Romeo and Juliet,’ (1935), arranged by Nathan Jones, can initially remind of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with his War Elephants in 218 BC to invade Italy and attack Rome, but it’s meant for the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets, which its hammering bass lines to start, then accompanied by the strings, percussion, and horns to simulate in music the mental and physical jousting on the streets of Verona. Following the second variation, the tenderness of Romeo and Juliet, comes to life with a reprise of the intro, this time woodwind based. More tenderness, and who can blame them. The final reprise concludes the piece, and basically tells the whole story of the famous lovers in lovely music.

One of the newest modern pieces that the CSO played was the ‘Saturday Night Fever Medley,’ (1977), which was arranged by Bill Holcombe. It was fun to see the orchestra really enjoy themselves in playing Bee Gees tunes commissioned for the film. ‘Staying Alive,’ was special to hear with some audience members singing.

“With all the degrees on stage,” said Liebst in jest. “And all we get is Saturday Night Fever.”

It was certainly a fun afternoon of music, with the audience most certainly enjoying themselves, and the Conroe Symphony Orchestra mostly certainly on top of their game.

The Conroe Symphony Orchestra is supported in part by Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Apricity Foundation. The CSO was founded in 1997, and was created to contribute to the cultural enrichment of Conroe and the county as a whole, assuring a better quality of life for everyone in the area. The CSO’s objective is to provide the region with the best possible musical experience, while creating music lovers and connecting communities. They strive to be recognized as one of the outstanding community orchestras in the state of Texas, and as a non-profit community orchestra, it is supported through individual and corporate donations, grants, and ticket sales.

The next event of the CSO schedule is a Pancake Breakfast at the Pacific Yardhouse, on November 15th, from 8 - 10:30am.

The next concert is ‘A Joyous Christmas,’ to be performed on December 20th.

The CSO website is: conroesymphony.org Please consider donating to this wonderful organization.

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net