Magnolia City
April 23, 7:30pm
MATCH
3400 Main Street, 77002
Pay-what-you-can tickets
$15: No questions asked
$35: Standard ticket price
$55: Pay it forward: offset one “no questions asked” ticket
$125: Cover the true cost of production
About
Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring (1944)captured the magic of life in a distinctly American landscape. With this world premiere performance, composer Alice Hong does the same, specifically for the city of Houston, through the lens of our native magnolia trees.
Magnolia City is a programmatic work depicting a Houston that once was—bountiful in nature, with the scent of magnolias in the air, and traversed by trolleys; a Houston that could have been had the magnolias been preserved and built around; and the Houston that exists today, with appreciation for the dichotomy of the stunning nature that still exists (Bear Creek, Magnolia Park, Buffalo Bayou, to name a few) and the strong urban presence that now defines the city of Houston.
Hong’s work examines the balance of environmental stewardship and urban ambition, both harmonious and conflicting. Though scored for 13-piece Appalachian Spring ensemble, Magnolia City divides the strings into two sections: a string quartet plus bass as part of the core ensemble, and a separate, antiphonal string quartet portraying the role of the spirit of the magnolias, observing and commenting throughout the piece upon the evolution of Houston over time. In this way, Magnolia City invites listeners to imagine and consider an alternate Houston where the historic magnolias could remain a defining feature of this ever-growing city.
— curated by Emily Richardson, violinist
Program
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring (1944)
Alice Hong: Magnolia City for Appalachian Spring Ensemble (2027 — Premiere)
Featured Composers
Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, multi-hyphenate musician Dr. Alice Hong is an internationally acclaimed violinist and composer whose work bridges tradition and innovation. Named one of CBC’s “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30” (2018), her compositions have been praised as “beautifully cinematic” (EarRelevant) and “gorgeous, achingly sweet” (Ludwig van Toronto). Her music has been performed and read by leading ensembles including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Niagara Symphony, Georgian Bay Symphony, Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra, Ludwig Symphony Orchestra, and the Amersfoort Youth Orchestra. Alice was recently appointed Limited Term Assistant Professor of Composition at Kennesaw State University for the 2025–2026 academic year and named the 2025 Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Composer of the Year.
Alice holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto, where she studied under Jonathan Crow; a Master of Music degree from Rice University Shepherd School of Music as a Dorothy R. Starling Foundation Scholar studying with Cho-Liang Lin; and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with David Updegraff.
Beyond music, Alice is an enthusiastic crafter and painter; her handmade creations are available on this site under Flora & Fold. She also began acting in 2019 and made her screen debut in Netflix’s Red Notice (2021), starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. She also appears in Marvel’s Hawkeye, Netflix’s First Kill, First Wives Club on BET+ and various commercials. She is represented by STW Talent Agency.
