Virtuoso Spotlight

Born in Taiwan and raised in a small town in Arkansas, Taiwanese-American conductor Jerry Hou had a late start in music. Beginning on trombone in middle school band, Hou went on to work professionally as a trombonist in American and European orchestras before his playing career was ended by injury. Turning to conducting studies with Jorma Panula in Finland, he is now recognized for his dynamic presence, insightful interpretations, versatility and commanding technique on the podium.

In 2021, Hou began working with the New York Philharmonic and their music director Jaap van Zweden, and conducted the orchestra in the tuning of the newly renovated David Geffen Hall. Hou continues to serve as an assistant conductor and made his debut with the orchestra this past spring. He was immediately reengaged and will lead a Young People’s Concert in January 2023 along with six educational concerts.

Hou recently concluded his successful tenure as Resident Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the first person in the orchestra’s history to hold that title, and Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. He conducted the ASO in classical, family, and education concerts, and this past March, made his official subscription debut in a program of music by Joan Tower, Jessie Montgomery, and Bela Bartok. Committed to developing the Atlanta music community, Hou created a Second Atlanta School of Composers, featuring native Atlantans, Carlos Simon, Joel Thompson, Viet Cuong, Sarah Gibson, TJ Cole, and Elise Arancio. He worked closely with these composers and performed their music in concerts and recordings. Hou returns to the ASO next season for another subscription concert.  He also served as Resident Conductor of the Grand Teton Music Festival for seven summers.

Known for his flexibility in many styles and genres, Hou has conducted a wide range of repertoire from classical to contemporary. A leading advocate, interpreter, and conductor of contemporary music, he has collaborated with acclaimed composers such as Kevin Puts, Anthony Davis, Steve Reich, Andrew Norman, Melinda Wagner, John Harbison, George Lewis, Bernard Rands, Unsuk Chin, Gyorgy Kurtag, Brett Dean, Mark Anthony-Turnage, and Helmut Lachenmann. Hou has conducted leading contemporary music ensembles Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Signal, Grossman Ensemble, Remix Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound

Hou is on the faculty of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he is Artist Teacher of Orchestras and Ensembles. He lives in Houston with his wife Jenny and son Remy, and has competed on the game show Jeopardy!

Cellist Dana Rath is a passionate performer and chamber musician from Lawrence, Kansas. Having begun at the age of 4, she has been playing the cello for nearly 2 decades. 

Recently, she completed her Master’s degree under Desmond Hoebig at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Prior to that she received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Richard Aaron. Dana has also studied under Daniel Veis and Martin Storey in Park University’s former pre-college program.

As a soloist, Dana has performed with the Kansas City Symphony, playing Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, and with the University of Michigan’s Philharmonia Orchestra, performing Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor after winning the school’s concerto competition. She was also the string division winner of the Shepherd School of Music’s Concerto Competition in 2024 playing Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in B minor.

Dana has participated in festivals and ensembles including the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Ensemble, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival.

Oboist Anne Pinkerton is currently pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University studying with Robert Atherholt. Especially interested in new music, she has performed with One Found Sound (San Francisco), been a fellow with the Bang on a Can Festival (North Adams MA), and attended the Blackhouse Collective Workshop (Los Angeles). With a background in dance, she enjoys curating and performing interdisciplinary works and collaborating with other artists. Anne is a founding member and oboist in Reeds and Keys, an oboe and organ duo where she performs with her partner, organist Matthew Dion. Passionate about community impact, Anne is currently a Young Artist with DACAMERA, and received the Sviatoslav Richter Fund for Music Outreach from Rice. As an orchestral oboist, Anne has played with the Houston Ballet Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Sacramento Philharmonic, and others. In previous summers, she attended festivals at Music Academy of the West, Sarasota Music Festival, and the DeCoda Chamber Music Festival. Anne was the wind division winner of Rice’s Concerto Competition in 2024, playing Marco Aurelio Yano’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra, to be performed with the Shepherd School orchestra this November. Anne received her bachelor’s degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her master’s degree from the Colburn School.