Meet Houston’s other symphony: Energy Corridor’s ECHOrchestra
The Energy Corridor Houston Orchestra, ECHOrchestra for short, occupies a peculiar middle ground in the city’s arts landscape. It’s big and talented enough to handle top-level repertoire, flexible enough to sponsor a chamber-music series and young-artist competition, and yet still something of a secret outside its far-westside community.
“In a nutshell, I think the biggest challenge is that it’s small enough that not everyone knows about it and large enough that the needs are significant,” says executive director Linda Shrum East. “Finding those donors and satisfying the needs emotionally and communitywise in such a way that we can support the orchestra is a really difficult thing.”
The orchestra began in 2014 when, explains East, co-founders Michael Fahey and Sarah McDonner wanted to increase the “cultural presence” in the district much better known for the high concentration of energy company offices than artistic amenities. The orchestra director at Stratford High School for three decades, Fahey leveraged his extensive network of area musical contacts and pulled together the first ECHOrchestra concert in the fall of 2015 at Bridgepoint Bible Church.
“I was not with them at the time, but it was approximately 400 guests,” says East, “so that was pretty phenomenal.”
East came aboard two years ago after working as a public school art teacher and a stint at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, first serving a year as assistant executive director. Today, she explains, ECHOrchestra’s concerts usually feature between 40 and 50 musicians onstage, drawn from a pool of around 90 musicians. (Auditions are by appointment.) About half that number consists of professional musicians, but the orchestra also includes doctors, accountants, educators and — this being the Energy Corridor — a “significant representation” from the oil and gas industry.
“Being able to be a part of a group like this is very important to some of these people, who have learned to play an instrument and then never really have an option or an opportunity to use their talent,” says East. “And, of course, it’s also fun and satisfying to be a part of a group like that. When you’re making music together, it’s different from making music even for your neighborhood or your family or friends. When you’re in a large group, it’s just a very satisfying experience.”
Lacking a permanent home base, the orchestra’s concerts shuttle between venues; during the 2021-22 season, it set up shop at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, Lanier Middle School and the Queensbury
Theatre near CityCentre. Unable to stage large concerts during the pandemic, it inaugurated Echoes in the Area, a chamber-music series of performances in cozier places, such as Art Cellar of Houston and the Campbell Learning Center. When the bigger orchestral concerts resumed, Echoes in the Area continued as well.
“It’s just a totally different kind of event, and it seems to be very, very popular with not only our historical group of patrons and friends and fans but with new people that we had reached out to,” says East. “It started with one purpose, and it has ended up being another great opportunity to provide music for our community members.”
ECHOrchestra’s eclectic repertoire ranges from symphonic titans Mozart and Tchaikovsky to the jazzy sounds of Gershwin and Cole Porter. Last month, cellist Chanmin (Joel) Park, winner of the annual Young Artist Concert Competition, performed the first movement of Édouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto; also on the program was the world premiere of Houston-based composer Kevin Ray’s “Retrospect.”
That concert brought ECHOrchestra’s eighth season to a close — almost. On Sunday, it hosts a “Season Finale” fundraiser at Café Benedict on Memorial Drive. The restaurant is a little cozy to hold a full orchestra, so instead, two trios (one jazz, one classical) will serenade patrons between a round of “Name That Tune,” featuring excerpted highlights from past seasons. Items up for bid at the silent auction include vacation getaways, artwork and a football signed by former Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini.
East credits the organization’s donor base, which she says currently numbers around 2,000, for helping keep ECHOrchestra afloat — especially those who don’t even leave their name.
“We had a substantial contribution at our last New Year’s Eve concert from some people we didn’t even know,” she says. “It turns out they just were told about it, or heard about it or something, and came and were so impressed and happy that they just contributed. Those things happen.”