Texas State Chamber Orchestra to perform at White House

Poated by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
November 18, 2008

The Texas State University-San Marcos Chamber Orchestra has been invited at the White House as part of the 2008 holiday festivities in Washington, D.C.

The 20-member Texas State Chamber Orchestra will perform for 90 minutes Dec. 6 during the first of five White House Christmas Open House events.

“We are extremely honored to represent Texas State University and the great state of Texas in the 2008 White House holiday festivities,” said Texas State Orchestra Conductor Howard Hudiburg. “This event will be a treasured memory for our student performers throughout the remainder of their lives.”

Hudiburg will accompany the orchestra along with Texas State University System Chancellor Charles Matthews and College of Fine Arts and Communication Dean Richard Cheatham.

The open house event is an invitation-only affair, attended by senators, representatives and other members of Washington society. Following the concert, the orchestra members will be given a special tour of the White House.

“Our students will be able to see what the White House is like at Christmas,” said Cheatham. “Years from now, they’ll be able to tell about the time they performed at the White House. That’s a memory they’ll keep with them for the rest of their lives.”

The Texas State contingent will fly to Washington the morning of Dec. 6 and spend the night in the city following the performance. The following day, Dec. 7, they will take a tour of the Smithsonian Institution and the U.S. Capitol, with stops at the World War II and President Franklin D. Roosevelt memorials in observance of the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. That evening they will fly back so that students may study for finals.

The trip is being made possible due to the outstanding support of Student Service Fee Committee, which voted unanimously to finance trip out of available financial reserves.

For more information, contact Howard Hudiburg at (512) 245-2665.