Hope Cowan, Harp & Zachary Montasser, Violin

Harpist Hope Cowan will be joined by violinist Zachary Montasser in “The Bard and the Poet: Musical Storytelling Old and New.”  The program will include Irish tunes with a storytelling tradition, classical pieces Saint-Saens’ Fantasie for Harp and Violin and Piazzolla’s History of Tango, and contemporary pop songs that have a strong storytelling element. 

Hope Cowan 
Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Ms. Cowan relocated to Houston, Texas in 2009 to pursue her music education.  She has a Master’s of Music degree from Rice University and a Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Houston, both under the instruction of Paula Page.
As an orchestral musician, Ms. Cowan is the principal harpist of the Symphony of Southeast Texas and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra.  Formerly, she was the principal harpist of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. She has served as a guest musician with various symphonies including the Milwaukee, Victoria, San Antonio, Brazos Valley, Lake Charles, and Corpus Christi Symphonies. She has also been a guest musician with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, Opera in the Heights, and Mercury Chamber Orchestra.
An avid chamber musician, Ms. Cowan is a founding member of both the Deciduous Trio and the Lynx Trio. Chamber music performances include appearances at the National Flute Association Convention and the American Harp Society Summer Institute. She has appeared as a guest artist on faculty recitals at Sul Ross State University, University of Texas El Paso, and San Angelo State University. An advocate for contemporary chamber music, she has also appeared with SYZGY: New Music at Rice, The Foundation for Modern Music, AURA, and MUSIQA.

Zachary Montasser, violin
A native of Bethesda, Maryland, violinist Zachary Montasser has had a passion for violin and music from a very young age, earning Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Violin Performance under the tutelage of prize-winning violinist Andrzej Grabiec at the Moores School of Music. Mr. Montasser also completed a Performance Certificate at DePaul University under the direction of concertizing violinist Janet Sung. Over the course of his studies, Mr. Montasser developed a love for the String Quartet genre, co-founding the Fuzion String Quartet and Clark Street Quartet.
In 2015 Mr. Montasser moved to Houston to pursue a career as a full-time freelance musician. He is currently second violinist in the Westheimer String Quartet, whose focus is to bring classical music to the Houston Community by performing at churches, elementary schools, high schools, and colleges in Texas and Oklahoma. As well, Mr. Montasser is a core member of the Symphony of Southeast Texas, and often performs as a musical theater musician.
Throughout his career, Mr. Montasser has been an enthusiastic pedagogue. He has had the privilege to work with organizations such as the Bay Area Youth Symphony (Clear Lake, Texas) and The People’s Music School (Chicago Illinois).

Performance Location: John Wesley UMC, 5830 Bermuda Dunes Dr., Houston 77069
Date & Time: 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Tickets: $12 Adult, $10 Senior, $8 Child/Student, $8/person Groups of 6 or more
Season Ticket Sales: On Sale Now
Single Ticket Sales: 9am, Monday, August 2, 2021

Somewhere Over the Rainbow, harp