The classical music scene in Texas is a space where deeply rooted traditions collide with the necessity for radical change. The Houston Symphony Orchestra, one of the leading ensembles in the United States, is renowned for its diverse repertoire and educational initiatives, such as programs for schools and youth (Houston Symphony, 2025). The chamber ensemble ROCO, known for its “thrilling and provocative” programming, commissions new works annually, expanding the boundaries of classical music through both global and local narratives (ROCO, 2025). Festivals such as Austin Classical Guitar and SXSW Classical Unlocked attract audiences with educational masterclasses and experimental formats aimed at young people (Austin Classical Guitar, 2025; SXSW, 2025). Yet the scene faces chronic challenges: an aging audience, low engagement among youth and ethnic minorities, and a lack of repertoire that reflects social realities—from fragmentation to the search for identity within Texas’s cultural diversity (SpringerOpen, 2024).
According to the National Endowment for the Arts (2012, 2022), attendance at classical concerts in the United States has been steadily declining: from 1982 to 2012, the share of American adults attending such events fell from 13% to 8.8%, equivalent to a roughly 30% decline among young adults aged 18–24. In Texas, where more than 40% of the population is Latino and African American, orchestras remain predominantly white, discouraging new audiences and deepening cultural divides (League of American Orchestras, 2020). Research underscores the need to create works that resonate with the experiences of emerging communities and digitally immersed youth in order to keep classical music relevant in an era of demographic change (SpringerOpen, 2024).
Within this context, the violin and piano duet Between (2025), composed by pianist Alex Syedin and performed with violinist Yuliya Kucherenko, transcends the boundaries of a musical composition to become an act of cultural reconciliation. From its opening measures, Between immerses the listener in an atmosphere of melancholic tension: Kucherenko’s violin begins with long, portamento-tinged phrases that sound like an unspoken, yearning question. Syedin’s piano responds with a hypnotic stream of right-hand triplets—a motif that, despite its apparent monotony, embodies the relentless movement of inner conflict, the pull between solitude and the desire for connection. Harmonic progressions—from subtle modal hints to subdued dissonances resolving into fragile consonances—evoke a journey toward reconciliation. The violin’s upper register and the piano’s tenor lines intertwine in an intimate, almost tangible texture, dissolving the boundary between soloists and symbolizing the closeness so often missing in a divided society.
Alex Syedin, whose career began at the P. I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, where he studied bassoon and conducting, refined his artistry at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Ukraine, where he played in the orchestra for six years and developed his ability to convey dramatic depth through music (Claiborne, 2025). In Between, his experience as a conductor manifests in his skill at shaping dialogue between instruments, creating a composition that serves as a bridge across social divides. Violinist Yuliya Kucherenko, a virtuoso and international competition laureate, contributes expressive intensity that heightens the work’s emotional depth. Their recording, captured with crystalline clarity, is perfectly suited for broadcast on KMFA or for performance in Houston and Austin chamber venues such as the Young Texas Artists halls or the new festival stages in Fredericksburg (Young Texas Artists, 2025).
Between answers the call for innovation voiced by organizations like ROCO and festivals such as SXSW Classical Unlocked, which seek music capable of resonating with younger and more diverse audiences (ROCO, 2025; SXSW, 2025).
The work fits seamlessly into the repertoire of initiatives that aim to revive interest in classical music, offering a universal emotional appeal accessible even to those who seldom attend concerts. Moreover, Syedin’s conducting talent, capable of breathing life into complex scores, positions him as a figure whose work can transform the Texas music scene by bringing a new vision of inclusivity and cultural dialogue.
For the sustainable development of classical music in Texas, further investment in such projects is essential—from commissions for local composers to partnerships with ethnic communities—in order to overcome demographic barriers and reignite young people’s interest (League of American Orchestras, 2020). Between illustrates how music can serve as a tool of social reconciliation, offering Texas a model for a future in which classical art not only preserves traditions but also creates a space for intercultural unity.
References
Austin Classical Guitar. (2025). Official website. https://austinclassicalguitar.org/
Claiborne, C. (2025). Tuning In: Pianist and Bassoonist Alex Syedin [Video interview]. FOX7 https://www.fox7austin.com/video/1629110
Houston Symphony. (2025). Official website. https://houstonsymphony.org/
League of American Orchestras. (2020). Engaging next generation audiences. https://americanorchestras.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Student-Engagement-Study.pdf
National Endowment for the Arts. (2012). Visual and performing arts attendance. https://maskoftheflowerprince.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/nea-report-chapter-1-visual-and-performing-arts-attendance.pdf
National Endowment for the Arts. (2022). Arts participation patterns in 2022. https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/2022-SPPA-final.pdf
ROCO. (2025). Official website. https://roco.org/
SpringerOpen. (2024). Addressing the challenges and strategies for Western classical music. International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, 8(1), 1–15. https://ijae.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41257-024-00121-7
SXSW. (2025). Classical Unlocked program. https://www.sxsw.com/
Young Texas Artists. (2025). Official website. https://www.youngtexasartists.org/
