Houston Ballet recently announced that the 2023-2024 season will be Ermanno Florio’s final season as Music Director after 32 years at the podium.
“Although I’m stepping down as Music Director of Houston Ballet, I will continue with my international conducting career and look forward to the possibility of guest conducting with the Company in the years ahead,” said Florio in a statement.
Musicians of the Houston Ballet Orchestra describe Maestro Florio as a “strong musical leader” with “an unerring sense of tempo and timing, so crucial in ballet,” who has shown great care and compassion with colleagues over his decades with the company.
Houston Ballet says that Florio has been the Principal Conductor for every production since he joined the company in 1992, from repertoire spanning the classics of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky to many world premieres.
Florio also guided and led the orchestra through the COVID-19 pandemic, including a socially-distanced recording session in January 2021, which marked the first time since the start of the pandemic that the orchestra reunited on stage at the Wortham Theater Center.
“What we do is bring people together. When the music starts, there’s a sense of unity. I still get shivers thinking about it—it’s gratifying and good for the soul,” Florio told Houston Chronicle reporter Amber Elliott at the time.
A Houston Chronicle article in 2008 by Charles Ward recounted the story of how Florio got the job to come to Houston: it started in La Scala, where he had prepared music—to “great reviews”—for a dance production at Teatro alla Scala.
“Former Houston Ballet principal Li Cunxin was a guest dancer in the La Scala show, and former artistic director Ben Stevenson came to see him,” wrote Ward. “Li, Stevenson and Florio all went out to dinner. Florio came to conduct Houston Ballet as a guest during the 1991-92 season; he got the music director job here in 1992.”
In addition to his enduring role at Houston Ballet, Florio was Music Director of the American Ballet Theatre (1998 – 2001) and Music Director of Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam (2004 – 2012), where he continues to serve as principal guest conductor. His career highlights also include an extensive and award-winning discography, as well as numerous music arrangements of ballet scores, including Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch’s Marie Antoinette and La Bayadère.
Welch called Florio’s ability to bring dancers and musicians closer together “extraordinary.”
“His collaboration with all has resulted in continuous wonderful performances and contributed greatly to our company’s artistic success, all while helping to build the reputation of Houston as one of the greatest cities in the world for art,” said Welch in a statement.
Houston Arts Journal reached out to longtime musicians of the Houston Ballet Orchestra for their following reactions to Maestro Florio’s tenure:
Ermanno is a real humanist, and a really great guy. Approaching him is always easy, even for serious conversations, and he seems to actually enjoy talking with the musicians in the orchestra. He cares about his people very much, and rarely a harsh thing comes out of his mouth, but when it does, we probably needed it. It will be sad to see him go. The man is a very prolific ballet conductor, in rep and in number of performances across the world. 32 years is a long time, anywhere, so his presence as a consistent symbol of the grace and excellence of the Houston Ballet will be missed greatly.
Rene Salazar, Principal Violist since 2003
Ermanno Florio has been conductor with Houston Ballet for over 30 years … I joined the orchestra 27 years ago, so I’ve been witness to his remarkable journey. During his tenure, the ballet orchestra has blossomed, in large measure due to Ermanno’s steady cultivation and balanced leadership … Whether performing a tried and true classic or something outlandish and new, Ermanno brings to the podium a serious dedication to the music while navigating a graceful path between dancers, choreographers, stage managers, and musicians, all the while arriving at the podium with an elegance and charisma and with never a hair out of place … With an unerring sense of tempo and timing, so crucial in ballet, it is no wonder that he has flourished in Houston and in the world of dance, enjoying an international career. The Houston Ballet Orchestra celebrates his legacy and we will miss him. Fortunately, we will have one more great season together!
Barrett Sills, Principal Cellist since 1996
I have known and worked closely with Ermanno Florio throughout his tenure with Houston Ballet. His first appearance with the Houston Ballet Orchestra was as a guest conductor. Following that successful engagement, he became our music director and principal conductor beginning the next season. Ermanno has striven to make the orchestra’s playing a sensitive and compelling musical accompaniment to the choreography. Houston Ballet has been the beneficiary of his many years of conducting on the international stage, all the while growing his knowledge and musical understanding. His standards and expectations are high, and the orchestra has continued to show musical growth each season. He is always a strong musical leader focused on our performance success, but also has a caring and compassionate side when dealing with the members of the orchestra. He has made a huge positive impact on the orchestra, and I will miss working with him greatly.
Rick Reeves, Bass Trombone since 1987 and current Orchestra Manager
Florio’s final season as Houston Ballet’s Music Director in 2023-2024 coincides with other company milestones: Stanton Welch’s 20thanniversary as Artistic Director and the new appointment of Julie Kent as the company’s first Co-Artistic Director alongside Welch.
According to company representatives, recently appointed Associate Conductor Simon Thew and Florio have worked closely together and in support of each other over the past season and will continue to do so in Florio’s final season. A new music director will be announced at a later date.
Houston Arts Journal 