There were full houses at the Degollado Theater on December 30 and 31, as the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra ended 2013 in triumphant style, with former director Hector Guzman leading the musicians in a program of classic works by the likes of Strauss, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.
The finale was a homage to Mexican composer Consuelo Velázquez, and Guzman invited the audience to join in and sing the memorable tunes “Bésame mucho” and “Amar y vivir.” Highlights were the solos by 12-year-old U.S. violin virtuoso Claire Wells, who studies in Dallas, Texas, close to where Guzman leads two orchestras, in Irving and San Angelo. Wells was given a long ovation for her interpretations of Beethoven’s “Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major” and Saint-Saëns’ “Rondo Capriccioso for Violin and Orchestra.”