Roitstein Family Performs in Houston Symphony’s Living Room Concert Series

Matthew Roitstein, associate principal flute of the Houston Symphony, rounds up his family—several of whom are CalArtian musicians—for a live online broadcast family concert on Friday, June 26 at 6 pm PDT.

The performance takes place as part of the Houston Symphony’s Living Room Concert Series, in which individual symphony members livestream concerts from their homes every Friday night. This week, Roitstein (flute) is joined by his father David Roitstein (piano), CalArts Jazz Program director at The Herb Alpert School of Music; his mother Rosy Sackstein (Art MFA 83, flute); his sister Alina Roitstein (Music 12, soprano); and brother-in-law Trevor Anderies (Music MFA 16, percussion). And while brother Matthew Roitstein can’t participate in the concert, the family will be tackling one of his arrangments.

The concert will feature the largest family ensemble of the series.

“Playing music together as a family was a regular event for us throughout my childhood, whether in performance or just casually at home,” Matthew Roitstein shared in a recent interview with the Houston Symphony’s blog. “We still love collaborating as often as we can, but it is less frequent now that we don’t all live in the same place.”

The program includes music by Mozart, Bach, Faure, Roussel, John Coltrane, Léa Freire, Celia Cruz, and David Roitstein—specifically, his “Duo for Flute and Piano,” to be performed alongside Matthew. 

“My dad’s ‘Duo for Flute and Piano’ is so special to me,” noted Roitstein. “I’ve known it my entire life—my dad wrote it for my mom two years before I was born. As a kid, I loved watching my parents making music together, and I feel so fortunate to be playing this piece with my dad now, especially in the same week as Father’s Day!”

The performance is preceded by a live talk with Houston Symphony Musical Ambassador Carlos Andrés Botero at 5:30 pm, and concludes with a Q&A session with audience members.

This is a one-time event and will not be available for later viewing.