Alice Pratt Brown Hall

The Alice Pratt Brown Hall is the home of the Shepard School of Music at Rice. I was there twice in the last two days, first to catch the Chamber Orchestra performance then the Symphony Orchestra. Free concerts, comfortable seats that actually have leg room, and walking distance from where I work… I’m not sure a venue can get much better than this.

Tuesday I was checking out the CultureMap events calender and noticed the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University was performing a free concert at 8pm. I thought it would be a good idea to stop by Valhalla for a pre-​show refreshment 30 minutes before the show and discovered they had 95 cent Zeigenbock on draft — Today was a good day for discovery.
20 minutes later I left for the Hall, which is two blocks away, and arrived just in time to find a seat. The first piece was the Overture to La Gazza Ladra by Gioachino Rossini. Stanley Kubrick used it in his 1971 film A Clockwork Orange — So yes, you’ve heard it and you liked it. However, hearing live was even better.
I have to agree with Dolph W. «…the musicianship is of the highest level. This is the best place to consistently hear world-​class chamber music in Houston.» For me, this was a 5 star experience and I will be going back.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, admission to all Shepherd School of Music events is free and tickets are not required.

In the late 80’s, both the Wortham Center downtown and Alice Pratt Brown Hall at Rice University opened. This is quite impressive since Houston’s economy was in the tank at the time and the millions of dollars required for their construction were all raised via private funds. Alice Pratt Brown Hall became a reality because the Browns, Studes, Duncans and the Olds provided a big chunk of the required capital and got various portions of the place named after them.
It’s a wonderful facility and the home of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. It houses Stude Concert Hall (1000 seats), Duncan Recital Hall (250 seats) and my favorite, the Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall and Grand Organ. In addition, the facility is chock full of studios, rehearsal spaces, practice rooms and classrooms. It’s one of the big reasons the Shepherd School is becoming so prestigious.
As a concert venue, it provides the best value for money anywhere in Houston. All the faculty, guest and student recitals are FREE and with world-​renowned musicians on the faculty, the musicianship is of the highest level. This is the best place to consistently hear world-​class chamber music in Houston. In addition to the Rice faculty recitals, the Houston Friends of Music holds its subscription series at Stude Concert Hall that features some of the world’s greatest chamber ensembles. All the halls have excellent acoustics and an intimate feel.
The Edythe Bates Old Recital Hall features a tracker action organ with 4493 pipes modeled after French instruments. It will blow your socks off. The hall is also used for chamber and choral music. I’ve performed there a number of times and love the intimacy with the audience and the variable acoustics controlled by curtains that can be raised and lowered on the walls.
There is always something going on here during the school year. You really do need to stop by. To get here, take Entrance #8 off of University Blvd. West Lot 1 is right across the street from the hall. Please note that you have to use a credit card to pay and get out of the lot (failure to have one means you’re stuck). Paying for parking is a lot cheaper than paying for a recital.