Taipei, September 21, 2026         The Evergreen Symphony Orchestra presents “Jerry Hou & ESO” on November 20 at Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. Led by ESO Associate Conductor Jerry Hou, the program features Claude Debussy’s “Images pour orchestra”, CD 118, No. 2, Ibéria, selections from Jean Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, and Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable.”

The program opens with Debussy’s Ibéria, a work filled with vivid Spanish color. In fact, many of Debussy’s impressions of Spain came not from firsthand experience, but from books and accounts by friends. Through rhythm, melody, and a rich orchestral palette, he evokes the streets, night air, and festive mornings of an imagined Spain.

The concert continues with selections from Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen Suite, inspired by Finland’s national epic poem, the Kalevala. ESO will perform Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island and Lemminkäinen’s Return. Hou studied conducting in Finland with renowned conductor Jorma Panula, bringing an added connection to the Finnish repertoire featured on the program.

The second half is devoted to Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable.” Nielsen and Sibelius, both born in 1865, would become two of the leading musical figures of Denmark and Finland, respectively. Nielsen conceived this symphony around the idea of life and music, as something that cannot be extinguished. Its four interconnected movements move between lyricism and conflict, culminating in a dramatic finale featuring an intense exchange between two sets of timpani.

“Jerry Hou & ESO” will be presented on Friday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m. at Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. For ticket information, please visit the official Evergreen Symphony Orchestra website or OPENTIX.