Madison Isthmus (Madison, Wisconsin):
"The evening's most arresting piece was a stunning performance of Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" Overture under the baton of conductor William Houston...Houston's knowledge of the piece - he conducted it from memory - was intimate and impressively detailed...but there came a magical moment, after one of those crashing climaxes for which the composer is so famous, at which exactly the right thing happened: The music just flowed into the auditorium. It was very moving. Houston is a sensitive and expressive musician..."Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, New Mexico):
"Well-executed by the solo players, The New South West (sic) Orchestra under William C. Houston III is a first-class group, comparable to any group I've heard in New Mexico. Maestro Houston's group should be heard more often.""The New South West (sic) Orchestra under the expert direction of William Houston the III gave a superb opening concert at the Greer Garson Theater in Santa Fe on June 20."
"Houston's orchestral accompaniment was flawless."
Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, New Mexico):
"The New Southwest Orchestra is to be commended for its daring performances. The reception of the audience, a wonderful cross section of ages so rare at classical concerts, shows this group is on to something right."
"Houston is a musical conductor..."Newark Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey):
"The orchestra's executive director, William Houston, picked up the baton for these competition finals, a rare chance to see the multifaceted man on the podium. By their nature, competition finals are about supporting and, if necessary, protecting fragile young artists, so Houston's ability to follow the soloists was put to good use here. He kept the orchestra bright and projecting."
