About Our Program

Hogg Middle School Orchestra

History

1913

Ima Hogg, daughter of James S. Hogg, helped found the Houston Symphony and served as First Vice President of the Houston Symphony Society.

1926

James S. Hogg Middle School opened, named after the twentieth governor of Texas.

1950s

Music had always existed at Hogg Middle School. Music teacher Jantha Hampton Muse (born 1916) wrote the old school Hymn, which was recently unearthed and performed by the orchestra at the school's centennial. Jantha was described as a "vibrant, energetic person, so full of life."

2016

Long-time band director, David Sells, saw the growing need for an orchestra at Hogg Middle School. He started the program in 2016 with just thirty-six students: twenty-three violin players, two viola players, seven cello players, and three double bass players.

2020s

Hogg Middle School Orchestra provided string education and community entertainment for eight years, under the direction of J.C. Williams

Fall 2025

Noah White-Telles inherited the program. The orchestra has since grown to over 120 students.

Spring 2026

Later that year, Hogg Middle School Orchestra won its first-ever Sweepstakes at the UIL Orchestra Concert and Sight-Reading Festival.

March 21st, 2026

Hogg Middle School celebrated its 100th anniversary with a centennial picnic. Decades of Alumni gathered in front of the school to hear the orchestra and choir perform the old Hogg Hymn.

Fall 2026

The orchestra moved from its small third-floor classroom to its new first-floor classroom, marking the program's tenth anniversary. Room 100 is the Anna Sabota Community Center, named after a student who passed away.

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