Marsha Schweitzer, Lecturer in Bassoon at UH-Manoa, is also a music arranger of some repute and is being honored by the Monarch Chamber Players of Houston, Texas, in their season finale concerts on May 16 and 17, 2026.

The Monarchs will perform two of Schweitzerʻs longest and most difficult arrangements at these concerts, Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht and Mendelssohn’s Octet. Both works were originally written for string ensembles, re-orchestrated by Schweitzer for wind instruments.

“Arrangers are accustomed to remaining in the background,” Schweitzer said, “giving the original composers the limelight. There are just a few composers whose works warrant having an entire program devoted to them – Beethoven, Brahms, or Tchaikovsky, perhaps. So, to have an entire program devoted to my arrangements is a rare and humbling honor.”

Monarch Chamber Players is a collective of Houston-based professional musicians committed to taking classical chamber music out of the concert hall and into accessible community spaces. Monarch is a member of the Texas Touring Roster and currently presents over 50 concerts annually. The ensemble has brought classical music to over 25 Houston neighborhoods, performing at a variety of venues including parks, churches, farms, gas stations, traditional indoor venues, and front porches.