Musiqa Presents Free LOFT Concert, 'Angel Otero: Everything or Nothing', Today

Musiqa, two-time winner of the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, presents a free LOFT concert, "Angel Otero: Everything or Nothing" at the Contemporary Arts Museum on Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 PM. The evening's program, which was created to complement the CAMH exhibit of the name, features works by (mostly) Puerto Rico-born composers.

The most prominent of the composers featured on the program is Roberto Sierra, a former student of György Ligeti and recipient of a major award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Two works by Sierra will be included on the program: "Bong-O" and "Tres Pensamnientos". Both works showcase Sierra's trademark infectious rhythms: the former as the percussionist speaks and plays on two bongos, and the latter as percussion and bass clarinet toss rhythms back and forth.

In "Como si fuera la primavera" the bass clarinet and percussion are joined by clarinet and cello in composer Carlos Carrillo-Cotto's 1996 work which contrasts long, held notes with short, dynamic figures, creating a sort of ritualistic distance. Also on the program is William Ortiz Alvarado's "Soneo de la 22", a virtuosic tour-de-force for solo cello which occasionally requires the performer to mimic the sound of a guitar.

Mexican composer Javier Álvarez is represented by his work for solo percussion, "Temazcal". This unusual work, scored for maracas and tape, evokes a hallucinatory experience in a Meso-American sweat lodge. The work again calls to mind a sort of strange, otherworldly ritual.

Finally, we will present "Four Preludes for Two Clarinets" by Musiqa composer Marcus Karl Maroney. The work, composed at Tanglewood in 1999, explores the similarities of two identical instruments playing near-identical passages, evoking something akin almost to a tape delay.

Musiqa's "Angel Otero: Everything and Nothing"

Thursday, February 9

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

5216 Montrose Blvd.

Houston, TX 77006

6:30 PM - Performance

Admission is free

ON THE PROGRAM:

Carlos Carrillo-Cotto: "Como si fuera la primavera" for clarinet, bass clarinet, cello and percussion

Roberto Sierra: "Bongo-O" for percussion

Marcus K. Maroney: "Four Preludes for Two Clarinets"

William Ortiz-Alvarado: "Soneo de la 22" for solo cello

Roberto Sierra: "Tres Pensamientos" for bass clarinet and percussion

Javier Álvarez: "Temzcal" for percussion

PERFORMERS:

Natalie Hoe, clarinet
John Walters, clarinet/bass clarinet

Thomas Frey, bass clarinet

Max Geissler, cello

Brandon Bell, percussion

Craig Hauschildt, percussion

ABOUT MUSIQA

Musiqa is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Founded in 2002 and led by four composers, Musiqa aims to enrich and inspire the community through programs that integrate contemporary music with other modern art forms. Musiqa celebrates modern creative arts through interdisciplinary concerts that highlight modern music and its connections to literature, film, dance, art, and more. With its innovative collaborations and educational programming, Musiqa strives to make modern repertoire accessible and vital to audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds.

Major support for Musiqa is provided by Houston Endowment, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Powell Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Texas Commission on the Arts, R. Stan and Reinnette Marek, the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation, Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Kinder Morgan Foundation.

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