Music

Texas Lens: Arts Pedestrians

“Where are you going?” asked Dallas’s favorite classical DJ Amy Bishop, as I was heading…

A brief survey of experimental music in Houston

April 17, 2018

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A brief survey of experimental music in Houston

This article is a patch, some spackling, experimental music duct tape on the rickety machinery…

Brahms at the Bar: Dallas’s Open Classical Re-frames Music Experience

April 16, 2018

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Brahms at the Bar: Dallas’s Open Classical Re-frames Music Experience

It’s a Tuesday night at Buzzbrews Kitchen in Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood, where tattooed waitresses with…

Youth, Talent & Energy: KINETIC concludes its season at the MATCH

April 12, 2018

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Music

Youth, Talent & Energy: KINETIC concludes its season at the MATCH

KINETIC, the conductorless ensemble directed by Natalie Lin, closes its third season with Musical Madness…

Music Fit for a Queen or Two—Ars Lyrica’s Regal Offering

April 12, 2018

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Music

Music Fit for a Queen or Two—Ars Lyrica’s Regal Offering

Matthew Dirst, artistic director of Ars Lyrica Houston, has an unerring ability to put together…

Mystery Sonatas and a Celebratory 50th Anniversary Season Ahead for Houston Early Music

April 6, 2018

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Mystery Sonatas and a Celebratory 50th Anniversary Season Ahead for Houston Early Music

What makes Heinrich's Biber's Mystery Sonatas so strikingly unique?

April 5, 2018

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Texas Lens: Art Pilgrims

Sometimes, I forget about how Texas learns about itself from these pages.

Defying Categorization: Jamie Barton Returns to HGO

March 17, 2018

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Defying Categorization: Jamie Barton Returns to HGO

“I say this with absolute ultimate pride: I introduced Christine Goerke to Dubsmash at Mai’s…

Imaginary Concerts & Charged Objects: Marfa Myths/Hyperobjects at Ballroom Marfa

March 17, 2018

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Imaginary Concerts & Charged Objects: Marfa Myths/Hyperobjects at Ballroom Marfa

Sitting at a red light in Houston, behind a Range Rover with an “I [red…

Listening Rituals: Hans Tutschku at the Moody Center

March 13, 2018

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Listening Rituals: Hans Tutschku at the Moody Center

In the liner notes for an upcoming CD on GRM, Paris, composer Hans Tutschku -…

Up to the Challenge: New leadership helps Fort Worth Opera revamp

March 13, 2018

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Up to the Challenge: New leadership helps Fort Worth Opera revamp

When the Fort Worth Opera Festival unveiled its plans for this year’s edition, the repertoire…

Rising Talent & Veterans: Next Season at Chamber Music Houston

February 27, 2018

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Rising Talent & Veterans: Next Season at Chamber Music Houston

When the Rolston String Quartet first flashed onto Chamber Music Houston’s radar screen, the young…

February 14, 2018

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Texas String Divas

For classically-trained string players, the traditional route to making a living as a professional musician…

Film Fusion: ‘Sunken Garden’ at Dallas Opera

February 12, 2018

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Film Fusion: ‘Sunken Garden’ at Dallas Opera

A war has been waging for centuries: words versus music…which is more important in opera?

January 24, 2018

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KINETIC: Painting an English Landscape

Thoughtful, incisive programming has been KINETIC's strong suit since its inception in 2015.

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen: A Countertenor to Encounter

January 17, 2018

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Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen: A Countertenor to Encounter

The Ivy Leaguer tore up his career plan. For his first two years at Princeton…

Shaping the Future: ROCO Connects Through Commissioning

January 15, 2018

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Shaping the Future: ROCO Connects Through Commissioning

The numbers are in: 76 world premieres (33 for the full chamber orchestra and 43…

Da Camera’s Beethoven For All: All for Beethoven

January 6, 2018

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Da Camera’s Beethoven For All: All for Beethoven

In 1988, for the first time in Houston, the entire cycle of Beethoven string quartets…

Fun at the Laupera: <em>Traci and Tony’s Unusual New Year’s Eve</em> at Rec Room

December 30, 2017

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Fun at the Laupera: Traci and Tony’s Unusual New Year’s Eve at Rec Room

Girls, and boys, may just want to have fun on New Years Eve, but for…

Menace in Macrame: Hansel and Gretel at the Rec Room

December 11, 2017

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Menace in Macrame: Hansel and Gretel at the Rec Room

“This is the future of art, where would you see something like this in Houston?…

The Excitement of Shift: Joseph Keckler Comes to the Long Center

November 29, 2017

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Austin

The Excitement of Shift: Joseph Keckler Comes to the Long Center

Last April, as the evening weekend revelries began at Fusebox, Austin’s annual cross-disciplinary arts festival,…

Close to the Ground: Lily Cabatu Weiss Leads the Dallas Arts District Forward

November 29, 2017

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Close to the Ground: Lily Cabatu Weiss Leads the Dallas Arts District Forward

As a dancer and teacher, Lily Cabatu Weiss operated close to the ground.

Wonder & Adventure: Bach Society Houston Charts New Adventures

November 14, 2017

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Wonder & Adventure: Bach Society Houston Charts New Adventures

Rick Erickson, director of Bach Society Houston (BSH), has had a lifelong love affair with…

In This Petri Dish: Day for Night Festival Immerses Houston In Art, Music, Activism

November 14, 2017

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In This Petri Dish: Day for Night Festival Immerses Houston In Art, Music, Activism

Day for Night, the music and art festival now entering its third year, has caused…

Doomed Love: <em>La Traviata</em> at Dallas Opera

October 31, 2017

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Doomed Love: La Traviata at Dallas Opera

The Dallas Opera’s superb production of the world’s most frequently performed opera, Giuseppe Verdi’s La…

The Show Must Go on…Somewhere Else: The Post-Harvey Scramble for Space

October 30, 2017

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The Show Must Go on…Somewhere Else: The Post-Harvey Scramble for Space

Harvey took the floor away from us, and for a large part of the arts…

Onward: HGOco Finds Its Groove with Carleen Graham

October 23, 2017

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Onward: HGOco Finds Its Groove with Carleen Graham

Carleen Graham has a big job. One year after taking the helm as director of…

A Decade of Surprises: The Refined and Undefined Appeal of Luminaria

October 23, 2017

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A Decade of Surprises: The Refined and Undefined Appeal of Luminaria

San Antonio’s expansive, one-night-only arts festival is turning 10 this year. In a city that…

Aperio presents (M)iyamoto is Black Enough—the Poetry of Revolution

October 18, 2017

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Music

Aperio presents (M)iyamoto is Black Enough—the Poetry of Revolution

The words, and the music that gave it voltage, burned, leaving a searing mark on…

Drumming up New Work: Austin’s line upon line Focuses on Commissioning

October 16, 2017

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Austin

Drumming up New Work: Austin’s line upon line Focuses on Commissioning

From woodwind trios to massive orchestras, most musical groups can prepare for a concert in…

Vocal Heroics: Clifton Forbis Returns To Dallas Opera

September 21, 2017

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Vocal Heroics: Clifton Forbis Returns To Dallas Opera

The opera world never has enough heroic tenors.

Van Cliburn Winner Yekwon Sunwoo Returns to Texas

September 13, 2017

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Van Cliburn Winner Yekwon Sunwoo Returns to Texas

The first time Yekwon Sunwoo vied in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the judges…

A Heroic Launch: Glass Opens Aperio’s Big Season

September 11, 2017

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A Heroic Launch: Glass Opens Aperio’s Big Season

Against significant odds--flood damage at the Hobby Center and other Theater District performing arts venues,…

New Horizons: Apollo Chamber Players Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

September 4, 2017

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New Horizons: Apollo Chamber Players Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

Apollo Chamber Players plays a Harvey Relief Concert on Sept. 8 at the Match in…

The Sound of Things: Alyce Santoro and Bohyun Yoon at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

August 18, 2017

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The Sound of Things: Alyce Santoro and Bohyun Yoon at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

The world around us produces sound endlessly, incessantly.

Invoke String Quartet Brings “Folky Classical” to Austin

August 17, 2017

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Austin

Invoke String Quartet Brings “Folky Classical” to Austin

Take one look at Invoke’s website and it’s clear they’re not your typical classical string…

Celestial Music: Houston Symphony’s Composer in Residence Jimmy López Premieres New Work

August 14, 2017

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Celestial Music: Houston Symphony’s Composer in Residence Jimmy López Premieres New Work

Jimmy López got hooked on classical music when he was 12, thanks to J.S. Bach’s…

Pioneers and Visionaries: Houston Chamber Choir’s 22nd Season

July 24, 2017

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Pioneers and Visionaries: Houston Chamber Choir’s 22nd Season

Each season, Simpson invites a prominent guest conductor to work with the choir on an…

Collaborative Spirit Defines Musiqa’s 2017-2018 Season

July 17, 2017

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Collaborative Spirit Defines Musiqa’s 2017-2018 Season

Tony Brandt, co-founder and artistic director of Houston's leading new music ensemble Musiqa, knows exactly…

Lynn Lane’s Transitory Sound and Movement Collective is Making Shifts in Houston

June 20, 2017

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Lynn Lane’s Transitory Sound and Movement Collective is Making Shifts in Houston

I think of Houston as a creative Bento box, in the way that New York…