MUSIC

Musiqa presents the third of its sixth season of free "loft" concerts at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The concert takes place on Thursday, May 20th at 6:30 p.m. in conjunction with the Museum's exhibition Hand+Made.

Musiqa's program includes Steve Reich's Clapping Music, Iannis Xenakis Okho for three djembes, Vinko Globokar's Corporal for solo percussion and Marcus Maroney's Panneaux en acier for solo percussion. Performers include percussionists Craig Hauschildt and Blake Wilkins.

Hand+Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft features twenty artists who innovatively expand the traditions of art and craft through the incorporation of performance. Highlights include Nick Cave's exuberant Sound Suits and Anne Wilson's Walking the Warp, a sculpture woven by dancers. Musiqa's program includes musical works that include a visual component and have to be seen to be fully appreciated. In Vinko Globokar's Corporal, the percussionist uses his own body to create all of the sounds. Steve Reich's Clapping Music and Iannis Xenakis Okho make the most of the most restricted possible materials. In Marcus Maroney's Panneaux en acier, the performer traces his way through the score, creating a unique performance on the spot.

Craig Hauschildtis currently on the faculty of Texas A&M. In addition to performing with Musiqa, he has appeared with the Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, the Houston Symphony and Da Camera of Houston. Blake Wilkins is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the Moores School of Music. He is a strong advocate for new music, and performs regularly with Musiqa, the University of Southern California's Contemporary Music Ensemble and OU's New Century Ensemble and El Dos.

Musiqa is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts. Major support for Musiqa has been provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, the Farb Foundation, the Herzstein Foundation, Houston Endowment Inc., the National Endowment for the Arts, the Powell Foundation, the Simmons Foundation, the Strake Foundation, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Toomim Foundation and the Wolff Foundation.