MUSIC

Contemporary music group Musiqa greets the new year with Real and Imagined, a concert that explores the harmonies of new music and film.

Presented in collaboration with Aurora Picture Show, Real and Imagined will include Pierre Jalbert's Visual Abstract, performed live to a film by Jean Detheux, Theo Loevendie's Six Turkish Folk Songs.  Curated by Aurora Picture Show, short films will screen amidst the musical performances, including Film of the Sea by Takashi Ishida and The Art of Drowning by Diego Maclean. Conducted by Brett Mitchell (pictured). Real and Imagined will take place on Saturday, January 8, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. in Zilkha Hall of The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Pierre Jalbert is a Houston-based composer and Professor of Composition and Theory at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Houston, where he has taught since 1996. Focusing primarily on instrumental works, Jalbert has developed a musical language that is engaging, expressive, and deeply personal.

Born in Belgium and trained in the arts of painting and drawing in traditional media, Jean Detheux creates works that explore the possibilities of digital animated imagery. He collaborates frequently with composers and currently resides in Quebec.

Theo Loevendie studied composition and clarinet at the Amsterdam Conservatory. His background as a jazz musician influenced his early works and he also regularly explores the musical combinations that result from the combination of western and non-western instruments.

Musiqa's artistic collaborator, the Aurora Picture Show, is a non-profit micro-cinema that presents artist-made, non-commercial film and video. Aurora has distinguished itself as a home for vanguard work that falls outside of conventional moviemaking.

Founded in 2002, Musiqa (www.musiqahouston.org) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Led by five 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 inter-disciplinary 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.

Musiqa is funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.