Houston's contemporary classical music scene brings fresh sounds to neighborhoods through dozens of local ensembles performing in unique venues.
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Houston has a vibrant contemporary classical music scene that brings fresh sounds to our neighborhoods. Dozens of local ensembles like Aperio of the Americas, Loop38, ROCO, and MUSIQA perform new compositions written after World War II. These groups don't just play in fancy concert halls. They bring music to art galleries, churches, living rooms, and unique spaces like the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern and Silos at Sawyer Yards. This makes classical music more accessible to everyone in our community. Our scene is thriving even when arts funding faces cuts nationwide. Houston audiences are eager to hear new music, and our performers are delivering. Rice University's Shepherd School of Music helps train the next generation of musicians who stay in Houston and contribute to our cultural life. The DACAMERA Young Artist Program develops local talent who become active members of our music community. These organizations make Houston a healthier, more culturally rich place to live. To get involved, check out concert listings from these ensembles, attend performances in your neighborhood, or look for volunteer opportunities. Many groups perform in accessible venues across the city. Follow local ensembles on social media to learn about upcoming shows and community events.
Image: Courtesy of Lawrence Elizabeth Knox/ROCO
Houston is home to a thriving contemporary classical music scene, and audiences, with open minds and ears, are showing up.
Dozens of ensembles across the city, including Aperio of the Americas, Loop38, Kinetic Ensemble, MUSIQA, and the ROCO (formerly River Oaks Chamber Orchestra), are dedicated to presenting music composed after World War II in traditional concert venues, as well as art galleries, churches, living rooms, and spaces such as the reverberant Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern and the spooky, atmospheric Silos at Sawyer Yards. “Houston is a very, very healthy place for the creation and continuation of classical music,” says Michael Zuraw, founder of Aperio of the Americas.
Last February, that vitality was on full display at Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, when acclaimed composer and Rice University Shepherd School of Music graduate Gabriela Lena Frank paused before the premiere of her haunting string quartet, Frida’s Dreams—a co-commission by DACAMERA—to acknowledge what she was witnessing. “Houston’s got it going on!” the beaming 53-year-old told a packed house.
For the second half of the concert, guest quartet Brooklyn Rider was joined onstage by five alumni of the DACAMERA Young Artist Program—all active members of Houston’s contemporary music scene. The program closed with a dramatic reading of Ascending Bird, based on a traditional Persian folk melody. The performers received more than one standing ovation—confirmation, if any was needed, that contemporary classical music is as vital a strand of Houston’s cultural life as its visual art, dance, literature, and poetry.
