Houston, TX (May 18, 2016) Musiqa, winner of 2013 and 2016 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, presents a free performance of Michael Gordon’s epic percussion work Timber in Market Square Park on Friday, June 3rd, at 8 p.m. Scored for six pieces of wood cut to different lengths, Gordon places the focus on rhythmic and melodic patterns created by the different sized pieces of timber, as well as the way the melody moves among the performers.
This free outdoor concert features six of Texas’ most accomplished percussionists – Brandon Bell, Craig Hauschildt, Luke Hubley, Jamey Kollar, Matt McClung, and Neil Sisauyhoat.
Premiered by the Dutch group Slagwerk den Haag in Summer 2011, Gordon’s hour-long work presented a self-imposed challenge by the composer to come up with interesting musical ideas using very limited means. Gordon is one of the founding members of New York’s genre-bending Bang on a Can . The New York Times describes Gordon’s music as deceptively simple at first, but which “reveals a beguiling complexity and nuance upon closer examination.” Timber is not an easy piece to perform; one critic found it “bewilderingly difficult to play” (The Guardian). But if critical reception is any indication, it is a piece Houston audiences should love. The concert is presented free thanks to the Houston Downtown Management District.
Musiqa presents Timber
Friday, June 3
Market Square Park
301 Milam Street, Houston, TX 77002
8:00 PM – Performance
Admission is free