Musiqa on Screen

Musiqa and Houston Cinema Arts Society join forces once again, this time at the historic home of cinema in the Fifth Ward – the DeLuxe Theater – to present an evening of work mostly centered on queer, trans and non-binary lives and artistry, concluding with a world premiere by Musiqa artist board member Marcus Karl Maroney and interdisciplinary artist T Lavois Thiebaud. You don’t want to miss this thrilling conclusion to our season!

THE BOOK OF THE HEAVENLY COW
This multimedia collaboration from the minds of T Lavois Thiebaud and Marcus Karl Maroney is a modern adaptation of the ancient Egyptian Sky God(dess) Nut (pronounced Newt), often depicted as a woman on all fours, arching a protective layer over the earth from horizon to horizon. They are also, sometimes, depicted as a cow. In this film/performance piece this ancient lore is re-imagined as a “bovine divine” Texas longhorn, “the great encloser” of the modern south. Here, the celestial bodies of the stars at night may shine bright but the earthly bodies of gender diverse youth are not just dimmed but dangerously over-regulated by overt anti-trans legislation. Musiqa’s “The Book of the Heavenly Cow” explores the queering and geographic reframing of ancient mythos as a means of imaginative future-building, past childhood wound-healing, and an urgent call to overarching protection for all queer-bodied children of the south – through the past, future, and present. The resulting film is a folk freak collage combining live action footage of local queer and ally performers, childhood photo submissions from queer adults raised in the (rural) south, found images, archival video, and stop motion animation, featuring visual art by Stephanie Gonzalez, Ruben Ramires, and James Templeton.

LEAVES, SPACE by HAN LASH
“Leaves, Space” is a thrilling work in two movements for harp and double bass. Hailed by The New York Times as “striking and resourceful . . . handsomely brooding,” Lash’s music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, and Tanglewood Music Center, and won numerous awards.

HOUSE OF TULIP
“House of Tulip” follows two Black trans activists as they run for office and work to build Louisiana’s first housing refuge that provides residency solely for trans and gender non-conforming residents. This moving documentary follows the founders as they work to protect and build community in a state with one of the highest gun-related murder rates in the country. Their journeys will highlight the dangerous, yet beautiful, reality of what it means to be Black trans women in the deep South. “House of Tulip” was a finalist in the 2023 Houston Cinema Arts Festival’s Borders | No Borders Short Film Competition.

TWO PIECES FOR CLARINET AND VIDEO by JOHANNES KREIDLER
German composer Kreidler’s compositions are often described as conceptual music and usually employ multimedia elements. “Two Pieces” is charming, virtuosic and a perfect example of the kind of work that Musiqa has championed for over two decades in Houston.

Musiqa on Screen features Mann-Wen Lo (violin), Maiko Sasaki (clarinet), Stanley Chyi (oboe), Hope Cowan (harp), Samantha St. John (bass) and Craig Hauschildt (percussion). Capacity at the DeLuxe Theater is limited to 125 seats: early reservations are encouraged. Tickets are always Pay-What-You-Can: your purchase at higher than the suggested ticket price makes it possible for others with less financial means to attend.

Activities in Musiqa’s 2023/24 season are funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, New Music USA’s Organization Fund in 2023-24, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, Amphion Foundation, The Brown Foundation, Inc., The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.