Da Camera: A Little Day Music February 4, 2009

This month’s free program is entitled Cultural Encounters Through Music and includes a shadow puppet play by fourth grade students from Lovett Elementary School and the music of Claude Debussy performed by pianist Timothy Hester. Hester is joined by Anne Leek, oboe and Aralee Dorough, flute on Six Miniatures by William Grant Still. A Little Day Music is sponsored by Waste Management. For information, call 713-524-5050 or email boxoffice@dacamera.com.
The February performance is a result of education and outreach efforts by Da Camera that are organized around intense, extended, on-campus workshops that offer opportunities for students of all ages to learn about music and culture through creative interaction, collaboration and public performance. In this case, fourth and fifth grade students of art teacher Beatrice Graham created Indonesian masks for a special Da Camera performance with Space City Gamelan at their school. Subsequently, the same students have created shadow puppets after hearing a performance of music by Debussy, and learning about how he was influenced by music from Indonesia. “Our students are so excited about working with Da Camera artists,” says Ms. Graham. “Exploring how Javanese shadow-puppetry inspired French composers helps students appreciate how their own family traditions come together to create the rich and beautiful cultural mix that makes Houston such a vibrant and creative city.”

Official Website: http://www.dacamera.com/beyond.html#daymusic