Dynamic Houston Early Music Concert Merges Cultural Traditions

Audiences will experience a dynamic blend of cultural and musical traditions when Houston Early Music (HEM) and Silambam Houston merge Carnatic selections — the classical music of southern India — with Baroque pieces at their upcoming concert.

The Baroque-Carnatic Music Connection: Cross-Cultural Musical Discoveries will begin at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall, 800 Bagby St., No. 300, Houston, Texas 77002. Go to www.houstonearlymusic.org for tickets and more information.

The concert will feature dancers and musicians from the Classical Indian Arts Center Silambam Houston and Houston-based Baroque artists hand-picked by HEM Artistic & Executive Director Deborah Dunham.

“Generously funded by a grant from the Houston Endowment via the EmcArts New Pathways Program, this presentation explores the remarkable similarities and differences between these two musical languages, expanding on the discovery of the early music from worldwide cultures,” Dunham said.

The program also features new choreography by Silambam’s Executive Artistic Director, Lavanya Rajagopalan, and Joyce Beck of Dancescape by Joyce. Exceptional dancers from both studios will enhance the interpretation of both melodies and styles of this rich repertoire.

In addition to the concert at Zilkha Hall, a performance of The Baroque-Carnatic Music Connection will take place at Silambam Houston, 2016 Broadway St, Pearland, Texas 77581, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. Seating is limited. Visit https://silambamhouston.ludus.com/index.php to purchase tickets to the Sept. 25 performance, or call 713-635-9382 for more information.

Also this season, Houston Early Music is introducing a new podcast series, “Early Music Interlude.” Host Anya Wilkening is guiding listeners through a tour of carefully curated podcast episodes featuring interviews with early music experts, as well as performances by Houston Early Music favorites. A sneak peek of the collaborative performance with Silambam Houston Indian Classical Arts will be released as part of the five-episode series. Learn more about the Carnatic music tradition with violinist Abhishek Balakrishnan as he discusses the history and theory of Carnatic music and demonstrates the techniques behind performance. “Early Music Interlude” is available on the Houston Early Music website, https://www.houstonearlymusic.org/podcast-1.