Musiqa
adventurous music, inspiring performances
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Musiqa is dedicated to creative and innovative musical expression. We believe the arts can empower individuals, bridge divides and transform society.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Music+ Concert Series
Music+ is a series of ticketed concerts which are unique artistic experiences that highlight cutting-edge modern music by renowned local, national, and international composers paired with other contemporary art forms such as literature, film, theatre, art or, dance. The artistic board curates programs of new music from around the world, including regional and world premieres and works commissioned by Musiqa itself. Our collaborative partners represent the highest caliber within their respective disciplines of literature, theatre, visual arts, and dance. Our 2020-2021 Season includes: The world premiere of "Stars" by composer Trevor Weston, a collaborative performance with Open Dance Project, and an evening of experimental films with live music accompaniment.
Educational Programming
A recent report from the Arts Access Initiative of Houston Young Audiences states that 79% of Houston Independent School District children are economically disadvantaged. In this survey of more than 200 campuses, only 53% had any exposure to music in their programs. Every year, our education programs impact nearly 6,000 underprivileged schoolchildren. 95% of the schools we serve are designated Title l. For many of these children, their experience with Musiqa is their first exposure to a professional musical performance in a concert hall setting. Musiqa's 2020-2021 Education Programs are available online and free of cost. Our education programming consists of a highly engaging concert experience and a composition workshop: Around the World (grades 2-4) presents dynamic and interactive arts-learning experiences for students. Participants learn how modern composers make folk songs come to life in personal and imaginative ways. Using modern arrangements of folk songs in Zulu, Portuguese, French, Spanish, and English, participants learn musical concepts and diversity. MusiqaLab for Young Composers offers participants an introduction to music theory, notation, and history, in addition to how to write and prepare their individual works. The program ends with a public performance of the young composers' works by world-class artists.
LOFT Concert Series
The Loft Concerts is a series of free outreach performances designed to create a dialogue between new music and contemporary visual arts. The concerts are organized at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and are presented in conjunction with CAMH exhibitions. This season we will premiere new works from Flannery Cunningham and Will Healy, winners of Musiqa's Emerging Composer Commission. These shows regularly attract overflow crowds. We work with CAMH to record each Loft Concert and create an online audio tour, where museum visitors can follow a QR code, put in their earphones, and simply press "play" to listen as they tour the exhibit. Interspersed with facts about the artist and his/her work, the audio tour connects each piece of music in the concert to the art itself. This series is presented for free to make modern repertoire accessible to audiences of all backgrounds.
Where we work
Awards
Affiliations & memberships
Chamber Music America - Member 2013
External reviews

Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our vision for the future is to put Houston at the forefront of innovative and creative expression, performance and education by deepening collaborations with other modern arts organizations, commissioning adventurous works, and bringing more modern music to under-served populations.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
In order to make new music accessible to a growing audience, each Musiqa concert features new music paired with another contemporary art form. By partnering with organizations in a variety of disciplines, including film, literature, dance, theater and visual arts, Musiqa present contemporary classic music within the context of other contemporary art forms.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The members of Musiqa's Artistic Board -- Karim Al-Zand, Anthony Brandt, Pierre Jalbert and Marcus Maroney -- careful curate each concert and have been recognized with many international honors, including the Rome Prize, a Koussevitzky Commission, three Aaron Copland fellowships, the BBC Masterprize, the Sackler Prize, awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a Fulbright fellowship. Musiqa's performers are world-class musicians from the Houston Symphony, Shepherd and Moores School faculties, and from throughout the United States.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Musiqa enriches the cultural life of Houston through a vibrant mix of cutting-edge performances. Since its founding, Musiqa has presented more than 230 performances -- including more than 35 world premieres -- and performed the music of over 180 modern composers. Through its acclaimed, free educational programs, Musiqa has introduced a world of music to over 50,000 students from over 230 public schools in eight Houston area school districts. Musiqa is also a two-time recipient (2013 and 2016) of the Adventurous Programming Award from Chamber Music America/American Society of Composers and Publishers.
Musiqa will launch in its 2018-19 season an ambitious program to commission four major modern music works and four works from other artistic disciplines by its 20th anniversary season in 2021-22.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Musiqa
Board of directorsas of 02/25/2021
Pamela Horton
N/A
David Harris
UBS
Mary Lou Swift
Fine Arts Consultant
Pamela Horton
Weatherford International
Karen Arnold
Marlon Scott
Heidi Gerger
Judy Nyquist
Ann Chao
Michael Clark
Community Volunteer
Jim Conlan
Community Volunteer
Ky Cooksey
Community Volunteer
Mary Hale McLean
Community Volunteer
Katy Miner
Community Volunteer
Corey Prator
Community Volunteer
Emily Todd
Community Volunteer
Board leadership practices
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes