MECA Performing ArtsMECA Performing Arts
MECA Performing Arts is a dynamic and multidisciplinary series of performances by diverse and progressive artists. Performances are usually held at the MECA Dow School Auditorium and/or Pavilion Green Stage in the Old Sixth Ward Historic District.
Through MECA Performing Arts, MECA looks to collaborate with artists –through presenting, commissioning, and producing– whose work traverses the boundaries of tradition, innovates time-honored practices, and give new perspective to the critical role the arts can play in contemporary social life. We are especially interested in artists whose work brings to light the experiences of life on the margins of societies, economies, and cultures.
Emerging local and established national and international artists have been presented on MECA's stages. Many artists participate in residencies through which MECA conducts community outreach, fosters community dialogue, trains young artists, and helps create new works. In addition, MECA presents and commissions performance works through the National Performance Network.
MECA is grateful for the support of our Performing Arts Series sponsors, including the Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Texas Commission on the Arts, the Simmons Foundation, and many others.
For more information about the MECA Performance Arts series contact Estevan Azcona * This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
UPCOMING SEASON EVENTS
Saturday February 9
DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
The internationally renown, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, comes to MECA for a one night performance. In its 36th season, the contemporary modern dance ensemble is known for performing a mixed repertory of modern, jazz, ethnic, and spiritual works by nationally and internationally known choreographers. This intimate performance will feature small ensemble works, duets and solos, including "The Ostrich" by Asadata Dafora.
MECA and Dallas Black Dance Theatre have collaborated in the past through original commissioned works with great success; in celebration of Black History Month, MECA is proud to present this esteemed dance company on its Auditorium Stage.
Following the performance, there will be a "Meet and Greet" with the company dancers and the founder of Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Mrs. Ann Williams.
Admission: Reserved Seating - $9.00 online/presale
General Seating - $15.00 at the door
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
Friday February 15
VIVA EL AMOR
MECA's annual Valentine's serenade to the community, the students and alumni of MECA will perform romantic selections that promise to tug on the heartstrings. Featured artist for Viva el Amor 2013 will one of Houston's premiere mariachi ensembles, Mariachi Autlán. Formed just four years ago by a group of MECA alunmi, Mariachi Autlan has been invited to participate in the Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi y la Charreria in Guadalajara, including an opportunity to play at the most prestigious theater for mariachi music, El Teatro Degollado, alongside Mariachi Vargas, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, and Mariachi America.
Admission: Reserved Seating - $9.00 online/presale
General Seating - $15.00 at the door
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
Friday March 8
Carrying the Seeds of the Past into the Future:
In Celebration of International Women's Day
In collaboration with Creative Women Unite
Admission: Reserved Seating - $9.00 online/presale
General Seating - $10.00 at the door
Students - $5.00
Kids - $2.00
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
MECA presents Alkali Ensemble on Monday, April 1, 2013 as part of the MECA Performing Arts Series. Alkali is a diverse string ensemble comprised of intensely trained classical soloists, many from backgrounds typically underrepresented in this realm of music. An assorted group of musicians, the ensemble ranges from classical to Latin jazz, R&B to hip-hop, and rock to pop. Formed in the fall of 2012, Alkali Ensemble has already begun gaining national and international attention.
Monday, April 1, 2013, 8 p.m.
MECA, 1900 Kane Street
Suggested donation: $10 for adults,
$5 for kids.
Friday April 5
Faculty Recital Series
JUDY MASTER
Houston pianist and MECA instructor, Judy Master, graces the Auditorium stage as the next performer in MECA's Faculty Recital Series. Judy Master is a collaborative pianist, solo pianist, and a piano teacher at MECA and in the Greater Houston area. Ms. Master has Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Master of Music in Piano Performance from Baylor University. While she was there, she studied with the world-renowned solo pianist, Krassimira Jordan. In 2002, she performed and attended the Bosendorfer Piano Academy in Vienna Austria where she also studied Wolfgang Watzinger, a professor at the Vienna School of Music. In 2008, she moved back to Houston, Texas to study with Timothy Hester. In 2011, she completed her Masters degree in Piano Accompanying. Program to be announced.
Admission: Reserved Seating - $9.00 online/presale
General Seating - $15.00 at the door
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
Saturday April 13
¡UNO, DOS, TRES! Concert Series,
Orgullo Vallenato
In collaboration with HAA, TBH, and KPFT
MECA, in collaboration with the Houston Arts Alliance (HAA) Folklife and Traditional Arts Program, Talento Bilingüe de Houston (TBH), and KPFT present an innovative concert series, ¡Uno, Dos, Tres!, centered on the musical traditions of Houston's newest Latino communities, representing Houston's growing demographics in residents from Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. On three weekends over March, April, and May 2013, MECA, TBH, and HAA Folklife will co-host concerts by Houston-based Latino musicians performing the musical traditions of Cuban son, Colombian vallenato and Garifuna punta and paranda of Honduras.
Saturday 23 March - El Rectorado del Son at TBH
Saturday 13 April - Orgullo Vallenato at MECA
Saturday 18 May - Garifuna en Houston at 5th Ward Jam
MECA is excited to present Orgullo Vallenato. Orgullo Vallenato are a group of Colombian musicians who perform the accordion-driven music of the region known as Valledupar. Headed up by Hector de la Hoz, the 10-member group plays for audiences around the Houston area.
Admission: Free to the public
5:00 - workshop
6:30 - Concert
Location: MECA Pavilion Stage
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
April 29 - May 5
Daniel Valdez - NPN Performance Residency
Daniel Valdez is an actor, composer, and performer who is best known for his work as musical director of the films Zoot Suit and La Bamba. A founding member of El Teatro Campesino, Valdez has been at the forefront of Chicano artistic performance for six decades. He was active member of the ensemble, El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers Theater) and a leading musician of the Chicano Movement, capped off by his 1974 album, Mestizo, on A&M Records. He has also been active as a composer, writing scores for numerous feature and documentary films, theater works, as well as for traditional, popular, and, more recently, classical ensembles. He has toured internationally and performed with such musicians as Linda Ronstadt, Carlos Santana and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Daniel Valdez will be in residence at MECA through the support of the National Performance Network.
Friday May 3
DANIEL VALDEZ
MECA culminates its 2012-13 Performing Arts Season with a concert by acclaimed Chicano performer Daniel Valdez. Perhaps best known for his work as musical director of the films Zoot Suit and La Bamba, Valdez was an early member of El Teatro Campesino, a leading musician of the Chicano Movement, and has been at the forefront of Chicano artistic performance for over 50 years. He has also been active as a composer, writing scores for numerous feature and documentary films, theater works, as well as for traditional, popular, and, more recently, classical ensembles. He has toured internationally and performed with such musicians as Linda Ronstadt, Carlos Santana, and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.
Daniel Valdez’s solo concert will feature songs that have marked Mexican and Chicano popular culture over many decades: rousing rancheras, romantic boleros, and songs composed by Valdez that have poignantly described the Mexican experience on and beyond the US-Mexico border for the past half-century, including his musical rendition of José Montoya’s famous poem, “El Louie”. ¡No le falta! Daniel Valdez will be in residence at MECA through the support of the National Performance Network.
Admission: Reserved Seating - $9.00 online/presale
General Seating - $12.00 at the door
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
POSTPONED
Faculty Recital Series
BINH NGUYEN
Classical guitarist and MECA instructor, Binh Nguyen, takes the MECA stage for the next performance in the Faculty Recital Series. Nguyen is an accomplished instructor whose students have won guitar competitions in Europe and his native Vietnam. He is also an award-winning guitar luthier and an active member of the Houston guitar community as both a performer and instructor. Program to be announced.
Admission: Reserved Seating - $9.00 online/presale
General Seating - $15.00 at the door
Time: 8:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
2012-13 MECA PERFORMING ARTS SEASON
Tuesday September 25
LEMON
Film screening in collaboration with Houston PBS and Talento Bilingüe de Houston
MECA kicks off its 2012-13 Performance Season with a preview screening of a new documentary film about spoken word, performance, and the at times grim realities of Latino life. Lemon follows Nuyorican poet/performer Lemon Andersen, a three-time felon and one-time Tony Award winner, as he struggles to bring his life story to the New York stage while battling his darkest demons.
The screening will be done in collaboration with Houston PBS and Talento Bilingüe de Houston. The film airs nationally on PBS as part of their signature Latino arts and culture documentary showcase series, VOCES, produced in conjunction with Latino Public Broadcasting. After the film, Houston-based spoken word artists and musicians pair up for a live performance of their recent work.
Admission: Free to the public/RSVP required
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Talento Bilingüe de Houston
333 South Jensen, Houston, TX 77003
Friday October 26
CALAVERA RENDEZVOUS
The 3rd annual Calavera Rendezvous will kick-off MECA’s annual Día de los Muertos Festival: Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Future. The soiree will feature a silent auction of calavera sculptures, Day of the Dead-themed visual art created by local artists, and altars done by the community. The highlight evening will be a series of themed performances, including "Calavera Fashion Show", organized by students of the Art Institute.
Admission: $25 - online/presale
$35 - at the door
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Auditorium
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
Saturday October 27 & Sunday October 28
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FESTIVAL
MECA’s Día de los Muertos Festival is a public celebration of community folk art traditions that commemorate family and community ancestors. Festival events include a community altar exhibit and competition; foods from Latin American countries; vendors selling authentic Latin American Day of the Dead arts and crafts, and live performances of music, dance, and more throughout the festival.
Festival performers to include: Conjunto X, Free Radicals, Solero Flamenco, Los Guerreros de la Música, KoumanKe'le African Dance and Drum Ensemble, and many other artists, including Mariachi MECA and MECA Ballet Folklórico.
Admission: Free to the public
Time: 11:00 AM to 6 PM (each day)
Location: MECA Dow School Campus
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
December 7-9
La Música del Cielo: UNA PASTORELA
In collaboration with Main Street Theater
Pastorelas are traditional theatrical presentations dating back to the early days of Christianity in Spain and England. Pastorelas - shepherd’s plays- depict the long trek of shepherds to the holy site of the Nativity and their adoration of the Christ child. First, they are visited in the fields by an angel who announces the holy birth. As the shepherds attempt to follow the star leading them to Bethlehem, they are plagued by a series of evils and misadventures provoked by the Devil. Catholic missionaries brought the pastorela to Latin America during Spanish colonialism and this ancient folk tradition flourished throughout the New World. The play will feature performances by Mariachi MECA and MECA Ballet Folklórico.
Written and directed by Peter Webster, who will be in residency at MECA with support from NPN.
Admission: $12.00 - presale (available through Main Street Theater)
$15.00 - at the door
Time: December 7 and 8: 7:30 p.m.
December 9: 3:00 p.m.
Location: Main Street Theater-Chelsea Market
4617 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006
Wednesday December 12
FIESTA GUADALUPANA
In honor of the feast day of La Virgen de Guadalupe, MECA invites the community to the Dow School campus for an evening of music, dance, and conviviality. The festivities open with a traditional serenade to the Virgen followed by a matachín dance, all performed by MECA students. A procession then heads indoors for a reception. Fiesta Guadalupana also features a subasta, or silent auction, of community-made retablos in honor of La Virgen.
Admission: Free to the public
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: MECA Dow School Campus
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
Sunday December 16
LA POSADA IN THE OLD SIXTH WARD
La Posada is a community-based reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Posada festivities traditionally begin on December 16th and continue through January 5th. In this reenactment, a procession with lit candles and seasonal songs approach the doors of three houses. Together, participants sing and awaken the master of each house to ask for lodging. Those within the first two houses deny them entry. The third house warmly welcomes the guests after learning their identity. A musical fiesta ensues with traditional food, drink, and a piñata for the children.
Admission: Free to the public
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: MECA Dow School Campus
1900 Kane Street, Houston, TX 77007
