Schedule

Thursday, April 17, 2025
Friday, April 18, 2025
7:30 p.m. Concert

Join Asia Society Texas and Musiqa for INNER VOICES, a concert of deeply moving music  by Karim Al-Zand, Marcus Karl Maroney, and Kinnan Abou-afach that celebrate the stories of individuals enduring hardship, struggling with identity, and finding resilience in Yemen, Syria, and the United States. Through performances that range from smaller ensembles to large-scale chamber opera, these stories are woven together to create an inspiring portrait of collective humanity.

Kinan Abou-afach’s Fiction delves into his family’s experience in the Syrian civil war through a composition that blends an acoustic performance with poetry, electronic rhythms, and sound effects. Marcus Karl Maroney’s world premiere of Serendipity, featuring baritone Timothy Jones, is a collaboration with award-winning poet Shelley Wong, whose work explores themes of femininity, sexuality and identity while foregrounding queer women of color. The Prisoner, a song cycle for voice and orchestra by Karim Al-Zand, tells the story of Adnan Latif, one of the first men imprisoned in the U.S.' Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp in 2002. More than a memorial, The Prisoner illuminates Latif's humanity through his own words, expressed in music and offering a poignant example of courage and hope in the face of immense struggle.

About Musiqa

Musiqa is dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Founded in 2002 and led by four composers, the mission of Musiqa is to enrich and inspire our community through programs that integrate contemporary music with other modern art forms. Musiqa celebrates modern creative arts through interdisciplinary concerts that highlight modern music and its connections to literature, film, dance, art and more. With its innovative collaborations as well as artistic and educational programming, Musiqa strives to make modern repertoire accessible and vital to audiences of all ages and musical backgrounds. Each season, Musiqa provides at least seven public performances: four as part of our Music+ Concert Series performed at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Zilkha Hall, and the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston; and three as part of our free Loft Concert Series at the Contemporary Art Museum Houston.

Support for Musiqa's 2024-25 season is generously funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, 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.

Performing Arts and Culture programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Syamal and Susmita Poddar. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, The Brown Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc. Generous funding also provided by The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Wortham Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Clayton Fund, and the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming to Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture Presenting Sponsors

Syamal and Susmita Poddar

Performing Arts and Culture Program Sponsors

Program Partners

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.