DACAMERA, a Houston-based presenter of chamber music and jazz concerts, announces the world premiere of American composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey's Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) on Saturday, February 19 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 20 at 3 p.m.

DACAMERA and the Rothko Chapel commissioned Sorey to create a new work in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the iconic art space. With the unique ability to experience colors sonically (i.e. synesthesia), Sorey largely drew inspiration from the fourteen canvases created for the Chapel by 20th-century painter Mark Rothko, who also influenced the building's design. Embodying harmony, meditation and art, Monochromatic Life (Afterlife) strives to portray what it means not only to hear music, but also to experience it.

The boundary-breaking composer also drew inspiration for the piece from Morton Feldman's 20th-century masterpiece, Rothko Chapel, which premiered in the chapel during its inaugural year in 1972. Sorey-who has called Feldman "my biggest influence as a composer"-was a fitting choice for the project. Sharing the instrumentation of Feldman's score, the 30-minute composition will be conducted by Sorey and performed by the Grammy-winning Houston Chamber Choir, renowned violist Kim Kashkashian, master percussionist Steven Schick, and DACAMERA's Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg, who will play piano and celesta. All of these players appeared on DACAMERA's acclaimed ECM recording of Feldman's Rothko Chapel, released in 2015.

"It is with great excitement that we look forward to the world premiere of Tyshawn Sorey's new work, a project years in the making," said Rothenberg. "Rothko Chapel is a unique space of contemplation and stillness, a rigorous and daring artistic statement, a spiritual oasis; the same can be said of Tyshawn Sorey's music - highly original, searching, and deep, pushing beyond conventional categories of genre, opening up new paths of expression. We are honored to partner with Rothko Chapel in uniting music and art with this major commission."

DACAMERA initiated discussions with Sorey about the commission in 2018, with DACAMERA's relationship dating back to DACAMERA's highly successful presentation of his Perle Noire with soprano Julia Bullock and the International Contemporary Ensemble in 2016. The Rothko commission was originally scheduled to premiere in February 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

DACAMERA's chamber music series continues with Elias String Quartet in Beethoven's complete quartets, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear these works in chronological order over six evenings, starting on March 28, 2022.

Attendance for Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) will be at limited capacity. Tickets for Saturday, Feb. 19 start at $75 and include a post-concert conversation and reception with composer Tyshawn Sorey and DACAMERA Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg. Tickets for Sunday, Feb. 20 are $25. Tickets are available by contacting DACAMERA, 1402 Sul Ross, at 713-524-5050 or online at www.dacamera.com.

Patrons are required to show either proof of a negative Covid-19 test result or proof of vaccination and photo identification at ticketed events at all DACAMERA venues. Patrons must wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times, except while actively eating or drinking.