Third Coast Percussion and Clarice Assad to Perform With ProMusica

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra will perform at the Southern Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026, and Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. Led by Conductor David Danzmayr, the program will feature Clarice Assad's Suite for Lower Strings and PLAY!, Schubert's Symphony No. 3, and Lumbye's Champagne Gallop.

ProMusica welcomes Brazilian American composer and vocalist Clarice Assad, a leading female voice in contemporary classical music, as part of its Composer/Performer Project, launched in 2014 to champion the work of living composers and give audiences the opportunity to experience them performing their own music as featured soloists. The performance will mark Assad's first collaboration with Music Director Danzmayr since his appointment, though she has a longstanding relationship with the orchestra, having been commissioned by ProMusica to compose a new work for her father and uncle, famed guitar duo The Assad Brothers, in 2012. Third Coast Percussion, the GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble known for its innovative approach to contemporary music, will also make its ProMusica debut.

'We're thrilled to welcome Clarice Assad back to ProMusica and to introduce Third Coast Percussion to our audience for the first time,' said Janet Chen, ProMusica CEO. 'As our featured Composer/Performer, Assad brings a distinctive creative voice to the concert, highlighting the important contributions of today's female composers.'

The first half of the program features two works by Assad, opening with her Suite for Lower Strings, which reimagines some of Bach's famous themes for lower strings with rhythms, harmonies and percussive effects that give the familiar material a fresh sound. Assad, alongside Third Coast Percussion will join on stage for PLAY! – her concerto that combines the orchestra with percussion and vocal elements. PLAY! brings together her distinctive musical voice and the ensemble's dynamic percussion artistry in a work that's full of musical expression.