Texas New Music Festival brings an international roster of composers and performers to Houston for an eight-day celebration of new music. 

JULY 6 - 12, 2026

MATCHBOX 2

RUNTIME:
Each concert is approximately
90 minutes with 1 intermission

TICKETS:
GENERAL ADMISSION SEATING
$20 Regular
$10 Student/Senior

FESTIVAL PASS

Purchase a Full Festival Pass that includes all 5 concerts!

$50 Regular Festival Pass
$25 Student/Senior Festival Pass

FESTIVAL LINEUP

Monday, July 6 at 7:00 PM

The Banyan Percussion Quartet

Featuring the World Premiere of London-based Ed Nesbit’s Doctored Pictures, an arrangement for percussion quartet of six movements of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Some of the arrangements are relatively literal, while others depart radically from their source material – hence the idea of them being ‘doctored.’ Different movements focus on different timbres within the ensemble – notably with two movements which exclusively employ drums and another two movements for marimbas alone – before the piece closes with a hushed arrangement of The Great Gate of Kiev foregrounding glockenspiel and bongos.

Founded in 2022, Banyan Percussion is a quartet dedicated to curating unique musical experiences through performance of new and canonical percussion repertoire. In 2024, Banyan Percussion was the Ensemble in Residence at the international percussion festival, “Resonancias” held in Bogotá, Colombia, and performed at the Florida International University Music Festival. This season, Banyan is joined by Dr. Ben Tomlinson to premiere four new works at the Texas New Music Festival in Houston.

TUESDAY, JULY 7 at 7:00 PM

Conciertos Puentes: The Schmitz-Zelaya Violin Duo

Conciertos Puentes: tendiendo lazos sonoros is a project organized by the Texas New Music Ensemble. Our goal is to present multiple concert works by living composers based in Mexico and Texas, with the purpose of strengthening cultural and artistic ties between the two communities and creating cultural bridges and professional connections that benefit artists on both sides of the border. Also present is a strong emphasis on the Latino-American experience in Houston. All concerts are presented annually in Houston and Mexico City.

Featuring Damaged and Volatile, Christian Ivan Guadarrama Ceja’s musical journey through depression, anxiety, and deep pain; Yangfan Xu’s Hacha takes its name from the Spanish word for “axe,” inspired by Mesoamerican ritual sculptures carved in many forms; TNME Director Chad Robinson’s Ancient Dances explores the ancient Baroque dance suite within the context of modernity. 

As a concert soloist, Mario Zelaya has performed extensively across Italy, Central America, and the United States. His 2025 season was highlighted by a tour in Honduras, where he appeared as a featured soloist with both the Philharmonic Orchestra of Honduras (OFH) and the Tegucigalpa Symphony Orchestra (OST). 

Emily Schmitz began her studies at age 3 in Alaska. She studies violin performance at the Eastman School of Music and holds a certificate in Orchestration for Film and TV from Berklee Online. She performs regularly with the Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet. She is also an actor and film composer.

THURSDAY, JULY 9 at 7:00 PM

Conciertos Puentes: Luisana Rivas and Yan Shen

This concert will present the World Premiere of TNME Director Chad Robinson’s Hemingway Songs, a seminal 30-minute song cycle drawing an original libretto and music from Hemingway’s first set of short stories, In Our Time.

Mezzo-soprano Luisana Rivas has been praised for her “heart-rending expression” (Music City Review) and is equally at home on the opera stage and in recital. She is also committed to championing Latinx composers, regularly performing their works across the U.S. In the 2025–26 season, Luisana returns to Indianapolis Opera as Fall Resident Artist, where she will engage in community events and perform the role of Giovanna while covering Maddalena in Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi. In the 2024–25 season, she portrayed Consuela and covered Anita in Indianapolis Opera’s production of West Side Story. That same season, she joined OPERA San Antonio as a summer Apprentice Artist.

Fanfare Magazine lauded Yan Shen’s performances on her solo album, FANTASY|SONATA|ELEGY, for “bravura,” “flair,” “subtlety,” “clarity,” “intellectual curiosity,” “sensitivity,” “technical prowess,” and many more glowing terms pointing to her nuanced and mature artistry.

FRIDAY, JULY 10 at 7:00 PM

Texas New Music Ensemble:
International Composers' Concert - Part 1

&

SUNDAY, JULY 12 at 2:00 PM

Texas New Music Ensemble:
International Composers' Concert - Part 2

A collective of musicians from The Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, The Houston Ballet Orchestra, and more come together for one week each summer to learn, rehearse, and premier 24 new works for sinfonietta. Performers include:

Emily Schmitz, violin / Mario Zelaya, violin / Lexi Pelton, viola / Vyacheslav Dobrushkin, cello / Claudia Arroyave, bass

Meg Griffith, flute / Carmne Borregalas, clarinet / Jason Adams, trumpet / Brian Logan, trombone

Jaclyn Perkins and Seth Bagwell, percussion / Yan Shen and Alisiya Boiko, piano

Led by Principal Conductor Felipe Tristán,
Award-winning Mexican conductor Felipe Tristán is celebrated for his dynamic artistry, cultural vision, and global reach. Merging orchestral mastery with Latin American soul, Tristán delivers performances that captivate and inspire worldwide. Hailed as “the most important Monterrey conductor of his generation” (El Norte/Reforma), he currently serves as Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the San Antonio Philharmonic, and Principal Conductor of Ballet de Monterrey. His work has taken him to major podiums across Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America, with performances noted for their “precise and focused” musicianship (Südkurier).

Since 2023, he has been Principal Conductor of the Texas New Music Festival in Houston, where he has premiered over 30 works by living composers. His artistic influence extends beyond the concert hall, having collaborated on several projects as Creative & Artistic Consultant of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Belongó Afro Latin Jazz.

Tristán’s profile includes frequent appearances at the Met Gala – featured in the Disney+ documentary In Vogue: The 90s, and collaborations with institutions such as Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, NY Philharmonic Bandwagon, and HBO’s Fandango at the Wall. He has been featured in Forbes magazine’s “Working Journal” by photographer Michael Fiedler.

PLAN YOUR VISIT TO MATCH

🎟️ BOX OFFICE & TICKETING 

• Online sales end 30 minutes prior to curtain. After this time, tickets may be available in person at the MATCH Box Office. 
• The Box Office opens 2 hours prior to curtain for Will Call and walk-up sales. 
• All sales are final. No refunds or cancellations after purchase. 

⏱️ BEFORE THE SHOW 

• MATCH Concessions opens 1 hour prior to the start of each event. 
  Enjoy a cocktail, wine, beer, or snack before the show. 
  View concessions menu. 
• Seating typically opens 30 minutes prior to curtain. 
• Please note: Some shows have a no late seating or re-entry after the performance has begun. Arrive early! 

🚗 LOCATION & PARKING: MATCH is located in Midtown Houston. Click here for directions and parking options, including garages and metered street parking.

🍽️ RESTAURANTS & BARS: Make it a night out! Click here for a curated list of nearby restaurants and bars within walking distance of MATCH.

♿ ACCESSIBILITY: MATCH is a fully accessible facility. For accessible seating or special assistance, please contact the box office in advance so we can help accommodate your needs. Click here to email the box office.