May 4, 2010. Da Camera of Houston announces that it has received three major grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). “This year marks the largest cumulative grant in our history from this federal agency," said Exec. Dir. Sarah Loudermilk. The grants are awarded by panels made up of our national peers, and this demonstrates the high level of respect that our colleagues have for Da Camera and Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg’s thoughtful programming.” In the American Masterpieces category, Da Camera has been awarded $40,000 – its largest ever single grant from the NEA – in support of the organization’s 2010/2011 jazz series and related educational activities. Da Camera has been awarded a grant of $22,500 in the Access to Artistic Excellence category. The grant supports a recording of works by Asian American composers. A collaboration between Da Camera and the performing ensemble Music From China, the compact disc will include works by composers Zhou Long and Shih-Hui Chen. Da Camera receives $16,000 in a second Access to Artistic Excellence grant, supporting three chamber music concerts during the 2010/2011 season: Music for Rothko celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the Rothko Chapel; the Ebène String Quartet; and pianist and Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg’s The Blue Rider: Kandinksky and Music.

Da Camera of Houston’s Young Artists take the stage for a free nightclub show at Avant Garden, 411 Westheimer, Friday, February 19 at 7:30 PM. Breaking down boundaries between traditional classical music, world music and pop music, this performance features a wide variety of works by such composers as Bach, Mark O’Connor, Enrique Crespo, Heitor Villa Lobos and Zoltan Kodaly.
            The Young Artists performing on this concert are David Huntsman, violin; Joseph Maile, violin; Marissa Winship, viola; Cherry Kim, cello; Catie Hickey, trombone; Heather Zinninger, flute; Carlos Cordeiro, clarinet and Craig Hauschildt, percussion.
            The performers are members of the inaugural class of the Da Camera Young Artist Program.  The Young Artist have worked with Da Camera throughout the year, conceiving adventurous community concerts and educational programs. Da Camera Young Artists hold degrees from our nation’s top music conservatories, including the Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.  Da Camera selected them through competitive audition.

Houston native Brandon Lee appears on Wednesday, August 26 in the PBS Great Performances program, "Harlem in Montmartre." It tells the story of the jazz age in Paris between the first and second World Wars, exploring an often neglected era in African-American cultural history. After peace was signed at Versailles, many black Americans remained in Europe rather than return to the brutal segregation and racism of America. Over the next two decades, they created an expatriate community of musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, primarily congregating in Paris's hilly Montmartre neighborhood. Some achieved enduring fame, while others have faded into history. Inspired by the book by William A. Shack and utilizing rare archival material from both France and America, this documentary features footage of such key figures as James Reese Europe, Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet, Bricktop, Eugene Bullard, Django Reinhardt, and many more. Catch Brandon Lee on Da Camera's jazz series in March, 2010.