Silent Film Concert Series' Composer Contest

Houston Public Media Silent Film Concert Series at Discovery Green

Classic silent films get a new twist at the Houston Public Media Silent Film Concert Series at Discovery Green. For the last four years, Houston Public Media and Discovery Green have partnered to provide Houstonians an opportunity to experience silent films in a whole new way, with Texas musicians and composers performing original scores live to accompany the films. The free-to-the-public arts series encourages appreciation for the art of early film making and new original music. It also supports Houston Public Media’s and Discovery Green’s shared goal of making performance art accessible to the community.

HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA COMPOSER CONTEST

Like silent films, music has the ability to express a vision, emotion or depict an action without words. Now, Houston Public Media and Discovery Green invite Houston-area composers to reinterpret classic silent films for a new audience through the Houston Public Media Composer Contest.

Jaime Arroyo Jr. and Gerald Massoud, both of Houston, are the winners of the Houston Public Media Composer Contest. Designed to showcase the musical talents of Houston-area aspiring film composers, the contest judged submissions of original musical compositions scored for one of two designated silent film movie clips. In addition to each receiving a cash prize of $1,500, Arroyo and Massoud will have the opportunity to present their original winning musical scores live on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 as part of Houston Public Media’s Silent Film Concert Series at Discovery Green. 

Houston Public Media received a total of 29 entries for this first-time contest. The Judges for the competition were Graham Reynolds, the accomplished Austin-based composer who created the original score for “Bernie,” and Jeffrey Mills, president and chairman of Documentary Alliance, a Houston-based nonprofit film, video and multimedia organization.

Houston Public Media is delighted to showcase these two promising Houston composers during our November silent film concert series presented with Discovery Green.

THE WINNING ENTRIES

ABOUT HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA AND DISCOVERY GREEN

Houston Public Media is comprised of TV 8, News 88.7 and Classical 91.7. With a combined weekly audience of more than 1.5 million, Houston Public Media is committed to delivering content that goes beyond the ordinary in the focus areas of news and information, arts and culture, and education. A community service of the University of Houston, Houston Public Media is supported by financial gifts from its members and the community through Houston Public Media Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3). Connect on Facebook at facebook.com/houstonpublicmedia and Twitter at twitter.com/HoustonPubMedia.

Discovery Green is a 12-acre park created by a public-private partnership between the City of Houston and the non-profit Discovery Green Conservancy. Since the park opened in April 2008, it has welcomed more than 6 million visitors and hosted more than 2,000 public and private events. The Discovery Green Conservancy works with hundreds of programming partners to present three dynamic programming seasons each year most of which are FREE and open to the public. As a non-profit organization, the Conservancy raises all the funds needed for the programming that Houstonians enjoy.