Announcing Winners Of The 2024-25 New/Now Houston Artist Commissioning Project

4th Annual Series Features New Works by Ben Chavez, Marlon Simon, and YUNGCHRIS

(HOUSTON, August 6, 2024) – Performing Arts Houston announces Ben Chavez, Marlon Simon, and YUNGCHRIS as the winning artists of the 4^th annual New/Now Houston Artist Commissioning project. These artists were selected out of nearly 50 applicants to receive full production, marketing, and publicity support in the creation and presentation of their new major commissioned works, premiering at the Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater March 6-7, 2025.

“New/Now allows us to amplify Houston and capture our arts scene at its very best,” says Performing Arts Houston President & CEO Meg Booth. “This is going to be a fun one. These three artists each have their own sense of magnetism and magic. They’ll be living out their dreams on stage, and we’re so lucky to witness that.”

Surrounding their world premieres, the winning artists will work alongside Performing Arts Houston’s Education and Community Engagement department to create opportunities for students and arts enthusiasts to engage with the art beyond the stage. “To see these works unfold on stage is amazing in itself, but seeing the community connect with the artists through workshops, discussions, and masterclasses is the most rewarding,” says Education and Community Engagement Director Ashley Warner, “Those interactions are at the heart of what we do—we meet the community where they are and provide meaningful, life-changing arts experiences.”

2024 NEW/NOW WINNERS & WORLD PREMIERE COMMISSIONS
(in alphabetical order by artist name)

Ben Chavez
Commissioned work: Last Day, County Fair
Ben Chavez is a Latin American recording artist, actor, composer, and musician, most known for his breakout role in the Broadway National Tour of Disney’s Aladdin, performing on over 50 renowned stages including Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, and The Kennedy Center. As a recording artist, Ben has recently released a collection of singles which document his journey through life, love, and self-acceptance as a queer man. Personal connection is at the heart of all Ben creates, striving to make work that anyone can access and relate to.

Ben’s commissioned work, Last Day, County Fair, is a concept album accompanied by a live band and storytelling, drawing inspiration from the lives of Ben and his husband Walker. The album tells the story of a young man coming to terms with his queer identity in a town that doesn’t understand or accept him. Dissecting key factors that influence a queer child’s upbringing, such as parenthood, small town culture, global heritage, religion, depression, anxiety, and suicide, Last Day, County Fair is ultimately a celebration and exploration of otherness.

Marlon Simon
Commissioned work: On Different Paths
Representing the integration of authentic Afro Caribbean rhythms into American jazz music, Marlon Simon immigrated to the USA in 1987 to study jazz and develop a career as a performer, composer, and music educator. Parallel to his career as a performer and composer, Simon is a passionate music educator, having presented hundreds of workshops and seminars on the application of Afro Caribbean rhythms into American jazz music at underserved public schools and prestigious universities in the U.S. and abroad. He has released seven albums as leader of his band, The Nagual Spirits, which has been awarded grants to present international concerts in Bolivia, Netherlands, and Canada, a project supported by the Department of State. Marlon thinks of music as a living being—something under constant transformation that has the power to unite people from different backgrounds. 

Simon’s commissioned piece, On Different Paths, was created in the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement during a time when even the diversified city of Houston experienced racial tension. The piece consists of four musical movements which explore different music styles, cultures, and the use of scored and improvised music to strike a balance between the structural clarity of classical music and the spontaneity of jazz to convey the wholeness and unity in our city today.

YUNGCHRIS
Commissioned work: My Posse’s on Broadway
Christopher Thomas, also known as YUNGCHRIS, has organized some of the most impactful and successful dance events in Texas. He has toured 25 countries as a teacher, DJ, choreographer and dance performer, sharing the stage with artists such as Tobe Nwigwe, Anthony Hamiliton, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Kendrick Lamar, and Erykah Badu. In 2011, YUNGCHRIS founded his dance company, Sonkiss’d Dance Concepts, where he mentors dancers and provides them with opportunities to enhance their skills through training and performance. He also serves as a dance and culture consultant for Red Bull. YUNGCRHIS communicates his thoughts and feelings through movement, believing that the body speaks louder than words.

YUNGCHRIS’s commissioned work, My Posse’s on Broadway is a celebration of the authentic Houston hip-hop movement that emerged in the early 90’s. By incorporating fundamental elements of hip hop, music, art, and poetry, My Posse’s on Broadway pays tribute to Houston’s hip hop pioneers, empowers young creatives, promotes equity, and fosters an appreciation for hip hop culture of the past, present, and future. The piece is created in collaboration with Inertia Dance Company of West Side Highschool, poet Marlon Lizama, DJ Bruce Waine, and a graffiti artist, all of whom are local artists with a deep connection to Houston’s hip hop and street dance community.

New/Now: The Houston Artist Commissioning Project sustains Houston’s working artists by supporting new major works. Performing Arts Houston believes celebrating artistic voices at home is critical to thriving communities in Houston, the most culturally diverse city in the nation. Since the project’s beginning in 2020, New/Now has commissioned works by 17 artists, including Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton’s The World’s Intermission in 2022, Harrison Guy’s Colored Carnagie in 2021, Anthony Brandt’s Diabelli 200 in 2022, and Kam Franklin’s Bayou City Comeback Chorus Vol. 2 in 2023.

“It has always been our goal to serve as a springboard for emerging artists to break out into the community, to help them have their visions realized onstage, and to put Houston on the map right next to New York and L.A.,” says Meg Booth. “We have a flourishing arts scene right here in the south with artists making groundbreaking work.”

In a new partnership, the Hobby Center will select one New/Now artist per year to participate in the ExxonMobil Discovery Series. Previous New/Now artists selected include Harrison Guy’s 2021 commissioned work Colored Carnagie, and ShaWanna Renee Rivon’s Emancipation, which premiered as part of New/Now in 2023.

Continuing its mission to make participating in the arts more accessible, Performing Arts Houston will offer Pick Your Price tickets, allowing audience members to pick their ticket price starting at $0. Tickets are available now at performingartshouston.org.

Ticket Information
Pick Your Price tickets ranging from $0 to $250 in support of new works by Houston artists available at performingartshouston.org or by calling the Performing Arts Houston Box Office at (713) 227-4772.

ABOUT PERFORMING ARTS HOUSTON
Performing Arts Houston is a leading non-profit performing arts presenter dedicated to connecting audiences with exceptional artists from around the globe. Founded in 1966, the organization remains committed to advancing artistic innovation, community engagement, and cultural enrichment. With a legacy spanning over five decades, Performing Arts Houston has presented many of the most influential artists of our time.

Each year, Performing Arts Houston presents a multi-disciplinary season of over 60 performances across Houston’s historic Theater District and venues citywide and creates a wide range of programs and opportunities for students and lifelong learners to engage with and experience the arts, including masterclasses, workshops, talks, student matinees, performance avenues for local arts groups, paid arts administration internships, a commissioning series for working Houston artists, and in-school residencies. Learn more at performingartshouston.org.

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CALENDAR DETAILS
Performing Arts Houston
presents

New/Now
March 6-7, 2025
Thursday and Friday, 7:30 pm
Cullen Theater, Wortham Center
Tickets start at $0
performingartshouston.org

Ben Chavez
Last Day, County Fair

Marlon Simon
On Different Paths

YUNGCHRIS
My Posse’s on Broadway

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For media inquiries, please contact:
Caroline Senter, Public Relations Associate
Email: csenter@performingartshouston.org
Phone: 713-632-8105