Coffeehouse Music Salon

Point of Departure makes its debut at MATCH on Wednesday, October 14, with a show called Coffeehouse Music Salon. It's the first installment of a new classical music variety series that takes its cues from 1970s variety shows—think skits, banter, costumes, and lighting mixed in with the music. The whole thing is built around a single main idea, the 'point of departure' that gives the series its name.

This first one draws from 1960s jazz clubs, 19th-century Parisian music salons, and modern indie specialty shops—the kind of spaces where people gather over a hot drink to share musical ideas. The program follows that coffee theme throughout. You'll hear Tea for Two by Vincent Youmans, played in the style of Art Tatum, and Coffee Cantata BWV 211 by J.S. Bach. In between, there's Francis Poulenc's Les Chemins de l'Amour, Ned Rorem's Early in the Morning, Paul Schoenfield's Café Music, and Carter Pann's Double Espresso. Two of the pieces are world premieres: Correspondances by James Palmer and Tea for One by Karim Al-Zand.

It's a large ensemble on stage. Soprano Caitlin Aloia, tenor Cody Ryan Arthur, and baritone Keaton Brown handle the singing; violinists Matthew Lammers and Nanki Chugh, violist Rebecca Benjamin, and cellist Caio Alves Diniz round out the strings; flutist Allison Asthana adds the woodwind; and James Palmer plays piano and harpsichord while also hosting the evening. With that many people and the variety-show format, it's more of a production than a standard recital.

The show runs 90 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are $30 for general admission and $20 for students with a valid ID, with each ticket subject to a $5 Box Office Support fee. It starts at 7:30 PM at MATCH, 3400 Main St., Houston, TX 77002.