On Feb. 24 and 25, Rice University composition professor Anthony Brandt collaborated with University of Houston professor Jose Luis Contreras-Vidal and Performing Arts Houston to premiere his newly commissioned chamber piece “Diabelli 200” at the Wortham Center. The performance was a continuation of Brandt and Contreras-Vidal’s work studying how creative performances impact the brain. During the concert, the pianist and conductor wore portable electroencephalography caps, with a research team monitoring their brain activity throughout, while real-time visualizations of the activity conceptualized by Badie Khaleghian, a Shepherd School Doctor of Musical Arts student, were displayed on a screen. Photos by Melissa Taylor.
