Dr. Henry Howey, professor of music, will present a lecture-concert for the Italy in America Association at the Italian Cultural Center in Houston tonight at 7 p.m.

Howey’s presentation will be on the Italian opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli, recognized for “Dance of The Hours” from Disney’s “Fantasia.”

Ponchielli was a bandmaster in Piacenza and Cremona Italy from 1862-1872. In his hometown of Cremona, Italy, he composed and arranged over 300 works for the city band.

The purpose of this presentation will be to focus on what Howey calls “a vital and profound musical tradition that has sadly been lost to time and technology.”

For the lecture-concert, Howey will share digitized images of the Cremona band and actual scores written by Ponchielli.

Included in the presentation are live recordings and digital recreations documenting the rise of the modern Italian state and the music created by Ponchielli in response to this birth.

Howey has also digitized all of Ponchielli’s manuscripts to edit them for modern bands to use. He has presented three lectures in Italian in Cremona on his work with Ponchielli’s “lost” manuscripts.

Howey serves as state coordinator for wind all-state tryout music and has toured with the United States Army Band. He is also the founder of the Sam Houston Brass Quintet.

For more information, contact the Italian Cultural Center at 713-528-0111.