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March 2010
Whether the weather cooperates or not, the normal flurry
of spring time activities are about to begin. First, if you have not
already done so, dust off those cowboy hats and boots and make the time to enjoy
the many fun activities that will be taking place over the next several week at
the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Then, make room on your calendar for
several annual events - River Oaks Azalea Trail, Bayou City Art Festival and the Houston Antique Dealer Association (HADA)
show - all taking place this month. You won't want to miss the Imprint
series events at the Alley Theatre and Hobby Center, or the many activities
around town that will be associated with FotoFest. South Pacific will be
taking stage at the Hobby Center, La Boheme will be performed by Opera in the
Heights and Arlo Guthrie, as well as the Harlem Gospel Choir will be kicking off
the season for Miller Outdoor Theater. The Museum of Natural Science opens
their new exhibition "Magic: The Science of Wonder" and you can get exercise and
help a local charity, by participating in the AIDS Walk Houston this month. No matter what your
interests, there is something for everyone this month in Houston!
Holidays March 14th: Daylight Savings
March 15th:
Ides of March
March 17th:
Saint Patrick’s Day
March 20th:
Earth Day
March 20th:
First Day of Spring
March 28th:
Palm Sunday
March 29th:
Passover begins
Dance/Music/Theatre
Alley Theatre
(615 Texas Avenue)
March 10th – 28th:
Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps –
Mix a
Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you
have
The 39 Steps, a
fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. This two-time
Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150
eccentric characters – played by a prodigiously talented cast of four – an
on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned
romance. In
The 39 Steps,
a man with a boring life meets a woman with a thick accent who says she's a spy.
When he takes her home, she is murdered. Soon, a mysterious organization called
"The 39 Steps" is hot on the man's trail in a nationwide manhunt that climaxes
in a death-defying finale. A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly
inventive stagecraft,
The 39 Steps amounts to an
unforgettable evening of pure pleasure. Recommended for general audiences.
March 22nd:
Imprint: Tracy Kidder –
Tracy Kidder, a master of the non-fiction narrative, won the National Book Award
and the Pulitzer Prize for his book, Soul of a New Machine. Kidder combines
award-winning reportorial skill with what one New York Times Book Review critic
describes as “the author’s genuine love, delight, and celebration of the human
condition.” He has written nine books of nonfiction, including House, Among
Schoolchildren, Old Friends, Home Town and My Detachment, Kidder’s personal
account of his time as a soldier in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze
Star. Of his highly acclaimed book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, author Thom
Jones writes, “Mountains is the sort of book that makes you want to buy a
hundred copies and pass them out like a street corner evangelist.” Kidder’s
newest book, Strength in What Remains, has been described as a book which will
“resurrect your faith in the human spirit.” It follows the story of Deogratias,
a refugee from the civil war and genocide of 1990s Burundi, who makes his way to
New York City.
April 12th:
Imprint: Dorianne Laux and Patricia
Smith –
Dorianne Laux, before becoming an award-winning poet, worked as a sanatorium
cook, a gas station manager, a maid, and a donut holer. Tony Hoagland calls her
work the poetry of “one who looks clearly, passionately, and affectionately at
rites of passage, motherhood, the life of work, sisterhood, and especially
sexual love, in a celebratory fashion.” Publishers Weekly says, “Laux works in
the idiom of Philip Levine and Sharon Olds, yet Laux’s best verse is perhaps
more surprising than theirs.” She is the author of four volumes of poetry,
including Smoke, Awake, and Facts About the Moon, which was a finalist for the
National Book Critics Circle Award, as was an earlier collection, What We Carry.
She is also the author, with Kim Addonizio, of The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to
the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. Patricia Smith, as well-known on the stage as
on the page, is a four-time winner of the National Poetry Slam, the most
successful slammer to date. Smith’s fifth collection of poetry, Blood Dazzler, a
National Book Award finalist and named one of NPR’s Top 5 books for 2008, is “a
towering testament to the tragedy of New Orleans before, during, and after
Katrina” (Booklist). Terrance Hayes says, "Smith is herself a storm of
beautiful, frightening talent. Her words will wash you or wash you away. I
consider this new book a major literary event." Smith’s earlier collection,
Teahouse of the Almighty, was selected for the National Poetry Series and was
awarded the first ever Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. She was also featured in the
film, Slamnation, on the HBO series, Def Poetry Jam.
April 21st – May 9th:
Harvey –
Affable Elwood P. Dowd has a kind word for everyone he meets. He lives a quiet
life with his social-climbing sister and her daughter and is devoted to his
loyal and trustworthy friend and constant companion, Harvey. The fact that
Harvey happens to be a six-foot invisible rabbit doesn’t seem to bother Elwood
but is an ongoing embarrassment to his family who decides to have him
committed. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, the medical establishment is
turned topsy-turvy as Elwood and Harvey cause pandemonium.
for more information, see
www.alleytheatre.org
or call (713) 228-8421
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
(The Woodlands)
Surrounded by a lush forest, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is
an outdoor amphitheater that provides the Greater Houston region with an array
of performing arts and contemporary entertainment in a setting of unparalleled
beauty.
April 4th:
Easter at the Pavilion
10:00 a.m.
May 20th:
Jimmy Buffet 8:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.pavilion.woodlandscenter.org
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
(800 Bagby @ Walker)
Thru March 7th:
Cirque Dreams: Illumination –
From the creators of the groundbreaking Broadway hit, Cirque Dreams: Jungle
Fantasy, comes an all new journey of nighttime dreamers, whose imaginations are
ignited within a landscape of towering buildings and infinite possibilities.
Created and directed by Neil Goldberg, this show has been hailed as Dazzling.
Audiences of all ages will marvel and experience a journey of city dwellers who
reinvent everyday objects, balance beyond belief, delicately dangle from wires,
leap tall buildings and redefine the risks of flight in an array of astounding
occurrences that transform the ordinary into extraordinary.
March 1st:
Imprint: John Banville and Abraham
Verghese –
John Banville, hailed by The Economist as “Ireland’s finest contemporary
novelist,” won the 2005 Man Booker Prize for his novel, The Sea. A prodigious
author, Banville has written more than 20 books, including mysteries under the
pen name Benjamin Black. The Sunday Telegraph says, “With his fastidious wit and
exquisite style, John Banville is the heir to Nabokov.” His other works include
The Book of Evidence, which The New York Times Book Review calls “a disturbing
little novel that might have been coughed up from hell,” Eclipse, Shroud, The
Untouchable, and many others; his Benjamin Black titles include Christine Falls
and The Silver Swan. Banville will read from his eagerly anticipated new novel,
The Infinities, a wholly unexpected lively, comical, and irreverent
multi-generational family saga.
Abraham Verghese, an Ethiopian-born South Asian physician, is the author of two
highly acclaimed memoirs, My Own Country, a finalist for the National Book
Critics Circle Award, and The Tennis Partner, a New York Times Notable Book, of
which Kaye Gibbons says, “It supersedes any memoir I’ve ever read. . . a
wonderful examination of what it means to be alive.” His newest work, Cutting
for Stone, marks his transition from memoir to the novel, in a sprawling family
epic set mostly in Ethiopia. Verghese is “something of a magician as a
novelist,” writes USA Today, adding that “Cutting for Stone is an underdog and a
winner. Shades of Slumdog Millionaire.” Simon Schama calls it “beautiful and
deeply affecting.” Verghese is currently a professor at the Stanford University
School of Medicine.
March 4th:
Night Court Twenty –
Join us for an evening of entertainment, remembrance, celebration and laughter
as
Night Court, Houston's all-lawyer theatre company, turns
20. The one-night-only event will compile the best of the best from the past two
decades of original stage shows. Featuring both live performances and
video-taped highlights, Night Court Twenty will include special appearances from
past performers and sneak preview of coming attractions and like any Night Court
performance, plenty of surprises and lots of laughter. Proceeds from the event
benefit the charitable works of the Houston Bar Foundation and other local
charities. It's one night two decades in the making that you won't want to miss.
March 9th – 21st:
South Pacific –
A stunning reinvention produced by Lincoln Center Theater, South Pacific swept
the 2008 Tony Awards, winning seven honors including Best Musical Revival and
Best Director for Bartlett Sher. Set on a tropical island during World War II,
the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their
happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices.
March 20th:
Springtime in Paris – The
earthiness of Baroque oboe and the sweetness of the Baroque violin evoke the
soft breezes and fragrant blossoms of a French garden in spring. Transport
yourself to Paris with this concert of
French Baroque chamber works for voices and instruments.
Virtuoso oboist Kathryn Montoya returns to perform with the ensemble, joined by
two internationally renowned stars of the early music scene: violinist Marc
Destrube and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Lane.
March 25th – 28th:
Je’Caryous Johnson’s Cheaper to
Keep Her – When a married couple is ready to call it quits, they always want
different things. Raymond Mays wants a divorce and Morgan Mays wants alimony.
When Raymond hires his best friend Joey to be his lawyer, and Morgan hires her
catty cousin Karen as counsel, a legal boxing match explodes over their divorce.
When the fed-up Judge bangs her gavel, she decides Morgan doesn't deserve
half... she deserves it all. Morgan gets everything—the house, Raymond’s
retirement, and some would say even his self-esteem, leaving him with nothing
but the thought; it would have been cheaper to keep her. Determined not to be
defeated, Raymond and his best friend discover they have two options to prevent
him from paying alimony: kill Morgan or get her married off to someone else.
When Morgan's first love, Brian Reynolds, sets his sights on sneaking back into
her life, Raymond feels Brian is the perfect solution to his situation.
Raymond's plan backfires when Brian's cockiness causes a competitive catastrophe
forcing Raymond to confront his feelings, and to discover he still cares about
his wife. As ex-husband and ex-love face off with each other, broken hearts will
get revenge, karma could kill, and infidelity can become infectious as hearts
and marital matrimony collide only to discover whether it's cheaper to keep her
or easier to love her as his wife.
March 26th:
Steven Isserlis: The Romantic Cello
– Acclaimed worldwide as one of the leading cellists of his time,
Steven Isserlis
makes his Houston recital debut in a dramatic program evoking 100 years of
romantic music. From 19th-century Romantics Chopin and Schumann — whose
bicentennials Da Camera celebrates this season — to the 20th-century American
composer Samuel Barber, born 100 years ago, we hear the passionate Romantic
spirit masterfully expressed within the classical sonata form.
April 3rd:
Imaginary Scenes – The Houston
Ballet Academy and Musiqa present an enchanting evening of music and dance, with
works by Al-Sand and Smith (world premiere) and Stanton Welch’s ballet
Fingerprints, with score by Hamza El Din.
April 6th – 18th:
In the Heights – In the
Heights, winner of four 2008 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is a
sensational new show about chasing your dreams and finding your true home. With
an amazing cast, incredible dancing and a thrilling score, this is an
exhilarating journey into a vibrant Manhattan community - a place where the
coffee is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries
the rhythm of three generations of music. Experience the next chapter of the
classic American story at the most joyous, exciting new musical on Broadway.
Find out what it takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream, and what
it means to be home.
April 9th– 18th:
The Full Monty – The adaptation
of the 1997 film into a Broadway musical has thrilled audiences worldwide, and
now we bring it to you live on the Masquerade stage. The steel mills of Buffalo
have all closed. Blue-collar single father Jerry Lukowski and his hopelessly
overweight best friend Dave Bukatinsky have been laid off along with dozens of
other mill workers, leaving them without jobs, without hope and without
confidence. It's not until a chance encounter with the Chippendales-style dancer
that their wives have been raving about that Jerry hits on an idea to make money
and win back a little pride... if the ladies are so thrilled by a fantasy like
Keno the dancer, wouldn't they go nuts over "real men" like Jerry and Dave
strutting their stuff as members of amateur strip act Hot Metal?
for more information, see
www.thehobbycenter.org
or call (713) 315-2525
Houston Symphony
(Jones Hall – 615 Louisiana)
March 5th – 7th:
Mozart’s Requiem –
Hans Graf served as music director of the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg for a
decade. Hear this exquisite Mozart interpreter conduct Mozart's final and
possibly most profound statement.
March 18th –
21st:
Hannu Lintu Conducts Sibelius –
Lintu electrified Houston audiences in May 2008. Experience the poetic
soundscapes, relentless drumbeat and volcanic climaxes of his fellow
Scandinavian’s music.
March 19th:
The Beach Boys –
Surf’s up! Hit the California beach as the sun-soaked harmonies
of The Beach Boys join the Houston Symphony for an evening of classic songs like
“Barbara Ann,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” California Girls” and
“Kokomo.”
April 1st– 3rd:
The Gershwin Songbook –
Remember dancing to your favorite Gershwin tunes with guitarist
and vocalist John Pizzarelli.
April 8th– 11th:
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony –
Shostakovich wrote, “The theme of my Fifth Symphony is the making of a man. I
saw man with all his experiences in the center of the composition . . . In the
finale the tragically tense impulses of the earlier movements are resolved in
optimism and joy of living.”
April 14th:
Eschenbach and Lang –
When two incandescent musicians combine, the result is electrifying. Christoph
Eschenbach returns to Houston for the first time in eight years.
April 16th–
18th:
Franck’s Symphony in D Minor –
In Franck’s greatest creation, you’ll hear achingly beautiful melody with
luxuriant harmony, repeatedly transformed into one emotion after another.
April 22nd – 25th:
Beriloz Symphonie Fantastique –
Berlioz’ Symphonie
Fantastique, an “Episode in the Life of an Artist,” careens from despair through
passion to a psychedelic vision.
April 30th:
Pink Martini –
Pink Martini returns to delight you with their refreshing blend
of classical jazz, Latin and Parisian cabaret music. Always fun and fresh, they
will perform a new set of songs you are sure to love.
for more
information, see
www.houstonsymphony.com
or call (713) 224-7575
Jones Hall
(615 Louisiana)
March 23rd:
We Can’t Stop the Beat: Bayou City
Performing Arts
–
This high energy concert will feature music from all over the world with an
emphasis on percussion and rhythmic beat – and dancing. Bayou City Chorale and
special guests will even stomp by to help rev things up. From George Gershwin
and The Glen Miller Band to "Hairspray" and beyond, we’ll have you on your feet
dancing and feeling the beat. 7:30 p.m.
April 9th: Soweto Gospel Choir - Direct from South Africa, the 26 member Soweto Gospel Choir is an awe-inspiring vocal ensemble, performing in six different languages, in a stunning program of tribal, traditional and popular African gospel music, as well as other inspiring songs, earthy rhythms, rich harmonies, acappella and charismatic performances combined to uplift the soul and express South Africa's great hopes for the future. Under the direction of notable choirmaster David Mulovhedzi and South African Director and Executive Producer Beverly Bryer, the Soweto Gospel Choir, draws on the best talent from the many churches and communities in and around Soweto. Since the Choir began touring internationally in early 2003, they have performed to nightly standing ovations, sold-out houses and rave reviews. April 28th: David Sedaris - With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. Adult content.
for more information, see
www.spahouston.org
Toyota Center
(1510 Polk Street)
March 6th:
John Mayer 8:00 p.m.
March 11th:
Scottish Spectacular
6:30 p.m.
March 18th:
Muse with Silversun Pickups
7:00 p.m.
April 3rd:
Alicia Keys 8:00 p.m.
April 30th:
Celtic Woman 8:00 p.m.
for more information, visit
www.houstontoyotacenter.com
or call (866) 4HOUTIX
Wortham Center – Houston Ballet
(Texas & Smith)
Thru March 7th:
La Bayadere – The high point of
Houston Ballet’s fortieth anniversary season will be a spectacular new
production of one of the great classical works of the nineteenth century
repertoire, featuring choreography by Stanton Welch and lavish scenery and
costumes by the celebrated English designer Peter Farmer. Set in the Royal India
of the past, La Bayadere is a story of eternal love, mystery, fate, vengeance,
and justice. The ballet relates the drama of a temple dancer, Nikiya, who is
loved by Solor, a noble warrior. She is also loved by the High Brahmin, but does
not love him in return, as she does Solor.
March 11th – March 21st:
American at Heart –
Together in one program: three ballets that changed the landscape of American
dance. It wasn’t West Side Story that made American choreographer Jerome Robbins
a celebrity, but his first ballet, Fancy Free, staged when he was just 24.
Though he was born in Russia, George Balanchine is often regarded as America’s
greatest choreographer. His Apollo traces the birth of the god and his
flirtation with the muses who inspire him. Though he’s not American born,
Christopher Bruce’s Hush is. It’s a comic and moving celebration of life set to
the music of Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin.
April 16th – 17th:
Academy Spring Showcase –
The gifted young artists of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, the
company’s professional training wing, cap their studies with two performances of
a program featuring works tailor-made to show them at their best.
for more information, see
www.houstonballet.org
or call (713) 227-ARTS
Wortham Center – Houston Grand Opera
(Texas & Smith)
April 16th – May 1st:
The Queen of Spades –
One man’s obsession with a lucky card trick turns the fates of three in
Tchaikovsky’s vibrant melodrama. Russian tenor
Vladimir Galouzine
returns to HGO as the tormented Hermann, internationally
renowned soprano
Tatiana Monogarova makes her HGO debut as his beloved
Lisa, and
Vasily Ladyuk is the dashing
Prince Yeletsky. Canadian mezzo-soprano
Judith Forst
is the keeper of the fated secret. This award-winning production
is a visual treat with imaginative puppets and mixed-period costumes. Italian
maestro
Carlo Rizzi
conducts.
April 30th – May 14th:
Xerxes –
One of Handel’s most popular operas,
Xerxes
is a feast for the ears, and the eyes in this classic eighteenth-century
production. A mad entanglement of love stories, the opera follows the tyrannical
and flamboyant Xerxes in his quest for Romilda, who is beloved by his very own
brother Arsamene. The award-winning production is set in an English pleasure
garden—the perfect place for an elaborate lovers’ chase!
for more information, see
www.houstongrandopera.org
or call (713) 228-6737
DaCamera of Houston
(as noted
below)
March 20th:
Brandon Lee Quintet –
The talented trumpeter and graduate of Houston’s High School for the Performing
and Visual Arts makes his Da Camera debut on the heels of the release of his
debut album,
From Within.
The youngest faculty member in the jazz studies program at The Juilliard School,
Brandon Lee has performed
with Benny Golson, Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra,
Wycliffe Gordon, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Eddie Henderson and Lewis Nash.
March 26th:
Steven Isserlis: The Romantic Cello
–
Acclaimed worldwide as one of the leading cellists of his time,
Steven Isserlis makes his Houston recital debut in a
dramatic program evoking 100 years of romantic music. From 19th-century
Romantics Chopin and Schumann — whose bicentennials Da Camera celebrates this
season — to the 20th-century American composer Samuel Barber, born 100 years
ago, we hear the passionate Romantic spirit masterfully expressed within the
classical sonata form.
April 6th:
Modern Romantics –
George Rochberg’s monumental String Quartet No. 3 represented a seminal break in
20th-century music. Radically marking a return to tonality, the quartet’s overt
romanticism provoked discussion and controversy at its premiere in 1973.
Rochberg set the stage for composers of succeeding generations to carry on the
Romantic spirit. Harbison’s
November 19,
1828 is a poignant memorial to Franz Schubert. The Shepherd School’s
Jalbert, winner of the prestigious Stoeger Award for achievements in chamber
music, is represented with the Houston premiere of a major new work.
April 24th:
Esperanza Spalding – If “esperanza”
is the Spanish word for hope, then bassist, vocalist and composer
Esperanza
Spalding
could not have been given a more fitting name at birth. The 23-year-old prodigy
is blessed with uncanny instrumental chops, a multi-lingual voice that is part
angel and part siren, and a natural beauty that borders on the hypnotic.
for more information, see
www.dacamera.com
Miller Outdoor Theatre
(Hermann Park)
Located on nearly eight acres in the heart of Hermann Park, Miller
Outdoor Theatre is the only free open-air theatre of its kind in the United
States. It is a home away from home for some of Houston's most dynamic arts
organizations such as HITS Unicorn Theater, Houston Grand Opera, the Houston
Ebony Opera Guild, Festival Chicano, Houston Symphony, Theatre Under The Stars
(TUTS) and a host of other multi-cultural groups and theater companies.
Performances take place from March through November.
March 23rd:
Arlo Gurthrie: The Guthrie Family
Rides Again –
Based on the
writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder,
Voice of the Prairie tells the life
story of
for more
March 24th:
Swing, Jive and Pop! Into Dance –
Watch dance of all
styles and eras explode onto stage to engage, entertain and enlighten students
of all ages. Swing in to the 30s, tap to “Singin’ in the Rain,” Hand Jive
through the 50s and Electric Slide into today! Students participate in an energy
filled hour of dance, music, costumes and learn fun historical tidbits of
information on fashion, games, and toys. Program begins at 11:00 a.m. and is
presented by the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company.
March 25th:
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Voice of the
Prairie – The A.D. Players are presenting this
program which is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s experiences on the American
frontier, bringing to life the dynamic and distinctive historical era for
children and young audiences. 11:00 a.m.
March 26th:
Harlem Gospel Choir –
The world famous Harlem Gospel Choir is one of the preeminent gospel choirs in
the world. The Choir is a gathering of the finest singers and musicians from
various Black Churches in Harlem.
They travel the globe, sharing their joy of faith through music and whenever
possible, raising funds for children's charities. The theme of every performance
is bringing people and nations together and giving something back. Their songs
of inspiration touch the depths of the soul and raise spirits to angelic
heights. They will literally have you dancing on the stage. 8:00 p.m.
March 27th:
Noche Caliente featuring Johnny
Pachero –
Diaz Music Institute
presents the legendary Salsa great, Johnny Pachero from New York. He will be
performing with Houston’s premier Latin youth ensemble, “Caliente.” 8:00 p.m.
April 8th –17th:
Cats!–
Based on the universally popular poetry of T.S. Eliot, CATS tells the story, in
song and dance, of the annual gathering of Jellicle cats at which time one
special cat is selected to ascend to the Heaviside layer. A true musical theatre
phenomenon, CATS opened at London's New London Theatre on May 11, 1981 and ran
for a record-setting 21 years. CATS's London success was nearly matched on
Broadway where it ran at the Wintergarden Theatre for just over 18 years. HITS
Theatre will be presenting CATS with an all-youth cast, ranging from 8 to 19
years old.
April 20th:
Three Little Pigs – A
bilingual (Spanish/English) show about three brothers, one messy, one a
daydreamer, and the last who always has a plan for the future. They are Pig
Scouts, the pride of youthful swinedom, and they must set up camp to earn their
merit badges. Now, who is that unfamiliar scout master who will be judging their
work? It’s the Wolf, Big Bad to be specific, that’s who. Presented by Express
Children’s Theatre.
April 21st:
Swing, Jive and Pop! Into Dance
–
Watch dance of all styles and eras
explode onto stage to engage, entertain and enlighten students of all ages.
Swing in to the 30s, tap to “Singin’ in the Rain,” Hand Jive through the 50s and
Electric Slide into today! Students participate in an energy filled hour of
dance, music, costumes and learn fun historical tidbits of information on
fashion, games, and toys. Program begins at 11:00 a.m. and is presented by the
Houston Metropolitan Dance Company.
April 22nd:
Blue and Green: Earth Day Jazz in
the Park –
Da Camera of Houston and
Waste Management present Earth Day Jazz in the Park featuring the University of
Houston Jazz Orchestra with special guest saxophonist Bill Evans and student
jazz ensembles from around the Bayou City. Throughout his 20-year career as a
solo artist, saxophonist Bill Evans has earned multiple Grammy Award nominations
and explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of
traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming
funk. In the 1980's, Evans spent four years in legendary trumpeter Miles Davis's
band.
April 23rd –24th:
MTAB Presents Earth Day
April 30th:
Let’s Dance – Presented by
Several Dancers Core,
Let's Dance is an
electrifying and entertaining dance sampler by CORE Performance Company with
guests Becky Valls, Leslie Scates, Teresa Chapman, members of the UH Dance
Ensemble and Rice Dance Theatre. The performance travels an array of emotions
and styles, from the exciting and frenetic to those of surprise and revelation.
The music in each piece acts as a passionate catalyst, adding dimension to this
journey of artistic expression.
for more information, see
www.milleroutdoortheatre.org
A.D. Players
(2710 West Alabama)
Thru March 20th:
Laura Ingalls Wilder: Voice of the Prairie –
Back by popular demand - the Guthrie Family Rides Again. The 2010 tour
officially introduces the fourth generation of Guthries to the stage. Together,
this legendary family has traveled the world using moving folk music to spread a
message of peace. The evening includes a selection of recently rediscovered
Woody Guthrie lyrics put to music by friends and family and film clips. Four
generations of voices are together in harmony on one stage. 8:00 p.m.
Thru March 28th:
RET. –
An intricately written and powerful play about a playwright whose characters
come off the page to confront the anger and bitterness distorting his life. The
play echoes the book of Hosea.
for more information, see
www.adplayers.org
Main Street Theatre
(2540 Times Blvd.) Thru April 1st:
Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey
Business – She’s back! Junie B. Jones, the world’s most precocious
kindergartner, mistakenly believes her new baby brother is actually a
monkey. She starts taking bids from Lucille and That Grace, her “bestest”
friends, for the first look at him, but then Meanie Jim and Crybaby William
enter the fray and things get completely out of control. You won’t want to miss
seeing the havoc that ensues when Junie B. and friends team up for wild
adventures! Thru March 14th:
A Number and Machinal – Caryl
Churchill’s startling one-act A Number examines the emotional repercussions of
human-cloning and explores the nature of the father-son relationship. Salter has
three sons. His wife gave birth to the eldest. A lab created the second. The
third he didn’t even know existed. Forced to explain and try to make sense of
his decisions, Salter stares into the questioning, accusing faces of his own
flesh and blood, who confront him with the fact that each is merely one of "a
number." The play premiered in 2002 at the Royal Court Theatre in London with
Michael Gambon and Daniel Craig.
Machinal is a tragedy of isolation turned to murder, loosely
based on the sensational 1927 murder trial of Ruth Snyder, who received the
electric chair for killing her husband. Sophie Treadwell used the case as a
springboard for her own speculations about what circumstances might drive a
seemingly harmless stenographer to commit murder.
March 27th – April 25th:
Driftwood
– A wheat farm in Alfalfa County, OK is the setting for Lans Traverse’s raw and
gripping play
Driftwood. Moving between 1933 and 1954, the play exposes
the gritty underbelly of a family torn apart by greed. Orville, the son who was
given a medical education while his sisters went to work, moves like a snake
amongst his family members, tricking his sisters out of their inheritance and
ultimately turning his own parents out of their house. Yet in the end, it is
Orville who must face what he’s done and stand alone, while the strength of
family brings the others together and gives hope for the future.
for more information, see
www.mainstreettheater.com
or call (713) 524-6706
Opera in the Heights
(1703 Heights Blvd.)
March 26th – April 10th:
La Boheme –
Who doesn’t love opera’s most famous lovers? Mimi and
Rodolfo, the most popular work ever… at the end, Puccini doesn’t leave a dry eye
in the house.
for more information, see
www.operaintheheights.org
or call (713) 861-5303
Playhouse 1960
(6814 Grant Road)
Thru March 21st:
13 –
The story concerns the life of 13-year-old Evan Goldman as he moves from
New York City to
Appleton,
Indiana, and his dilemma when the move conflicts with the celebration of his
becoming a
Bar
Mitzvah.
March 12th – April 3rd:
God’s Favorite – Successful Long
Island businessman Joe Benjamin is a modern-day Job with a high-maintenance
wife, ungrateful children and wise-cracking household help. Just when it seems
it couldn’t get any worse, he is visited by Sidney Lipton aka A Messenger from
God (and compulsive film buff) with a mission: test Joe’s faith and report back
to “the Boss”. The jokes and Tests of Faith fly fast and furious as Neil Simon
spins a contemporary morality tale like no other in this hilarious comedy.
for more information, see
www.playhouse1960.com
or call (281) 587-8243
Radio Music Theatre
(2623 Colquitt)
Thru May 8th:
Birthday from Hell –
It has been a year since Ned's
passing, and it's Bridgette's birthday. Unfortunately, in memorializing
the anniversary of Ned's death, no one remembers Bridgette's birthday, including
her husband, Lou. And the Widow Mildred is now being courted by Ned's twin
brother Gebble.
for more information, see
www.radiomusictheatre.com
or call (713) 522-7722
Stages Repertory Theatre
(3201 Allen Parkway)
March 17th – April 11th:
Speech and Debate –
Teen misfits Solomon, Diwata and Howie discover each other online and build a
tentative alliance in the form of their high school's first speech and debate
team. Now they just have to decide which of their pressing personal issues will
make for the best performance: teen pregnancy, online predators, gay/straight
school programs...or who should be the lead in the school play. This winning,
fiercely funny dark comedy was hailed as a brilliant look at the modern
teenager.
for more information, see
www.stagestheatre.com
or call (713) 527-0123
Wortham Center
(Texas & Smith)
March 7th:
Texas Medical Center Orchestra: A
Celebration of Vision –
Vision is vital to create and nurture
a collection of musicians devoted to high standards of performance as well as
local medicinal charities Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite best symbolizes vision: the
Grand Canyon is so inspiring that its vastness can only be captured through
breadth of vision. With this concert TMCO celebrates the vision required to
express the improbable and infinite.
March 27th:
L’estro Armonico: The Genius of
Harmony –
Mercury Baroque’s core strings –the heart of the ensemble- performs six of the
twelve concertos from Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico. Vivaldi’s brilliant set of
breathtaking concertos are the ultimate displays for the artistic mastery and
virtuosity of Mercury Baroque’s strings. The concertos feature one, two, or four
solo violins and despite the possibly unfamiliar name, most of the pieces are
highly recognizable as some of Vivaldi’s finest and most popular works. 8:00
p.m.
April 1st – 3rd:
Dance Salad Festival –
The much anticipated annual Dance Salad Festival returns! Each curated
performance presents a roster of outstanding dancers and choreography from
around the world. Among those coming to Houston exclusively for Dance Salad
Festival are The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Antwerp, Belgium; Norwegian National
Ballet, Oslo, Norway; Ballet de Lorraine, France; Ballet du Grand Théâtre de
Genéve, Switzerland; Hungarian National Ballet, Hungary; Compañia Nacional de
Danza, Mexico; Jacoby & Pronk, New York/Amsterdam and others.
April 11th:
Interpreti Veneziani –
Sitting in a semicircle and playing music in a lively conversation, this
nine-member string ensemble performs more than 350 concerts a year in Venice at
the San Vidal Church, where Vivaldi used to play. Now the group sprinkles
Venetian magic wherever they tour. From the Bayreuth Festival to the Tokyo
Suntory Hall, audiences and critics alike have applauded the Interpreti
Veneziani for the high level of their playing and their expertise as soloists
and ensemble musicians. Their Houston debut program features Vivaldi’s The Four
Seasons, Paganini’s La Campanella, Handel’s Concerto Grosso, and Preludio e
Allegro by Pugnani/Kreisler. The Interpreti Veneziani made their debut in 1987,
immediately gaining a reputation for the youthful exuberance and all-Italian
brio characterizing their performances. Their important achievements include
appearances in the Bayruth Festival, concerts at Stockholm’s Royal Palace,
participation in the World Vision telemarathon at the Kirov Theatre to mark the
reinstatement of the name St. Petersburg, a concert at the Osaka Symphony Hall
in live broadcast for Japanese radio, concerts at the Tokyo Suntory Hall and
Kjoi Hall and appearances in glamorous concert seasons such as those of Sapporo
and Yokohama during four tours of Japan.
April 20th:
Bach in the Saddle Again: An Evening with P.D.Q. Bach –
Since 1965 the tireless Professor Peter Schickele has kept audiences in stitches
with the music of P.D.Q. Bach, the most dangerous musician since Nero. The
Professor has appeared with over fifty orchestras including the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the
London Symphony Orchestra. On this occasion he joins the Houston Chamber Choir
on stage for performances including the Knock, Knock Cantata, The Ground Round
and the Liebeslieder Polkas.
April 23rd:
Aszure Barton & Artists –
Brilliant Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton has burst on the scene with
“works that are quirky, deep, cheeky, and poignant,” says The Globe and Mail.
Mikhail Baryshnikov calls her dances “extraordinary” and “uncompromising.” She
has choreographed for Sydney Dance Company, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, The
Juilliard School, films, and the Broadway stage. Now she brings her own company
of consummate, dazzling dancers to Houston in her latest work Busk, set to
Russian composer Ljova’s gypsy inspired score, and Blue Soup, a collage
of highlights from recent works, including A Travelling Show, Mais Oui,
and Come In. Aszure Barton and Artists is an organization dedicated to
the growth of artists and production of contemporary dance performance. Since
its founding in 2002, the company has developed its activities as an
international contemporary dance project based in New York City. With her
intimate ensemble, Aszure Barton continues to develop critically acclaimed
productions around the globe. These works have toured to Europe, Brazil,
Argentina, Asia, Africa, Canada, and the United States.
for more information, see
www.houstontx.gov/worthamcenter/boxoffice.htm
Live Music Venues
House of Blues Houston
(1204 Caroline Street)
March 2nd:
Manchester Orchestra
7:00 p.m.
March 4th:
Dark Star Orchestra
8:00 p.m.
March 5th:
Kevin Smith
8:30 p.m.
March 5th:
Tyrone Wells 8:00
p.m.
March 6th:
Cheap SunglasseZZ – ZZ Top Tribute
8:00 p.m.
March 7th:
Great Big Sea
8:00 p.m.
March 11th:
Sleeperstar 7:00
p.m.
March 11th:
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
8:00 p.m.
March 12th:
Tower of Power
8:30 p.m.
March 13th:
Tea Leaf Green
8:00 p.m.
March 13th:
Citizen Cope
8:30 p.m.
March 14th:
Dick Dale 8:00
p.m.
March 16th:
Tally Hall 8:00
p.m.
March 16th:
Maldita Vecindad
8:00 p.m.
March 17th:
BT 8:00 p.m.
March 18th:
Foxy Shazam 8:00
p.m.
March 19th:
Chrisette Michele
9:00 p.m.
March 19th:
Jennifer Knapp
9:00 p.m.
March 20th:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
8:00 p.m.
March 25th:
Honor Society 8:00
p.m.
March 26th:
El Chapo de Sinaloa
8:00 p.m.
March 27th:
Back in Black 9:00
p.m.
March 30th:
Panda 8:00 p.m.
April 2nd:
Julia Nunes 8:00
p.m.
April 2nd:
Edwin McCain 8:30
p.m.
April 3rd:
Scott McCurry 9:00
p.m.
April 9th:
Yeasayer with Javelin
9:00 p.m.
April 10th:
Emily Osment 6:00
p.m.
April 10th:
Old 97’s 9:00 p.m.
April 11th:
Los Lonely Boys
8:00 p.m.
April 12th:
Julian Casablancas
8:00 p.m.
April 13th:
Thunder from Down Under
8:00 p.m.
April 16th:
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
8:00 p.m.
April 17th:
Michael Franks
9:00 p.m.
April 18th:
Puddle of Mudd with Saliva
8:00 p.m.
April 20th:
Les Claypool 8:00
p.m.
April 21st:
Porcupine Tree
8:00 p.m.
April 24th:
Who’s Bad 9:00
p.m.
April 30th:
HIM plus Special Guests
7:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.livenation.com
or call (713) 230-1600
Verizon Wireless Theatre
(520 Texas
Avenue)
March 11th:
David Gray 8:00
p.m.
March 13th:
Mariachi Invitational
6:30 p.m.
March 25th:
Megadeath with Testament and Exodus
7:00 p.m.
April 16th:
Owl City 7:00 p.m.
April 23rd:
Chelsea Handler
8:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
April 24th:
Jeff Beck 8:00
p.m.
April 25th:
Choo Choo Soul
1:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.livenation.com
or call (713) 230-1600
Warehouse Live
(813 St. Emanuel Street)
March 2nd:
Dropkick Murphys
8:30 p.m.
March 4th:
Portugal, The Man
9:00 p.m.
March 5th:
The Standard 9:00
p.m.
March 6th:
Needtobreathe 8:30
p.m.
March 7th:
Twiztid 7:30 p.m.
March 10th:
Local Licks 9:00
p.m.
March 11th:
AftonLive Showcase
7:00 p.m.
March 12th:
Xiu Xiu 9:00 p.m.
March 13th:
Monster Music Showcase and Fashion Show
6:30 p.m.
March 13th:
Council Music Group & THEM present ONE MIC
8:00 p.m.
March 16th:
Rogue Wave 9:00
p.m.
March 17th:
Mayer Hawthorne & The County
7:00 p.m.
March 19th:
Nelo 7:00 p.m.
March 12th:
Pharoahe Monch
8:00 p.m.
March 21st:
The AP Tour featuring Never Shout
Never 7:30 p.m.
March 26th:
Alkaline Trio
8:00 p.m.
March 29th:
The James Reese Band
9:30 p.m.
March 30th:
Seneca Ireland
6:00 p.m.
April 2nd:
The Standard 9:00
p.m.
April 7th:
Local Licks 9:00
p.m.
April 7th:
The Big Pink 7:00
p.m.
April 8th:
Ani DiFranco 7:00
p.m.
April 11th:
Camera Obscura
8:00 p.m.
April 26th:
The James Reese Band
9:30 p.m.
April 29th:
Pretty Lights 9:00
p.m.
for more information, see
www.warehouselive.com
Museums
Blaffer Gallery (University of Houston campus, entrance 16 off Cullen Boulevard)
Thru March 13th: 2010 School of Art
Annual Student Exhibition
March 27th – April 24th: 2010 School of Art
Master’s Thesis Exhibition
May 14th – July 31st: Tomas Saraceno: Lighter
than Air –
Next summer, Blaffer Gallery presents
Tomás Saraceno: Lighter than Air.
Organized by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and showcasing Saraceno’s
installations, sculptures, and photographs made since 2003, the touring
exhibition is the artist’s first large-scale museum presentation in the United
States. By reexamining the conventions of art and architecture, Saraceno
suggests imaginative solutions to complex questions about how we populate and
coexist in the world. His architectural proposals use the interdependencies of
systems to ponder ecological questions that go beyond the natural world.
Specifically, the artist contrives environments that anticipate new
socio-cultural platforms for experiencing and interacting with our surroundings.
for more information, see
www.hfac.uh.edu/blaffer
or call (713) 743-9530
Children’s Museum of Houston
(1500 Binz)
The Children’s Museum of Houston offers a wonderful array of
ongoing exhibits, created to inspire children’s imaginations and help them to
learn through curiosity and hands-on activities and experimentation.
March 3rd:
17th Annual Parents and
Families Luncheon –
Erin Gruwell will be the
keynote speaker at this year’s luncheon. Gruwell will share her inspirational
story about how her unorthodox teaching methods transformed her students and put
these formerly “unteachable” kids on a positive track for the future. Her life
story inspired the movie “Freedom Writers” in which Gruwell was played by
Academy Award winning actress Hillary Swank. 11:00 a.m. at the River Oaks
Country Club.
March 4th – 10th: Get Connected Wonderweek –
We are all connected in one
way or another. Check out how a city is dependent upon its people and the
services they provide to each other through fun activities in Kidtropolis and
more.
Wind-Powered Wonders –
Design a whimsical garden of windmills,
pinwheels and other devices. Harvesting the wind connects us to nature.
Mime Aaron Calles Spotlight Performance –
6:30 p.m.
Thursday and 2:00 p.m. Saturday.
Blind as a Bat or a Mole Rat –
Learn to echolate like a bat and join a
community of naked moles at Eco Station.
Energy Connections –
Learn how kinetic and potential energy
make cars, roller coasters and yo-yos move at Science Station
Connecting Through Music –
Build your own musical instrument at
Inventor’s Workshop to bring out your inner song.
Connecting Through Art –
Create a self-portrait at Art Academy
and express your personality to the world.
Ecosystem Crafts –
Use art to connect with children in New
Orleans and to connect different kinds of animals to make your own fantastical
creature.
March 13th – 21st: Happy First Birthday CMH –
Make a new first every day! The
Children's Museum of Houston is celebrating its new building’s first birthday
with a week full of record-setting fun!
Join us as we attempt to set Guinness World Records with your help.
We will honor each new exhibit with themed activities and live
performances. Come party with us
each day as we blast confetti cannons, dance to DJ Zin and sing Happy Birthday
at 1 p.m.
Happy Birthday CMH –
Kick off the birthday blast with a giant
cake, cupcake shades, party hats, birthday traditions from around the world and
our favorites like balloon rockets, gear mania, magnetic mazes and more. Come
try and help us break the World Record for the longest rubber band chain. The
current record is 19 miles. March 13th.
Happy Pi Day and Happy Birthday Cyberchase –
Celebrate
our math adventure exhibit with a piece of pi. Pi Day celebrates pi of 3.14, an
infinite, non-repeating number which also happens to be Albert Einstein’s
birthday. Join us at 1:59 p.m. as we engage local math and science teachers in a
giant pie fight. Come sing happy birthday and enjoy portable pudding pie as
Einstein makes a special appearance. Today’s World Record Setting First: Largest
Shaving Cream Fight in the US and World’s Longest Paper Pi Chain. March 14th.
Happy Birthday Matter Factory –
It’s the stuff too small to see but too
big to ignore. Today’s Record Setting goal – Most Flubber Made by Kids in a Day.
March 15th.
Happy Birthday Kidtropolis –
It’s a city for
kids, run by kids. Kidtropolis, USA
marks a spot on the map as a real-life kid metropolis complete with a skyline,
city government, occupations and the systems which make a city work. It’s where
kids can choose to be whatever they want to be! Play our favorite math game Bank
It!, create still life at the Alexander Art Academy, and more. Today’s Record
Setting Goal: Most People Tossing Coins Simultaneously. March 16th.
Happy Birthday Dragons and Fairies –
Enter a
magical place where aspects of modern day life in Vietnam interweave with
centuries old folktales. Dragons and Fairies: Exploring Vietnam through
Folktales provides a profusion of hands-on interactive learning experiences
about the culture and people in Vietnam. Today’s Record Setting Goal: First
Zydeco Band at CMH. March 17th.
Happy Birthday Invention Convention –
Come check out what local innovators are doing in the community to
make Houston the nation’s leader in innovation, and then become an inventor
yourself! Enjoy visits from local artists, paint with light and shadows and
build Magnetic Mazes and more. Today’s Record Setting Goal: Most Paper Rocket
Launches in a Day. March 18th.
Happy Birthday PowerPlay –
CMH’s most hands-on,
feet-on, knees-on exhibit celebrates a first year of existence with
heart-pumping, sweat-breaking fun! Learn about fitness and nutrition with
wellness-themed activities throughout the Museum, including Kids’ Culinary
Adventures; Eat This, Not That; and the Movin’ and Groovin’ math game.
Today’s Record Setting Goal: Most Calories Burned in a Dance Marathon. March
19th.
Happy Birthday Flow Works –
Water is
everywhere, leaving its mark in the weather, the ground and even on us! Explore
its importance through activities all over CMH.
Today’s Record Setting Goal: Most Weight Supported by an Aluminum Foil Boat.
March 20th.
And One to Grow On –
We’re concluding our First
Birthday Celebration with a blast — all our favorite activities, all day! So
much to do, this is a party you don’t want to miss. Try your hand at designing a
pinball machine and head back to your favorite exhibits for classic fun like
balloon rockets, Marble Maze, easel painting, Butterfly Bracelets and more.
March 25th – 31st: Nanodays Wonderweek –
Learn all about the stuff too small to see and why
nanotechnologists study it. The Matter Factory gives visitors a glimpse into the
concepts of materials science, including nanotechnology.
Critter Coloration –
Create your own butterfly wings and
learn about the nano-art of bird feathers at EcoStation.
Science of the Super Small –
Explore the tiny secrets of liquid
crystals, smelly balloons, magnetic fluid and Magic Sand at Science Station.
Buckyball –
Build a model of the nanomolecule discovered by a
Houston scientist. It’s shaped like a soccer ball but ten septillion times
smaller.
Food at the Nanoscale –
Cooking is nanotech too. Learn why in
the Power Science Lab.
Thru May 23rd:
Building Brainstorm –The new Building
Brainstorm exhibition is a
design studio
where you can explore what it is like to be an architect, designer, and
engineer. Plan a dream home or a dog house, build a skyscraper model, find the
best arrangement of an apartment model’s rooms and furniture, construct a
structure you can crawl through, and much more in
the bilingual show. The
exhibit introduces you to the design process, including collaborative
problem-solving, planning, revisions, and execution. Step inside
and you’ll find a kid-friendly studio environment inspired by the philosophy
and aesthetic of mid-century designers Charles and Ray Eames. Filled with
architectural plans, photographs, models, and authentic building elements, the
show features interactive workbenches and job sites that equip diminutive
designers to brainstorm creative solutions for architectural and engineering
challenges. You will discover the basics of buildings while exploring the
process of creating structures that match the needs of the people inside them.
The exhibit features several “design challenges,” where you experiment with
building materials, engineering concepts, and design decisions in an exciting
and educational environment. In the
Shape Search Challenge, find basic geometric shapes in complex
buildings. Try to replicate unusually shaped structures with wood blocks in the
Shapes in
Buildings Challenge. To experience curved, angled, and square building
shapes from a different perspective, make your own crawl-through structures at
the
Inside Shapes Challenge. Lighting considerations in building design
become clear at the
Window House Challenge, when you experiment with changeable
clear, translucent, and opaque panels in a house made of windows.
The
Floor Plan Challenge opens up the world of spatial
organization and how people use rooms.
Create the ideal floor plan for a model home by arranging the rooms and
miniature furniture in just the right way for your needs. In the
Room Design
Challenge, create an inspiration board for different types of rooms,
using real material samples.
for more information, see
www.cmhouston.org
or call (713) 522-1138
Contemporary Arts Museum (5216 Montrose)
Thru April 18th:
Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool –
Best known for his life-sized portraits of those
living within the urban northeastern communities of Connecticut, Barkley L.
Hendricks’s bold portrayal of his subject’s attitude and style elevated these
common and overlooked persons to celebrity status. Organized by Trevor
Schoonmaker, curator of contemporary art at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke
University, Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of the Cool is the first career
retrospective of this renowned American artist. The exhibition is comprised of
57 paintings, including full-figure portraits and lesser-known early works, as
well as the artist’s more recent portal-like paintings of the Jamaican
landscape, where he returns annually to do outdoor “en pleine air” painting.
Hendricks’s stylistic renderings connect the art movements of American
realism and post-modernism while touching upon many of the art movements of the
1960s and 70s—pop art, photorealism, minimalism, even black aesthetic
nationalism. His work occupies a space somewhere between portraitists Chuck
Close and Alex Katz and pioneering black conceptualists David Hammons and Adrian
Piper. Cool, empowering and sometimes confrontational, Hendricks's artistic
privileging of a culturally complex black body has paved the way for today's
younger generation of artists.
Thru May 2nd:
Perspectives 169: Odili Donald Odita –
Widely recognized for his pulsating
hues and meticulously painted wall and canvas works, Odili Donald Odita creates
paintings that often function as narratives. Although devoid of any discernable
figurative marks, the works tell of the nomadic journey of our ever-shifting
global society: shapes and intersecting lines become metaphors for time and
place while color evokes mood and impulse. This exhibition features a
site-specific environment created from a new body of paintings that echo the
unique architectural features of the Museum’s lower gallery space, The Zilkha
Gallery. The result is a familiar, yet fantastical immersive landscape. While
Odita’s wall works often find corollary references to those of Sol LeWitt, his
angular pulsating color fields immediately hint at the artist’s cultural
roots—he was born in Enugu, Nigeria and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Odita’s
abstract paintings suggest the fractal nature of his own experience as an
African émigré and the interweaving of his past and present
selves.
for more information, see
www.camh.org
or call (713) 284-8250
The Heritage Society
(1100 Bagby)
March 18th:
The Uncompromising Diary of Sallie
McNeill: Hill/Finger Lecture –
Raska and Mary Lynne Hill will lead this program.
Admission is $5 and the event will take place at noon in the Heritage Society
Tea Room.
Thru April 4th:
Rain or Shine: How Houston
Developed Space City Baseball –
George Scroggins, Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
Director, and Mike Acosta, Astros Archivist are the guest curators for the
Rain or Shine exhibit featuring
the history of, and memorabilia from, Houston professional baseball teams.
April 12th – June 27th: A Tejano Son of Texas –
This traveling exhibit tells the life story of
legendary Texas Tejano Jose Policarpio “Polly” Rodriguez. The display begins at
the start of his new life in the State of Coahuila y Texas, Mexico and continues
through Polly’s experiences as a young boy, gunsmith and surveyor as well as
addressing his military and Texas Ranger service and his ranching and public
office records. The exhibit concludes with a description of his years as a
Methodist minister.
for more information, visit
www.heritagesociety.org
Holocaust Museum Houston
(5401
Caroline)
Permanent Exhibit: The Permanent Exhibit is personalized with the testimony of
Houston-area survivors who lived through a genocidal war that inflicted mass
death on unprecedented numbers of innocent civilians. The exhibit begins by
carrying visitors back to pre-war Europe and revealing the flourishing Jewish
life and culture there. Authentic film footage, artifacts, photographs, and
documents expose Nazi propaganda and the ever-tightening restrictions on Jews in
the steady move toward the "Final Solution." Visitors learn of the horrific
conditions within the Nazi-imposed ghettos, the special mobile killing units
that murdered thousands, and the industrialization of death at complexes like
Treblinka, Chelmno, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.
March 4th:
The Jewish Fascination with Islam –
Susannah Heschel will
discuss how Jewish scholars shaped the rise of Islamic studies in Europe in the
19th century. Jewish scholarship of Islamic origin and the widely read
narratives of Jewish travelers to Islamic countries, shaped European images of
Muslims as well as of Jews. The Jewish admiration for Islam ultimately led some
Jews to convert to Islam, some of whom became significant religious leaders,
while others became political representatives who negotiated with European
leaders. Heschel is the Eli Black Associate Professor of Jewish Studies in the
Department of Religion at Dartmouth College. Seating is limited, and advance
registration is required. 7:00 p.m.
Thru March 21st:
A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People –
In the course of his papacy, John Paul II shattered the chain of 2,000 years of
painful history between Catholics and Jews.
The exhibit draws its name from the Pope’s 1993 appeal marking the 50th
anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising: “As Christians and Jews, following
the example of the faith of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing the world.
This is the common task awaiting us.
It is therefore necessary for us, Christians and Jews to first be a
blessing to one another”. The
exhibit, created by Xavier University in Cincinnati, includes photographs, video
footage, documents and artifacts recording the extraordinary contributions of
Pope John Paul II to relations between the Catholic and Jewish faiths.
Thru April 4th:
Besa: Muslims Who Saved Jews During
the Holocaust –
Albania, a European country
with a Muslim majority, succeeded where other European nations failed, in
dealing with Nazi Germany. Almost
all Jews living within Albanian borders during the German occupation--those of
Albanian origin and refugees alike--were saved.
In a five-year project, Colorado-based photographer Norman Gershman set
out to collect the names of righteous, non-Jews who saved Jews during the
Holocaust. He discovered that some
of the names were of Albanian Muslims.
He then began a quest to meet and photograph the Albanian rescuers or
their descendents. During his interviews, when he asked why they had rescued
Jews, the resounding response was “Besa,” the code of honor deeply rooted in
Albanian culture and incorporated in the faith of Albanian Muslims.
As Gershman later would explain, “There was no government conspiracy, no
underground railroad, no organized resistance of any kind--only individual
Albanians, acting alone, to save the lives of people whose lives were in
immediate danger. My portraits of
these people, and their stories, are meant to reflect their humanity, their
dignity, their religious and moral convictions, and their quiet courage.”
The exhibit is traveled by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of
Religion Museum.
Thru April 25th:
The Book of Memory –
Holocaust Museum Houston is proud to collaborate with the Consulate General of
Mexico in presenting samples of the work by artist Bela Gold. For several years,
Gold's work has been a reflection of the complexity of contemporary culture. Her
work is defined by a contrast between beauty and cultural references; in her
case, the Holocaust. She puts this conflict on display in all her pieces, which
offer evidence of our own ambivalence toward the beauty of artistic expression
and the social impact it creates. Gold offers a sample book of the various
graphics techniques depicting a variety of metal etchings,
photoengraved-intaglio, engraved-intaglio, laser engraving, graphite on stone,
silkscreen and graphite drawing on stone, and digital embroidery on cloth.
for more information, see
www.hmh.org
or call (713) 942-8000
Houston Museum of Natural Science
(One Hermann Circle Drive – Hermann
Park)
Thru April 4th:
Faberge: Imperial Jeweler to the
Tsars –
Discover the spectacular designs of Carl Faberge, a master goldsmith and
legendary jeweler who is still celebrated for his inventive design and
meticulous craftsmanship.
Perhaps best known for the Imperial Easter Eggs
created for the Russian Royal family, the House of Faberge also fashioned
jewelry and luxurious gifts for many ruling families of Europe as well as other
wealthy patrons. Marvel at exquisite
objects produced by the Fabergé workshop at its peak, including personal gifts
to the Tsar and Tsarina, an extravagant tiara, magnificent "fire-screen" picture
frame, and the famed Nobel Ice Egg, a stunning piece that is one of the few
Imperial-styled eggs in private hands. From elegantly simple to breathtakingly
ornate, the jewelry, clocks, picture frames, boxes and eggs in this collection
were thoughtfully selected to exemplify extraordinary materials and workmanship.
In recent years, the McFerrin Collection has become one of the world’s
most important private collections of Fabergé. While many of the pieces in this
collection have been featured individually in other exhibitions and publications
over the past 60 years, this event marks the first time that the McFerrin
Collection has been presented for public display. Highlights of the exhibition
include: Empress Josephine’s tiara, the Nobel Ice Egg, Fire Screen Picture
Frame, Nicholas II Presentation Snuff Box, The Wedding Clock, and the personal
cigarette case of Nicholas II.
Thru September 6th:
Magic: The Science of Wonder –
Magic – Illusory feats of wonder that dazzle the eye and confound
expectations – has fascinated humanity for centuries. Mesmerized by the masters
of illusion who perform this mysterious craft, we’re drawn to the spectacle,
curious to discover “how did he do that?” Though their methods are enshrouded in
secrecy, magicians combine the art of performance with a variety of scientific
disciplines, including math, physics and psychology, to create their dazzling
effects and fascinating illusions. With a touch of hocus-pocus and a dash of
abracadabra, the Houston Museum of Natural Science pulls a spectacular new
exhibition out of its hat—Magic: The Science of Wonder, opening Friday, February 26,
2010. The extraordinary show examines how science and magic are intertwined,
tapping into our universal desire to know "How does that work?" Magic is the
perfect subject to inspire people of all ages—especially kids—to learn about the
science behind the magic, and the world around them. Presenting an array of
artifacts connected with legendary performers of the past and present, the
exhibition will also feature film and video clips of famous magicians, as well
as guest illusionists performing live. At the "University of Magic" inside the
exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to learn a magic trick of their
own. Among the many intriguing artifacts to be featured are torches for fire
eating; magic lanterns and automatons; Harry Houdini's trademark milk can and
water escape trunk; Harry Blackstone's "Zig Zag Girl" prop; Mike Caveney’s
linking coat hangers; and items from the acts of Doug Henning, Penn & Teller,
and other superstars of magic.
Permanent Exhibit: Lester & Sue Smith Gem Vault - Intensely hued
jeweled masterpieces float wondrously in utter darkness, embodying the ultimate
combination of natural perfection and flawless artistic execution. Don't
miss the chance to see this exciting new permanent exhibit.
Planetarium Showings:
Impact Earth –
In 2006, the Museum unearthed a piece of an asteroid that crashed into the North
American prairie long ago. The story
takes us from the birth of our solar system, to the catastrophe that tore this
asteroid apart, to the surface of Mars, and to a future asteroid mining colony.
Dawn of the Space Age –
An epic, full dome experience recreates the great moments in human spaceflight,
including the Gemini, Apollo, Space Shuttle and International Space Station
programs. You are there each step of
the way, sharing the adventure, immersed in each great event.
Night of the Titanic -
A great tragedy
unfolds in the icy North Atlantic.
Weather, ice, the sun, and human error all contribute to the sinking of this
unsinkable ship. Experience the Titanic's last day to find out what went
terribly wrong and discover how changing Arctic ice can prepare us for tomorrow.
Starry Night Express - Audiences can practice finding constellations, planets, the
moon, meteor showers and the Milky Way band. Then the show will drop into
a star party led by Laurence Fishburne. From his country setting, the show
takes audiences through the solar system and into the Universe.
Breathtaking images from the Hubble Space Telescope hover and combine to show
the life cycle of stars. Audiences experience the eventual collision of
our Milky Way Galaxy with the neighboring Andromeda Galaxy as visualized by the
Space Telescope Science Institute. Then visitors plunge down and sweep
through the gigantic Valles Marineris canyon, simulated by the Centre for
Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology, using the
latest data from the Mars Global Surveyor.
Black Holes - The attraction of Black Holes is more than just gravitational.
These mysterious graveyards of dead stars have fascinated generations. The
Planetarium's new feature explores the history, physics and mystery of black
holes. Narrated by actor John de Lancie, this space adventure features
rich, expansive panoramas and incorporates several of the latest scientific
theories about how black holes are formed and where they are hiding now.
Witness the bending of light, the skewing of perception, and the dizzying
descent into a black hole. This show incorporates some of the most
visually stunning three dimensional effects ever created for the planetarium.
Add to that, a sound effects track and 5.1 surround sound mix by George Lucas'
Skywalker Sound Studios, and you have an incredible sensory experience.
Earth’s Wild
Ride
– A grandfather and granddaughter
watch a solar eclipse from scenic cliffs overlooking their moon colony.
Conversation leads to contrasts between the moon, the only home the
granddaughter knows, and the Earth, where the grandfather has spent most of his
life.
Through his stories, the grandfather
takes audiences on a wild canyon ride, to an ice age winter with a woolly
mammoth, and to the time when the dinosaurs lived and died. Each
experience begins with a telescope view of the dynamic Earth in stark contrast
with the unchanging lunar landscape.
Earth’s Wild Ride is like many tales shared by grandparents over the
centuries, except “the old country” is really another planet – always visible
from the moon base, but totally unlike the granddaughter’s world.
Adventure and appreciation for home fill this 20-minute journey back to
the Earth.
Life in the
Universe
– Where is it hiding? 2010 marks the
50th anniversary of the first experiment to search for
extraterrestrial
intelligence. In 1960, astronomer Frank Drake used a radio telescope in Green
Bank, West Virginia to listen to two nearby stars. He heard nothing interesting,
but the idea of searching for life beyond Earth was born. Fifty years of
searching for signals and occasional broadcasting of messages has not detected
any transmissions that require intelligent alien authors. Either intelligent
life is much more rare or short-lived than we expected or we are not looking in
the right places with the right tools. Life in the Universe takes a fresh look
at this fifty-year-old question, looking forward from the big bang, in search of
those special places that might harbor life, including all of the planets in our
solar system. It’s a beautiful scenic tour of our universe through the eyes of
astronomers looking for clues about the origin of life and the development of
intelligence. The vistas are breathtaking from stellar birth clouds like the
Orion and Trifid Nebulas to the death throes of Eta Carinae and the mysterious
surfaces of nearby planets, their moons and rings. Join the search and enjoy the
adventure. Life in the Universe is partially funded though a NASA public
outreach grant directed by Dr. George Fox, Department of Biology and
Biochemistry, University of Houston.
IMAX Theatre Showings:
Sharks 3D –
Presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau, Sharks 3D is a breathtaking new 3D IMAX
theatre film experience that offers audiences an astonishing up-close encounter
with sharks – the lions and tigers of the ocean. Come face-to-face with a
multitude of shark species, including the Great White, Hammerhead, and Whale
Shark. Witness them as they really are: not wicked man-eating creatures, but
wild, fascinating and endangered animals that thrived millions of years before
dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Join an expert team of ocean explorers in this
unique round-the-globe expedition documenting the life of the ultimate predator.
Bugs 3D
–
Bugs 3D!
follows the life cycles of a mantis and a butterfly, from their birth to their
inevitable encounter in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, where predator meets
its prey.
Bugs 3D! stars Papilio, a butterfly, and Hierodula, a praying
mantis, who live in an abandoned hut by a river, surrounded by lush tropical
foliage and a supporting cast of other intriguing and extraordinary insects.
Meet Papilio, a caterpillar that undergoes one of nature’s miraculous
transformations in her short life span of eight weeks, and Hierodula, a praying
mantis who embarks on an extraordinary hunting journey through the rainforest.
Along the way, meet a host of other fascinating insects: Leaf Cutter Ants, Rhino
Beetles, an aggressive Spiny Katydid, an Orchid Mantis, and the aptly-named
Thorn Bug, in addition to scorpions, tarantulas, frogs, lizards and a colony of
3 million bats which consume two and half tons of bugs every night! Along the
way, we meet a host of other insects, which, in various deceptive guises, which
also inhabit the rich, green and humid world: Leaf Cutter Ants that consume 20%
of the rainforest’s leaves; Rhino Beetles battling for the attention of a
female; the Trilobite Beetle hiding his tiny head under amour plating; a Scale
Bug disguised as a ball of fluff; an aggressive Spiny Katydid; an Orchid Mantis
which resembles the flower and the Thorn Bug, identical to a thorn. In addition,
scorpions, tarantulas, frogs, lizards and a colony of three-million bats which
consume two and half tons of bugs every night, skitter across the screen, some
magnified 250,000 times their normal size.
Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs –
What is it about mummies?
These preserved human time capsules from ancient Egypt fascinate and
intrigue us, but why? Is it because
the blur the line between the living and the dead?
Or is it because they provide such a powerfully visual window to our
ancient past? Whatever the reason, there is
little doubt that mummies are some of the world’s most spellbinding subjects.
And Egypt is one of the most fascinating civilizations, in large part
because of the great mummies that have been discovered there in modern times.
Part historic journey and part forensic adventure, this feature follows
researchers and explorers as they piece together the archaeological and genetic
clues of Egyptian mummies. Through
ambitious computer graphics and dramatic reconstructions, the film tells the
story of one of the greatest finds in modern history: the late 19th century
discovery of a cache of forty mummies, including twelve Kings of Egypt, among
them the legendary Ramses the Great.
Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs is a walk back thousands of years
to the wonders of ancient Egypt, a real-life Indiana Jones adventure complete
with thieves and hidden treasure, and a modern day scientific journey to extract
clues about our past. The film
covers topics of grand proportions, making it ideal for the high-impact
experience in IMAX and other
giant-screen theaters.
for more information, see
www.hmns.org
or call (713) 639-4629
Menil Collection (1515 Sul Ross)
Thru February 28th:
Body in Fragments –
Body in Fragments
brings together diverse works from the collection to explore the ways in which
different cultures conceptualize the spiritual, physical, and intellectual
aspects of personhood. The fifteenth
century finger reliquary, for example, evokes the miraculous power of the
physical body, the oversized finger acting as a testament to its spiritual or
supernatural significance. A wooden
Dan comb, with a handle that depicts strong, well-sculpted female legs, brings
together the idealization of the female form with the act of beautification
itself when the comb is used. The
disintegration of the human body witnessed in Cubist and Surrealist works speaks
to modern art’s challenge to Cartesian dualism and perceptions of the human mind
and consciousness in the wake of world war, reflecting the development of
psychology and its embrace of what was once known as “primitive” art.
Thru August 15th:
Maurizio Cattelan –
Contemporary Italian
artist Maurizio Cattelan is known for his witty embrace of semantic shifts that
result from imaginative plays with materials, objects, and actions. In his work,
contradictions in the space between what the artist describes as softness and
perversity wage a sarcastic critique on political power structures, from notions
of nationalism or the authorities of organized religion to the conceit of the
museum and art history. Like the traditions established by Dada and Surrealism,
his uncanny juxtapositions uproot stable understandings of the world around us.
For Cattelan even the banal is absurd. The exhibition at The Menil Collection,
organized by Franklin Sirmans, curator of modern and contemporary art, will be
the artist’s first solo show in Texas. The exhibition will focus on recent
large-scale works that premiered in Europe in 2007 and will feature sculptures
that range in tone from the melancholic and politically contentious to the
decidedly irreverent. Cattelan will also realize additional works for the
exhibition in response to site visits to The Menil Collection campus and the
museum’s world-famous collection of Surrealist works. Significantly, these
pieces will also mark the artist’s return to sculpture-based practice. For the
last five years his work has largely centered on publishing and curating.
March 19th – August 8th:
Leaps into the Void: Documents of Nouveau Realist Performances –
Pyrotechnics, exploding pigment, blowtorches, lacerated décollage, and found
materials, define the radical gestures of the avant-garde movement, Nouveau
Réalisme. Translated as “New Realism,” it was founded by art critic Pierre
Restany and artist Yves Klein in Paris in 1960. The circle of artists formally
and informally associated with the movement included Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean
Tinguely, Martial Raysse, Christo, Mimmo Rotella and Arman, among others. They
believed direct and aggressive physical explorations, characterized by a
paradoxical emphasis on notions of deconstruction and accumulation, and the use
of discarded materials from everyday life in the tradition of Dada, achieved a
more truthful understanding of modern society in a moment of rising consumerism.
As proclaimed in the
First
Manifesto of Nouveau Réalisme, “if one succeeds at reintegrating
oneself with the real, one achieves transcendence, which is emotion, sentiment,
and finally, poetry.”
Leaps into the Void draws from the
Menil’s strong holdings of work and material from the archives and collection
that document through film, photographs and works of art, the movement’s
ephemeral and performance-based projects, perhaps most famously epitomized by
Yves Klein’s “Leap into the Void.” The photograph by Harry Shunk, capturing the
artist hurling himself from a Parisian rooftop, will be exhibited alongside
other documents of the jump, including Klein’s publication emulating the Sunday
edition of a daily newspaper, which he inserted into newsstands as a guerrilla
intervention on the streets of Paris. Archival photo documentation of Jean
Tinguely’s self-destructing sculpture that went up in flames in a square in
Milan, to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the founding of Nouveau
Réalisme, will also be on display, alongside a 1966 film by Francois de Menil of
the construction and deconstruction of HON, a monumental sculpture installed at
the Moderna Museet in Stockholm by Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, and Per
Olof Ultvedt.
for more details, see
www.menil.org
or call
(713) 284-8250
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
(Caroline Weiss Law Bldg. @ 1001
Bissonnet and the adjacent Audrey Jones Beck Bldg., 5601 Main)
March 5th – April 16th: 2010 Core Exhibition –
The Glassell School of Art showcases work created by artists in its
internationally acclaimed Core Residency Program.
March 7th – July 8th: Liquid Lines: Exploring the
Language of Contemporary Metal –
This exhibit surveys the
innovative and diverse range of metal in the MFAH collection.
March 21st – June 13th: Alice Neel: Painted Truths
– One of the greatest American painters of the 20th century,
Alice Neel is best known for her psychologically accurate portraits. Having
consciously set out to chronicle the zeitgeist of her time, Neel painted friends
and family, as well as the celebrated artists and writers of her day such as
Andy Warhol, Frank O’Hara and Meyer Shapiro.
Thru May 9th:
Prendergast in Italy – This
exhibition brings together for the first time the unparalleled bodies of work
that American impressionist Maurice Prendergast produced during two trips to
Italy in 1898 and 1911.
Thru May 9th:
Ruptures and Continuities: Photography
Made after 1960 –
As part of the Fotofest 2010 Biennial, nearly 200 photographs from the MFAH
collection examine the course of post-`960 photography across the globe.
Thru May 23rd:
Sargent and the Sea – American
expatriate artist John Singer Sargent is famous for his glamorous society
portraits, but this exhibition is the first to examine the little explored
maritime paintings and drawings that Sargent produced in various locales during
the first five years of his career. In a complimentary exhibit
Houston’s Sargent, 30 works drawn from
local private collections and the museum’s own art will offer a look at
Sargent’s entire career.
Thru May 23rd:
Feathers, Fins and Fur: Natural
history Illustration of the 19th Century –
Artists and naturalists such as John James Audubon produced an unprecedented
record of the natural world in the 19th century. Art, science, and technology
converged in a multitude of printed images that fed a growing public interest in
the amazing diversity of living creatures.
for more information, see
www.mfah.org
or call (713) 639-7300
Museum of Health & Medical Science (1515 Hermann Drive)
March 15th – 20th: Health & Wellness Expo
– Discover a healthier you with the Health and Wellness Expo. This is the
perfect opportunity for families to explore fun and entertaining ways to stay
active and healthy all year long. Activities include games, craft stations,
healthy snack stations, family science lab stations, health screenings and
health and wellness information booths.
Thru May 9th:
Backyard Monsters –
The 6,000 square foot exhibit is a tour through what you’ve been stepping on in
your own backyard. It’s where you are the size of the bug and the bugs are
enormous! The giant animatronic insects move and make the chirping, clicking
noises bugs make. The 8-foot tall robotic insects include a tarantula, ants, a
wasp, caterpillar and a big, beautiful monarch butterfly. But don’t worry, they
don’t bite! Visitors will also experience insect specimens and education
stations. In the education stations, visitors can drive a robotic bug and learn
to eat like a bug too! Find out what it’s like to see through the eyes of a bug.
Learn how antennae work and why crickets chirp. And hundreds of insect samples
from around the world will also be on display!
Ongoing:
Planet You –
At The Health Museum, you
will experience a world you never knew existed before.
A world that is so much closer than you think. Planet You is a 3D
microscopic journey into the foreign landscape that is your skin!
This summer premiere 3D film mixes live action and cutting edge computer
animation to tell the story of all the tiny critters that live on the surface of
your skin and the miraculous process of how the body heals itself.
From dust mites to the catastrophic paper cut, you will encounter it all
at the most cellular level. It will leave you both amazed and perhaps a little
uncomfortable in your skin. But it
will certainly be a unique experience. The Planet YOU film is an original
production of The Health Museum and The Museum of Science, Boston. This film is
the first of what will become a series of 3D film collaborations.
This partnership also marks the first time in the museum/science center
industry that science-based original 3D films will be produced for a
museum-based audience.
Ongoing: The
Adjustable Eye - A permanent addition to The Amazing Body Pavilion, the
Adjustable Eye gives visitors a chance to experiment with the eye's inner
workings and see the mechanics of the eye like never before. The shape of
the lens can be altered in order to focus on an image, duplicating what happens
in our own eyes. The exhibit encourages visitors to take care of their
eyes and get eye exams regularly to prevent eye diseases and vision problems.
Currently one in 10 children has undiagnosed vision problems that, if left
untreated, may lead to permanent vision loss and difficulties in school.
Ongoing:
You: The Exhibit -
The Health Museum is proud to announce the first
new permanent exhibition since its opening in 1996 - You: The Exhibit.
This unique gallery immerses visitors of all ages in The World of Tomorrow –
reminiscent of the 1939 World’s Fair. Join your fellow museum visitors in
a learning environment that allows investigation into the who, what, where,
when, and how of YOU. Using the latest
multi-media and special effects technology, The Health Museum has created an
experience that will take the museum visitor on a journey to explore their
physical selves, mental selves and their future selves. The sophisticated media
nature of the exhibition encourages group interaction and participation in the
exhibition, and visitors are able to leave something of themselves behind to
change the experience over time.
Ongoing: Pump
It Up - As you exit the Amazing Body Pavilion, get ready to dance at Pump It
Up, a cardio intense exhibit that encourages up to two dancers to get their
heart pumping in a challenging dance game. Each dancer must follow the
on-screen performer and lightly tap lighted panels as they illuminate the dance
floor. The fast paced game can increase in difficulty as the dancer
masters the steps. In an effort to stem increases in the obesity rate,
Pump It Up illustrates that fitness can be fun. There is a one dollar
charge for each dancer.
Ongoing:
Brain Teasers - Hands-on problem solving is the focus of Brain Teasers, a
collection of 20 different games that challenge the whole family to tackle
puzzles, solve number games and manipulate intriguing shapes. A wide array
of challenges for individuals of all ages; test your dexterity by tying and
untying knots; solve tangrum puzzles and intriguing number games; balance 14
nails on the head of one nail and much, much more. These mind benders are
guaranteed to challenge even the most experienced problem solver.
Daily:
Science Theatre - Offering films on a variety of interesting topics.
See museum calendar for monthly selection. Approximately 26 minutes.
for more information see
www.mhms.org
or call (713) 942-7054
Space Center Houston
(1601 NASA Parkway)
Daily:
Level 9 Tour. Go Behind the Scenes. This tour takes you
behind the scenes to see the real world of NASA up close and personal.
On this tour you will see things that only the astronauts see and eat
what and where they eat. All your questions will be answered by a
very knowledgeable Tour Guide as you discover the secrets that have been kept
behind closed doors for years. The
Level Nine Tour is Monday-Friday and includes lunch in the astronauts'
cafeteria. The only security
clearance is that you must be 16 years of age or older. Only 12 Level Nine
admissions are available each day.
Astronaut Gallery:
The Astronaut Gallery is an
unparalleled exhibit outside Northrop Grumman Theater featuring the world's best
collection of spacesuits. Astronaut John Young's ejection suit and Judy Resnik's
T-38 flight suit are two of the many spacesuits on display. The walls of the
Astronaut Gallery also contain crew photos of every U.S. astronaut who has flown
in space.
Space Center Theater. The challenge of President John F. Kennedy, to put a man on
the moon by the end of the 60's, had its beginning several decades before the
formation of NASA. As the guests
have seen in other parts of Space Center Houston, the equipment and the
technology have been developing since Robert Goddard's time.
This attraction shows the excitement, the commitment and the risks taken
by the people who fly in space. Here
we can see the evolution of the equipment and the training of the men and women
who dreamed to be astronauts. Nearly
300 people have flown in space since the first Mercury rocket took off in May
1961 with astronaut Alan Sheppard, Jr. on board.
That first flight lasted only 15 minutes.
Contrast that with the May 1992 flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor,
which was 9 days with 7 crew members on board.
Starship Gallery. The journey into space begins with the film “On Human
Destiny”. Artifacts and hardware on
display in the Starship Gallery trace the progression of America’s Manned Space
Flight. This incredible collection
includes: an original model of the Goddard Rocket; the actual Mercury Atlas 9
“Faith 7” capsule flown by Gordon Cooper; the Gemini V Spacecraft piloted by
Pete Conrad and Gordon Cooper; a Lunar Roving Vehicle Trainer, the Apollo 17
Command Module, the giant Skylab Trainer, and the Apollo-Soyuz Trainer.
The Feel of Space. The Living in Space module simulates what life is like for
astronauts aboard the space station.
A Mission Briefing Officer gives a live presentation on how astronauts live in
space. The presentation uses humor
to show how the smallest tasks like showering and eating are complicated by a
microgravity environment. A
volunteer from the audience helps to prove the point. Beyond the Living in Space
Module are 24 part task trainers that use sophisticated computer technology to
provide visitors with the experience of landing the orbiter, retrieving a
satellite or exploring shuttle systems.
Blast Off Theatre. The space program truly comes alive in the Mission Status
Center, where Mission Briefing Officers provide live updates on current space
flights and astronaut training activities.
At any time, they may look behind-the-scenes at Johnson Space Center and
other NASA facilities around the country to see astronauts train or a shuttle
launch via satellite from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During missions, the
center shares communication between Mission Control and the astronauts on board
the shuttle.
for more information, see
www.spacecenter.org
or call (281) 244-2148
Sports
Houston Dynamo – Major League Soccer
(Robertson Stadium - University of Houston)
March 14th:
Houston Dynamo vs. Austin @ Austin
5:00 p.m.
March 27th:
Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas @ Dallas
3:00 p.m.
April 1st:
Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
8:00 p.m.
April 10th:
Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy
7:30 p.m.
April 17th:
Houston Dynamo vs. Chivas USA
3:00 p.m.
April 24th:
Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago @ Chicago
7:30 p.m.
for more information, see
www.houstondynamo.com
Houston Aeros – American Hockey League (West Division)
(Toyota Center, 1510 Polk)
March 3rd:
Houston Aeros vs. San Antonio Rampage @ San Antonio
7:00 p.m.
March 5th:
Houston Aeros vs. San Antonio Rampage
7:35 p.m.
March 6th:
Houston Aeros vs. Texas Stars @ Austin
7:00 p.m.
March 12th:
Houston Aeros vs. Peoria Rivermen
7:35 p.m.
March 13th:
Houston Aeros vs. Chicago Wolves @ Chicago
7:00 p.m.
March 14th:
Houston Aeros vs. Rockford Ice Hogs @ Rockford
5:00 p.m.
March 20th:
Houston Aeros vs. Milwaukee Admirals
7:35 p.m.
March 21st:
Houston Aeros vs. Milwaukee Admirals
4:05 p.m.
March 26th:
Houston Aeros vs. Lake Erie Monsters
7:35 p.m.
March 27th:
Houston Aeros vs. Peoria Rivermen @ Peoria
7:00 p.m.
March 28th:
Houston Aeros vs. Peoria Rivermen @ Peoria
2:00 p.m.
March 31st:
Houston Aeros vs. Chicago Wolves
7:05 p.m.
April 2nd:
Houston Aeros vs. Chicago Wolves
7:35 p.m.
April 3rd:
Houston Aeros vs. Texas Stars @ Austin
7:00 p.m.
April 6th:
Houston Aeros vs. Rockford Ice Hogs
7:05 p.m.
April 8th:
Houston Aeros vs. San Antonio Rampage@ San Antonio
7:00 p.m.
April 10th:
Houston Aeros vs. Texas Stars
7:35 p.m.
April 11th:
Houston Aeros vs. San Antonio Rampage @ San Antonio
2:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.aeros.com
or call (713) 974-7825
Houston Rockets –
National
Basketball Association
(Toyota Center, 1510 Polk)
March 1st:
Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors
7:30 p.m.
March 3rd:
Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings
7:30 p.m.
March 6th:
Houston Rockets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves @ Minnesota
7:00 p.m.
March 7th:
Houston Rockets vs. Detroit Pistons @ Detroit
5:00 p.m.
March 9th:
Houston Rockets vs. Washington Wizards @ Washington
6:00 p.m.
March 13th:
Houston Rockets vs. New Jersey Nets
7:30 p.m.
March 15th:
Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets
7:30 p.m.
March 17th:
Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies
7:30 p.m.
March 19th:
Houston Rockets vs. Boston Celtics
7:30 p.m.
March 21st:
Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks @ New York
12:00 p.m.
March 22nd:
Houston Rockets vs. Chicago Bulls @ Chicago
7:00 p.m.
March 24th:
Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder @ Oklahoma City
7:00 p.m.
March 25th:
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers
7:30 p.m.
March 27th:
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers 7:30 p.m.
March 30th:
Houston Rockets vs. Washington Wizards
7:30 p.m.
March 31st:
Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs @ San Antonio
7:30 p.m.
April 2nd:
Houston Rockets vs. Boston Celtics @ Boston
6:30 p.m.
April 4th:
Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers @ Indiana
5:00 p.m.
April 6th:
Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies @ Memphis 7:00 p.m.
April 7th:
Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz
7:30 p.m.
April 9th:
Houston Rockets vs. Charlotte Bobcats
7:30 p.m.
April 11th:
Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns @ Phoenix
8:00 p.m.
April 12th:
Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings @ Sacramento
9:00 p.m.
April 14th:
Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Hornets
7:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.rockets.com
or call (713) 758-7200
Houston Texans Football
(Reliant Stadium)
Season is complete.
for more information, visit
www.houstontexans.com or
call 713-629-3700
Houston Astros (Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford)
April 2nd:
Houston Astros vs. Toronto Bluejays
7:05 p.m.
April 3rd:
Houston Astros vs. Toronto Bluejays
1:05 p.m.
April 5th:
Houston Astros vs. San Francisco Giants 6:05 p.m.
April 6th:
Houston Astros vs. San Francisco Giants 7:05 p.m.
April 7th:
Houston Astros vs. San Francisco Giants
1:05 p.m.
April 9th:
Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies
7:05 p.m.
April 10th:
Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies
6:05 p.m.
April 11th:
Houston Astros vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1:05 p.m.
April 12th:
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals @ St. Louis
3:15 p.m.
April 14th:
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals @ St. Louis
7:15 p.m.
April 15th:
Houston Astros vs. St. Louis Cardinals @ St. Louis
12:40 p.m.
April 16th:
Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs @ Chicago
1:20 p.m.
April 17th:
Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs @ Chicago
TBD
April 18th:
Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs @ Chicago
1:20 p.m.
April 20th:
Houston Astros vs. Florida Marlins
7:05 p.m.
April 21st:
Houston Astros vs. Florida Marlins
7:05 p.m.
April 22nd:
Houston Astros vs. Florida Marlins
7:05 p.m.
April 23rd:
Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
7:05 p.m.
April 24th:
Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
6:05 p.m.
April 25th:
Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1:05 p.m.
April 27th:
Houston Astros vs. Cincinnati Reds
7:05 p.m.
April 28th:
Houston Astros vs. Cincinnati Reds
7:05 p.m.
April 29th:
Houston Astros vs. Cincinnati Reds
7:05 p.m.
April 30th:
Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves @ Atlanta
TBD
for more information, see
http://houston.astros.mlb.com
College Sports
Rice University – Basketball
March 3rd:
Rice vs. U of H @ U of H
7:00 p.m.
March 6th:
Rice vs. UCF 2:00 p.m.
Rice University – Baseball
March 2nd:
Rice vs. U of H 4:00
p.m.
March 3rd:
Rice vs. Texas State @ San Marcos
6:30 p.m.
March 5th:
Rice vs. Texas @ Minute Maid Park
7:00 p.m.
March 6th:
Rice vs. Texas Tech @ Minute Maid Park
7:00 p.m.
March 7th:
Rice vs. TCU @ Minute Maid Park
6:00 p.m.
March 9th:
Rice vs. Sam Houston State
6:30 p.m.
March 11th:
Rice vs. California
6:30 p.m.
March 12th:
Rice vs. California
6:30 p.m.
March 13th:
Rice vs. California
2:00 p.m.
March 14th:
Rice vs. California
1:00 p.m.
March 16th:
Rice vs. Texas 6:30
p.m.
March 19th:
Rice vs. San Diego @ San Diego
4:00 p.m.
March 20th:
Rice vs. San Diego @ San Diego
3:00 p.m.
March 21st:
Rice vs. San Diego @ San Diego
2:00 p.m.
March 23rd:
Rice vs. Texas @ Austin
6:05 p.m.
March 26th:
Rice vs. Memphis @ Memphis
6:30 p.m.
March 27th:
Rice vs. Memphis @ Memphis
2:00 p.m.
March 28th:
Rice vs. Memphis @ Memphis
12:00 p.m.
March 30th:
Rice vs. Lamar @ Beaumont
6:30 p.m.
April 1st:
Rice vs. U of H 6:30
p.m.
April 2nd:
Rice vs. U of H 6:30
p.m.
April 3rd:
Rice vs. U of H 2:00
p.m.
April 6th:
Rice vs. Dallas Baptist
6:00 p.m.
April 9th:
Rice vs. Tulane @ New Orleans
6:30 p.m.
April 10th:
Rice vs. Tulane @ New Orleans
2:00 p.m.
April 11th:
Rice vs. Tulane @ New Orleans
1:00 p.m.
April 13th:
Rice vs. Sam Houston State @ Huntsville
6:30 p.m.
April 14th:
Rice vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi
6:30 p.m.
April 16th:
Rice vs. UCF @ Orlando
5:30 p.m.
April 17th:
Rice vs. UCF @ Orlando
3:00 p.m.
April 18th:
Rice vs. UCF @ Orlando
11:00 a.m.
April 20th:
Rice vs. Texas A&M @ College Station
6:30 p.m.
April 23rd:
Rice vs. East Carolina
6:30 p.m.
April 24th:
Rice vs. East Carolina
2:00 p.m.
April 25th:
Rice vs. East Carolina
1:00 p.m.
for more information, see
http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports
University of Houston – Basketball
March 3rd:
U of H vs. Rice 7:00
p.m.
March 6th:
U of H vs. Tulane @ New Orleans
7:00 p.m.
University of Houston – Baseball
March 2nd:
U of H vs. Rice 4:00
p.m.
March 5th:
U of H vs. Missouri @ Minute Maid Park
3:30 p.m.
March 6th:
U of H vs. Texas @ Minute Maid Park
3:30 p.m.
March 7th:
U of H vs. Texas Tech @ Minute Maid Park
2:30 p.m.
March 12th:
U of H vs. Cal Poly @ San Luis Obispo
8:00 p.m.
March 13th:
U of H vs. Cal Poly @ San Luis Obispo
8:00 p.m.
March 14th:
U of H vs. Cal Poly @ San Luis Obispo
3:00 p.m.
March 16th:
U of H vs. San Francisco @ San Francisco
12:00 p.m.
March 17th:
U of H vs. California @ Berkley
4:30 p.m.
March 19th:
U of H vs. Arizona State @ Tempe
8:30 p.m.
March 20th:
U of H vs. Arizona State @ Tempe
8:30 p.m.
March 21st:
U of H vs. Arizona State @ Tempe
3:00 p.m.
March 23rd:
U of H vs. Stephen F. Austin @ Nacogdoches
3:00 p.m.
March 24th:
U of H vs. Stephen F. Austin
6:30 p.m.
March 26th:
U of H vs. UCF 6:30
p.m.
March 27th:
U of H vs. UCF 6:30
p.m.
March 28th:
U of H vs. UCF 1:00
p.m.
March 30th:
U of H vs. UTSA 6:30
p.m.
April 1st:
U of H vs. Rice @ Rice 6:30 p.m.
April 2nd:
U of H vs. Rice @ Rice
6:30 p.m.
April 3rd:
U of H vs. Rice @ Rice
1:00 p.m.
April 6th:
U of H vs. Sam Houston State
6:30 p.m.
April 9th:
U of H vs. TCU 6:30
p.m.
April 10th:
U of H vs. TCU 6:30
p.m.
April 11th:
U of H vs. TCU 1:00
p.m.
April 13th:
U of H vs. UTSA @ San Antonio
6:00 p.m.
April 16th:
U of H vs. Memphis 6:30
p.m.
April 17th:
U of H vs. Memphis 6:30 p.m.
April 18th:
U of H vs. Memphis 1:00
p.m.
April 21st:
U of H vs. Lamar @ Beaumont
6:30 p.m.
April 23rd:
U of H vs. Southern Miss @ Hattiesburg
6:30 p.m.
April 24th:
U of H vs. Southern Miss @ Hattiesburg
4:00 p.m.
April 25th:
U of H vs. Southern Miss @ Hattiesburg
1:00 p.m.
April 27th:
U of H vs. Sam Houston State @ Huntsville
6:30 p.m.
April 28th:
U of H vs. Lamar 6:30
p.m.
April 30th:
U of H vs. UAB @ Birmingham
6:30 p.m.
for more information, see
http://uhcougars.cstv.com/sports
Parks
Houston Arboretum (4501 Woodway)
Wednesdays - March 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st:
Introductory Tai Chi -
The Arboretum provides a serene, natural backdrop for this graceful, meditative
form of exercise. Class is held
outside except when weather conditions are prohibitive. Cost is $45 per month or
$15 per session. 5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Thursdays, February 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th:
Yoga on the Way Home -
Why fight the traffic? Slow down and
relax in the peaceful beauty of the Arboretum during a one-hour yoga session in
the Arboretum's classroom overlooking the forest.
Cost is $15 per session or $10 a session when registering for the month.
Registration is required. 5:45 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
March 3rd:
Arboretum Plant Identification –
Learn the basic concepts needed for identifying native trees and shrubs.
Instructor Glenn Olsen will show how observation of plant shape, leaf and bark
pattern, and patterns of growth can help simplify the identification process.
Class includes a field trip hike in the Arboretum for hands-on practice of
identification skills learned in class.
$40 for members; $55 for non-members.
March 6th:
Tadpole Troopers: Weird Mammals (ages 3-5 with an adult)
–
Tadpole Troopers is a nature class for 3, 4 and 5 year olds with an adult.
This spring classes will explore the weird and wild side of nature.
In March children will discover fun facts about armadillos, hedgehogs and
other interesting mammals. $13 for members; $26 for non-members.
9:00 a.m.
– 10:15 a.m., 10:45 a.m. – Noon
or 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Pre-registration required.
March 6th:
Naturalist Explorers: Garbage and the 3 R’s (ages 5-8) –
This spring, Naturalist Explorer students will learn to be Eco Kids!
In March children will dive into the subject of garbage and learn how
they can apply the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, to their everyday choices.
Kids will get the chance to make their own piece of recycled paper. $15
for members; $30 for non-members.
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. or
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
February 6th:
EcoTrackers: Erase Waste (ages 9-12) –
EcoTracker classes inspire young naturalists with hands-on, engaging activities
about a nature topic each month.
This spring, EcoTrackers students will learn to become Eco Kids!
In March’s class children will learn all about recycling: from what items
can be recycled to how the process works.
Students will get to make their own piece of recycled paper. Cost: $15 for
members, $30 for non-members. Pre-registration required by noon on Friday prior
to class.
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
March 7th:
Backyard Habitat Builder Series: Building a Hummingbird Garden
–
Backyard Habitat Workshops are monthly half-day classes teaching simple ways to
transform a landscape of any size to attract birds, butterflies, frogs, toads
and other beneficial Houston wildlife.
Taught by Arboretum Conservation Director
March 13th:
Basic Wilderness Life Support –
Basic Wilderness Life Support® certification is a one-day, fast-paced, hands-on
course providing preparation for the prevention and management of real
emergencies that can occur in the wild (or even in your backyard). The course
covers a wide range of outdoor and back-country topics and will teach
participants to assess and handle medical situations with limited resources. The
course time will be divided between lectures and hands-on practice. Basic
Wilderness Life Support (BWLS) was created for all outdoor enthusiasts including
scout leaders, hikers, bikers, skiers, climbers, kayakers, hunters, fishermen
and trail runners. Participants will receive a textbook, field guide and upon
completion, a BWLS certificate. Instructors: Drs. Jane Corboy and John Rogers
are certified in family medicine, sports medicine and advanced wilderness life
support. They have extensive experience in mountaineering, whitewater rafting
and backpacking, and are award-winning teachers. Cost is $100 for members and
medical students; $120 for non-members. 8:30 a.m.
– 5:00 p.m.
March 13th – 21st: Spring Native
Plant Sale –
Over 60 native species will be available for sale, including trees, shrubs,
vines, ferns, groundcovers, grasses, wildflowers, bog and rain garden plants.
Organic-based Nature’s Way products, including screened compost and native mulch
will be available for sale. Arboretum members will receive a discount on
purchases. Proceeds from the sale will support the Arboretum’s education and
conservation programs.
March 15th – 19th: Spring Break Camp
– Mammal Mania! –
Kids will learn all about mammals - from armadillos to coyotes to mice and
whales - during the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center’s Spring Break Camp:
Mammal Mania! Arboretum naturalists
will lead children through hands-on investigations to explore the
characteristics of mammals such as fur and an acute sense of smell, as well as
the adaptations of specific mammals in our area. This week-long camp features
both indoor and outdoor adventures. Children are taught by qualified staff
naturalists in classes by age (5 & 6, 7 & 8, 9-12). Full day camp (9:00 a.m. –
3:00 p.m.): $230 members; $270 non-members. Morning only camp (9:00 am – noon):
$120 members; $150 non-members
March 20th:
Practical Emergency Preparedness –
Learn practical emergency preparedness for the Houston area, including easy and
inexpensive ways to be ready for disasters big or small. Topics will include:
threat identification, basic preparation, evacuation, dealing with long power
outages, emergency kits for vehicles, and the benefits of coordinated efforts in
a neighborhood.
Cost: $35 for members; $50
for non-members. 1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
March 25th:
Creating Leaf Art –
Learn to create beautiful
artwork using leaves, seed pods, flowers and other natural materials. Instructor
Owen Mortenson is owner of Leaf Botanical Art and was named one of American
Style magazine’s “Ten Emerging Artists. His work was featured in the TV show
“Extreme Makeover, Home Edition” in his hometown of Logan, Utah. Fee includes
all materials: $40 for members; $55 for non-members
March 26th:
Tadpole Troopers: Weird Mammals (ages 3-5 with an adult)
–
Tadpole Troopers is a nature class for 3, 4 and 5 year olds with an adult.
This spring classes will explore the weird and wild side of nature.
In March children will discover fun facts about armadillos, hedgehogs and
other interesting mammals. $13 for members; $26 for non-members. 10:30
– 11:45 a.m. Pre-registration
required.
February 26th:
Home School Class: Sensational Snakes –
Designed especially for home schoolers, the spring classes will
focus on herpetology. The unique
characteristics of snakes including how they find food and defend themselves
will be the subject of the March class.
Students will take a walk in the Arboretum to look for snakes. $15 for
members; $25 for non-members. 1:30
– 3:00 p.m.
March 27th:
Tadpole Troopers: Weird Mammals (ages 3-5 with an adult)
–
Tadpole Troopers is a nature class for 3, 4 and 5 year olds with an adult.
This spring classes will explore the weird and wild side of nature.
In March children will discover fun facts about armadillos, hedgehogs and
other interesting mammals. $13 for members; $26 for non-members. 9:00
– 10:15 a.m. or
10:45
– Noon. Pre-registration
required.
March 28th –
April 2nd:
South Texas Natural History Tour –
The south Texas Rio Grande
Valley has worldwide acclaim from birders for its diversity, with almost 500
species recorded, and at least 40 that occur nowhere else in the U.S.
This trip will include stops at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge,
the largest protected area of natural habitat in the Lower Rio Grande Valley,
which is home to the Ocelot, Texas tortoise, javelina, and the rare Aplomado
Falcon. Other unique natural areas
on the trip’s itinerary include: Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, the World
Birding Center at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Frontera Audubon, South
Padre Island and Sabal Palm Audubon Center, and the King Ranch. This trip will
be of particular interest to nature photographers as Greg Lavaty, one of Texas’
best wildlife photographers, will be on the trip to give advice in the field.
Trip leaders are Bill Eley, Glenn Olsen and Greg Lavaty. Bill Eley is Program
Development Director of the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center and has over 30
years of birding experience. Glenn
Olsen is past president of the Native Plant Society of Texas and has led natural
history tours to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Greg Lavaty’s wildlife
photography has been seen in many print and digital publications; he teaches
nature photography classes at the Arboretum. Cost is $1295 for members; $1395
for non-members. Cost includes all transportation, lodging, fees, guide services
and breakfast each day. Registration deadline is March 12.
for more information, see
www.houstonarboretum.org
or call (713) 681-8433
Houston Zoo
(1513 North McGregor)
Founded in 1922, the ever-evolving Houston Zoo is an exciting
recreational destination and a unique educational resource serving 1.4 million
guests annually. Set in a lush
55-acre landscape, the Zoo is home to more than 3,100 exotic animals
representing more than 500 species.
The first Saturday of every month, Houston Zoo Members are invited to enjoy the
Zoo an hour earlier and see keepers, grounds crew, and other staff preparing to
open the Zoo for the day, including releasing animals from their night holds
into their habitats. Members can experience the Zoo before the crowds on these
select mornings and start the day off right with a trip to the Zoo.
Please note that the Wildlife Carousel, and concessions stands, and cafes
will open at 9:00 a.m. The Gift Shop, Aquarium and Natural Encounters will open
at 8:00 a.m.
March 25th:
Christina Mittermeir – Wildlife Photographer
–
From the popular to the scientific, her work has appeared in major magazines
around the world including Nature's Best, Latina, Elan, National Geographic,
National Geographic Explorer, Organic Connections and American Photo in the
United States, Rumbos, Escala and Sale la Foto, in Mexico, Explorador and Terra
in Brazil, Man and Biosphere in China, among others. As a photographer and
writer since 1996, Cristina has co-edited 9 books, including a series published
with Conservation International and Cemex. Mega diversity: Earth's Wealthiest
Countries for Biodiversity (1996), Hotspots: Earth's biologically richest and
most endangered eco-regions (1998), Wilderness Areas: Earth's Last Wild Places
(2002), Wildlife Spectacles (2003), Hotspots Revisited (2005), and Tran boundary
Conservation: A New Vision for Protected Areas (2005), and Pantanal: South
America’s Wetland Jewel (2005). Her latest book project, The Human Footprint was
produced with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York in conjunction with
her own organization, the ILCP. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for this event
with the lecture beginning at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for zoo members and $15
for non-members.
for more information, see
www.houstonzoo.org
or call (713) 533-6500
Food & Wine Related Events
Churrascos Westchase Wine Dinner – Churrascos
(9705 Westheimer)
March 1st:
Five-course dinner
featuring wines from Chile. $59 per
person (plus tax and gratuity). Open
seating. 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 952-1988
Enjoy 10 Wines for $10 Lunch – Smith & Wollensky
(4007 Westheimer)
March 1st:
Join us as we celebrate the 46th National Wine Week celebration with
a sampling of 10 wines for lunch.
$10 per person (plus tax and gratuity).
Please call for reservations. 11:30 – 2:30 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 621-7555
Julie & Julia Wine Dinner and Costume Contest – Bistro Don
Camillo
(6510 Del Monte)
March 1st:
Bistro Don Camillo will create a meal from the cookbook of Julia Child with a
four-course Heritage wine dinner. Special guest will be Heritage Vineyard’s
Georges Bitard. A Julia Child costume contest is also planned and the winner
will dine for free. $55 per person (plus tax
and gratuity). Open seating. 7:00 –
11:00 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 782-3011
Texas Independence Day Dinner – Bistro Le Cep (11112 Westheimer)
March 2nd: Come celebrate this historical event with a five-course dinner
paired with award winning wines from Messina Hof in Bryan, Texas. The evening
will also feature musical entertainment.
$69.50 per person (plus tax and gratuity). 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 783-3985
Wine and Food Pairing – Grappino di Nino’s
(2817 West Dallas)
March 3rd:
You are invited to join Eros Spinozzi from the Abruzzi region of Italy and
founder of Cuorerosso Wines for a perfect pairing of wine and food tastings.
$65.00 per person (plus tax and gratuity). 6:30
p.m.
for more information, call (713) 522-5120
Taste for OPAS– Retreat Hill Winery & Vineyard
(15551 FM 362, Navasota)
March 5th:
Taste For
OPAS is a series of culinary fundraising events held throughout the year.
Proceeds from these events benefit OPAS, the performing arts society of
Bryan/College Station. OPAS has been bringing professional productions of
theatre, music and dance programs that enlighten, entertain and inspire
audiences of the Brazos Valley for nearly 40 years. Each Taste for OPAS event
offers a unique theme, delicious cuisine and guests who appreciate great food,
the arts and engaging company. The evening will begin with an appetizer and wine
pairing while touring the vineyard and winery. The evening with proprietor and
wine maker, Billy S. Cox, Jr., will progress with a Texas history lesson tying
Retreat Hill to the Texas Declaration of Independence. Your evening will unfold
in four perfectly-paired, delectable wine and food pairings in the serenity of a
beautiful winery and vineyard setting. Ticket price includes
round-trip, chartered bus transportation to and from College Station. The bus
will depart from the northeast corner of Post Oak Mall, located at Highway 6 and
Harvey Road in College Station at 6:00 p.m. and arrive at Retreat Hill Winery at
about 6:30 p.m. The bus will depart Retreat Hill Winery & Vineyard at 9:30 p.m.
for the return trip to College Station.
If you do not want transportation to and from Bryan/College Station, just arrive
at Retreat Hill Winery & Vineyard at 6:30 p.m.
for more information, call (979) 229-7161
Wine, Fashion and Golf – Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
(2405 West Alabama)
March 6th:
What do golf and wine have in common? Enjoy
a wine & cheese tasting, lunch and preview the hottest golf fashions at this
event for Women on Course. You don't have to swing a club to enjoy the
networking benefits of the golf lifestyle as we host business women from all
fields and skill levels. All pre-registered guests will receive a $25 Fleming's
gift card. Ticket price includes appetizers, lunch, wine, prizes and gift bag.
The cost is $20 for members and $30 for guests. 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 268-5078
Winemaker’s Birthday Bash – Vintage House Restaurant
(4545 Ole Reliance Road, Bryan, Texas)
March 7th:
Join birthday boy and co-founder of Messina Hof Winery & Resort Paul Bonarrigo
for a day filled with fun, food and of course, award winning Messina Hof wines.
A VIP reception will be held from 2:00
– 4:00 p.m. A vintner dinner is planned for 4:30 p.m. $49.95 per person (plus
tax and gratuity). 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
for more information, call (800) 736-9463
Churrascos River Oaks Wine Dinner – Churrascos
(2055 Westheimer)
March 8th:
Five-course dinner
featuring wines from California. $59
per person (plus tax and gratuity).
Open seating. 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 527-8300
Franciscan Wine Dinner –
Pappadeaux
(2410 Richmond)
March 9th:
Franciscan has its roots deeply embedded in the soil at Napa
Valley. Founded over three decades ago, the winery continues to produce bold
wines with rich vibrant flavors. Reservations are required.
$75 per person (plus tax and gratuity). 7:00 –
10:00 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 527-9137
Rombauer Vineyards Wine Tasting – Pappas Grill & Steakhouse
(12000 Highway 59 South)
March 12th:
The finest wines are crafted in the balance between nature and the guiding hand
of man, a fact that happens to be the philosophy of Rombauer Vineyards. Come see
why this family-run winery has quietly become a world-wide favorite with a
tasting of 6 wines paired with hors d’oeuvres.
$30 per person (plus gratuity). 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
for more information, call (281) 277-9292
Spaghetti Western: A Fistful of Barolo Wine Tasting –
Pappas Brothers Steakhouse
(5839 Westheimer)
March 12th:
Join us as we offer 15 different Barolo wines with a chef’s
selection of seasonal hors d’oeurvres. Reservations are required. $75 per person
(plus tax and gratuity). 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
for more information, call (409) 925-1401
A Taste of Spain – Leibman’s Wine and Fine Foods
(14529 Memorial Drive)
March 18th:
Join us for an evening engulfed in authentic Spanish wine, cheese, music and
flamenco dancers. Sip and swirl your way through Spain’s most beloved wine
regions while discovering some of the best values Spain has to offer. Light hors
d’ouervres will be provided and the evening includes a free Schott Zwiesel
glass. $35 per person (plus tax and gratuity).
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
for more information, call (281) 493-3663
Cajun Feast Cooking Party with the Chef – Messina Hof Winery &
Resort
(4545 Ole Reliance Road, Bryan, Texas)
March 18th:
Join us for a Cajun themed cooking party featuring an array of Cajun dishes
expertly paired with Messina Hof wines. Attendees will prepare a spicy southern
masterpiece while learning secrets from the resort’s culinary masterminds.
$69.95 per person (plus tax and gratuity).
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
for more information, call (800) 736-9463
Ken Wright Cellars Wine Dinner –
Pappas Brothers Steakhouse
(5839
Westheimer)
March 24th:
Located in rural Carlton, Oregon, Ken Wright Cellars has reached cult status for
their continued production of excellent wines. Please join Ken and Executive
Chef Michael Gaspard and Wine Director Robert Smith for a four-course dinner
featuring the wines of Ken Wright Cellars.
Reservations are required. $175 per person (plus tax and gratuity). 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
for more information, call (713) 780-7352
For additional information on wine tasting events at local wine shops
around town, see:
www.localwineevents.com
Central Market Cooking School (Westheimer @ Weslayan)
March 2nd:
Diva Does Texas Independence –
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Molly Fowler, The Dining Diva
March 3rd:
Sautéing & Pan Sauces – 6:30 –
9:00 p.m. – Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 4th:
Rethink Risotto – 6:30 – 9:00
p.m. – Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 5th:
Couples Cook: Chinese – 6:30 –
9:00 p.m. – Dorothy Huang, Cooking Instructor & Author
March 6th:
Casual Desserts – 10:00 a.m. –
12:30 p.m. – Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 6th:
Get Healthy: Whole Grains and
Vegetables – 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Robin Asbell, Private Chef and Culinary
Instructor
March 9th:
Cooks Tour of the Indian Kitchen –
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Suneeta Vaswani, Cooking Instructor & Author
March 10th:
Sushi – 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. –
Chris Memoto, Executive Sushi Chef, Zushi Japanese Cuisine
March 11th:
Chef Dad – 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. –
Tom Fleming, Executive Corporate Chef, Preferred Restaurant Management Group
March 12th:
Couples Cook: Greek – OPA! –
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Myrna Kallergis, Chef/Instructor and Owner of Food
Innovations
March 13th:
Little Bites – 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
– Myrna Kallergis, Chef/Instructor and Owner of Food Innovations
March 13th:
Couples Cook: Fresh Flavors of Spring
– 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 16th:
Five Easy Pieces of Salmon – 6:30 –
9:00 p.m. – Anne Legg, Instructor, Culinary Consultant, Dallas
March 17th:
Global Shrimp – 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. –
Anne Legg, Instructor, Culinary Consultant, Dallas
March 18th:
Dive In: Seafood Amore – 6:30 – 9:00
p.m. – Lars Leicht, Culinary Advisor, Castello Banfi
March 19th:
Couples Cook: Southwest Seafood – 6:30
– 9:00 p.m. – Kathy Tauber, Owner, EZ Eatz, Avid Foodie and Chef
March 20th:
Couples Cook: Texas Treats – 6:30 –
9:00 p.m. – Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 21st:
Paella Party – 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. –
Giancarlo Ferrara, Corporate Chef, Arcodoro
March 22nd:
6 Weeks to a Healthier You –
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Cheryl Forberg, Chef, RD, Nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest
Loser
March 23rd:
A Taste of Normandy and Brittany –
6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Nicole Routhier, Chef & Author
March 26th:
A South American Feast – 6:30 –
9:00 p.m. – Emily Swanter, Chef/Culinary Instructor, guest Chef, O’Keefe Café,
Santa Fe
March 27th:
Breakfast Around the World –
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Emily Swanter, Chef/Culinary Instructor, guest Chef,
O’Keefe Café, Santa Fe
March 27th:
Chili Party – 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
– Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 28th:
6 Weeks to a Healthier You –
5:00 – 7:30 p.m. – Cheryl Forberg, Chef, RD, Nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest
Loser
March 29th:
Knife Skills 101 – 6:30 – 9:00
p.m. – Central Market Cooking School Staff
March 30th:
Armenian Easter Feast – 6:30 –
9:00 p.m. – Patti Ramsey, Owner Epicurean Lite & Epicurean Delight
March 31st:
Texas – Gulf Coast to High Desert
– 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. – Jeffrey Balfour, Executive Chef, Citrus, Hotel
Valencia, Riverwalk, San Antonio
for more information, see
www.centralmarket.com
or call (713) 993-9860
Other Events
Buffalo Bayou Walking Tour (Architecture
Center of Houston – 315 Capital Street, Suite 120)
First Saturday of every month: Architecture Center Houston, with the cooperation of the
Buffalo Bayou Partnership invite you to stroll along Buffalo Bayou Parkway for
an overview of downtown Houston’s history and architecture from its beginnings
in 1836 to the efforts to revitalize the central city today. Docents will
lead you on this two hour tour. Reservations are not required, but are
appreciated. There is a 20 person limit. 10:00 a.m. – noon – weather
permitting. $15 per person (cash and check only)
for more information, see
www.aiahouston.org
or call (713) 752-0314
Downtown Green Market: Central City Co-op
(Discovery
Green, 1500 McKinney)
Sundays, all year round: Year round co-op and
farmer’s market offers the freshest organic produce and products. Noon - 4:00
p.m.
for more information
see
www.centralcityco-op.org/discoverygreen
or call (713) 400-7336
St. Arnold’s Brewery Tour and Beer Tasting
(Saint Arnold
Brewery, 2522 Fairway Park Drive)
Saturdays, all year round:
St. Arnold’s,
Texas’ oldest craft brewery, holds public tours every Saturday. Tour lasts
approximately 35 minutes and guests are welcome to stay for a free tasting.
Guests are allowed to bring snacks or lunch and may bring six-pack carriers for
recycling. All attendees receive a souvenir tasting glass.
Admission for the tour is $5. 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.saintarnold.com
Cocktail Carnaval de Nice
(Black
Swan, Four Riverway)
March 1st:
To
celebrate the rebirth of the Houston-Nice Sister City Committee, the
The Chambre de Commerce Franco-Americane de Houston is delighted
to host a cocktail themed "Carnaval de Nice". Come dressed in a Carnaval
inspired outfit. A jury will vote for the three best costumes. Each winner will
receive a special prize.
The Carnaval de Nice is the main winter event on the Riviera and
one of the largest carnivals in the world offering unforgettable entertainment.
The event is free to attend and will feature a cash bar. 6:00.
– 8:00 p.m.
for more information, see
www.facchouston.com
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Concerts
(Reliant Park, One Reliant Park) March 2nd: Alan Jackson |