Upcoming Events
Art on the Avenue
Dec. 1-3
Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter St.
Art on the Avenue returns for its 25th anniversary with more than 500 original artworks from over 250 local artists. The event has grown to be the city's largest silent art auction, giving back to the thriving arts community of Houston while supporting the affordable housing and community revitalization efforts of local nonprofit organization Avenue. The Thursday night preview event offers art lovers a first look at this years' exhibition, along with curated art-inspired bites and cocktails. The party continues Saturday evening with the auction and party.
The Menil Collection Gala: Cirque Surréaliste
Dec. 3
The Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross St.
The Menil Collection’s anniversary gala takes place once every five years, and is a special event that brings together supporters of the museum, the arts, and the city. All proceeds for the 35th-anniversary gala help ensure that access to the Menil’s art buildings, programs, and green spaces remain available to everyone, free of charge.
"Mary Poppins"
Dec. 6-24
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St.
Spend a jolly holiday season with this wonder-filled production of the children's classic based on the Disney film and book by P.L. Travers. This brand-new production of the hit Cameron Mackintosh musical is created for the family by Theatre Under The Stars.
Asiatown Evening Walking Tour
Dec. 7
DIHO Square, 9188 Bellaire Blvd.
Explore one of Asiatown's oldest and most diverse shopping centers. Enjoy dinner, dessert, and shopping. End the evening with a luxurious foot massage.
"El Milagro Del Recuerdo"
Dec. 8-18
Cullen Theater , 559-575 Prairie St.
The Houston Grand Opera-commissioned mariachi opera "El Milagro del Recuerdo" (The Miracle of Remembering) transports audiences to Michoacan, Mexico, just in time for the holidays. A celebration of family and tradition, this timely story follows the lives of Laurentino, a laborer who returns from the United States to spend Christmastime with his family, and his wife Renata, who worries that his time away from home is changing him. The two face a life-changing decision: whether to stay with family in Mexico, or leave for the promise of a better life.
houstongrandopera.org/events-tickets/2022-23-season/el-milagro-del-recuerdo
Emerson String Quartet in Concert
Dec. 8
Rice University, Alice Pratt Brown Hall, Stude Concert Hall, 6100 S. Main St.
The perennial Chamber Music Houston favorites make a record-setting 35th appearance for a bittersweet but not-to-be-missed farewell tour. The legendary ensemble performs a program of quartets from Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Brahms.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s "Christmas Oratorio"
Dec. 10
Brockman Hall for Opera, Rice University campus, 6100 Main St.
Bach Society Houston welcomes the Christmas season during its 40th-anniversary year with a choral and orchestral performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s rarely performed "Christmas Oratorio." Under the direction of conductor Rick Erickson, the one-and-a-half hour performance is Bach’s glorious musical Nativity story. Richly scored, Bach used a wide variety of instruments including oboes, flutes, trumpets, drums, violin, and continuo. Rising tenor Kyle Stegall returns in the role of The Evangelist. Listeners are enveloped in sound featuring big choral moments juxtaposed with delicate and touching arias. Bach Society Houston performs the first three cantatas of the "Christmas Oratorio" which announce the birth of Christ, the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, and the shepherd’s journey to Bethlehem to see Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Bach composed the "Christmas Oratorio" in 1734 for the churches of St. Thomas and St. Nicholas in Leipzig, Germany. This story is shared through six cantatas each meant to be performed on a specific day of the Christmas season.
"The Marriage of Figaro"
Jan. 13-28
Brown Theater , 501 Texas Ave.
Few operas have as much comedic energy as Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro." Full of bright colors and costumes evoking the Moroccan influence on Muslim Spain, the vibrant production synthesizes transcendent music and lively performances into an unforgettable evening at the opera. Its large cast is led by bass Nahuel Di Pierro as the titular Figaro, a working-class man set to marry the beautiful Susanna despite the meddling of their employer, a married count who would rather have the beauty for himself.
houstongrandopera.org/events-tickets/2022-23-season/the-marriage-of-figaro
29th Annual MLK Grande Parade Midtown Houston
Jan. 16
Midtown Houston , 1200 Holman Street (San Jacinto Street and Elgin Street)
Consisting of 15 floats and 30 marching bands, the MLK Grande Parade in Midtown Houston is one of the largest single-day multicultural events in the U.S. that is held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the annual parade, 300,000 spectators are expected.
"Werther"
Jan. 27-Feb. 10
Brown Theater , 501 Texas Ave.
The lovesick yearnings of the tortured young poet Werther lead to his tragic fate in Jules Massenet's lush opera. After Werther escorts the lovely Charlotte to a ball, he falls hopelessly in love with her, but she is engaged to Albert, with no intention of breaking things off. Unable to conceive of life without her, Werther grows ever more despondent as he continues his attempts to woo the object of his affections, who doesn't love him back, or does she? Audiences won't want to miss this chance to see a cast of legends perform a rare psychological drama.
"Steve Tobin Intertwined: Exploring Nature's Networks"
Jan. 28-Aug. 31
Houston Botanic Garden, 1 Botanic Lane
Houston Botanic Garden presents monumental sculptures by American artist Steve Tobin, who is known worldwide for his works in glass, bronze, ceramic, and steel, including "Trinity Root," a memorial cast from a tree that protected a New York City cathedral on 9/11. The exhibition features pieces from several series, including stainless steel "Clouds," bronze and steel "Nests" with magical eggs, unearthed "Bronze Roots," and modernist "Steelroots," all of which dramatically capture the unseen power of the natural world while celebrating the importance of the systems that give life to the Garden.
"Chicago"
Feb. 7-19
Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St.
After 25 years, "Chicago" is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show-stopping song after another. The musical has received six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy, and thousands of standing ovations.
"Art of the Cameroon Grassfields, a Living Heritage in Houston"
Feb. 17-July 9
The Menil Collection, 1533 Sul Ross St.
This exhibition, celebrating the enduring artistic traditions of Cameroon and its global diaspora, features headdresses, masks, prestige hats, royal stools and figural sculptures, palace architectural elements from the Grassfields kingdoms, and two recent works by Douala-based artist Hervé Youmbi.
