Saturday, October 15


The Broadway Cemetery in Galveston is actually seven cemeteries that grew together over time, with graves almost three deep in some sections and dating back to 1839. Buried here are those who succumbed to yellow fever, the victims of the Great Storm of 1900, and difference-makers who helped shape the Texas map: George Ball, Lent Munson Hitchcock, Abraham P. Lufkin, George Sealy, Sidney Sherman and Richard Short Willis. The Galveston Historical Foundation, which keeps track of spooky places and haunted lore in the region, leads the curious through the Broadway Cemetery Tours. 9 and 10:15 a.m. Saturday. Broadway Cemetery, 4201 Broadway Avenue J, Galveston. For information, call 409-765-7834 or visit galvestonhistory.org. $15. —Susie Tommaney

Syrian-American composer and pianist Malek Jandali, a regular performer at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, presents his art at a price. After he performed a politically strong protest song in Washington, Jandali’s parents — who still live in the war-torn nation of Syria — were attacked, according to National Geographic. “One of the reasons we thought Malek was a compelling choice to write us a piece was due to his life story that intersects with the unfortunate situation in Syria,” says Matt Detrick, executive and artistic director of Apollo Chamber Players, which is presenting Jandali and the world premiere of his commissioned piece in Of Peace and Protest. The concert also features a work by Iranian-American Reza Vali as well as a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8. “It will show how music and art can be used to peacefully protest war and other humanitarian things that need to be addressed,” says Detrick. There’s a pre-concert question-and-answer session at 7:30 p.m. with moderator St. John Flynn. 8 p.m. Saturday. The MATCH, 3400 Main. For information, call 832-496-9943 or visit apollochamberplayers.org. $10 to $35. —Steve Jansen

It’s been 16 years since Houston last had a citywide celebration of sculpture. Volker Eisele, director at Rudolph Blume Fine Art/ArtScan Gallery, and Tommy Gregory, artist and curator at the Houston Airport System, thought it was time to do it again, and began Sculpture Month Houston. The organizers eventually recruited 40 venues, including commercial galleries, nonprofit organizations and public spaces. Dozens of artists, from newcomers to well-established, are participating. Of special note is “From Space to Field,” at SITE Gallery Houston at The Silos at Sawyer Yards (1502 Sawyer). “This is the core show,” Eisele says. “Tommy and I curated it. We have 23 artists. We wanted to show the diversity that Houston has. We wanted to show the masters, the ones who got things started here, and get them together with some of the young turks, so to speak.” October 15 through November 19. For information, call 713-807-1836 or visit sculpturemonthhouston.org. Free. —Olivia Flores Alvarez

“The Korean community isn’t the largest one, but it’s a powerful one,” says 2016 Korean Festival co-chair Beatrice Chan. Boy, is she correct: The small-but-mighty community is banding together for this one-day showcase of traditional Korean dancers, folk musicians, Taekwondo masters and Korean-American musicians, with an expected attendance of more than 30,000. Special guests include emcee Terry Im (a.k.a. KRNFX), fashion designer Jasmine Park, spoken-word artist Jason Chu and singer/violinist Joe Kye. The family-friendly festival also features bites from more than 20 restaurants including The Republic, Hoodadak, Coreanos, Café Bene, Oh My Gogi! and SW Sushi. Be sure to bring cash; the food is available via a ticket economy — trade cash for tickets at booths located throughout the park. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney. For information, call 832-758-1868 or visit koreanfestivalhouston.com. Free. —Sam Byrd

Sunday, October 16

Ever make a promise you didn’t want to keep? Well, tell it to Jephtha, the Book of Judges warrior who vowed to sacrifice the first thing he saw in exchange for winning a battle, which, unfortunately, turned out to be his daughter. For Ars Lyrica Artistic Director Matthew Dirst, Handel’s Jephtha is perfect for the ensemble’s current Fables & Follies season, because it’s both. “It is more a fable, because it’s a story about the bad deals that we sometimes get ourselves engaged in,” says Dirst. “[But] you could argue that his bargain with God was a folly. It certainly wasn’t a smart thing to do.” Though the work is dark, Dirst promises a beautiful oratorio, a happy ending (as in most 18th-century opera plots) and a timeless warning: “Be careful what you promise; you might just have to deliver it.” 7:30 Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For information, call 713-315-2525 or visit arslyricahouston.org. $22 to $65. —Natalie de la Garza

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see,” said one of the 19th century’s greatest creative minds, the late French artist Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas. Now the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is exhibiting more than 200 of his paintings, sculptures and photographs in a 30-year retrospective, “Degas: A New Vision.” Developed by MFAH along with the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, and featuring an additional 60 pieces exclusive to Houston, the exhibit looks at the impressionist’s singular takes on ballet, the bourgeois, horses and the naked form, including his opus Dancers, Pink and Green, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 12:15 to 7 p.m. Sundays. October 16 through January 16. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7300 or visit mfah.org. Free to $23. —Vic Shuttee

Everyone who passed elementary school history knows the United States interned Japanese people in West Coast camps during World War II, but few remember that Texas has its own dark history of internment. Asia Society Texas Center hopes to change all that with its next Authors & Asia event, focusing on The Train to Crystal City and author Jan Jarboe Russell. In a discussion of her book, Russell will take us through the history of two young women who lived in Texas’s very own WWII internment camp in Crystal City, where a total of 6,000 German, Japanese and Italian immigrants were housed. Over the course of the war, families in the camp — including American-born children — were traded for Americans behind enemy lines, Russell says, calling the camp “the center of President Roosevelt’s prisoner exchange policy.” 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. 1370 Southmore. For information, call 713-496-9901 or visit asiasociety.org/texas. Free with reservation. —Carter Sherman

Monday, October 17

Anton Chekhov is undoubtedly one of history’s great playwrights, despite producing only four full-length plays: The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard. Beyond those well-trod classics, Chekhov also penned a number of lesser-known shorter works, two of which are getting a new life during Classical Theatre Company’s presentation of The Bear and The Proposal. “I like Chekhov because he insists his plays are comedies,” says Ben McLaughlin, who performs in both one-acts. “When you read them, they’re very dramatic. But when you try to make a comedy into a drama, you do the work a disservice.” In The Bear, McLaughlin plays Smirnov, “a misogynist who believes only men know how to love properly.” In The Proposal, the actor plays the lovelorn Lomov, “a wealthy landowner looking to get hitched.” For Chekhov virgins, McLaughlin thinks these shorts are a great intro into a larger, funnier world. “Chekhov was the Ricky Gervais of his time,” says John Johnston, executive artistic director, who’s directing the productions. “He commented on the social structure and ridiculous people in vaudevillian, farcical situations.” Classical Theatre rounds out the evening with a reading of Chekhov’s essay The Evils of Tobacco. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and October 12 and 17; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Through October 23. 4617 Montrose. For information, call 713-963-9665 or visit classicaltheatre.org. $10 to $25. —Vic Shuttee