CHAPMAN & KIRBY, THE premier event destination in Houston’s East Village, is thrilled to announce the launch of its Spring Music Series, kicking off on Friday, April 12. Chapman & Kirby has become synonymous with top-tier events and unforgettable experiences, many attended by celebrities both local and worldwide. With concert ticket prices soaring to hundreds and even thousands of dollars in the last year, this eight-week music series promises to be a welcomed opportunity to engage with live music for free, showcasing an eclectic lineup of talented acts.
"At Chapman & Kirby, we are dedicated to curating exceptional experiences for our guests beyond great food and drinks. The Spring Music Series is a testament to our commitment to hospitality from every angle, and we’re excited to show off incredible talent" said Mazen Baltagi, co-owner of Chapman & Kirby.
In partnership with Gulf Coast Entertainment, the Spring Music Series lineup will feature a diverse array of musical talents. Each Friday night will offer a unique, interactive experience for guests, via music, food & beverage and local vendor pop-ups. Doors will open at 6pm, with performances starting promptly at 7pm. Purchase tickets here. The schedule includes:
April 19: Nick and the Hits
Photo @nickandthehits on Instagram
April 26: Manhattan Band by Jordan Kahn Music Company
Photo @jordankahnorchestra on Instagram
May 3: Grupo Kache followed by a DJ until 2am
Photo from kacheontheweb.com
May 10: Junior Gordon (Country Night)
Photo from juniorgordonband.com
May 17: David Delagarza (R&B Night)
Photo from Facebook
May 24: Hybrid 7
Photo from @hybrid7music on Instagram
May 31: Danny Ray and the Atlantic Street Band
Photo from dannyrayatlanticstreetband.com
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HOUSTON GRAND OPERA closes its critically acclaimed 2023-24 season of warhorses, Wagner and commissions with the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, The Sound of Music (April 26-May 12).
For those who know the show for such numbers as “My Favorite Things” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” the seriousness and timeliness of its book might be surprising. Set in Austria in 1938, retired naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp, who refuses to support the Nazi party, meets and falls in love with Maria, a guitar-strumming ingénue who is hired to look after the Captain’s seven unruly (but talented) children. Soprano Tori Tedeschi Adams sings the role of Trapp’s oldest daughter Liesl, and Houston-born tenor Adam Kral makes his HGO mainstage debut as Rolf, a delivery boy and budding member of the Nazi party who is in love with Liesl.
Kral, 21, caught the theater bug at age six when he was drafted for a community-theater production of Peter Pan. His mother, an immigrant raised in what was then Czechoslovakia, often showed Kral and his older sister YouTube clips of Pavarotti, golden-age musical theater, and films of fairy tales she grew up with. “We would listen late into the night — probably too late! — to all of these old Czech songs and operas,” says Kral. By the time he began performing, his inspiration came from a desire to bring these old films to life in a contemporary way.
Kral heavily researched his role as a lovestruck 17-year-old, ripe for induction by the Nazis. “You have to divorce your political and moral opinions of the character to play the role truthfully,” he says. “I have to approach this as what would it be like to be a young man who wants to prove himself, and is given a script to follow that allows him to take action in the current climate of the world.”
As a dancer, Kral is inspired by such masters as Gene Kelly (“He’s sort of my height!”) and studies dance at Uptown Dance Centre. He has performed roles with several Houston theater companies, and while at Houston Christian High School, received the 2019 Tommy Tune Award for Best Actor. Although New York is typically the next step in the journey of those steeped in music theater, Kral aspires to do more here, perhaps with TUTS or Stages. “It’s a huge city,” says Kral of his hometown, “and we have such a love for the arts.” ν
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HSPVA CELEBRATED FIVE years at its Downtown campus with a 1920s-jazz-club-inspired luncheon for 300 supporters. Guests were transported to the days of swing dancing as a student-conducted band played music by Duke Ellington, while performers, donning showgirl and flapper costumes from the high school’s performance of After Midnight, danced along.
Lunch was served onstage in the school’s Denney Theatre. The meal was unusually decadent for a luncheon, as chef Michelle Morris of Southern Cadence Cuisine served chicken scarpariello with pickled sweet peppers, a white wine Calabrian chili, crispy potatoes — and finished off with a chocolate pot de crème for dessert.
A toast was given by HISD Superintendent Mike Miles who spoke of his personal appreciation for arts education. A live auction followed, and the package featuring a day out with Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness — including a hair and skincare consultation — went for $6,000.
The afternoon raised a record-breaking $306,700 for Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. These funds will provide arts supplies, adjunct faculty, specialized equipment and technology, and other essential building blocks of Kinder HSPVA’s nationally acclaimed, tuition-free arts curriculum.
Kinder HSPVA students welcome guests
Duke & C.C. Ensell
Jo Furr, Leslie Wade, Shawn Stephens, and Kelley Lubanko
Mike Miles
Kinder HSPVA Jazz Director Warren Sneed and 2024 Distinguished Alumna Helen Sung
Kerry Walker and Victoria Lazar
Kennard & Dawn McGuire
HSPVA Friends Executive Director Alene Coggin and Philip Edmundson
Frank Angelle, Patricia Bonner, Algenita Scott Davis, and Zakiya Thomas
Chairs Tissy & Rusty Hardin and Bob Eury
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