'Pop-Up' Classical-Music Group Hosts Weeklong, Family-Friendly — and Free! — Concert Series

'Pop-Up' Classical-Music Group Hosts Weeklong, Family-Friendly — and Free! — Concert Series

WindSync

IT’S NOT ENOUGH for Houston’s premier wind quintet WindSync to put on great concerts, like last February’s performance at Live Oak Friends Meeting House, or travel to London’s legendary Abbey Road studios to record an album of music by Miguel del Águila. No, this ambitious, community-minded quintet of classical music ambassadors is wrapping up its 2022-23 season with the Onstage Offstage Chamber Music Festival, a weeklong series of (mostly) free concerts, workshops in Houston schools, and two main stage concerts at MATCH and Zilkha Hall. This is the seventh edition of the festival, and its programming brings together guest professional musicians and elementary through high school level students to celebrate the quintet’s various community and educational residencies.


The festival gets rolling with two outdoor, family-friendly “pop-up” concerts. (WindSync is well known for “popping up” in venues other than the concert hall to reach audiences who may be unfamiliar with classical wind repertoire.) The first takes place Tuesday, April 25 at noon at Crain Garden, a favorite common space in Houston Methodist Hospital. Bring your lunch and enjoy some Beethoven, some blues, and (maybe?) some Beatles.

The second happens Wednesday, Apr. 26, at 6:30pm at The Lawn at Houston Farmers Market, with students from HSPVA, and a performance of WindSync’s interactive, theatrical family show, Interstellar Cinderella. (It should be said, the members of WindSync — including founding members Anni Hochhalter and Garrett Hudson and newer members Emily Tsai, Graeme Steele Johnson, and Kara LaMoure — are all unapologetic hams.)

On April 27 at MATCH, pianist Yvonne Chen joins the quintet, along with double bassist David Connor and violinist Rainel Joubert, both Community-Embedded Musicians with the Houston Symphony, for a season-finale concert featuring a special chamber-music performance of George Gershwin’s piano concerto Rhapsody in Blue.

And for an encore, on April 28 at Zlikha Hall, WindSync joins forces with musicians from the Houston Youth Symphony (HYS) Coda Music Program for a concert led by Coda director Jackson Guillen. The Coda Music Program provides after-school instruction to third, fourth, and fifth-grade Houston ISD and Fort Bend ISD students from low-income families, and for the majority of the students, this will be their first time performing downtown.

The Onstage Offstage Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, Rice University’s Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance Arts of Tolerance Program, the Huff Foundation, and the Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research at the Eastman School of Music.

Yvonne Chen

Spa-tacular Getaway Opportunity: Retreat to Mexico this Fall with a Houston Wellness Expert

Palmaïa The House of AïA

THIS SUMMER, LEBRINA Jackson, owner of Escape Spa in Cypress, is taking her wisdom and joie de wellness to the jungle. Far beyond the walls of her beautiful spa, she’s aiming to create a quiet space for people to work on their personal growth in a community-centric atmosphere. She shares what participants will get out of the trip and why it’s important to take time for self-care in 2025.

Why is it important for people to “retreat”? Life can feel like a non-stop marathon, and sometimes we forget to just... breathe. Retreating offers a chance to step off the treadmill for a bit and hit the reset button. It's about giving your body and mind some much-needed TLC, allowing for genuine relaxation and rejuvenation. Beyond the personal perks, retreats often create a cool sense of community, connecting you with others on a similar path. By carving out space for self-reflection, you can recharge and return to your daily life with a clearer head and a bit more pep in your step.

Keep Reading Show less
Wellness+Giving Back

Heather Almond and Zinat Ahmed

NEARLY 1,700 GUESTS headed to Cotton Ranch in Katy for Cotton Holdings’ 13th annual CrawFest — a Texas-sized evening of food and music. The event raised a record-breaking $768,000 for the Cotton Foundation, which supports families facing disaster, illness and hardship.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Maddy and Patrick Moffitt and Christina and David McAllen

A DERBY WATCH party was so much more than the fastest two minutes in sports! The Post Oak Hotel hosted the Hats, Hearts & Horseshoes event benefiting Bo's Place, and the most fashionable and philanthropic Houstonians turned out.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties