Centerstage Celebrate
Join Us for a Concert 65 Million Years in the Making with Symphony of Dinosaurs! April 18 • 7:30 p.m. Get ready for an earth-shaking adventure that takes you back to pre-historic times with The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s Symphony of Dinosaurs! featuring the Houston Symphony April 18. Tickets are $15 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free courtesy of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for the Hats Off to Reading Celebration (details below) and at 6 p.m. for other pre-concert activities. Guests explore the Mesozoic era when dinosaurs roamed the earth, discover fossils and more. The audience is entertained with the music of John Williams’ Theme from “Jurassic Park” and Theme from “The Lost World,” Russell Peck’s “The Glory and the Grandeur,” as well as Morton Gould’s “The Jogger and the Dinosaur” which is narrated by Philip Lehl, an Robert Franz actor with the Alley Theatre and owner of Stark Naked Theatre Company. Starting at 5:30 p.m., kids are invited to join the fun at the Hats Off to Reading Celebration in The Pavilion’s House of Blues Hospitality Tent. Hats Off to Reading is a free event sponsored by the Reading Odyssey Committee, a community coalition that encourages students to develop a lifelong love of reading. Children can take home a free book courtesy of CISD and Scholastic Books, and participate in activities kids love such as a book walk, hat-making, face painting, fishing for prizes and a coloring contest with prizes provided by Chick-fil-A and Scholastic.
Photo by Jeff Fitlow
Other pre-concert activities in the North Plaza begin at 6 p.m. with The Pavilion Partners, Fidelity Investments, Century 21 Realty Partners, Woodforest National Bank and Renewal by Andersen.
Celebrate Hans Graf’s Grand Finale Concert at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion May 10 • 8 p.m. Commemorate Hans Graf’s farewell season at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion May 10 with Maestro Graf’s Farewell Concert. The beloved maestro steps onto The Pavilion’s stage for the last time as Music Director of the Houston Symphony. Tickets are $15 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free courtesy of The Wortham Foundation. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 7 p.m.
Hans Graf
Photo by Bruce Bennett
The Symphony’s 2012-13 season is Graf’s grand finale after 12 years at the helm of this world- renowned orchestra. Taking over for Graf is the new music director, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, a Colombian-born, Vienna-trained conductor. He takes over just in time to help celebrate the Symphony’s Centennial Season in 2012-13. OrozcoEstrada starts conducting at The Pavilion during the 2014 season. The symphony performs Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture to “Euryanthe,” Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica.” Special guest, Janina Fialkawska, joins the symphony on piano. Come early and enjoy free pre-concert activities in the North Plaza beginning at 7 p.m. with The Pavilion Partners, Fidelity Investments, Century 21 Realty Partners, Woodforest National Bank and Renewal by Andersen. Guests also can register-to-win Tommy Bahama’s “Best Seats in the House.” Don’t miss Pavilion Talk, a free pre-concert discussion led by noted music scholar Ira J. Black that provides insight into the evening’s program. Pavilion Talk takes place from 7:15-7:45 p.m.
the Arts
April - May 2013
Volume 14, Issue 1
Houston Ballet Pirouettes onto The Pavilion’s Stage for “Madame Butterfly” May 3 • 8 p.m. A love that knows no boundaries goes horribly wrong in a fateful meeting of a Japanese geisha and an American naval lieutenant. What begins as an idyllic liaison turns into the heartbreaking tragedy of an abandoned bride forced to make an excruciating decision in Houston Ballet’s “Madame Butterfly” May 3 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Tickets are $20 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free courtesy of George P. Mitchell, The Wortham Foundation and Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 7 p.m.
Dancers: Connor Walsh and Sara Webb
Photo by AmitavaSarkar
Published by The Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands
“Madame Butterfly” chronicles the story of beautiful Cio-Cio San, Butterfly, who renounces her faith and her family when she marries the handsome Lieutenant Pinkerton. Pinkerton is actually betrothed to an American woman and has no intention of staying married to Butterfly. Although she believes he will return, instead his American wife returns to claim Butterfly and Pinkerton’s son to raise him as her own. The story ends with Butterfly realizing the truth and tragedy ensues. “Madame Butterfly” is a stunning achievement in neoclassical ballet that has been an international success, with performances on three continents. Before the performance of “Madame Butterfly”, enjoy two stunning short classical showpieces of the virtuosity and skill of Houston Ballet’s dancers. The pieces include the duet from the 19th century classic Flower Festival Genzano and the wedding pas de deux for Aurora and her prince from the beloved Sleeping Beauty. Arrive early for pre-concert activities in the North Plaza beginning at 7 p.m. with The Pavilion Partners, Fidelity Investments, Century 21 Realty Partners, Woodforest National Bank and Renewal by Andersen. At the ballet, guests are welcome to have a picnic in their seat or on the hill. Keep in mind that beverages cannot be brought into The Pavilion. Sitting on the hill? Lawn chairs are provided free for this concert and all performing arts events.
Houston Grand Opera Showcases One of the Greatest Love Stories of All Times May 24 • 8 p.m. An impetuous love, the romance of Paris, and the pain of regret all unfold in “La bohème,” one of the greatest love stories of all time. The opera is composed by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa and based on the novel “Scènes de la vie de bohème” by Henri Murger. Houston Grand Opera returns to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s stage after eight years with this popular opera May 24. Tickets are $20 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free courtesy of The Wortham Foundation. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 7 p.m. “La bohème” is the story of Rodolfo and Mimi who meet by chance in the poet’s atelier and fall immediately in love. Mimi joins his group of impoverished, generous friends. They weather break-ups and inevitable reunions, but their love proves fragile as the light of a single candle when they confront the harsh realities of bohemian life. Four of the most talented young singers in America, all Houston Grand Opera Studio members or alumni, perform in this special presentation, along with Houston Grand Opera’s renowned chorus and orchestra. Come early for Pavilion Talk, a free pre-performance discussion led by noted music scholar Ira J. Black that provides insight into the evening’s program. Pavilion Talk takes place from 7:15-7:45 p.m. Other pre-concert activities in the North Plaza by The Pavilion Partners, Fidelity Investments, Century 21 Realty Partners, Woodforest National Bank and Renewal by Andersen begin at 7 p.m.
The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion’s 2013 Performing Arts Season Presented by The Woodlands Development Company and sponsored by Audi of America, official automobile of The Pavilion, The Pavilion Partners, The Wortham Foundation, and United Airlines, official airline of The Pavilion. The North Plaza is sponsored by Fidelity Investments, Century 21 Realty Partners and Renewal by Andersen.