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    Pick Five (Plus)

    Your weekly guide to Houston: Opera arias, Irish stew & Darwin Deez

    Joel Luks
    Feb 2, 2011 | 3:13 pm
    • Darwin Deez at Fitzgerald's Friday
    • At Opera in the Heights, "Don Carlo" with Emily Newton as Queen Elisabetta
      Photo by Gwen Turner Juarez
    • Society for the Performing Arts: Ladysmith Black Mambazo performs Friday

    There was a lot of opera this week and in my humble opinion, it’s a good thing.

    Houston Grand Opera’s Lucia di Lammermoor opened with a bang as soprano Albina Shagimuratova redefined “crazy diva” in her interpretation of the traumatized bipolar title role. CultureMap opera divo,Ted Bale, thought so. The Moores Opera Center explored 3D technology in Mozart’s Magic Flute, making the fantasy story a little more believable than the composer could have staged with period technology. And Dead Man Walking kept on chilling audiences with Heggie’s realistic account of an execution by lethal injection.

    On a happier note, Diverseworks “Industry Night” was a blast. Giving the creative community, its supporters and fans an opportunity to co-mingle while looking at pictures of clowns peeing in what could be interpreted as grandmas-gone-wild newly decorated home/exhibit, I was more preoccupied with playing “paw” with Lemonade Day's social media maven Mandy Graessle’s new and adorable pup and talking to Diverseworks' Public Relations & Marketing Manager Shawna Forney’s three-legged dog. That just screams Diverseworks to me.

    And the conversation wasn’t disappointing.

    Other Sightings? Spacetaker’s Jenni-Rebecca Stephenson and K.C. Scharnberg, James Phelan, Sixto Wagan, Elizabeth Sosa and CultureMap’s sales gurus Chad Miller and Marielle Johnson Sokolowski (Mari), who bought me a beer (hugs).

    Thanks to Monica Danna (aka @cosmopolitician), I discovered wine-on-tap and an awesome place where you can make your own: Vintner’s Own, right here in The Heights.

    Our own food connoisseur Sarah Rufca checked out a Girl Scout cookie dessert contest while CultureMap’s sassy social media editor Fayza Elmostehi planned yet another adventure race. Happy and healthy Marci Gilbert was all over the Houston Marathon giving us tips on how to best support our fellow runners.

    It was a busy week, and this week isn’t letting up, and we like it that way.

    Houston Grand Opera’s "Concert of Arias"
    I know I have been talking abundantly about HGO lately. This is something that although may cost you a few bucks, it’s worth your dime. A type of operatic American Idol, HGO presents up-and-coming singers to a friendly competition, also bringing the audience to partake in choosing their favorite. Last year's competition winner and audience favorite, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, had me at hello, but it sounded more like “Aure, deh per pietà” from Handel’s Guilio Cesare. Thursday at 6 p.m.

    Houston Symphony presents Gil Shaham and Beethoven Symphony No. 7
    Gil Shaham comes from a freak family of talented yet humble musicians. His sister Orli, a ridiculous pianist. Gil has a little bit of that Mathew Broderick syndrome: He never ages, always looks cute, young and innocent (check out his butt). Put a violin in his hands and one can’t help just fall for his musicianship. Throw in a beloved Beethoven Symphony — the second movement has been quoted many times in popular music — and you have a must-see program. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

    Society for the Performing Arts: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
    There is something about the open sonorities of this vocal ensemble that exemplifies the incredible spirit of South African music. Having stood the test of time, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been around for 50 or so years and sung for such notables as Queen of England and Pope John Paul, II. That means they should exercise their vocal chords for you as well. You are worthy. Friday at 8 p.m.

    Houston Arboretum and Natural Center class: Edible Wild Plants
    I have been spending more and more time at the Houston Arboretum and must report that their program offerings are quite diverse. This class focuses on local plants you can identify grow and eat. Throw them in a salad or maybe use them as gorgeous colorful garnishes. Bring your own lunch, comfortable walking shoes and bug repellent. Saturday morning.

    Houston Young People for the Arts (HYPA) Gala "Andalusional: A Spanish Dream World"
    I’ll be out of town for this one (emcee and friend Chris Johnson has already given me enough grief) but in my absence, you should go. Last year’s Indian-themed gala sent me to the depths of the Harwin area in search for the perfect Indian outfit and scarf. This year, HYPA's Executive Director Heather Pray honors Kathryn Lott Neumann as they continue to encourage young professionals to partake in Houston’s diverse art scene. And you get to wear exotic Spanish garb as the theme is aligned with the Houston Symphony’s Ravel’s Bolero and Rhapsodie Espagnole concert. Olé! I say. Saturday at 7 p.m.

    And my colleagues picks:

    Indie music guru Jennifer Patterson's pick: Darwin Deez at Fitzgerald's
    Jennifer says: "This one-man show looks like a curly Devendra Banhart and sounds like a calmed-down Julian Casablancas. I was sold as soon as I heard 'Bad Day,' in which he sings to an anonymous frenemy, 'If you drop your keys/ I hope there’s a sewer very nearby,' and 'I would like to be your girlfriend/ so that I could dump you.' He’s not bitter or wishing death on an ex (that’s so tired). Instead, he just hopes a certain acquaintance of his leaves the windows down when it rains." Friday.

    Art columnist Nancy Wozny's pick: Opera in the Heights' Don Carlo
    Nancy says: "I'm jazzed about Don Carlo at Opera in the Heights for several reasons: It's directed by Brian Byrnes, who rocked the OH! house last season in his direction of La Bohème, his very first opera; the role of Elisabetta is sung by rising star and Lake Jackson native Emily Newton, who heads directly to the Metropolitan Opera to cover (operaese for understudy) Ortlinde in Die Walküre; and it's conducted by Enrique Carréon-Robledo, who is making is OH! debut and up for the job of artistic director." Through Saturday.

    Assistant Editor and bar savant Caroline Gallay's pick: Fourth Annual Rory Miggins Memorial Irish Stew Cookoff at the Continental Club
    Caroline says: "The annual cook-off, which begins at noon, remembers the son of one of Houston's oldest and most prominent Irish families. Miggins was a great music lover and this annual pre-event to the Saint Paddy's Day parade celebrates that with music from the Blaggards, Irish stew and other goodies from long-time competitors and, obviously, plenty of Jameson and Guinness." Saturday at noon.

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    Salutations, Soon Youn

    Houston Ballet principal dancer announces retirement after 13 years

    Holly Beretto
    Jun 20, 2025 | 10:00 am
    ​Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho
    Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
    Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho and in Theme and Variations.

    Houston Ballet principal dancer Soon Youn Cho has announced her retirement, after 13 years with the company.

    For more than a decade, she has captivated audiences with her elegance, emotional authenticity, and technical brilliance. Audiences have seen her in roles such as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, among many others.

    Cho’s retirement follows a period of recovery from spinal surgery prompted by chronic back issues that intensified during and after her pregnancy.

    "This decision was not made lightly, but with a great deal of reflection and acceptance over the past year," said Cho. “Since I first began ballet at the age of four, it has been the greatest love of my life. Even through pain and injury, I felt joy and purpose in every moment. I gave my best to every step along the way, and I now leave the stage with a peaceful heart and deep gratitude.”

    Cho further said that even before becoming pregnant, she had been managing chronic back issues throughout her career.

    “With dedication, careful conditioning, and the unwavering support of those around me, I was able to continue dancing for many years,” she said. “Despite my best efforts to recover, I’ve come to the difficult realization that I won’t be able to return to dancing at the level I once did. With a heavy but full heart, I’ve decided to retire from the stage.”

    Born in Korea and trained there, as well as in Canada and Germany, Cho danced with Opera Leipzig Ballet in Leipzig, Germany and the Tulsa Ballet in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was promoted to principal in 2010. She joined the Houston Ballet in 2012 as a demi soloist. She quickly rose through the ranks, promoted to soloist in 2014, then first soloist in 2016. In 2018, she became the Houston Ballet’s first Korean principal.

    Upon achieving the designation, she said, “I feel like I have made an important mark in history, along with other great dancers, for my people in such a great company.”

    Cho’s roles onstage reflected her wide artistic range and commitment to storytelling through dance. Her Houston Ballet colleagues and audiences admire and praise the passion and sincerity she brought to every performance. One of those, Cho’s portrayal of Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, is especially close to her heart, not only for its emotional depth but for the lifelong friendship it sparked with fellow principal Yuriko Kajiya.

    “Becoming part of this Company and working alongside such extraordinary people has been one of the greatest blessings and privileges of my life. I close this chapter with a full heart and immense appreciation for the art, the audiences, and the people who made it all so meaningful.”

    Cho said that while she doesn’t yet know what will come next, she departs the company filled with gratitude.

    “Looking back, I feel nothing but gratitude,” she said. “Gratitude for the incredible colleagues and mentors I’ve shared the studio with. Gratitude for the audiences who supported us performance after performance. And gratitude for the art form itself — so demanding, so beautiful, and so deeply rewarding. I leave the stage with peace in my heart. Because I gave everything I had to this journey, I can move forward without regret.”

    \u200bHouston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho
      

    Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.

    Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho and in Theme and Variations.

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