Buyse rhymes with spicy. That's how Shepherd School of Music flute professor Leone Buyse first introduced herself to me years before I would become her pupil. That same vivacious spirit came thorough just a few days after her 65th birthday at Musiqa's Loft Concert at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Thursday, alongside her husband, clarinetist Michael Webster, and percussionist Blake Wilkins.

The trio tackled contemporary repertoire by women composers Dorothy Chang, Libby Larsen, Shulamit Ran and Cindy McTee. As Musiqa's artistic director and founder Anthony Brandt remarked, in other genres of art, the female experience can sometimes be identified. Music composition however, seems to dodge any gender associations.

Equally as groovy was WindSync's appearance at Spacetaker Cultured Cocktails at Boheme Café and Wine Bar, where the fivesome captured the attention of those indulging in more than their fair share of adult beverages along with poetry, American music and tunes that encourage smiles, like Beethoven's melody from his Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy."

Nestled in between River Oaks Shopping Center's retailers and restaurants are the offices of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, where husband-and-wife cellists Shino Hayashi and Matthew Dudzik uncovered the mysteries of the string instrument. Who knew that an endpin, the spike that makes contact with the floor and supports the cello, makes such a significant difference in sound?

If there was any question that Houstonians love early music, the crowd that thronged Ars Lyrica's gallery concert at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston had the answer. Bidding adieu to the Dutch and Flemish Masterworks from the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection was an intimate musicale that mirrored the aesthetic of the 17th-century collection, with Matthew Dirst on harpsichord and Kathyrn Montoya on recorder.

This upcoming week is mostly for music lovers, with a dash of dance thrown in. And if you aren't already a music junkie, you will be if you attend any of the following concerts and events:

Houston Symphony's Orbit - an HD Odyssey at Jones Hall

When the city's premier classical music ensemble partnered with filmmaker Duncan Copp, the team concocted a winning formula. Fusing serious classical music with stunning images from manned and unmanned NASA space missions birthed a thrilling show that audiences love and other orchestras had to have. That was The Planets - an HD Odyssey, which premiered in 2010.

The Houston Symphony is at it again, this time focusing on our little planet amidst an unimaginable cosmos. Orbit - an HD Odyssey began with John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, landed in the hands of Copp, and ended with something that is nothing short of out of this world. CultureMap ran a video preview with Copp in November which included exclusive footage.

The concert will sell out, so reserve your seats early. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Jones Hall. Tickets start at $29.

The River Performing and Visual Arts Center's "Dream Out Loud" Gala at Junior League of Houston

I attend many performances weekly. Some are amazing; others are memorable. But every once in a while, I witness something that's life changing. When I saw children at The River Performing And Visual Arts Center, a subsidiary of Theatre Under the Stars, come alive singing and dancing, it affirmed my belief that the arts have prowess beyond simple aesthetic function.

The organization serves children who have disabilities, chronic illnesses or economic disadvantages, and they will perform at "Dream Out Loud" on Friday, 6:30 p.m. at Junior League. Tickets start at $250; tables at $2,500. Stephanie and Bill Swingle lead the fundraising effort as chairs.

"A French Valentine" presented by Mercury Baroque at Wortham Theater Center and The John Cooper School

Baroque composers were naughty: They wanted to incite extraordinary emotional responses with dramatic music that appealed to the affects of the human spirit. In essence, it's all about manipulation.

I can't think of a better way to sex up your better half than attending a concert that's meant to do just that. Artistic director Antoine Plante has programmed a playbill of French tunes by Jean-Philippe Rameau of love, romance and passion.

Friday, 8 p.m. at Wortham Theater and Saturday, 8 p.m. at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands. Tickets start at $22.

Music for Peace: Musicians in Exile presentedbyFoundation for Modern Music at Rothko Chapel

If anything can be learned from artists that were persecuted due to their political stances, it is that the oppressing regime understood the power of the arts to act as a catalyst for action.

The Music for Peace series at Rothko Chapel continues on Friday at 7 p.m., with music by composers who were outlawed, like Manuel de Falla, Igor Stravinsky, Isang Yun and Darius Milhaud. Expect intriguing remarks by KUHA's Chris Johnson and an impassioned performance by Misha Penton (soprano), Raul Orlando Edwards (baritone), Anne Leek (oboe), Dan Strba (viola) and Paul Boyd (piano).

The event is free. A reception on the Rothko Chapel's plaza follows.

Dance Houston Festival at Wortham Theater Center

Houston is a major dance hub infused with movers and shakers expanding the vocabulary of the art form, such that there are myriad small-to-medium size dance troupes mounting shows almost every weekend. The Dance Houston Festival, on Saturday at 8 p.m., makes it convenient to explore 12 local groups in the same place, at the same time.

Among them are Ad Deum, Hope Stone, Planet Funk, Houston Met, Mixteco Ballet Folklorico, Suchu Dance Company and Noble Motion. Think of the festival as a groovy dance orgy presenting a range of styles including hip-hop, ballet, contemporary and Latin dance. Tickets start at $17.

Mardi Gras! in Galveston

Once your Valentine's Day festivities are over and done with, it's time to let loose at the Mardi Gras parties and events happening all around Galveston. Expected attendance is 300,000 for the 24 parades, five masked balls, 19 balcony parties and 26 concerts, ending on Feb. 21.

There's a lot going on, so check out the schedule. On my radar is the 16th Annual San Luis Salute to Mardi Gras Gala Friday night ($225) and the black-tie or glam-themed costumed bacchanal that is the 28th Annual Mardi Gras Ball & Parade Viewing Party at The Tremont House Saturday night ($200).

Arts smarty pants and lovable dance maven Nancy Wozny's Pick: Earthen Vessels's Mothers of the Movement at Barnevelder

Nancy says: "Sandra Organ Solis turns to great women to celebrate Black History month with Mothers of the Movement at Barnevelder. Solis and her newly renamed troupe, Earthen Vessels, pay tribute to Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Lucille Clifton and Maya Angelou. Solis is one of Houston's finest dance storytellers, too."

Friday through Feb. 26. General admission tickets are $18.