Saturday at Jones Hall

A 13-hour concert? This Day of Music promises to please everyone and test some limits

Got the music in you? Do you walk with a spring in your step and a tune in your head?

Music enthusiasts have a challenge this weekend as the Houston Symphony hosts a 13-hour marathon Saturday concert plus activities at Jones Hall. The tuneful gathering amasses 27 performing groups whose collective output reflects the cultural diversity of Houston.

Houston Symphony's "Day of Music" offers more than the typical orchestra classics. Among the genres represented on five stages are jazz, international, rock, indie, guitar, zydeco, early music, choral, klezmer, Irish, African drumming, folk, blues, steel drum, taiko and mariachi. That's in addition to the instrument petting zoo, arts and crafts and a harmonica session courtesy of the Houston Blues Museum.

That's all fine and dandy, but chances are you're not inclined to wear a diaper to persist through a day-long melodious debauchery.

So how do you decide when to attend and where to be? Below are CultureMap's top picks alongside the complete event's schedule.

Clandestine (11 a.m., Front Lobby)

This Celtic band is a favorite at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, usually selling shows days in advance. The original songs penned by singer and percussionist Emily Dugas, whose bodhran (Irish drum) chops are mesmerizing, are lyrically beautiful, many of which are set in three part harmony with piper EJ Jones and fiddler Gregory McQueen.

Joy of Djembe Drumming (12:30 p.m., Outside Patio Stage)

You have no choice but to be taken by the powerful thumping of the djembe, an African drum capable of producing a huge range of timbers. The hypnotic rhythms summon your inner primordial spirit, particularly in the hands of this 22-member ensemble.

Renaissance and Baroque Guitar (2:30 p.m., Lower Stage)

While we tend to think of the strummed instrument as one belonging to current popular genres, its history is rooted in secular tunes dating back to before the common era. What's considered the modern version of the instrument started taking shape around the 12th century.

Gay Men's Chorus of Houston (4 p.m., Front Lobby)

This group of men songsters has been entertaining and inspiring Houstonians since it was founded more than three decades ago. These chaps know how to have fun — on stage and off stage — with performances that are musically delightful and brimming with showmanship.

ROCO Brass Quintet (7 p.m., Front Lobby Stage)

ROCO — rhymes with loco — is the hipper way of referring to the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra. The ensemble's Brass Quintet executes scores with verve such that experiencing a live performance is akin to getting happy from the latest on-trend narcotic.

Houston Symphony Houston Chronicle Concert (8 p.m., Main Stage)

How is it that a clarinetist triumphed over pianists and string players in the 2013 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition? The odds of such a thing happening are slim, which is why hearing Israeli clarinetist Moran Katz solo, with the support of maestro Cristian Macelaru, is the ideal curtain closer to this musical adventure.

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Day of Music: A Free Day-Long Celebration of Houston's Musical Diversity is on Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. at Jones Hall. The event is free and tickets are not required.

The Wheel Workers perform at 3 p.m. on the Rear Lobby Stage.

Houston Symphony Day of Music July 2013 The Wheel Workers

Photo courtesy of Mark Austin

The Wheel Workers perform at 3 p.m. on the Rear Lobby Stage.

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Musical theater veteran joins prominent Houston company

Courtesy of Stages

Stages has named Valerie Rachelle as its new associate artist director.

A Houston theater company is adding an accomplished artist to its ranks. Stages announced that Valerie Rachelle will be the company’s new associate artistic director beginning in January 2026.

For more than a decade, Rachelle has been artistic director of the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland, Oregon, where she oversaw artistic vision and operations. That theater specializes in musical theater performances offered in a cabaret setting.

Rachelle comes to Houston with a career spanning nearly 30 years as a director and choreographer. She has extensive experience in developing new musicals and plays for regional theaters and opera companies across the United States, including the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Sierra Repertory Theatre. She was appointed to her position at Stages following a nationwide search.

“I’m beyond thankful for this opportunity to join this incredible company, and I’m excited to be a part of a creative entity that has a strong mission and vision as Stages,” Rachelle said in a statement.

In her role with Stages, she will support artistic director Derek Charles Livingston with season planning and casting; liaise with artists, press, and staff; and coordinate day-to-day operations for the artistic department. She will also assist with crafting educational materials, direct and choreograph productions, and serve as the primary liaison with theatrical unions.

“We are thrilled to welcome Valerie to Stages in this role,” said Livingston. “I have seen her work as a director and director choreographer — she's excellent. Those skills combined with her experience as a theatre artistic director and manager only further fortify Stages' commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement.”

Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Rachelle began her career as a dancer and apprentice ballerina with the Eugene Ballet Company before earning her BFA in acting from California Institute of the Arts. She received her MFA in Directing from the University of California, Irvine. She has held teaching and directing positions at numerous institutions, including the University of Southern California, Southern Oregon University, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and others. She has also served as a mentor through Statera Arts, an organization dedicated to gender equity in the arts.

Rachelle teaches musical theater, auditioning, and singing at Southern Oregon University when she isn’t on the road as a freelance director and choreographer. She’s also a classically trained singer and toured the world with her parents and their illusionist show as a child.

“Joining the team that has a long-standing reputation of excellence in theater is an honor,” Rachelle added.

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