ah, a jeff goldlum interview!

Jeff Goldblum swings into Houston for jazzy night of music and comedy

Jeff Goldblum will perform with the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra in Houston.

Photo by Pari Dukovic

Easily one of America’s most charming, affable, and delightfully cerebral celebrities, Jeff Goldblum seems delighted to gush about Houston and his upcoming appearance here with his heralded jazz band, the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.

His group plays the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts Friday, September 20, as part of the Society for the Performing Arts special series. (Tickets are still available.)

Though he’s best known for a career that spans more than 40 years and memorable roles in The Fly, Independence Day, and the Jurassic Park franchise, Goldblum’s music run has proved far more than a simple vanity project. His band’s debut album, The Capitol Studios Sessions, scored No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums charts in 2018.

Fresh off that success, and with a new album, coyly titled, I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This, dropping November 1, Goldblum is ready to tickle the ivories (he’s a deft and accomplished piano player) alongside his band and members of Houston’s Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

He’s also ready to share Houston’s charms with the world via his new National Geographic TV show, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, which will be released on streaming service Disney+ on November 12.

“I’m Jeff, or Junebug, whatever you prefer,” Goldblum exclaims to CultureMap, by way of introduction. And with that, we’re off.

CultureMap: Congratulations on the new album and TV show. It’s been quite a summer for you.

Jeff Goldblum: Yes, yes, it’s been a wild summer! We were just in Houston shooting for my new show. It’s a docu-series by National Geographic. It’s taken me all over the place.

CM: We’re thrilled that you’re featuring our fair city.

JG: Yes, and what a fair city! We were there for a couple of days shooting at NASA and Johnny Dang’s grill emporium. Houston, well ... I had my own special experience.

CM: So can you share with us some of Houston — according to Jeff Goldblum?

JG: Well, of course it’s the birthplace of the great Wes Anderson, with whom I did The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs. He’s fantastic, and I like thinking about seeing all of Houston through his eyes.

CM: He’s a local treasure. How was your experience at NASA?

JG: Oh my, those people I was there to see — have you ever been to the Neutral Buoyancy Lab? It’s remarkable! I met a couple of astronauts, it was really spectacular. Then, on the whole other end of the spectrum, I had Johnny Dang, and all the hip-hop people he made grills for, and that was spectacular, also.

CM: Here in Houston, there’s a buzz that you’ll be playing with kids from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

JG: Yes, yes! They’re going to join us on a song — like, four to six horn players. And we’re not gonna rehearse before, we’re just going to cook something up. They tell me they know this particular song that you’ll see. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.

CM: Speaking of fun during these shows, you’ve played at the Los Angeles club, Rockwell Table and Stage, since the ’90s, and you always intersperse some comedy and audience participation during the gig. Can we expect those kinds of off-the-cuff interludes in Houston?

JG: Yes, I never know exactly what I’m going to do, it’s all uncharted. I sometimes find myself doing it before the show as people are streaming in and in between the songs. And then we’ll play from my new album, which I just adore.

CM: Regarding your music, what’s it like being a celebrated actor who then scores No. 1 on the Billboard music charts?

JG: Well, it’s amazing and unexpected — very delightful — I am thrilled for all the people I play with. I never thought I’d have an album or have what could be called a career in music, anyway. I had my heart set on being an actor all this time, and I’m still on the threshold of my best work. I believe it’s because I’ve been conscientious about it and luckily kept getting chances.

But this thing with music: I loved it when I was a kid. I started playing cocktail lounges in Pittsburgh here and there when I was 15. About 30 years ago, I started playing out and about just for the fun of it. And it sort of organically developed from that so I kept getting better, and the band kept getting more specific, and we played every week whenever I was in town.

CM: Back to your acting: Fans love you for roles ranging from The Fly to Jurassic Park and, most recently, The Mountain. What are some of your favorites?

JG: Let’s see … I think I’m doing my better work more recently. I had a wonderful time with Mr. Steven Spielberg on those couple of movies. I like The Tall Guy, and those Wes Anderson movies. I think my most interesting stuff is ahead of me.

CM: With your best work ahead of you: We know you can act, sing, and play. Can we expect a live, one-man show, a la Hugh Jackman, down the line?

JG: Gosh, have I ever done a one-man show? I do love to play, and I love people ... but a one-man show? You think?

CM: Jeff, a one-man Jeff Goldblum show would sell out across the country.

JG: Really … ? [Intrigued, Goldblum trails off, deep in thought of the possibilities].

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Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra perform at Friday, September 20, at 8 pm at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana St. For tickets, visit The Society for the Performing Arts online or call 713-227-4772.

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Houston Grand Opera names Rice alum James Gaffigan its next music director

Photo by Claire McAdams

Houston Grand Opera names James Gaffigan as next Music Director

Opera lovers in the audience for the Houston Grand Opera’s magnificent season opening production of Porgy and Bess didn’t know it, but they were hearing HGO’s future. James Gaffigan, the acclaimed conductor of the performance will no longer be called an honored guest to the company and our city; instead, he’ll make the Wortham Center his new home.

HGO announced on Thursday, November 6, that Gaffigan will serve as the fifth music director in its 70-year history, leading the company alongside general director and CEO Khori Dastoor. He replaces Patrick Summers, who announced last year that he would step down as artistic and music director at the end of the 2025-26 season.

When Gaffigan begins his term as music director designate for the 2026-27 season and then assumes the full role of music director in the 2027-28 season, he won’t find Houston an unfamiliar landscape. Though originally from New York, Gaffigan once lived here while earning his master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

After his time at Rice, he quickly rose to international superstardom in both symphonic and operatic circles. He has conducted some of the greatest orchestras around the country, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others. In Europe he has taken the podium at the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, and more.

In 2011, he made both his HGO and American operatic debut with the company’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. He has also become a very welcome guest conductor for national and international opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and more.

For the past several years, he has made a home in Europe serving as the general music director of Komische Oper Berlin, and he recently completed his fourth and final season as music director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain.

Even with such a strong global presence, this Rice Owl continues to migrate back to Houston, guest conducting the Houston Symphony several times. Last year, he lead the first-ever performance by the HGO Orchestra at the annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias.

Gaffigan’s ties to Houston are so strong that back in 2011, CultureMap’s own society king and classical music expert, Joel Luks, pondered if Gaffigan might be an excellent candidate for Houston Symphony director upon Han Graf ’s retirement. Luks, who attended the Shepherd School at the same time as Gaffigan, lauded the maestro’s sense of musical timing, charisma, and spirit.

$\u200bHouston Grand Opera names James Gaffigan as next Music Director$

Photo by Claire McAdams

Houston Grand Opera has named James Gaffigan as its next Music Director.

“He seems to understand music-making in a macro level, presenting a cohesive interpretation, while allowing musicians freedom of expression,” described Luks, also noting Gaffigan’s ability to connect with musicians and audiences, alike.

It turns out Luks’s prediction for a musical directorship for Gaffigan was only off by 14 years and about a theater district block, the distance from Jones Hall to the Wortham Center.

“I always knew that the first post I would take in the United States as music director had to be the perfect fit,” Gaffigan said in a statement. “All the boxes needed to be ticked. As I considered which institution, which city, and which community aligned with my dreams and goals for an American institution, I found HGO to be my ideal partner. In my opinion, HGO is the most exciting opera company in the United States. It is rare to find such a healthy institution, with tremendous potential, and a solid foundation on which to build.”

Gaffigan went on to reminisce that he has admired HGO since his early twenties.

“When walking into the building, I get a sense of community and excitement for our art form and the importance it has in our lives. I feel the same from the people in the greater Houston area. Houstonians want great art. Under Khori Dastoor’s leadership, the company has flourished, and it has become clear to me that the sky is the limit. I can’t wait to return to this city and start our thrilling new chapter together.”

Dastoor sings similar praises for Gaffigan.

“To welcome James Gaffigan back to Houston, and to HGO, as our new music director represents the fulfillment of an ambitious dream,” stated Dastoor. “This fall, Houston audiences have had the incredible opportunity to witness his passion, electric energy, and mind-blowing artistry at the podium. I am overjoyed that today’s leading American conductor — who embodies a new generation of music-making at the highest level — has chosen to invest fully in this company. James was steeped in the art and culture of Houston on his way to finding phenomenal international success. His return is both a testament to our city and a reflection of HGO’s ascendance as a force in the global opera industry.”

For those wanting to get a taste of that passion and energy Gaffigan will bring to his role as Houston Grand Opera music director, he conducts Porgy and Bess November 7 and 9.

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