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.

interview music celebrities

doubling down

Shepherd School builds on 50 years with a 2026-27 season of discovery

Rice University Shepherd School of Music

Photo by Michael Stravato

The Shepherd School's 2026-27 season includes six world premieres.

The next generation of classical music doesn’t wait in the wings at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

It walks onto the stage, often with a world premiere in hand, and slaps listeners with music so energetically performed that they might need a glass of wine or a Xanax to come down from the thrill.

Fresh off its milestone 50th anniversary, the Shepherd School’s 2026–27 season doubles down on discovery. The lineup includes six world premieres, the Texas premiere of Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl’s opera Eurydice, celebrated guest artists, and a steady reminder that Houston audiences can hear rising talent before the rest of the world catches on.

For students, Shepherd continues to function as a foundation where rigorous conservatory training meets the resources of a major research university. For audiences, it’s an invitation to witness artists in the midst of becoming, tackling ambitious repertoire in halls whose acoustics reward every nuance.

The orchestral season, led primarily by Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras Miguel Harth-Bedoya, embraces both pillars of the canon and brand-new voices. Opening night sets the tone with Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso, Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration, the world premiere of Jake Berran’s Probabolophony, winner of the 2026 Cooper Prize, and Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis.

The season also launches what is planned as a multi-year exploration of Gustav Mahler with Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” while spotlighting Shepherd faculty members as soloists, including pianist Jon Kimura Parker and oboist Erin Hannigan. Along the way come additional premieres by alumni composers, concerto appearances from competition winners, and opportunities for conducting students to take the podium.

Shepherd will present a fully staged production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos before mounting the Texas premiere — and first university performance — of Eurydice, with composer Aucoin visiting campus to work directly with students and audiences.

Guest artists add another layer, from Aleko Endowed Artist Julia Bullock collaborating with Shepherd opera students to alumna Kate Soper returning with the acclaimed Wet Ink Ensemble. Chamber concerts, faculty recitals, festivals, and family programming round out a calendar of more than 400 events, many offered for free or at low cost.

The season also includes the Adventurous Electric Guitar Festival at Wortham Theatre, where concerts, workshops, and presentations explore contemporary electric guitar and electroacoustic performance in collaboration with Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs (REMLABS).

Notably, the school will also inaugurate its undergraduate orchestral conducting degree, the only program of its kind in the nation.

This author recently caught Miguel Harth-Bedoya deep in score study before a concert, next to his visiting family, meticulously parsing Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso.

It was a fitting snapshot of the institution itself: Craftsmanship behind moments that can feel effortless once the lights dim and the music begins. That dedication has defined Shepherd for more than 50 years, and the 2026–27 season suggests the next movement is well underway.

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