Do-Re-Mi

Houston Grand Opera debuts themed experiences for 'The Sound of Music'

If one of your favorite things is The Sound of Music, you won't want to miss the lush new production presented by Houston Grand Opera that's running April 26-May 12.

Starring Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Maria and acclaimed baritone Alexander Birch Elliott as Captain von Trapp, this production is the first time HGO has staged the perennially popular musical.

Featuring music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, the show shares the story of the von Trapp family and the novice-turned-governess Maria, who brings joy and music into their lives.

It's a co-production from HGO and The Glimmerglass Festival in upstate New York, created by legendary director Francesca Zambello.

The company’s own chorus director, Richard Bado, is at the podium, and a group of talented Houston-area youths will take on singing roles as the von Trapp children. Last fall, HGO held the largest children’s auditions in company history, during which hundreds of young singers converged upon the Wortham Theater Center in hopes of joining the cast.

To make sure everyone feels welcome at this production, HGO is introducing themed experiences for three select performances:

Military Appreciation Day, May 5 matinee (2 pm)
Veterans and active-duty service members will be honored with a pre-show national anthem performance and color guard ceremony, a theater seat reserved for our fallen soldiers, and more activities presented in partnership with groups including Vet Tix.

Veterans and active-duty service members will receive 25 percent off tickets to the musical, as well as discounted food and drink items.

Pride Night, May 11 evening (7:30 pm)
Hosted in celebration of Houston’s LGBTQIA+ community, this themed night is presented in partnership with groups including the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, the Montrose Center, Pride 365 Houston, and Houston’s New Faces of Pride.

Audiences will enjoy a special performance from Pride Chorus Houston, themed cocktails and décor, the chance to see a historic Gilbert Baker Pride flag, and more. HGO will provide partner organizations with ticket offers to share with their members and the people they serve.

Mother's Day, May 12 matinee (2 pm)
Treat Mom to the best gift: time spent together. Audiences can commemorate the occasion with a themed photobooth, enjoy new Mother’s Day-themed brunch items and treats available for purchase, toast the mothers in attendance with a complimentary gift on egress, and more.

The performance runs two hours and 48 minutes, including one intermission. It is sung in English with projected English text.

Strong demand for tickets has led the company to add a ninth show date, so be sure to get your own tickets before the production sells out.

Tickets range from $25 to $210. For more information and to buy tickets, visit HGO.org or call the box office at 713-228-6737.

Photo by Michael Bishop

Talented Houston-area children play the von Trapp children.

theater opera video promoted

Mags Move In

Shuttered Houston magazine stand finds new home at Austin coffee shop

Tomo Mags bus outside of brick-and-mortar Austin store

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Tomo Mags is driving into a new era.

Austin's roaming newsstand Tomo Mags — which sells books out of a signature blue bus — is moving up in the world. Its new brick-and-mortar bookstore and partner coffee shop, Cielito Lindo, are celebrating their grand opening Thursday, January 22, at 411 Brazos Street, #101. A ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 am with the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion.

Tomo Mags started in 2015 in Houston, on a decommissioned school bus. Founder Vico Puentes hit the ground running — or driving — visiting shopping centers, galleries, universities, cafés, and more. It toted artsy independent magazines about fashion, photography, design, erotica, and even some comparatively normie selections like The Economist and New York Magazine.

The journey so far has included an earlier stationary space that later closed (and another one that reopened), a pause for several years, and a "bittersweet" move to Austin in 2025.

Tomo Mags Austin interior The collection has a lot more room to expand in this new space.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

The new shop offers more of the same: a wide selection of magazines and art books alongside studio tools like pens and notebooks, merch, and fashionable accessories. It's been in a soft-opening phase since mid-December. Cielito Lindo, which opened in a coffee pot-shaped trailer in Manor in spring 2025, also kicked off its soft opening in the space a few days. Both the Tomo bus and Cielito's trailer will continue operating.

Even though both businesses are relatively new to Austin, Puentes has deep personal connections with the city.

“Before opening TOMO mags, I worked in downtown Austin for the last six years, and I’ve seen such an incredible evolution in what it feels like for the people who work and live here, as well as the visitors passing through,” said Puentes in a press release.

Tomo Mags Austin interior Cafe tables are great for flipping through new finds with Cielito Lindo's signature horchata latte.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Driving around town to make sales may sound like a fast-paced existence, but Puentes hopes visitors to Tomo can slow down when they visit, enjoying the physical experience and maybe even creating a personal art archive over time. Part of that includes getting to know the artists filling the shelves.

"With TOMO mags, our goal is to create a place people can come back to regularly to slow down, find inspiration, and leave with something special, or a gift that actually feels thoughtful," he said. "We’re already meeting people from all over the world, and we’re proud to host them and share recommendations that help them experience Austin beyond just downtown, while also spotlighting the creative community and local businesses that make this city so special.”

magazines design openings bookstore

Do-Re-Mi

Houston Grand Opera debuts themed experiences for 'The Sound of Music'

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