• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    The Arthropologist

    Discovering the Heights of Opera

    Nancy Wozny
    Jan 28, 2010 | 12:00 am
    • A party scene from the Opera in the Heights production of "Un Ballo inMaschera."
    • John Rodger makes his debut OH! appearance
    • "Un Ballo In Maschera" is Giuseppe Verdi's tale of love, politics and one deadlybig bash.

    A few months ago, the Houston Ballet dance talk crowd sighed when I announced that the music for the ballet, Manon, is not from Massenet's famous opera, but from his orchestral works and other operas. I tried to soothe them by relaying the fact that the score is still Massenet, it's one of the best compiled ballet scores out there and Opera in the Heights (OH!) would be performing Manon later that month. Afterwards, a tall, stately gentleman came up, not to correct my ballet facts, but to thank me. He was OH! acting executive director William Haase.

    Haase invited me to come on down to catch OH! fever.

    You would think that an opera buffette like me would have discovered Opera in the Heights by now. I've only had a mere 13 years to make the trek. There are no excuses, but I'd like to offer two anyway. First, as an OTL (Outside the Looper) I suffer from severe "Heights envy." You left-leaning people can plant heirloom tomatoes in your front yard, walk to such eclectic temples of cuisine as Shade, Textile and The Glass Wall, and the real killer, stroll to the opera. From my house in Cypress, I can walk to the oil change place and about 13 nail joints.

    The other is that I am forever getting lost in the Heights. It's like the Bermuda triangle for me. I got lost going tovisit with Haase last week. "It's not that hard," he said, after listening to my wrong-way-on-Shepherd-Drive saga.

    We traded our love affairs with opera tales. Scoring well in the Saturday Texaco Opera Broadcast quiz was a requirement for supper at my house. Haase found opera as an adult in 1969. His first date with his wife was Rigoletto, and he's been hooked on the woman and the art form ever since. During his years on the East Coast he was a regular at The Metropolitan Opera. Haase loves opera up close, and will take opera HD and OH! over big houses any day. He's held just about every job at OH!, from volunteer to Ike water remover.

    "I love my job, plus, I have a great boss," joked Haase, who is also chairman of the board.

    Maestro William M. Weibel gives OH! its musical cred. After a significant career at the Met and other legendary houses, Weibel came out of retirement to mentor young singers. "He's a direct link to an older tradition," Haase boasted.

    As we chatted, the sounds of Un Ballo in Maschera, Giuseppe Verdi's tale of love, politics and one deadly big bash, filled the cozy church-turned-300-seat opera house. "No singer can phone in a performance here," Haase said. "They have to give it their all." The modest size of the house also prevents singers from pushing their voices, so young artists can tackle larger roles.

    Dancer-turned-director Matthew Ferraro makes his OH! directorial debut with Un Ballo in Maschera, and takes advantage of the small-house intimacy. "I really like the visceral feel of the space and will be more focused on the story and characters, rather than bringing in some fire-eating dragon," Ferraro said. "I get to experiment and a lot of my ideas work really well here. The singers are wonderful; there are no diva fits here."

    John Rodger, also making his OH! debut, has sung in 4,000 seat houses but cherishes the chance to get so close to the audience. "The acting must be natural and down to earth because people can actually see my facial expressions. There are no big costumes or gigantic sets to hide behind, " Rodger said. "It's actually my favorite style of acting; it's more like film."

    Haase seems pleased that so many singers want to come and once they do, return. He sees his organization moving into a middle ground since smaller troupes like Opera Vista and Divergence Vocal Theater have emerged. OH! now auditions in New York and is getting a national reputation as a great place to nurture young talent. Haase loves to see OH! singers go on to big careers.

    "They pass through this nest," he said. "Then they need to fly."

    unspecified
    news/entertainment
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Houston intel delivered daily.

    welcome home

    Texas-born country star Cody Johnson will close out RodeoHouston 2026

    Eric Sandler
    May 21, 2025 | 11:00 am
    Cody Johnson headshot
    Photo by Chris Douglas
    Cody Johnson will perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on March 22, 2026.

    A Texas-born country star will close out the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Cody Johnson will take the star-shaped stage for a concert-only performance on March 22, 2026.

    A native of Sebastopol, TX — a small town near Huntsville — the singer’s track “Welcome to the Show” has been the rodeo’s official theme song since 2019. Johnson brings legit rodeo experience to his work, having competed as a professional bull rider before devoting his life to music.

    Known for songs such as “‘Til You Can’t,” “The Painter,” and “Me and My Kind,” Johnson has earned numerous awards, including the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards Song of the Year for “Dirt Cheap,” CMT Artist of The Year, three CMT Music Awards wins, four CMA Awards including Album of The Year in 2024, and “Best New Country Artist” at the iHeart Music Awards in 2023.

    It will be Johnson’s fifth RodeoHouston performance. He most recently appeared as the opening act of the 2022 rodeo, which is also the last time the event concluded with a concert-only performance by country legend George Strait.

    “Every performance at RodeoHouston is a privilege and as a rodeo man at heart, being asked to perform on a special night like this surpasses any of my wildest dreams,” Johnson said in a statement.

    Tickets for the performance will go on sale Thursday, August 21. More information will be posted to rodeohouston.com in the coming weeks. RodeoHouston’s remaining entertainer lineup will be announced in early 2026, per a press release.

    “Over the years, Cody has become a part of our beloved tradition – from captivating thousands year-after-year to recording RodeoHouston's official brand anthem,” said Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo president and CEO, Chris Boleman. “We are thrilled he is just as honored as we are to return in 2026.”

    rodeohoustonconcertscody johnson
    news/entertainment
    Loading...