How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

And I count 45. That how many years Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), Houston's main cultural import organization, has been figuring out how to bring ensembles that add flavor to the city's already rich offerings from the major four (Alley Theatre, Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet) and friends.

SPA promises a big, bold new season beginning in October with Houston favorites, new artists and large events. Sounds like Texas.

Music Highlights

Joshua Bell, the cutie who never ages, returns to grace the Houston stage in a solo recital with his 300-year-old Gibson ex Huberman Strad. You should know him and if you don't, try his Sibelius Violin Concerto recording or the soundtrack to The Red Violin.

The St. Petersburg Symphony distinct slavic sound is rich. Led by Alexander Titov, Glinka's happy and joyous Ruslan and Ludmila Overture opens to Xiayin Wang Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 2. Russian music played a Russian ensemble, all you need is a shot or Russian Standard Vodka and some rye bread to make the experience more authentic.

Experiencing Taiko drumming is exhilarating. The practice requires focus, strength, stamina and minute precise accuracy. TAO: The art of the Drum members train and live in the highlands of Japan and infuse their contemporary backgrounds into performances.

Dance Highlights

Since 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has presented cutting-edge works defining modern dance from the African-American perspective. Today, the ensemble is led by artistic director Judith Jamison. Their aesthetic recalls past traditions while looking to the future, exploring and expanding the boundaries of contemporary dance.

There is something about Flamenco artists that scares me. Whether that is their passionate conviction or fiery disposition, Compañia Flamenca José Porcel specializes in the purest and oldest forms of the art form. Combining dance, voice and guitar, raw driving rhythms recall the culture of when the Gypsies commingled with the people of Andalucia.

For the Kids

IMAGO Theatre returns to Houston with ZooZoo, the troupe's latest production featuring human fire-fly bug eyes, anteaters, rabbits, frogs, polar bears, hippos and tricky penguins. A little comedy, some illusion and an entertaining musical score makes for an imaginative production.

Magik Theatre original musical adaption of If You Give A Moose a Muffin is the sequel to If You Give a Moose a Cookie. Rumor has it the Moose will want some jam, a sweater and a puppet show.

Notable Houston Debuts

Do not be fooled by the funeral in Goran Bregovic & His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra. This lively ensemble mixes a Serbian Gypsy band, classical string ensemble, Orthodox male choir and two Bulgarian female vocalists with a little rock n' roll.

The Bolshoi Ballet brings its stars for a performance of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, a work the ensemble premiered in 1877, among other notable Russian masterpieces. Originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger, this 1985 revival by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov is what typically is staged by contemporary ballet companies.

New Now Series

This series showcases work that somehow expands the art vocabulary of each ensemble's genres. Post-punk London's The Tiger Lillies turn to the dark side to find thematic inspiration for the group's new show, The Gutter and the Star Tour. Shifty characters, twisted and mischievous situations, the work is a bit about taken pleasure it other people's pain.

Combining text, song, dance and multimedia technologies, Dulcinea Langfelder brings Cervantes to life in Dulcinea's Lament. Based on the life of Don Quixote's most infamous muse, the work deals with feminist ideals, history and philosophy.

Meow Meow has been described as a "cabaret diva of the highest order" by the New York Post while being branded as a combination of kamikaze cabaret and art exotica. Confused? I am. But if it combines old Shanghai, pre-War Berlin and post-modern gay Paris, I am game, specially being named top "Best of Cabaret" by Time Out New York. The gays are never wrong.