Ghoulish Glow

Pop-up concert fills historic Houston museum with candles and Halloween tunes

A group of violinists play for an audience, surrounded by candles.

A Halloween Candlelight Concert in the stunning Palacio de Fernan Nuñez, Madrid, Spain.

Photo courtesy of Fever

Despite what it feels like outside, it is now officially fall, which means October and all things Halloween are just days away. To celebrate this return to spooky season, the event company Fever is bringing its popular Halloween-themed Candlelight Concert series to Houston. It will perform at the Lone Star Flight Museum on October 18 and 24.

Imagine walking into a beautiful cathedral or low-lit theater. All around, the floors and surfaces are lined with (fake) candles, emitting a soft, golden light. The room is quiet; there's something eerie happening here. As everyone takes their seats, the lights dim further and all that is left is the glow from these candles. A group of musicians take the stage, each with a string instrument; all wearing black. It's the River Oaks Quartet

Titled A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics, audiences can expect to hear the Austin Camerata Quartet move through truly beautiful classical pieces like Funeral March of a Marionette, as well as more modern Halloween tunes like "Thriller" and the theme from Beetlejuice. Showtimes will be at 7 and 9:15 pm.

Though the nights will include some eerie music, they're both family-friendly, and children above the age of eight are welcome.

This isn't the first time Fever has come through Houston with a Candlelight series. In fact, Fever consistently offers themed Candlelight Concerts here in town as a way to "democratize the access to classical music," according to a press release. The international company also offers a variety of other original Fever events, including Dining the Dark, Painting in the Dark, and other interactive "experiential" events, in cities all over the world.

If readers' alarm bells for cookie-cutter experiences are going off, they're not alone. In fact, this author had the same trepidation before a Fever Holiday Candlelight Concert last year. The reality is, Fever employs all local musicians for these events (in this case, the talented River Oaks Quartet), and uses beautiful local venues to create a setting that really does feel magical — and it also benefits the venue.

With October ticket prices starting at $60, plus the themed song selection, Fever's Candlelight Concerts really are a more accessible way to experience concert music in an intimate setting.

More information about upcoming Candlelight Concerts is available at candlelightexperience.com.

a beautiful mind

Houston Health Museum's new exhibit shines a light on dyslexia

Sarah Sudhoff created "The Reading Brain" in honor of her son.

Photo by Rose Tylinski

"The Reading Brain" replicates neuron activity in a dyslexic brian while reading

No, "The Reading Brain" isn't the title of a B-horror film from the 1960s. It's a brand new installation at the Houston Health Museum that explores dyslexia.

The piece was created by Houston-based artist Sarah Sudhoff, in partnership with Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director of the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University. Hanging from the ceiling of the Health Museum, it uses light-up colored circles to represent the frontal lobe activity of a dyslexic person while reading. MRI scans of dyslexic brains formed the foundation of the light activity. Sudhoff's own son has dyslexia, and she had to adapt her homeschooling of him to account for his neurodivergence. As much as 20 percent of the American population is dyslexic.

"The Reading Brain" grew out of a similar exhibit at the DoSeum in San Antonio. "Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage" challenged visitors to see dyslexia not as a learning disability but as simply a different way some human brains work. The exhibit featured videos, stories, and art work by dyslexic individuals that show how they succeed and create, as well as a selection of brain puzzles used to teach dyslexic people.

“Even though your brain works differently, it still lights up and is beautiful to watch, a wonderful machine you have. It just means you have to navigate and pivot a little differently,” Sudhoff said.

Sudhoff's innovative bridge between science and art is a permanent part of the Health Museum's MindWorks exhibit. Like "The Reading Brain," MindWorks maps out thinking processes through light and hands-on activities. The exhibit will close on January 5, meaning visitors have a very short time to see Sudhoff's piece.

The Health Museum is a hidden gem in Museum District located a block away from the Children's Museum. It houses a variety of exhibits about the human body, such as a giant plastic colon that kids love to run through. Since opening in 1969, the museum has helped Houstonians and visitors from around the world learn about the way the body works as well well as public health protocols. As the only Smithsonian Affiliate Museum in the Houston Museum District, it has a high educational pedigree despite it's colorful and often whimsical offerings.

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