Survived the weekend?

I barely made it through the week. In between talks of basketball, golf, outdoor festivals and trailer trash galas, Houston proved itself to be a hospitable city with something for everyone. And CultureMap was there to guide you through it all.

The Lawndale Art Center Design Fair came and went, as quickly as I dispensed of cash. An eye-opening lecture by Sotheby's James Zemaitis illustrated the volatile world of design valuation. Rarity and shifting desires can modify a piece's market price from the hundreds to the millions of dollars, irrespective of importance in the grand scheme of design history.





My find? An exquisite terrarium courtesy of Left Brain Right Brain Design, where designer Vernon Caldera crafted a city of succulents inside a glass shaped like an apple. It's a conversation piece.

Classical Revolution launched in Houston, inciting a collaboration between the Apollo Chamber Players, WindSync wind quintet and friends. "Stand by Me" morphed into Stravinsky and Villa Lobos, showcasing the group's musical flexibility, and Apollo's Ravel String Quartet bordered on fantastical awesomeness — but its folksy self-arranged tunes, including a wild Vals Venezolano, "El Diablo Suelto," bordered between boisterousness and refinement.

I visited the Rothko Chapel in the midst of the Menil Community Festival to listen to Riyaaz Qawwali. Their interpretation of Sufi devotional music felt more like an uninhibited party than anything resembling worship, with complex sexy tabla rhythms, exotic vocal ornaments and driving melodies.





One would have thought the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston was the hottest club in town on Saturday night. Lines went around the Audrey Jones Beck Building as a fashionable crowd — I spotted vinyl suits, berets and leather short-shorts — waited patiently to partake in the French Fête. Inside, bubbly guests strolled through the galleries and were spontaneously serenaded by Bizet arias from Carmen (thanks, HGO and Divisi Strings) and a delightful string quartet.

But now it's onwards. This is where you should be this week. Ready?

Moores Opera Center's Il Postino Composer Daniel Catán is no stranger to Houston; his works having been performed by HGO and the University of Houston before. Catán used both the 1986 Antonio Skármeta novel and the 1994 film by the same name as inspiration, choosing to focus more on the political aspects of the period and the mentor-student relationship between author Pablo Neruda and Mario, the postman. The work was originally commissioned by the L.A. Opera, Plácido Domingo and James Conlon and premiered in September of 2010. Although the L.A. Opera still retains exclusive performance rights, it allowed Moores Opera Center founder and director Buck Ross to stage it. Opens on Friday and plays through April 11.





Rice Design Alliance's "Anything That Floats" at Sesquicentennial Park Not everything floats, but teams that participate in the "Anything That Floats" bacchanal will attempt to finagle found materials provided the day-of by the Rice Design Alliance into floating devices using non-power or battery operated tools, tape, rubber bands and nails. The goal? These "anythings" will be judged on innovation, creativity and resourcefulness and must carry two people for approximately 100 feet down the bayou. Feeling adventurous? Saturday at 8 a.m. (You can also combine this event with the Bayou Bash for a ticket discount.)

2011 Bayou Bash at the Sabine to Bagby Promenade Houston's wild urban landscape owes much to the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. The annual Bayou Bash is its largest fundraiser — a relaxed outdoor party featuring live music, crawfish, pontoon boat rides and, of course, drinks. At $25 ($20 if you are member), think of it as a happy lunch with a purpose. Saturday at 1 p.m.

River Oaks Chamber Orchestra Season Finale Concert This is not your typical concert experience. ROCO has a reputation for delivering holistic and interactive concert experiences, often surprising concert-goers with an off-the-cuff piece, impromptu conversations from the stage, tweeting and texting. But don't let the informality fool you, the music making will ROCO your socks off. On the program is Copland's Clarinet Concerto, blending distinct American sonorities and jazzy riffs, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. Saturday at 5 p.m. at The Church of St. John the Divine and Sunday at 6:30 p.m. at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens.

My colleagues' picks:

Art contributor and Dancehunter Nanzy Wozny's pick: Hope Stone and Houston Ballet II presents "An Evening of Bread and Circus" Nancy says: "Jane Weiner, honored by DiverseWorks at last weekend's Gala, closes her first Hope Stone Dance season ever. Weiner has added in the talents of the ambitious and capable dancers of Houston Ballet II, performing Bloom where you’re planted, set to Jacques Brel tunes. She has set Change is Inevitable, originally created on Houston Ballet II, on her own company."

"But the real kicker is a reprise of her 2004 duet, A Day of It, with Bessie Award-winner David Neumann. This is one of my all-time favorite works by Weiner; who nails deadpan wit like no other Houston dance maker. And to have Neumann, who is now as New York dance A-list as it gets, here to perform it with her is simply dance heaven." Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Social media editor and adventure racer Fayza Elmostehi's pick: Greater Houston Off-Road Biking Association's (GHORBA) Short Track Stampede Series Fayza says: "This weekend kicks off the Greater Houston Off-Road Biking Association's (GHORBA) Short Track Stampede Series! These short, high-intensity races are beginner-friendly and sure to get your heart pounding — while leaving cash in your wallet. First up? The winding, weaving trails up at Collins Park in the Cypresswood area. A cool $17 and you're ready to roll." Saturday at 8:30 a.m.