ARTS PICKS
Houston Symphony’s “A Bach Easter” among the fine-arts choices.
1. ‘Medea’
If Euripides’ hope for “Medea” was that the play might outlive him, consider it a success. Informed by a mythology teeming with jealousy and murder, it still puts the “tragedy” in Greek tragedy (it was also Greek, so it puts that in there, too) nearly 1,600 years later. And after all this time, the story of Medea and Jason continues to thrill, with a psychological and thematic depth that carries it across centuries and cultures. The Alley Theatre presents the ageless play with company member Elizabeth Bunch in the title role.
When: Through April 11
Details: free, with registration at alleytheatre.org
Andrew Dansby
2. ‘A Bach Easter’
Vocalists Yulia Van Doren and Elizabeth DeShong will join the Houston Symphony for two of J.S. Bach’s cantatas (No. 51 and No. 170 if you don’t like surprises) as part of “A Bach Easter,” a program built around the composer’s work. Also in the bill is the Concerto in C minor for Oboe and Violin, which will spotlight Houston Symphony principal oboe Jonathan Fischer and concertmaster Yoonshin Song.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana
Details: $29-$84; 713-224-7575, houstonsymphony.org
Andrew Dansby
3. Carmen Herrera
Just a few weeks remain for a wonderful dual exhibit by Carmen Herrera, the storied Cuban American artist who is a mere 104 years old. Inside the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is “Structuring Surfaces,” comprising nearly three dozen paintings, drawings, prints and other objects that span the 1960s to present. That exhibit closes April 25, just two days after “Carmen Herrera: Estructuras Monumentales” — a collection of large sculptural pieces — vacates Buffalo Bayou Park. Her work is bold, bright and beautiful, befitting the arrival of spring.
“Structuring Surfaces”
When: Wednesdays through Sundays through April 25
Where: Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1001 Bissonnet
Details: $12-$19; mfah.org
“Estructuras Monumentales”
When: Through April 23
Where: Buffalo Bayou Park between Allen Parkway and Memorial
Details: free; buffalobayou.org Andrew Dansby
4. 43rd annual MFA Thesis Exhibition
Looking for the next great American artist? The University of Houston School of Art 43rd Masters of Fine Arts Exhibition is a great place to scout. Candidates from five studio art programs — graphic design, interdisciplinary practice and emerging forms, painting, photography and digital media, and sculpture — take over the Blaffer Art Museum each spring. Admission is free, though it requires advance planning. Make a reservation to guarantee access to view what could become the next big thing.
When: Through April 11
Where: Blaffer Art Museum, 4173 Elgin
Details: free, reservations highly recommended; blafferartmuseum.org/
Amber Elliott
5. Symposium on Italian Drawings
The Menil Collection is hosting a three-day, online symposium, beginning April 7, on Italian drawings from the 20th century. The series is organized to tie in with “Silent Revolutions: Italian Drawings From the Twentieth Century,” which is on exhibit at The Menil through April 11.
When: April 7-9
Where: 1533 Sul Ross
Details: free; menil.org
Cary Darling