Jaston Williams of “Greater Tuna” returns.
1. ‘Mendelssohn Portrait’
Da Camera’s virtual season continues with a streamed event that mixes old and new. “Mendelssohn Portrait” includes a stream of a 2019 concert that found the Daedalus Quartet and the Brentano Quartet joining forces to perform Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings. The performance will also include the Brentano Quartet’s newly filmed and newly commissioned performances of “Theme and Variations” and “Scherzo,” two rarer Mendelssohn works, followed by a conversation with violinist Mark Steinberg.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Details: Free but registration required at dacamera.com.
Andrew Dansby
2. Joseph Haydn
The belated Beethoven 250th birthday celebration continues this weekend as the Houston Symphony performs his Symphony No. 8. The program is a richly varied one, as the symphony will also work through Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2, with principal cellist Brinton Averil Smith in the spotlight. Also being played: “El Color del tiempo” by Venezuelan composer Miguel Farías.
When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana
Details: $34-$99 ($20 for a Saturday livestream); 713-2247575, houstonsymphony.org
Andrew Dansby
3. ‘I Saw the Lights’
After nearly a year dark, the stage of Galveston’s historic the Grand 1894 Opera House will light up for a streamed performance. Playwright and actor Jaston Williams of “Greater Tuna” performs multiple characters in a one-man production of “I Saw the Lights,” about the mysterious 1894 Opera House, Galveston
Details: $25; thegrand.com Andrew Dansby
4.‘ Unearthing the Mirror’ Contemporary artist Gabriel de la Mora created some of the two-dimensional works from his “Neornithes” series by pigmenting turkey feathers in monochromatic or abstract color patterns, a colonial practice dating back to Viceroyalty of New Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries. Cutting and affixing the plumes in mosaic patterns to painted museum paper required mathematical precision; the result is a dazzling study in texture.
When: Through Feb. 27, Sicardi l Ayers l Bacino
Amber Elliott
5. ‘Mars by Luke Jerram’
“Mars by Luke Jerram” reopens at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, offering a second chance to get up close and personal with Earth’s solar system neighbor. At 23-feet in diameter and an approximate scale of 1:1 million, the sculpture features 120 DPI-detailed NASA imagery and brings craters, canyons, rover landing sites and more within reach.
When: Through March 1, Houston Museum of Natural Science
Amber Elliott
6. ‘Galveston: A Mardi Gras Retrospective’
When the door to Mardi Gras celebrations and parades closes, a window to “Galveston: A Mardi Gras Retrospective” opens. The Bryan Museum collaborated with Mitchell Historic Properties to produce the exhibition, which examines the long-standing history of Mardi Gras on Galveston Island dating back to 1867. Must-see items on display include ceremonial robes by fashion designer Bob Mackie and a private collection of photographs.
When: January 31 through February 21