Orchestral Exotica: Tucson Symphony
Tucson Symphony Orchestra last week offered a concert of mostly 19th-century music composed in France, but the standout piece with guest soloist Jing Xia (pictured) was from China. Xia, who…
FOR CHRISTMAS: The Messiah
Handel’s Messiah is now so closely associated with Christmas that the annual arrival of the holiday itself is naturally preceded by a performance of Handel’s most famous work. But it…
Lunar Art at Armadillo Christmas Bazaar 2024
Austin’s Armadillo Christmas Bazaar began in 1976. One of its founders, Bruce Willenzik, recently stated “The favourite thing for me is watching a young up-and-coming artist with a sense of…
Indoor Skydiving in Austin
iFLY has more than 80 locations across the United States, Canada and abroad. Texas has several: Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas, Houston and The Woodlands. It began in…
Ice Cream Museum at the Domain
A recent visit to the Museum of Ice Cream, located at the Domain in Austin, was a hoot. And now that it is decorated for Christmas, this is the ideal…
A Christmas Story
Originally released in 1983, the film A Christmas Story was no more than a moderate success at the time. But hindsight has changed its reception. The noted critic Roger Ebert…
‘Twas The Night Before: Christmas with the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus
The Aluminum Christmas Tree stole the show. For those (like me) who are too young to remember, Christmas trees made of aluminum were all the rage in America from 1960-65.…
Socrates and Plato: Two New Handbooks
Since everything Socrates said, or is purported to have said, is contained in the works of Plato, distinguishing between the two has always been problematic. Thus, if you going to…
A PUFF OF EXPELLED AIR: Herder’s History of Mankind
“With the exception of the genesis of living beings, it is perhaps the greatest of terrestrial creation.” What was Johann Gottfied Herder referring to? The power of speech. “Everything human…
BLANK SPLENDOUR: Caught between Infinity and Finitude
““Never can there be anything more between us,” Lady Grace said passionately to Lord John, as she rebuffed his marriage proposal. “Never, no, never!” Aghast and defeated, he sank after…