2008 Latin Grammy nominee Concha Buika, who simply goes by Buika, has been hailed as the “Flamenco Queen.” She is the daughter of political refugees from the African nation of Equatorial Guinea and grew up in a gypsy neighborhood on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Her musical sound is a blend of copla, an old-fashioned Spanish song style, flamenco, jazz, Cuban music, soul and blues. Buika makes her Houston debut performing music from her fourth studio album El Último Trago (The Last Sip), a tribute to Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas. A cultural hero of the 1950s and 60s, Vargas transformed ranchera songs that were meant to be sung by men; now Buika has transformed the songs made famous by Vargas by adding the elements of rumba, cha-cha and flamenco.

Born in Seoul and educated at Juilliard, the Ahn Trio has redefined the art and architecture of chamber music, breathing new life into the standard piano trio literature. Sisters Maria (cello), Lucia (piano) and Angella (violin) return to Houston for the first time since 2005 to perform a new program with works by some of the most visionary composers. Over the years they have performed commissioned works from such composers as Michael Nyman, Maurice Jarre, Pat Metheny, Paul Schoenfield, Mark O’ Connor, Kenji Bunch, Nikolai Kapustin and Paul Chihara. The women have fused their work with that of dancers, including a collaboration with David Parsons Dance Company, as well as DJs, painters, installation artists, photographers, lighting designers, ecologists, and even kite makers. The trio’s latest CD, Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac (released in 2008 by Sony), made No. 8 on the Billboard charts for 26 weeks in the classical album category.

Broadway meets rock-and-roll and baroque music! Handel’s Messiah Rocks brings the Western world’s most famous oratorio and one of the most beloved musical compositions of all time to contemporary audiences with rock music at its center. In three parts, the show explores the Mystery of Faith, the Power of Love and the Hope for Peace through stunning visual effects, an orchestra, a rock band, LOCAL choirs, as well as renowned soloists. The melding of Handel’s original work for orchestra and voice with the contemporary vernacular of rock illuminates the journey of the Messiah. Bring the entire family to experience the Handel’s Messiah for every generation.

The Peking Acrobats return to Houston as part of their Silver Anniversary Tour. The performance will feature the usual daring maneuvers, powerful precision and spellbinding contortion, along with new surprises including live music performed by the eight-member Women’s Peace Orchestra of China. This troupe of China’s most gifted tumblers, jugglers, cyclists and gymnasts, complemented by the live music on stage, make for a breathtaking, often hair-raising event for the entire family. With acts called “Magic Carpet Ride,” “Human Pyramid” and “Colorful Contortionists,” audiences never know what to expect.

Known as one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, Tango Buenos Aires returns to Houston for two performances of its program titled Fire and Passion of Tango. Incorporating the key elements of love, passion and seduction, this piece introduces audience members to the many ways tango has evolved into modern times through the precise movement of its dancers, and its five-piece music ensemble performing the music of Astor Piazzolla among other South American composers.

Since Paul Simon’s Graceland album catapulted South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo to worldwide fame, the Grammy Award-winning a cappella group has remained true to melding the tradition of Zulu harmony singing with gospel and reggae for an unforgettable musical and spiritual alchemy. Their rich, uplifting harmonies and effortlessly synchronized dancing convey universal themes of faith, hope and peace, yielding performances of pure, uninhibited joy.

It is a life lived out loud in this exhilarating musical about “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald. This theatrical event weaves myth, memory and music as it tells the uplifting and poignant story of one of the greatest jazz/pop vocalists of the 20th century. It’s 1966 and the fabled songstress is preparing for one of the most important concerts of her career. As she jams with the musicians (including famed trumpeter Louis Armstrong) and gets ready to meet the audience, Ella reflects on her life, her secrets, and the love of music that made her soar. Featuring more than a dozen of her most famous hits, including “A Tisket, A Tasket,” “How High the Moon,” “That Old Black Magic” and “They Can’t Take that Away from Me,” this swinging musical invites audiences to fall in love all over again with the magic and soul of Ella Fitzgerald.

Participants in the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Vancouver, ScrapArtsMusic is a Canadian quintet that tours the world transforming stages into eco-friendly musical realms vibrant with ingenious creativity and positive energy. Led by Gregory Kozak, an inspired instrument inventor and 21st century Renaissance man, ScrapArtsMusic performs original, beats-driven music using more that 145 mobile sculptural instruments. Each musical invention is hand-built from recycled materials ranging from accordion parts to aluminum scraps, and even artillery shells. These beautiful sculptures produce unique sounds for which special performance techniques are developed, giving life to fresh, original compositions with wide-ranging appeal. Transcending language, culture and age, ScrapArtsMusic offers a highly physical, wildly theatrical and thoroughly entertaining taste of the musical vanguard. “Explosive intensity. Breathtaking.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

Direct from Lyon, France, Compagnie La Baraka, led by Artistic Director Abou Lagraa, will perform A World in Itself, a new work choreographed by Lagraa featuring seven dancers and live music played by the Debussy Quartet. French-born, but of Algerian descent, Lagraa founded his truly multicultural Compagnie La Barak in 1997 with many his dancers originating from countries and cultures other than France. The Debussy Quartet is well known for its passionate devotion to the French repertoire. Formed in 1990 by a group of young musicians studying at the Conservatoire de Lyon, France, the Debussy Quartet has established its reputation as one of the finest quartets touring and recording today.

BLUE MAN GROUP is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine comedy, music, and technology to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The New York Times heralds the show as “One of the most delightful performance pieces ever staged.” E! Entertainment News exclaims, “BLUE MAN GROUP is what every live performance aspires to be.” Although it is impossible to describe, people of all ages agree that BLUE MAN GROUP is an intensely exciting and wildly outrageous show that leaves the entire audience in a blissful, euphoric state. With no spoken language, BLUE MAN GROUP is perfect for people of all ages, languages, and cultures. This Fall, BLUE MAN GROUP takes to the road on its first U.S. theatrical tour. This unique experience is a form of entertainment like nothing else; guaranteed to be an outing you will never forget!

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet offers audiences a thrilling dance adventure where daring, athletic movement integrates ballet with contemporary and popular styles. Dedicated to the continued development of dance by providing choreographers a comprehensive environment for creation as well as curating work for presentation to a worldwide audience, Cedar Lake is unique in that it is a repository for new works by the world’s foremost choreographers. This company of 16 dancers offers a wide-ranging spectrum of both American and international repertory, including works by Nicolo Fonte, Crystal Pite, Jacopo Godani, Stijn Celis, Angelin Preljocaj, Ohad Naharin, Didy Veldman, Jo Strømgren, Luca Veggetti and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.

For centuries, the great trade route from China to the Mediterranean exposed its participants to the cultures and sensibilities of foreign peoples. In that same tradition, the Silk Road Project uses music to promote innovation and learning through the arts and bring different cultures together. Or as they put it, “connect the world’s neighborhoods.” The Silk Road Ensemble, under the artistic direction of Yo-Yo Ma, is a group of internationally renowned musicians, composers, visual artists and storytellers from more than 20 countries. They each bring their own unique perspectives steeped in the musical culture and heritage of their homelands. Then they explore how these rich, authentic traditions can blend to form beautiful new art. Their collaborations have produced a diverse range of musical and multimedia projects, several critically acclaimed albums, and along the way, have made the world a little bit smaller and smarter.

David Sedaris, an SPA favorite, returns to Houston to dish out his trademark satire in hilarious doses, reading from new and unpublished works. Sedaris slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness with social critiques that have made him one of America’s preeminent humor writers. Bestselling author, playwright, and often heard on This American Life on Public Radio International, “David Sedaris just may be the funniest man alive,” says Time Out New York.

Best known as bandleader of “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson, Doc Severinsen brings his band El Ritmo de la Vida (The Rhythm of Life) to Houston for one night only as part of our Cinco de Mayo celebration. This ensemble came together not long after Severinsen moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in 2006. With Severinsen’s soaring trumpet sounds blended with the music of classical guitarist Gil Gutierrez and violinist Pedro Cartas, this electrifying experience features classical Spanish music with a jazz flair and includes gorgeous Latino and American ballads, some great movie music and the popular gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt.

They are back! Those sludge-monsters from the planet Zygon are invading Houston again, but this time they are armed with an even more dangerous weapon: original artwork by the incomparable Tim Doyle. In fall 2007, Houstonians had a chance to see The Intergalactic Nemesis, the story of Pulitzer-winner Molly Sloan and her intrepid assistant Timmy Mendez in the form of a radio drama, but now... imagine 1,250 hand-drawn full-color action-packed images projected one-by-one onto a huge screen, three actors voicing dozens of characters and one sound engineer creating hundreds of sound effects before your very eyes! Imagine being swept away by the incredible original music and a story that transports you from Rumania to Scotland to Tunis to the far reaches of outer space! But wait! You don’t need to imagine it...