Gish Picks: Week of May 14, 2008


Welcome to this week's "Gish Picks", where I highlight family-oriented cultural events, products or services. Please note that I "highlight" these events, but I don't know if they are appropriate for your particular children, so choose wisely based on age, maturity and interests. I know many of you go to events based on GISH PICKS recommendations; PLEASE remember to tell the organization that you are there because of us. Word-of-mouth like yours helps our business to grow. In the same spirit, please also feel free to share GISH PICKS with friends and families. Do you have something you would like to promote on Gish Picks? Advertisers can promote family-friendly events, products or services to Houstonians all over the city and the surrounding area who are active parents, involved citizens and great shoppers. We love doing this community service and want to keep it free for our readers but in order to justify the hours spent researching, writing and designing this newsletter, we need advertising support. If you'd like to learn more, please click below. I wanted to let you know about a couple of projects I am involved with this summer: I'll be teaching my "I Can Fly!" workshops at Camp Colonial with the West University Parks and Recreation Department and at Body, Mind, & Soul in a parent/child workshop on Saturday, June 7 and Saturday, August 16. Now, GO FIND FUN!

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA (HG0) REPRISES PERFORMANCES OF "THE REFUGE" OUTDOORS.

There will be two free public performances of "The Refuge" this Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17 at 8:30pm at Miller Outdoor Theatre. In conjunction with these performances, HGO has teamed up with the Drachen Foundation to host an afternoon of kite-making activities for kids beginning at 3pm on Saturday, May 17 only.

"The Refuge" is new work created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Wortham Theater Center and is the heart of "Song of Houston", a unique new initiative called HGOco which is designed to connect the company to its community through collaboration. "The Refuge" celebrates all those who have chosen to call Houston their home with interweaving stories of a handful of individuals and their extraordinary experiences of how they came here. Poet Leah Lax, a graduate of University of Houston’s acclaimed Creative Writing Program, interviewed hundreds of people to gather their stories of coming to Houston and from these telephone and personal interviews, Lax created poetic fragments that together formed the basis for the libretto. Seven immigrant communities will be represented as their community performers will once again join the Houston Grand Opera Chorus, Orchestra, Children's Chorus and members of the HGO Studio in a musical portrait of Houston's rich cultural diversity.

The work will be performed by soloists from the Houston Grand Opera Studio including sopranos Albina Shagimuratova and Rebekah Camm, mezzo–sopranos Faith Sherman and Maria Markina, tenor Beau Gibson, baritone Liam Bonner and former studio member bass-baritone Ryan McKinny.

Free tickets for covered seating are available the day of performance from 11:30am to 1pm at the Miller Theatre Box Office, limit 4 per person. Free lawn seating is available on a first come-first-served basis.

For more information, call 713.228.6737 or log onto www.houstongrandopera.org.

AROUND THE WORLD WITH MUSIQA COMES TO THE HOBBY CENTER THIS SUNDAY.

Family and friends are invited to "Around the World with Musiqa", the award-winning educational concert for young people that has been performed for nearly 15,000 students in the past four years. Two public performances take place at Zilkha Hall of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts this Saturday, May 17 at 11am and 1pm. As an added bonus, EACH CHILD WILL RECEIVE A FREE CD OF THE MUSIC ON THE PROGRAM.

Just awarded a 2008 "Access to Artistic Excellence" grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, this innovative and multi-media, interactive concert is designed to introduce children to classical and modern music. "Around the World with Musiqa" illustrates how folk songs, the shared music of a community, can be transformed by a composer into something rooted in tradition and yet vividly personal. The children are invited to sing along with the musicians in folk songs from Africa, South America, the Far East, Europe and the United States. Musiqa’s musicians then perform settings of these folk tunes by distinguished modern composers as a narrator guides the children through each selection.

Surtitles enable the children to follow along and sing with the lyrics. In the end, the children gain a fuller understanding of the universality of music and discover how it can be constantly re-imagined. An all-star roster of musicians includes Richard Belcher, cello; Karol Benentt, soprano; Leone Buyse, flute; Maureen Nelson, violin; Rod Waters, piano; Michael Webster, clarinet; and Blake Wilkins, percussion. Actress Susan Koozin, star of Stage Repertory Theater’s "Always Patsy Cline," narrates. General admission tickets are $5.

For advance tickets, call 713.315.2525 or log onto www.musiqahouston.org and www.thehobbycenter.org.

CATCH "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL" AT THE ITALIAN CULTURAL AND COMMUNITY CENTER
(ICCC) THIS SUNDAY.

The Italian family favorite film, "La vita è bella/Life Is Beautiful" is being shown at the ICCC at 1101 Milford Street at 4:30pm (doors open at 4pm for snacks) this Sunday, May 18. Tickets are adults/$5 and children/$2; popcorn and beverages are included and the movie is in Italian with English subtitles.

Roberto Benigni directs and stars in this simultaneously hilarious and haunting comedy about the tragedy of the Holocaust. Benigni is the Jewish Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini’s Italy, who wins the heart of his sweetheart and raises a darling son in the shadow of fascism. When the Nazis ship the men off to a concentration camp, Guido is determined to shelter his son from the evils around them and convinces him they are in an elaborate contest to win a tank. The screening of this film is part of an ongoing family film series at ICCC which will resume in the fall after a summer break.

For more information, call 713.524.4222 or log onto www.houstonitaliancenter.com.

THE HOUSTON DYNAMO OFFERS SOCCER CAMPS THIS SUMMER.

Level 1 and Goalkeeper camps will be offered by the Houston Dynamo the weeks of June 9-13, July 7-11 (Goalkeeper Camp), and July 14-18. Level 1 Dynamo Seasonal Soccer Camps are designed for recreational and competitive soccer for boys and girls aged 5 to 12. Dynamo Seasonal Soccer Camps offer a one-of-a kind age appropriate and skill specific curriculum in a fun and kid friendly environment.

The Level 1 camps will feature five days training led by the Dynamo’s nationally licensed coaches with a superior one-on-one instruction featuring an 18:1 coaches to camper ratio. Each session will be three hours in length per day and be open to 180 players. Due to the overwhelming interest from the younger generation, they have expanded their seasonal camps with added concentration on the 5-6-7 year olds with the goal of helping to develop these "Dynamites" to become future Dynamo.

The Dynamo Goalkeeper Camp is part of the "Dynamo Youth Development" system as its first goalkeeper-specific camp this summer. The camp is open for boys and girls aged 8-18 and will provide five nights of quality age- and position-specific goalkeeping training, including Dynamo techniques with first team goalkeeper coach Michael Toshack. The focus of the week will be technique, footwork, distribution and decision-making in a fun environment.

Camps are $179/player and each player will receive a Dynamo t-Shirt, a Dynamo ball (size 5), a Companion Voucher to a Dynamo Game, individual player evaluation, and Dynamo coach and player appearances.

For more information, call 713.276.7500 or log onto houston.mlsnet.com/t200/about/contact/.

BUILDCLEAN™ WANTS YOUR HOME SAFE: TEST YOUR GRANITE COUNTERTOPS FOR RADON TODAY IN FREE STUDY.

BuildClean™ is offering Houstonians free, in-home radon tests to determine whether granite used in indoor applications, such as countertops and floors, emanates dangerous levels of radon. Exposure to radon, which is the second leading cause of lung cancer (U.S. Surgeon General), is a significant health risk. There are a number of studies that suggest granite emits levels of radon far above the EPA-established action-limit of 4 pCi/L. BuildClean™, formed earlier this year, is dedicated to educating consumers and the building industry about safe, healthy and environmentally friendly building materials. By funding both laboratory testing and conducting the Houston in-home radon study, BuildClean™ hopes to determine whether granite is a safe choice for use indoors.

To learn more or sign up to participate in this free study, please call 713.533.4509 or visit www.buildclean.org.

SAINT STREET SWIM IS OFFERING EVERYDAY SWIMMING THIS SUMMER.

Saint Street Swim is expanding their offerings with everyday swim lessons this summer. These classes will meet in two-week sessions from Monday through Friday mornings and are designed for kids 3 years old and up. All levels are available and kids can be signed up for any or all sessions. The sessions are June 2-13; June 16-27; July 7-18; July 21-Aug. 1; and Aug. 4-15.

Saint Street Swim offers a bright and positive learning environment for children which has earned it the reputation for providing the finest swimming instruction in the city. Their goal is not only to teach children to swim but to also help them develop an understanding of the water -- all in a fun way. Saint Street is a member of the National Swim School Association (NSSA) which was formed by swim school owners and teachers to enhance instruction in and operation of aquatic facilities worldwide.

For more information, call 713.626.7946 or log onto www.saintstreetswim.com.

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My goal is to serve as an information resource for Houston parents through my various endeavors, including:

GISH PICKS, which is online (www.thesummerbook.com/gishpicks_archive.html) and in print through the Houston Community Newspaper group (www.hcnonline.com);

THE SUMMER BOOK®: A GUIDE TO HOUSTON DAY CAMPS AND CLASSES FOR KIDS AND TEENS (www.thesummerbook.com) which comes out annually on March 1 and is sold at bookstores all over Houston, including Barnes and Noble and Borders; and

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, AND ART PROGRAMS that cover topics such as summertime fun, passion-finding (for adults, children, and parents helping their children), marketing, historic preservation, art classes, and activism. All of these services can be tailored for any audience and budget.

The purpose of GISH PICKS is to help parents become aware of all the fun things they can do with their children in Houston and the surrounding area, so HAPPY TRAVELS! Please do give me feedback and ideas, as you are out there in the trenches also looking for interesting things for your family and I want to hear what you find. If you are having trouble getting to a website listed here, try hitting the “Ctrl” button and left-clicking on the web address, which should make it “live”.


Sarah Gish Gish Creative 1940-A Fountainview, PMB 116 Houston, Texas 77057 phone/fax: 713.532.1173 email: sarah@gishcreative.com web: www.gishcreative.com and: www.thesummerbook.com and: www.saveourlandmarks.org © 2008 Sarah Gish Designed by West of the World