Heights Happenings: September 1- September 8, 2011

Friday, September 2, 6:30- 8 PM: Opening- Drawings and paintings by Gilbert Ruiz

• Heights Beatniks is proud to present the art of Gilbert Ruiz for the month of September.
• Join the Beatniks at their great store, full of art, vintage treasures and amazing dance shoes. They will be serving light refreshments and the artist will be on hand to chat about his art.
• Gilbert describes his art as "fragmented visions of color, line, and shape that flash briefly in my head. Sometimes the visions appear randomly. Sometimes they are the result of an emotional response to music, people, and other stimuli. My paintings try to capture these visions."
• 709 E 11th St, next door to Zelko Bistro

PLAN AHEAD:

Thursday, September 22, 7:30 PM: Opera in the Heights kicks off their 16th season with "Daughter of the Regiment"

• "Composed while Gaetano Donizetti was living in Paris, the opera is sung in French instead of Italian. This comedy is full of surprises, laughter, some very athletic bel canto singing, and the superlative melodies of the master of song, Donizetti."
• If you have yet to check out a performance in beautiful Lambert Hall, this is a great time to change that. Our little "hometown" opera company has been getting more and more national press and tickets may become harder and harder to come by. Seeing an opera so up close and personal, in a setting so intimate that no sound amplification is used, is truly amazing. You don't need to be an opera enthusiast (all operas are subtitled). These performances will win the heart of anyone who likes theater and/or live music.
• Check their website for a full list of performance dates and to purchase tickets

OUTSIDE THE HEIGHTS:

Thursday, September 8, 5 -8 PM: My Houston 2040, with a special tribute to Robin Holzer

• My Houston 2040 is a meeting of the minds co-hosted by Houston Tomorrow, Citizens' Transportation Coalition, & Air Alliance Houston. This month, the featured speakers will be Christof Spieler on the Midtown Livable Center Program and Robin Holzer, Chair of the CTC, on her vision for the future of Houston. 
• For seven years, Robin Holzer has chaired the board of the Citizens' Transportation Coalition (CTC), which she helped create in 2004. CTC is an all-volunteer nonprofit that works to engage community leaders in the planning of transportation projects that affect Houston neighborhoods. CTC volunteers have touched myriad local projects, including METRO's urban light rail expansion and TxDOT's proposed Grand Parkway. Robin has presented at conferences across the U.S., including Walk21, New Partners for Smart Growth, and Gulf Coast Green, and her efforts have been honored locally by the Museum District Business Alliance, the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, and the East End Chamber of Commerce.
• Christof Spieler P.E., LEED AP is Director of Technology and Innovation at Morris Architects. His expertise in infrastructure, urban design, and sustainability has been a key part of planning projects including the Midtown Livable Centers Study, the Downtown / EaDo Livable Centers Study, and the Sugar Land Comprehensive Mobility Plan. Christof also leads firmwide efforts in LEED, project process, and Building Information Modeling. 
• Christof has written and spoken extensively on transit and urban planning and has helped Houston neighborhoods shape transportation projects. His articles have appeared in Cite Magazine (where he served on the editorial committee from 1998 to 2010, including 2 years as chair), the Houston Chronicle, and Architecture Magazine; he also covered Houston and national transportation in his blog, Intermodality. He serves as a technical advisor to the Citizens' Transportation Coalition, a board member of the Rice Design Alliance, a member of the East End Chamber of Commerce Rail Subcommittee, and an advisor to the Super Neighborhood 22 Transportation Committee and Richmondrail.org. As is a member of the American Public Transit Association's Sustainability and Urban Design Working Group, which is drafting national standards for urban design around transit stations. This work lead to his 2010 appointment by Mayor Annise Parker to the Board of Directors of METRO.