Houston's Weekend Concerts: Verdi, Drew Kennedy, and Sara Hickman

HOUSTON, TX — The music scene in the Houston area is diverse, eclectic, and exciting, no matter your preferred genre(s), and this weekend is no exception. We've got opera, country, rock, and folk, and your only problem is finding enough time to see and hear it all.

First, Houston Grand Opera brings Verdi's Requiem to the stage of the Wortham. It's a classic, of course, this grand musical setting of a funeral mass, and the HGO production includes the 180 members of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and Chorus. You can see it on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., or Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Get your Requiem tickets here, and feast your eyes and ears on this:

Next, here's a gig for those of you who want something a bit quieter. Head over to Anderson Fair tonight and catch Drew Kennedy. The man has seven albums under his belt, plus a novel, and pens songs somber and otherwise. “I’m not inventing a longer lasting light bulb," Kennedy says. "They’re songs. Songs can impact people in a very personal way, but it’s not like groceries and clothing — it’s an emotional need, not a physical need. I’m very aware of the fact that I’m really lucky to get to do this.”

You be lucky and see this artist. He takes the stage at 8:45.

On Saturday, make sure you get to the Mucky Duck for Sara Hickman's farewell tour. She's a whirlwind of joy with a contagious laugh and a way with words that will melt your heart and make you smile. She has announced that she is retiring from live performances, and if so, this could be one of your final chances to see her in Houston. She'll do a set beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Oh yes, she was Texas' Official State Musician for 2010-2011.

— Image of Sara Hickman courtesy the artist