Dates
Feb 4 - Feb 6, 2026
Event Type
Education Outreach
Ticket Price
This is a non-ticketed event provided free of charge to local school districts.
Registrations managed by partner school districts' Fine Arts Department.
Duration
One hour
Introducing 5th Graders to the World of the Performing Arts
Arts Partner: Mercury Chamber Orchestra
Fine Arts, Reading Language Arts, Science
Mozart: Cats and Mice is a playful reimagining of Mozart’s Bastien & Bastienne, originally composed when he was just twelve years old. In this enchanting adaptation for young audiences, the pastoral lovers are recast as charming mice. When Bastienne suspects Bastien of being swayed by the allure of a glamorous cat-lady, she follows the advice of a wizardly owl and agrees to use a magical disguise to test his loyalty. Mozart’s music soars through this tale of love, loyalty, and a touch of woodland wizardry.
Featuring a new English libretto and vibrant staging, the production blends humor, imagination, and a touch of magic to create a fairy-tale opera experience specially designed for 5th grade audiences. With whimsical costumes, special effects, and a timeless message, Mozart: Cats and Mice delights both seasoned opera lovers and first-time audiences alike.
Learn More about the Hobby Center’s educational programming and future opportunities for Houston school districts.
This project is supported in part by an award from the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Mid-America Arts Alliance and The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 2025 BIG grant.
About Mercury Chamber Orchestra
Antoine Plante, Artistic Director
Since 2000, Mercury Chamber Orchestra has grown from a small period-instrument ensemble into a dynamic arts institution. While expanding our offerings beyond early music, our core vision remains unchanged. We believe that music transforms lives, and all our performances and education programs are developed with the unique purpose of making classical music accessible, fun, and relevant to Houston’s diverse communities.
Music education at every stage of life is a critical part of Mercury’s mission. Mercury musicians engage with HISD schools through semester-long residencies that include ensemble coaching and private lessons, as well as curriculum-based bilingual touring shows, reaching over 6,000 students annually.
Performance Schedule
- Audio Description
- Open Captions
- ASL
Swipe to see more details
About Musiqa
About MusiqaSince its first production in 2002, Musiqa has performed the works of nearly 300 living composers, presented nearly 80 world premieres, commissioned new works by established and emerging composers, collaborated with hundreds of dancers, actors, poets, filmmakers, and other Houston artists, and provided free educational programs for close to 70,000 public school students from over 250 greater Houston area schools. Musiqa’s numerous honors include awards for Adventurous Programming from Chamber Music America/ASCAP in 2013 and 2016, and Chamber Music America’s 2025 Interdisciplinary Work of the Year award.
About NobleMotion
NobleMotion, one of Texas’s premier dance companies, is recognized for their intense physicality and jaw-dropping performances. Named “Houston’s Best Dance Company” by Houston Press in 2015, 2016, and 2019, NobleMotion has received over 50 positive reviews from national critics. NobleMotion was featured on the Emmy Award-winning ABC TV show American Crime and in photographer Jordan Matter’s New York Times bestselling book Dancers Among Us. Since 2021, NobleMotion has been part of an ongoing collaboration between dance, music, and neuroscience, presented at the United Nation’s AI for Good Global Summit, a TEDx Talk, and Wolf Trap for the Performing Arts.