Composer Jake Heggie continues his long-running ties to North Texas — and this time, he’s bringing renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato with him.

Today in the roundup: Van Zweden’s new post, reviewing ‘Anne Frank’ and a generous gift from local theater actors.

Today in the roundup: FW Opera’s new venture, DTC’s giant Giant and the value of musical instruments.

With generally positive reviews. But no word on Dallas’ own Cedric Neal, alas.

Today in the roundup: Stage West thinks big with New Jerusalem, Fort Worth keeps Western Swing alive and SXSW announces first batch of films.

More assassins at the Sixth Floor? An El Greco (re)discovered in Texas? Hey, waddaya expect? It’s the Thursday Roundup.

Guest blogger Vicki Meek on one young Dallas playwright worth watching. Johnathan Norton’s “My Tidy List of Terrors” debuts at the South Dallas Cultural Center this month.

The past two years, a dozen North Texas arts groups — including some of the biggest — have scrambled to hire a new managing director or CEO. Why have they become so hard to find? And why do the arts need them, anyway?

It’s all meant to hype Smash,, which looks to be the ‘adult Glee. Still, 20 schools across the country will get a pilot musical theater program out of it, including one in Dallas. Your school can apply for the expansion program for the fall.

Today in the roundup: How school cuts affect arts groups, Pegasus Theatre’s hit and how Hugo is like an opera.