Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1529938
ROUND ABOUT ROUND TOP (Continued) HOMECOMING: ROBERT EARL KEEN AT FESTIVAL HILL E very spring, Round Top Festival Institute presents a not-to-be-missed concert that diverts from the conservatory's classical music DNA yet aligns with its focus on legends. For 2025, Robert Earl Keen is Festival Hill's third installment in its Texas Artist Series, following in the tradition of previous headliners Lyle Lovett and Ray Benson's Asleep at the Wheel. Keen, who holds an American Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award, retired from touring in 2022, so this evening marks a rare opportunity to hear him perform. The concert takes place at the fabled Festival Hill Concert Hall on Friday, April 11, 2025; tickets are now on sale. A multiple award-winning singer- songwriter and Texas native, Keen grew up in Houston and attended Texas A&M University but spent his younger years on a ranch on the Fayette County border with Columbia County, so his concert at the Institute is a musical homecoming of sorts, albeit at a venue somewhat more august than the small dance halls and venues of his youth. Today, Keen holds a critical place in the Western troubadour tradition and the Americana revival he himself helped launch. As a part of its August to April series, proceeds of the concert support Festival Hill's annual summer scholarships for classical music students from conservatories and universities across the U.S. and around the world to come to Round Top to study — one of the core missions of the institute. Robert Earl Keen at Festival Hill, Friday, April 11, 7 to 9 pm, $150 general admission, $250 private box or gallery seating, festivalhill.org. John Mason Walker Robert Earl Keen ERIKA GOLDRING F rench antiques importer Jardin de France has brought inspiration from the Left Bank to Round Top with the addition of a new wine bar and gardens. La Petite Dame at Compound Lane was built by hand by a French artisan in the style of La Terrasse de Madame in Paris' Jardin du Luxembourg. The cocktail and wine bar soft-opened during the fall show serving cheese charcuterie and small plates. It's the perfect stop after shopping Gloria and Patrice Watine's Jardin de France showroom next door. La Petite Dame is open during the Winter Show, January 23 through 26. @lapetitedameroundtop. Candice Cowin LA PETITE DAME A PETITE BIT OF PARIS La Petite Dame KOLTON KING 14