Opera Cues - Fall 2022 - The Wreckers

Keeping ELITE PERFORMERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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Photo Credit: Lynn Lane Photography

A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR AND CEO

Welcome to the Wortham, and the launch of Houston Grand Opera’s bold 2022-23 season! Whether you’ve been an HGO subscriber for years, or this is your very first opera, you are in for a profound experience.

Verdi’s La traviata, written in 1852, is the world’s most performed opera. It is a wonderful introduction to our art form, and for good reason. Who wouldn’t be captivated by tragic heroine Violetta, her doomed romance with Alfredo, and the composer’s sublimely affecting score?

But ours isn’t just any production of La traviata. It is a special one indeed, starting with our Violetta, Grammy Award-winning soprano Angel Blue. Not only is Blue performing with HGO for the very first time, but she is also the planet’s foremost interpreter of the role. If her performance moves you, and I believe it will, don’t be afraid to cry out brava!

The opera’s exceptional cast also features tenor Matthew White as Alfredo and baritone Andrei Kymach as Giorgio, both in their company debuts. Arin Arbus returns to HGO to direct this celebrated production, with the brilliant composer/conductor Matthew Aucoin making his anticipated company debut at the podium.

Like La traviata, Dame Ethel Smyth’s 1906 opera The Wreckers shares a riveting story of forbidden love, set to a masterful, unforgettable score. Unlike La traviata, The Wreckers is almost unknown. In fact, HGO's new production represents its first staging by a major American company—ever.

How did such an obscure piece of the repertoire make it into our season? It is right there in the name of this storied company: the word “grand.” From our world-class HGO Orchestra and Chorus, to our industry-leading artists, creatives, and artisans, to our wonderful supporters—all unequaled in their dedication to this great art form—this company is uniquely positioned to give Smyth’s work its well-deserved, long-delayed due.

This production, conducted by Maestro Patrick Summers and directed by Louisa Muller, features sets and costumes designed by Christopher Oram. It stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke as Thirza, joined by three superb HGO Studio alumni: Mané Galoyan, Norman Reinhardt, and Reginald Smith, Jr.

We share The Wreckers’ timeless tale of lovers seeking freedom in a restrictive society in a wonderful updated translation from Amanda Holden, which makes its own debut with this production, a year after she passed away. We are grateful for Holden’s many contributions to opera scholarship, which will enrich the field for years to come.

I am honored that HGO can offer audiences the opportunity to experience Smyth’s masterpiece, and I know you’ll love it as much as Patrick and I do.

Khori Dastoor General Director and CEO

Opera Cues is published by Houston Grand Opera Association; all rights reserved. Opera Cues is produced under the direction of Chief Marketing and Experiences Officer Jennifer Davenport and Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Natalie Barron, by Houston Grand Opera’s Audiences Department.

Associate Director of Communications / Editor-in-Chief

Catherine Matusow

Designers

Chelsea Crouse

Christopher Robinson

Contributors

Leah Broad

Khori Dastoor

Sonia Hamer

Jeremy Johnson

Chelsea Lerner

Alisa Magallón

Louisa Muller

Brian Speck

Patrick Summers

Advertising

Matt Ross/Ventures Marketing 713-417-6857

For information on all Houston Grand Opera productions and events, or for a complimentary season brochure, please email the Customer Care Center at customercare@HGO.org or telephone 713-228-6737.

Houston Grand Opera is a member of OPERA America, Inc., and the Theater District Association, Inc.

TO TEXAS YOUTH AND EDUCATION SINCE 1932

FEB. 28 – MARCH 19, 2023

In 2022 alone, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ has provided more than $2 million to 40 organizations and programs, including:

AFA • Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation • Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Glassell School of Art • Houston Ballet • Houston Police Foundation Houston Symphony • Houston Zoo • and many others!

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA

The Show supports Houston Grand Opera’s Community and Learning initiative, including the Student Performance Series, Opera To Go!, and Storybook Opera. The program serves nearly 70,000 students every season and has been a Show grant recipient for the past 20 years.

SMALL STEPS

NURTURING CENTER

Small Steps Nurturing Center is a comprehensive, high-quality early childhood education program that prepares children living in poverty for success in elementary school and life. Small Steps operates two preschools in Houston at no financial cost to the families they serve. Over the next year, Small Steps expects to serve approximately 180 children.

SCHREINER UNIVERSITY

Schreiner University – Western Art Academy Scholarship Program awards scholarships to 48 students who participate in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo School Art program each year. These scholarships allow high school students to study Western art and learn traditional studio techniques from practicing professional artists.

Photo credit: Lynn Lane

HGO BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022-23

OFFICERS

Claire Liu, Chair of the Board

Allyn Risley, Senior Chair of the Board

Janet Langford Carrig, Chair Emeritus of the Board; Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Chair Emeritus

Lynn Wyatt, Vice Chair of the Board

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Richard E. Agee, Finance Committee Vice Chair

Thomas R. Ajamie

Robin Angly, Community and Learning Committee Vice Chair

John S. Arnoldy *

Christopher V. Bacon, Secretary; General Counsel

Michelle Beale, Governance Committee Chair

Astley Blair, Audit Committee Chair

Albert Chao

Louise Chapman

Mathilda Cochran, Community and Learning Committee Chair

Albert O. Cornelison Jr. *

James W. Crownover

Khori Dastoor

David B. Duthu *

Warren A. Ellsworth IV, M.D., Studio Committee Vice Chair

Benjamin Fink, Finance Committee Chair

Michaela Greenan, Audit Committee Vice Chair

Dr. Ellen R. Gritz

Richard Husseini

José M. Ivo, Philanthropy Committee Vice Chair

Myrtle Jones

Marianne Kah, Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Vice Chair

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ASSOCIATION CHAIRS

1955–58

Elva Lobit

1958–60

Stanley W. Shipnes

1960–62

William W. Bland

1962–64

Thomas D. Anderson

1964–66

Marshall F. Wells

1966–68

John H. Heinzerling

1968–70

Lloyd P. Fadrique

1970–71

Ben F. Love

1971–73

Joe H. Foy

1973–74

Gray C. Wakefield

1974–75

Charles T. Bauer

1975–77

Maurice J. Aresty

1977–79

Searcy Bracewell

1979–81

Robert Cizik

1981–83

Terrylin G. Neale

1983–84

Barry Munitz

1984–85

Jenard M. Gross

1985–87

Dr. Thomas D. Barrow

1987–89

John M. Seidl

1989–91

James L. Ketelsen

Yolanda Knull, Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Chair

David LePori, Governance Committee Vice Chair

Gabriel Loperena, Philanthropy Committee Chair

Richard A. Lydecker Jr.

Beth Madison *

Paul Marsden

Sid Moorhead

Sara Morgan

Terrylin G. Neale, Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc. Secretary; Treasurer

Ward Pennebaker, Audiences Committee Chair

Cynthia Petrello

Gloria M. Portela

Matthew L. Ringel, Audiences Committee

Vice Chair

Kelly Brunetti Rose

Glen A. Rosenbaum

Jack A. Roth, M.D., Studio Committee Chair

Harlan C. Stai

John G. Turner *

Alfredo Vilas

Margaret Alkek Williams

* Senior Director

1991–93

Constantine S. Nicandros

1993–95

J. Landis Martin

1995–97

Robert C. McNair

1997–99

Dennis R. Carlyle, M.D.

Susan H. Carlyle, M.D.

1999–2001

Archie W. Dunham

2001–03

Harry C. Pinson

2003–04

James T. Hackett

2004–07

John S. Arnoldy

2007–09

Robert L. Cavnar

2009

Gloria M. Portela

2009–11

Glen A. Rosenbaum

2011–13

Beth Madison

2013–16

John Mendelsohn, M.D.

2016–18

James W. Crownover

2018–20

Janet Langford Carrig

2020–22

Allyn Risley

2022–present

Claire Liu

IMPRESARIOS CIRCLE

IMPRESARIOS CIRCLE

$100,000 OR MORE

Judy and Richard Agee

Robin Angly and Miles Smith

Janice Barrow

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Sarah and Ernest Butler

Anne and Albert Chao

Louise Chapman

The Robert and Jane

Cizik Foundation

Mathilda Cochran

ConocoPhillips

Mr. and Mrs. James W.

Crownover

The Cullen Foundation

The Cullen Trust for  the Performing Arts

City of Houston

through Houston

Arts Alliance

Connie Dyer

Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth

Nancy Haywood

H-E-B

Houston Methodist

The Humphreys Foundation

Elizabeth and Richard Husseini

Donna Kaplan and  Richard A. Lydecker

Claire Liu and Joe Greenberg

Beth Madison

Mr. Paul Marsden and  Mr. Jay Rockwell

The Robert and Janice

McNair Foundation

M.D. Anderson Foundation

Sara and Bill Morgan

National Endowment

for the Arts

Novum Energy

Jill and Allyn Risley

Glen A. Rosenbaum

The Sarofim Foundation

Schlumberger

Dian and Harlan Stai

Texas Commission on the Arts

Mr. John G. Turner and  Mr. Jerry G. Fischer

Margaret Alkek Williams

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

2 Anonymous

Timeless

Australia is home to the world’s oldest indigenous culture. Today, the ancient Aboriginal spirit survives, with both its traditions and aspirations re ected in contemporary paintings unlike any other.

Cultures evolve. So has Booker-Lowe!

Our gallery on Feagan is closed, and we now show Aboriginal art by appointment only, and provide personalized searches for artworks, as well as other art services.

Booker • Lowe Galler y Abor iginal fine ar t of Australia

For infomation or to schedule a visit: www.bookerlowegaller y.com

info@bookerlowegaller y.com

Image © the artist and Booker-Lowe Galler y

Eunice Napanangka Jack, Hairstring, 18” x 65”

To learn more about HGO’s Impresarios Circle members, please see page 70.

FOUNDERS COUNCIL FOR ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE

Houston Grand Opera is deeply appreciative of its Founders Council donors. Their extraordinary support over a three-year period helps secure the future while ensuring the highest standard of artistic excellence. For information, please contact Greg Robertson, chief philanthropy officer, at 713-546-0274 or grobertson@hgo.org.

Ajamie LLP

Robin Angly and Miles Smith

Baker Botts L.L.P.

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura

Michelle Beale and  Dick Anderson

Albert and Anne Chao

Jane Cizik

ConocoPhillips

Mr. and Mrs. James W.  Crownover

Connie Dyer

Drs. Rachel and  Warren A. Ellsworth IV

Frost Bank

Marianne and Joseph Geagea

Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth

Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and  Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr.

Houston Methodist

Ms. Myrtle Jones

Ms. Marianne Kah

Donna Kaplan and  Richard A. Lydecker

Carolyn J. Levy

Claire Liu and  Joe Greenberg

Sara and Gabriel Loperena

M. David Lowe and  Nana Booker  Booker · Lowe Gallery

Beth Madison

Mr. Paul Marsden and  Mr. Jay Rockwell

John P. McGovern Foundation

The Robert and Janice McNair  Foundation

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Dr. and Mrs. Miguel  Miro-Quesada

Kathleen Moore and  Steven Homer

Novum Energy

Matthew L. Ringel

Jill and Allyn Risley

Kelly and David Rose

Glen A. Rosenbaum

John Serpe and Tracy Maddox

Dian and Harlan Stai

Sheila Swartzman and  Kenneth Bloom

Mr. and Mrs. Donald G.  Sweeney

Mr. John G. Turner and  Mr. Jerry G. Fischer

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Helen Wils and  Leonard Goldstein

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

R. Alan and Frank York

PREMIER UNDERWRITERS

GRAND UNDERWRITER—

$50,000 OR MORE

Thomas R. Ajamie

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura

Michelle Beale and  Dick Anderson

Janet Carrig

Mr. and Mrs. James W.

Crownover

Drs. Rachel and Warren A.

Ellsworth IV

Marianne and Joseph Geagea

Ann and Gordon Getty

Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and  Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr.

Stephanie Larsen

Will L. McLendon

Mr. and Mrs. D. Bradley

McWilliams

Terrylin G. Neale

Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson

Allyson Pritchett

Ignacio and Isabel Torras

Mr. Veer Vasishta

THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Diane B. Wilsey

2 Anonymous

UNDERWRITER—

$25,000 OR MORE

Mr. William J. Altenloh and  Dr. Susan Saurage-Altenloh

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura

Dr. Gudrun H. Becker

Meg Boulware and  Hartley Hampton

Bill and Melinda Brunger

Ms. Kiana K. Caleb and  Mr. Troy L. Sullivan

Shelly Cyprus

Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Davidson

Ms. Lynn Des Prez

Joanne and David Dorenfeld

C.C. and Duke Ensell

Benjamin and Jennifer Fink

Amanda and Morris Gelb

Lynn Gissel

Leonard A. Goldstein and  Helen B. Wils

Michaela Greenan and  Nicholas Greenan

Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin

Mrs. Brenda Harvey-Traylor

Mr. Matthew Healey

Gary Hollingsworth and  Ken Hyde

Ms. Marianne Kah

Stephanie Larsen

David and Lori LePori

Carolyn J. Levy

Sharon Ley Lietzow and  Robert Lietzow

M. David Lowe and Nana Booker

Booker · Lowe Gallery

Mrs. Marilyn Lummis

Mrs. Rosemary Malbin

Dr. Laura Marsh

Muffy and Mike McLanahan

Amy and Mark Melton

Dr. and Mrs. Miguel

Miro-Quesada

Kathleen Moore and  Steven Homer

Sid Moorhead

Ms. Diane K. Morales

Cynthia and Anthony Petrello

Mrs. Gerald Rauch

Matthew L. Ringel

Kelly and David Rose

James and Nathanael

Rosenheim

Mr. and Mrs. David Rowan

John Serpe and Tracy Maddox

Jeff Stocks and Juan Lopez

Dr. Laura E. Sulak and  Dr. Richard W. Brown

Sheila Swartzman and  Kenneth Bloom

Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Sweeney

Alejandra and Héctor Torres

Mr. Scott B. Ulrich and  Mr. Ernest A. Trevino

Georgios and Laura Varsamis

Marietta Voglis

Mr. Trey Yates

Alan and Frank York

Rini and Edward Ziegler

2 Anonymous

The Leadership Council is a program designed to provide fiscal stability to Houston Grand Opera’s Annual Fund through three-year commitments, with a minimum of $10,000 pledged annually. We gratefully acknowledge these members.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Barnes

Dr. Michael and Susan Bloome

Mr. and Mrs. Lester P. Burgess

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burleson

Dr. Peter Chang and Hon.

Theresa Chang

Mr. Anthony Chapman

Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Davidson

Ms. Anna M. Dean

Elisabeth DeWitts

Anna and Brad Eastman

Michelle Klinger and  Ru Flanagan

Gerard and Christine Gaynor

Mrs. Brenda Harvey-Traylor

Ann and Stephen Kaufman

Elizabeth and Bill Kroger

Jan and Nathan Meehan

Terrylin G. Neale

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Pancherz

Dr. Angela Rechichi-Apollo

Ed and Janet Rinehart

Michelle and Chuck Ritter

Adel and Jason Sander

Mrs. Helen P. Shaffer

Mr. and Mrs. John Untereker

Georgios and Laura Varsamis

Mary Lee and Jim Wallace

THE PRODUCTION FUNDERS

Houston Grand Opera is internationally acclaimed for its onstage excellence. Ensuring the exceptional quality of our productions and the creativity of our artistic forces — singers, conductors, directors, designers — is our highest priority. The art we make onstage is the foundation for everything we do. For information about joining The Production Funders, please contact Greg Robertson, chief philanthropy officer, at 713-546-0274 or grobertson@hgo.org.

Baker Botts LLP

Bank of America

Dr. Dennis Berthold and  Dr. Pamela Matthews

Boulware & Valoir

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Ms. Kiana K. Caleb and  Mr. Troy L. Sullivan

Louise Chapman

The Robert and Jane

Cizik Foundation

ConocoPhillips

The Cullen Trust for  the Performing Arts

Connie Dyer

Frost Bank

Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth

Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin

Marianne and Joseph Geagea

H-E-B

Mr. Matthew Healey

Houston Grand Opera

Endowment, Inc.

Houston Methodist

The Humphreys Foundation

Elizabeth and Richard Husseini

Ms. Marianne Kah

Donna Kaplan and  Richard A. Lydecker

Kirkland & Ellis

Claire Liu and Joe Greenberg

Muffy and Mike McLanahan

Will L. Mclendon

The Robert and Janice

McNair Foundation

Sara and Bill Morgan

Terrylin G. Neale

Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP

Novum Energy

Principal Financial

Allyson Pritchett

James and Nathanael

Rosenheim

Susan Sarofim

Robin Angly and Miles Smith

Dian and Harlan Stai

Sheila Swartzman and  Kenneth Bloom

Rhonda and Donald Sweeney

Texas Commission on the Arts

Tokio Marine HCC

Alejandra and Héctor Torres

John Turner and Jerry Fischer

Veer Vasishta

Vinson & Elkins

Westlake Chemical Corporation

Margaret Alkek Williams

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

Lynn Wyatt

ALL ABOARD!

JENNIFER BOWMAN

is the company’s new Director of Community and Learning. A native Houstonian, Bowman joins HGO after five years as the Director of Music Education at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Bowman—a “thought leader in the field” and a “true inspiration,” says HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor— brings with her a record of success collaborating with communities, fostering diversity in the arts, and supporting the development of new works. “My first foray into the operatic world took place at Houston Grand Opera,” says Bowman. “It was an experience I will never forget. I am honored to bring my career full circle and return to my hometown in this exciting role.”

MAUREEN ZOLTEK

is the new Music Director of the HGO Studio, the company’s training program for emerging artists, and holder of the Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair. Zoltek joins HGO from San Francisco Opera, where she served as assistant conductor, vocal coach, and orchestral keyboardist, and from the faculty of the Music Academy of the West.

Zoltek—praised by Dastoor for her “passion for music-making at the highest level”—has spent her career providing outstanding mentorship for young singers and musicians. “I look forward to working with and nurturing the exceptional talents of the Studio artists,” says Zoltek, “and to giving them my unwavering, enthusiastic support and guidance.” For more on Zoltek, see page 64.

JOEL THOMPSON

is the first full-time Composer-in-Residence in HGO history. The company has recruited Thompson to Houston after commissioning and staging the 2021 world premiere of his first opera, The Snowy Day

Thompson—“one of the most brilliant minds of his generation,” says Dastoor—will create new music for, and with, Houstonians, both in and outside the opera house. “This residency will provide me with an opportunity to do the things that matter to me most,” says Thompson, “creating music through community and creating community through music.” For more on Thompson, see page 62.

JENNIFER DAVENPORT

is the company’s new Chief Marketing and Experience Officer. Davenport joins HGO from the Houston Texans, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer.

Davenport—recruited, Dastoor says, for “her track record of drawing crowds from across our diverse community together through unforgettable shared experiences”—brings with her a wealth of expertise built over an impressive career with the Texans, the Rockets/Toyota Center, and Clear Channel Radio/iHeart Media in Austin. “This is a world-class institution that exists to inspire Houstonians through great art,” says Davenport. “That is something I want to be a part of!”

IN REMEMBERANCE

HGO mourns Larry Rachleff, who unlocked the artistry of generations of musicians.

Teaching is a sacred profession, and greatness in teaching is as rare as any other greatness. There is something especially moving about someone gifted at unlocking artistry, and there are few teachers of music who leave as vast a legacy as does Larry Rachleff, who died on August 8, 2022 after a valiant fight against a long illness.

Larry was one of the most distinguished and longstanding professors at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. His musical influence on multiple generations of musicians is incalculable, as virtually every student in the distinguished school was touched and bettered by his brilliant and clear enthusiasm for an art that chose him. He was unquestionably the leading teacher of conductors in the United States for the past 30 years, illuminating the art with his crystalline analysis, gentle humor, and impeccable standard.

He was a superb conductor who commanded a vast repertoire; he was an ensemble builder without peer; and he was a man of incredible generosity and tough kindness. Houston Grand Opera mourns his passing as we celebrate his extraordinary influence over musical life in our city and beyond. Patrick Summers

This six-year multidisciplinary initiative, concluding in 2023, is designed to highlight the universal spiritual themes raised in opera and to expand and deepen Houstonians’ connections to opera and to art. The theme for 2022-23 is Spirit and includes the operas The Wreckers, El Milagro del Recuerdo, Werther, and Salome, as well as the fourth Giving Voice concert. On May 18, 2023, a culminating performance featuring six new works, composed to highlight each season’s theme, will take place at the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Collection.

LEAD FUNDERS

Harlan and Dian Stai

Lynn Wyatt

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

Mathilda Cochran

Connie Dyer

Claire Liu and Joe Greenberg

Elizabeth Phillips

Mr. and Mrs. Donald G. Sweeney

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

Albert and Anne Chao/Tin Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation

Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer

Louisa Stude Sarofim Foundation

For information on providing leadership support for Seeking the Human Spirit, please contact Greg Robertson at 713-546-0274 or grobertson@hgo.org.

Larry Rachleff. Photo credit: Rice University

Dear Opera Patron:

On behalf of our team at Frost, welcome to Houston Grand Opera. Frost proudly supports HGO and its season-opening production of Verdi’s beloved tragedy, La traviata

Created by brilliant director Arin Arbus to open HGO’s 2017-18 season, this production premiered in a modified version in HGO’s makeshift Resilience Theater at the George R. Brown Convention Center following Hurricane Harvey. Tonight you will enjoy this vivid production’s full-scale debut in the Wortham’s Brown Theater, and we know it will be worth the wait!

Ever since Frost was founded in Texas over 150 years ago, our team has been committed to the communities we serve. Through hard work, customer service, volunteerism, and support of the arts, education, economic development, and health and human services, we do our best every day to make our home state of Texas a truly wonderful place to live, work, learn, and play.

We are proud of our partnership with HGO, and we hope you enjoy tonight’s performance.

Sincerely,

David LePori Regional President Frost Bank

Dear Opera Patron:

On behalf of ConocoPhillips, I am delighted to welcome you to Houston Grand Opera’s thrilling 2022-23 season! Thank you for joining us for tonight’s performance.

ConocoPhillips is a proud supporter of this beautiful season-opening production of Verdi’s La traviata, as well as HGO’s innovative Community and Learning programs, which invite over 70,000 students, teachers, and neighbors to participate in performances, workshops, and new commissions each season.

ConocoPhillips’ partnership with HGO is just one example of how we give back to the community. We are committed to being a great neighbor and responsible citizen in the communities where we live and work. In Houston, that includes supporting HGO and other local performing arts companies that embody the rich cultural diversity of our city and make Houston a global leader in the arts.

Great art inspires us all and creates opportunities for Houstonians of all ages to experience the magic of opera. We hope you enjoy tonight’s performance and the entire season ahead.

Sincerely,

Kelly B. Rose Senior Vice President, Legal and General Counsel ConocoPhillips

The world's most soughtafter Violetta: Angel Blue.

Opposite: Blue in her historic performance at Teatro alla Scala. Photo credit: Bresciae Amisano ©Teatro alla Scala

GAME-CHANGING MOMENTS IN OPERA: A SERIES

FLYING INTO THE FUTURE

A conversation with our Violetta, game-changing soprano Angel Blue

By Khori Dastoor General Director & CEO

Opera was changed forever on March 12, 2019, the moment soprano Angel Blue walked onto the stage at Teatro alla Scala in Milan to perform as Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata

She had performed at the theater before, as Clara in Porgy and Bess and Musetta in La bohème. But Angel had always dreamed of taking the stage at La Scala—the storied theater that opened its doors in 1778, where Verdi himself once roamed, and where he premiered six of his operas—as the composer’s tragic heroine Violetta.

She was already an international sensation when she got the call: a last-minute request to fill in as Violetta for another soprano, which she accepted without hesitation. And so, Angel Blue became the first Black artist to sing the fully staged role, not only at La Scala, but in all of Italy.

“I had a lot of people telling me, you know, this is the first time a Black soprano has sung Traviata in the country,” she remembers. “And I thought, no, that can’t possibly be. Traviata was written in 1853. That’s a long time. That’s like—1853 to 2019 is like 166 years or something, you know?” But it was true.

During our chat over Zoom, Angel tears up, remembering the way the Italians welcomed her and cared for her—the hotelier who worried about how much sleep she got, the restaurateur who triple-checked she had enough to eat, the people on the street who voiced their support. “I felt like a superstar,” she says.

The experience stood in stark contrast to another day, almost two decades ago, when a teacher told Angel that there would never be a Black Violetta. Thank goodness, she didn’t listen. “I never heard from my parents, you can’t do something. I never heard, because you’re Black, you don’t do this or you don’t do that,” she tells me. “And when I heard the person say that, I just thought to

myself—honestly, I thought in my heart, well, that means I have to be the first.”

A few years later she proved her teacher wrong, performing her celebrated Violetta for the first time in Seoul. Today she has sung the role not only at La Scala, but twice at London’s Royal Opera House and around the world. It has become her signature.

What draws her to this character? “It’s a tour de force. If you can sing that, then you can sing anything,” she says. “I’m very much obsessed with Violetta as a person. She really does give up something—her own happiness—just for someone else.”

She feels an emotional connection to Violetta. “I suppose the way I become her is that I really am encouraging myself throughout the whole night—remember when they told you that you shouldn’t be singing this? Remember when you heard that you can’t do this? Remember when you heard that Black sopranos crash and fail at this? All of those things, I think, help me to find the grit that Violetta has.”

There’s a funny thing about people who change the game: they do it again and again. Just this summer, Angel had been set to return to Italy to make her debut as Violetta at the Arena di Verona. But a few weeks beforehand, something changed her mind. The theater used blackface makeup in its production of Aida. She could not be silent.

“The use of blackface under any circumstances, artistic or otherwise, is a deeply misguided practice based on archaic theatrical traditions which have no place in modern society. It is offensive, humiliating, and outright racist. Full stop,” Angel wrote in a headline-making public statement. “I was so looking forward to making my house debut at Arena di Verona singing one of my favorite operas, but I cannot in good conscience associate myself with an institution which continues this practice.”

Angel Blue is a soprano at the peak of her powers; the most sought-after Violetta in the world; an artist who can choose where to

perform, and where not to. It is the industry that must seek her approval, not the other way around. All of which makes this moment— Angel opening HGO’s season, in her company debut as Violetta—even more special for everyone in this city.

We could not be more honored to have Angel, and all that she represents, here in Houston, and to share in her historic changing of the operatic game. In turn, she is building upon this company’s legacy of game-changing, and our mandate to make opera relevant to all audiences. We know we will get there together.

What does Angel hope for opera’s future?

“This is going to sound so weird,” she says, “but I want us to be like we were in 2020.” She thinks back to the pandemic’s most devastating days. The warmth and connection between all of us in the industry, how much we adore this art form, how determined we are to protect it—she wants these truths to be as plainly visible now as they were then.

“We weren’t going to stop,” says Angel. “We were going to keep the art form alive. We were very connected as artists, as an art form, and we cared about each other. In the future, I hope that that love for not just singing and performing, but our love for each other continues. If we maintain that, then we’re going to be good.”

From your lips to God’s ears, Angel. Welcome to Houston! ∎

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

The Wreckers tells the story of an isolated, insular community fighting for survival and relying on a convoluted moral relativism to justify their extreme actions as God’s will. The piece explores how the combination of hardship, mob mentality, and religious fanaticism can turn a group inward and shift its moral center. Inside this larger narrative is an intimate story of passion, heartbreak, and hope. Our protagonists, Thirza and Mark, are driven by their own idealism and their love for one another to take enormous risks. To do what is right, they must betray their community. To do what is honorable, they must sacrifice themselves.

Artists have long been drawn to Cornwall because of its extraordinary light and atmosphere. Ethel Smyth’s inspiration in writing The Wreckers was a trip through Cornwall in 1886, and we have been similarly inspired by the rugged beauty and harsh realities of the place itself, which in many ways has barely changed since she was there. In Cornwall, an essentially inhospitable landscape where the weather shifts frequently and unpredictably, the balance between humans and nature seems precarious even today. Because of its isolation and lack of industry, it remains England’s poorest county, and although the county voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union, Brexit has only exacerbated the poverty there. With designers Christopher Oram and Marcus Doshi, I have set out to visually and dramatically capture both the beauty and the brutality of the story and its setting, as Smyth has done musically.

Together with librettist Henry Brewster, her long-time friend, lover, and collaborator whom she described as

“the fundamental friendship of my life,” Smyth has written an innately feminist opera featuring two strong, defiant, three-dimensional female characters. Neither Thirza nor Avis falls neatly into any category, and each in her own way is reminiscent of Smyth herself, who was a larger-than-life force of nature: uncompromising, driven, unconcerned with likability, and intent on building a life on her own terms.

Smyth went to enormous lengths to have her work heard and performed. Through grit, talent, and some very powerful friends, she achieved a great deal of success, but her music was never recorded during her lifetime and never fully found its place in the canon. The mere fact of her gender (it’s difficult to find a contemporaneous review of her work that doesn’t focus on either the “femininity” or lack thereof in her music) worked against her, as did the lack of infrastructure and tradition in Britain for homegrown composers to make their mark with large-scale works, and the timing of World War I meant that she was cut off from many of her advocates in Europe just when her reach should have been expanding.

Reflecting on Smyth’s legacy in 1931, Virginia Woolf said, “She is of the race of pioneers: she is among the ice-breakers, the window-smashers, the indomitable and irresistible armoured tanks who climbed the rough ground; went first; drew the enemy’s fire.” Every one of my opportunities and privileges as a woman in my field is a direct result of the work of those window-smashers, and with this production it is my great honor to be part of the overdue resurgence of interest in Smyth’s compositions and to bring her masterpiece to this stage and this audience. ∎

Louisa Muller

UNFORGETTABLE

Verdi’s La traviata at HGO five years after Hurricane Harvey

By Patrick Summers Artistic and Music Director

This year’s opening night production of La traviata is new, despite being seen in the Resilience Theater only five years ago. Read on, please.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic reordered our lives, a little more than five years ago, on August 17, 2017, Houstonians first heard of a Tropical Storm developing in the Caribbean. Its name was the benign and homey-sounding Harvey.

Little did we know that just over a week later, on August 25, Category 4 Hurricane Harvey would make landfall in Texas at Port Aransas, spend days parked over Harris County, and deposit enough water on our beloved city to fill Lake Michigan: 54 inches of rain in just under 4 days. By August 29, it was clear to everyone that the Wortham Theater Center was badly flooded, but it took several weeks to get an accurate assessment of its extent, so it wasn’t until mid-September that the truth was known: 18 feet of water was sitting in the Wortham. The former flood protections had worked so well the water couldn’t get out when Harvey’s rainfall totals exceeded any projections made about 100-, 500-, or 1,000-year storms. The wound was not fatal, but the building was catastrophically damaged, and though we didn’t know a lot, we knew it would be many months before we could return. Eventually, it was an entire year before any of us saw the inside of the theater again. A half-full cup of green tea was still sitting on my desk when we finally returned in September of 2018.

HGO’s then-Managing Director Perryn Leech and I went through every potential scenario to save the opera season that was by then little more than a month away: we looked at over 30 venues around Houston, including a potential performance tent to be erected in a parking lot. In the midst of all of that, we were shown the large center auditorium in the George R. Brown Convention Center, and the staff began measuring and drawing various plans. Walking through one of the larger exhibition halls on our way out, a lightbulb lit above Perryn’s head. “This could work better,” he said.

The building of the Resilience Theater in Exhibition Hall 3 was entirely Perryn’s brainchild. He went into crisis mode to get the theater ready to open the season on October 20, inspiring the staff with his own energy to get it all done. Since all of our rehearsal spaces and offices were, though not flooded, off limits because of the flood, these also had to be relocated, all within the span of

Production photo credits: Lynn Lane

a few days. We held almost daily emergency staff meetings in my apartment building. Starbucks all over town became HGO offices because they had free wi-fi. Incredibly, not a single onstage rehearsal or performance that season was canceled or missed, including Arin Arbus’s new production of Verdi’s La traviata, conducted by Eun Sun Kim in her American debut, the same production that opens this 202223 season—well, not quite the same.

Though, we knew in 2017 that this would be no ordinary Traviata. It is impossible to accurately describe the chaotic flurry of phone calls (this was before we all got on Zoom) that ensued between September 15 and the start of rehearsals for La traviata and Handel’s Julius Caesar in the week of September 26. Directors had to know what was possible for their productions in a venue with no wing space and no ability to fly scenery. Jim Robinson’s production of Julius Caesar had been built in 2002, and because we were unlikely to do it again, it could be cut up and repurposed for the George R. Brown. This made it, in effect, an entirely new production that bore little resemblance to what had been done in the Wortham in 2002.

The central challenge of all eight productions that were done in the Resilience Theater was not scenery, however, but where to place the orchestra musicians and how to hear them in a space made entirely of concrete, heavy curtains, and steel. A resonant and large platform was built on which the orchestra sat in various configurations throughout the season, depending on what each production would allow.

For a very large orchestra of 92 players for Strauss’s Elektra, which we performed in that year’s winter repertoire, the only choice was to place them behind and slightly to the right of the stage, which was literally the only place in the Resilience Theater they could possibly have fit.

For La traviata, we tried every possible configuration of the 60-member orchestra: to the side of the set, to the side of the audience, amplified and unamplified, everything—and we finally decided to place the players unamplified directly upstage (behind) the set, in full view of the audience.

But this was not remotely the case with La traviata, which was an extravagantly designed new production that had never been seen and a co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago, so it had to be done in a way that preserved its integrity for a conventional proscenium theater later. This meant that instead of La traviata ’s usual four scenes, the entire opera in the “George R. Brown version” would have to play on an unchanging unit set, with small changes of furniture to set each scene. Arin Arbus, along with HGO’s technical staff, figured out ingenious ways to set each scene, and Arin set to work with the cast with incredible gusto. Everyone contributed creative solutions: what to do about the raucous carnival music that happens outside Violetta’s death chamber in the opera’s final act? Not only was there no room for the chorus, it wouldn’t be heard if placed ‘offstage’ in our makeshift theater. Chorus Director Richard Bado, ever resourceful, suggested the chorus cross between the audience and the stage while singing the number, an unusual effect that audiences loved.

This leads me to one of the most indelible memories of that time: I had to call Eun Sun Kim to tell her about the hurricane damage, as well as to inform her that her U.S. debut would take place not in an opera house but a convention center with no natural acoustics at all. I told her we would understand if she’d prefer to skip it and make her debut in a subsequent season in the Wortham. No, she said, “if the company is going forward so am I,” and she proved every bit as resilient as everyone else, conducting such an impressive performance that within a few weeks of La traviata we had offered her the position of Principal Guest Conductor she still holds.

Verdi’s La traviata, it should surprise no one, is one of the timeless masterpieces of opera. What makes it so? The plot of Verdi’s opera involves a social world that is utterly gone: the Parisian milieu of the courtesan Marie Duplessis, the extraordinary woman who inspired Alexandre Dumas’s 1847 novel La Dame aux Camélias. The story became the basis of two famous re-tellings of Duplessis’s story: Camille and La traviata—as well as many other adjacent stories, like Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge, which essentially combines the plots of two famous operas set in Paris: La Bohème and La traviata

Duplessis was a courtesan who lived at the top of French society, numbering nobility and royalty among her lovers, as well as the pianist/conductor Franz Liszt and Dumas himself, crowding several lifetimes into her brief 23 years. She was

IN THE MONTHS PRIOR TO HURRICANE HARVEY, WE THOUGHT HGO HAD FACED ITS BIGGEST CHALLENGE—WAGNER’S RING OF THE NIBELUNGEN—THEN IT STARTED RAINING.

a celebrity of incredible renown, and her funeral was attended by thousands. The sale of her effects brought even larger crowds, as Parisian women longed to see the inside of her home, though they wouldn’t have dared enter during her life. What of her possessions drew the largest number of bids? The blood-soaked handkerchiefs used during her tubercular coughing fits.

Verdi saw Dumas’s theatrical version of the novel on stage in Paris, and we hear within his score the distinctive world of Parisian salons, music that ranges from the waltzes and barcaroles of Chopin to the can-cans and dance tunes of Parisian music halls. The opera opens with a musical evocation of memory that has little precedent in all of music. La traviata, uniquely, has twin preludes, one preceding each of the outer acts, and they are closely related to each other. Just four violins, a third of the section, plays the opera’s famous opening chords, music so quiet that one must strain to hear it, like a dark painting through which you can see one distant ray of light.

La traviata is an opera extremely dear to me, as it was the opera of my HGO debut in 1999. As the company’s music director I have conducted it three times, with Patricia Racette, and two sopranos for whom it was a role debut, Renée Fleming and Albina Shagimuratova. The only other opera I’ve conducted three times in Houston is Verdi’s Rigoletto, with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Scott Hendricks, and Ryan McKinny respectively in the title roles. For both of these operas, I have happily ceded the podium to younger conductors in whom I deeply believe. I knew within 30 seconds of hearing Eun Sun Kim conduct for the first time in Vienna that she was a very special musician and unique leader, and it is gratifying that her first appearance in America was at HGO for the Resilience Theater La traviata, which also led directly to her more recent appointment as Music Director of San Francisco Opera.

And for this first full showing of Arin Arbus’s production at Houston Grand Opera, it is thrilling to welcome to the podium the company debut of one of classical music’s rarities, a composer-conductor who is equally gifted at both. Matthew Aucoin (b. 1990) is one of the great contemporary composers. His two operas, Crossing and Eurydice, are among the most imaginative of the young century, and he is just getting started. His recent book, The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera, is one of the great glimpses into the clear and deep mind of a composer. As he turns his probing mind and probing musicianship toward La traviata, we are in for a new experience with an opera we thought we knew.

Lastly, we have the great soprano Angel Blue in an auspicious HGO debut in the title role. She joins a distinguished

line of artists who have inhabited the great ‘fallen one’ of the title. Whether she is called Violetta, Marie, Marguerite, or Camille, every great singing actress who has played the role joins a grand history, and they are some of the theater’s most evocative ghosts. Just their names conjure so much: Duse, Bernhardt, Gish, Garbo in the theater and on film, and the many sopranos who have starred in the opera linger always within it: Tebaldi, Callas, Sutherland, Moffo, Caballé, Cotrubas, Sills, Fleming.

One of opera’s biggest thrills is its miraculous impossibility. Just the art of singing is itself a miracle, but when opera brings all of the other arts together around it, each giving their own voice, it is overwhelming. Opera is theater, music, philosophy, spirituality, catharsis, dance, entertainment ... all of it. When the Wortham filled with water just over five years ago and broke all of our hearts but not our spirits, we could never have imagined this extraordinary moment of 2022. In the months prior to Hurricane Harvey, we thought HGO had faced its biggest challenge—Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelungen—then it started raining.

But the company did survive, because of the dedicated work of countless people and because of supporters who believed in what the arts stand for, who believed in resilience. When we recovered from Harvey, we again thought our biggest challenge had been stared down, then the invisible virus came like a slow-moving earthquake. Though we know the pandemic is not over, we can fairly say that we have survived that, too, as a company. The Wortham is renovated, with new flood protections in place. Audiences are returning. The company has a visionary young leader in Khori Dastoor to take the company into its next quarter century. And perhaps the biggest miracle of all: La traviata sings to us still. May we always do it proud. ∎

The Wortham Theater Center standing proud, five years after Hurricane Harvey.

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a dd your drama! Guild volunteer opportunities include:

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MILITANT D A

EXTRAORDINARY COMPOSER ETHEL SMYTH IS STILL FIGHTING FOR HER DUE.

By Leah Broad

When Ethel Smyth died in 1944, she was remembered as being “magnificent: a militant, unself-conscious original in the great tradition of the eccentric nineteenth-century Englishwoman.” One of her friends observed that “everyone has his own Ethel Smyth story, and they are mostly true.” The composer was just as famous for her outlandish dress (tweeds, always), outspoken political views (conservative), and dynasty of sheepdogs (all called Pan) as she was for her six operas, 11 books, and three honorary doctorates in music.

In both Britain and the United States she was known as the composer of the suffrage anthem “The March of the Women,” which was sung everywhere by women’s rights campaigners, from private homes to the steps outside the Capitol. This song was central to one of the most enduring Ethel Smyth stories: during her two-year involvement in the suffrage campaign, she was jailed alongside her friend, movement leader Emmeline Pankhurst, and when a colleague went to visit, he found Smyth leading her fellow inmates in a rousing rendition of the March, conducting

it not only improbable but biologically impossible for a woman to become a great composer. The female mind was simply thought incapable of mastering the kind of abstract reasoning needed to create complex musical forms. Broadly speaking, music was only deemed useful to a woman insofar as it improved her prospects on the marriage market.

In this climate, Smyth was the first woman to have an opera performed at both the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Covent Garden in London, the first woman to be awarded a DBE for services to music, and the first woman to conduct her own orchestral compositions at the Proms in London. The prejudices against women composers were so strong that she would never have achieved any of this without, as she put it, “a fair share of fighting spirit.” When her father banned her from traveling to Leipzig to study composition, she embarked on a campaign of domestic guerrilla warfare until he relented. If conductors rejected her scores without reading them, she turned up on their doorsteps and forced them to listen to her. And when critics dismissed her with the derogatory “woman composer” label, she fought back by responding with savagely entertaining newspaper articles rather than shrinking in the face of adversity.

The Wreckers (1904) was “the work by which I stand or fall,” and its first reviewers declared it “a composition of great power.” It was an opera nearly 20 years in the making—she first had the idea for an opera set in Cornwall in 1886, while on a Cornish walking holiday. Smyth always had a flair for the theatrical, and was captivated by the gruesome local legends of poverty-stricken communities luring ships on to the rocks to plunder the wreckages. It wasn’t until 1902, however, that she felt ready to do justice to the magnum opus that she had envisaged while standing on the windswept Cornish coast. “I feel awfully full of power,” she wrote to her librettist as she composed: “Deadly sure of what I am doing.”

The man who provided the opera’s text was the writer and philosopher Henry Brewster, with whom Smyth was in a long-standing partnership. Their relationship had not been an easy one—it began as a spectacularly messy love triangle after Smyth fell in love with both Henry and his wife, Julia. Despite Henry’s pleading and protestations, Julia refused to countenance an open marriage, sparking years of pain and debate as her husband tried to negotiate the three-way relationship that he wanted. Eventually Henry did leave Julia for Smyth, and by the time they collaborated on The Wreckers they had been openly but discreetly co-existing for years as romantic partners.

Traces of this personal drama surface in the opera—it’s no coincidence, for example, that there is a love triangle between two women and a man at the heart of the story. Smyth herself identified with Thirza to the extent that Henry sometimes referred to her as “beloved Thurza” in his letters, casting himself as the hero, Marc (using the original French names). Avis was therefore presumably, at some level, a rather unkind shadow of Julia, although she also bears some resemblances to another of Smyth’s amours, the American heiress Winnaretta Singer.

With some composers, the relationship between life and works can be oblique and difficult to determine. But Smyth very much wore her heart on her staves. Her music and the major events in her life form a continuous counterpoint. The Wreckers wasn’t the first time that her relationship with Henry had provided inspiration for her music. Smyth’s first large choral work, a cantata called Song of Love (1888), was penned when they were

separated and still wrangling with Julia. With their future seeming bleak and uncertain, Smyth poured her anguish into the piece, setting extracts from the Song of Songs that alternate between despair and cautious hope. She tried to get this work performed by choral societies, but they were unwilling to take a risk on an unknown woman composer—it has yet to receive its world premiere.

The Wreckers is both a wonderful and historically significant opera, but it represents just one aspect of her multi-faceted output. Smyth’s works range from intimate, heartbreaking songs to comic operas, demonstrating such stylistic versatility that her contemporary reviewers sometimes found it difficult to categorize her. Her British breakthrough came in 1890, when her orchestral Serenade in D was premiered at the Crystal Palace in a series of concerts that showcased new British compositional talent. It’s an exuberant work, vivacious and carefree, with less of the intensity that characterizes The Wreckers Then at the other end of the spectrum are pieces like her final large-scale work, a symphonic cantata called The Prison (1930). Setting a philosophical text that ponders the nature of reality and meaning of existence, this powerfully introspective masterpiece baffled reviewers when it was first performed.

Deciding that it displayed “little evidence of real musical talent,” they judged that it would never have been performed “had its composer been a man and not a woman.” It took nearly a century for The Prison to be recognized for the exceptional work that it is. The world premiere recording was made in 2020, a full 76 years after Smyth died—and it won the composer her first Grammy.

Without question, love was Smyth’s strongest compositional motivation. She composed at her best when inspired by a muse, who was usually one of the very many women with whom she fell hopelessly in love over the course of her life. She referred to these women as her “passions,” the “shining threads in my life,” and they included authors Virginia Woolf and Edith Somerville, and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. They offered her differing levels of reciprocation—Smyth and Woolf were close confidantes for 11 years, but the famously scathing writer nonetheless likened being the object of Smyth’s amorous affections to “being caught by a giant crab”! Her relationships with Somerville and Pankhurst were based in more mutual romantic feeling, and they left behind volumes of intimate correspondence that bear witness to how much these women meant to one another.

It’s possible that Smyth and Pankhurst were lovers; Woolf later confided to her nephew that “Ethel used to love Emmeline—they shared a bed.” Whether or not their relationship was physical, though, it was romantic and passionate, and inspired an outpouring of music. For two years Smyth was at the heart of the U.K. campaign for women’s suffrage as Pankhurst’s right-hand woman. They were frequently seen at public events together, and after Pankhurst began hunger-striking during periods in jail, she convalesced at Smyth’s house in Woking when she was released. Even though Smyth supported Pankhurst with all her heart, watching the woman she loved waste away from starvation took a heavy toll on the composer. Knowing that she would never be able to stop Pankhurst from hungerstriking, in the winter of 1913 Smyth removed herself from the situation by traveling to Egypt, where she could clear her head and focus on composition.

In a hotel on the banks of the Nile she wrote her fourth opera, a comedy called The Boatswain’s Mate (1914), with Pankhurst

WE ARE NOW FAR ENOUGH FROM THE SMYTH LEGENDS THAT NEW PRODUCTIONS CAN LET HER MUSIC SPEAK FOR ITSELF.

providing the model for the heroine. She also completed the only string quartet she deemed worthy of publication (countless previous attempts had been discarded), declaring that if the fourth movement was anything at all, it was “Suffragette”! Her feelings for Pankhurst also gave rise to one of the most tender pieces that Smyth ever wrote, a song called “Possession.” Dedicated to Pankhurst, it is a searingly beautiful, contemplative work about letting go of someone you love so that both can thrive.

Smyth’s profile as a suffragette certainly brought her notoriety and boosted her already considerable public profile. Between the First and Second World Wars she became one of the most famous women in Britain. Her name was constantly in the newspapers, and in 1929, when the BBC launched a new series called “Points of View” that gave celebrities a platform to talk about a subject meaningful to them, Smyth was the only woman invited to contribute. She earned a reputation as a lovably eccentric but straight-talking, no-nonsense figure, an image that was helped by the many volumes of memoirs that she published from 1919 onward.

Smyth’s autobiographies (which the author Vita Sackville-West wryly commented might well have been titled “Me One, Me Two, Me Three, and so on”) began as a project to cope with the progressive hearing loss that beset her from the First World War onward. Smyth had struggled with hearing difficulties for many years, and never gave up hope that she would find a cure to restore her hearing. By 1919, however, it became quite clear that her hearing was deteriorating, and that it might impact her ability to compose in the future. Ultimately Smyth kept composing even when she was assailed by constant noises that sounded as though a sail was flapping inside her head, but she also turned her hand to literature, in the hope that she could drum up publicity for her music through her writing.

Her plan almost worked. The books were so popular that they ran into multiple editions, and readers wanted to hear the music produced by this larger-than-life personality. But musical organizations remained less willing to accept a successful woman than the literary world. Even when Smyth’s music proved popular with audiences and received positive critical responses, music publishers

dragged their heels, and conductors opted to play her smaller pieces rather than committing to larger works. So despite the success of her books, performances of her music increased only a little. This wasn’t exclusively about gender, though. Smyth was in many ways a woman ahead of her time. English opera was in a dire state in Smyth’s lifetime. It was extremely difficult for any English composer, male or female, to get their operas performed. Smyth argued all her life for opera to receive a national subsidy, but this wasn’t brought in until World War Two, by which time it was too late for Smyth—it was Benjamin Britten who benefited and became known as the English opera composer.

It may be that now is the time for Smyth to finally come into her own. In the years immediately after her death, Smyth’s notoriety was a double-edged sword. Skeptics used her exploits as a way to brush her off as an oddity and an eccentric, giving rise to the popular refrain that “she would have made a stronger mark in the artistic world had she stuck more closely to the job of composing.” Critics came to her music with pre-formed opinions based on their understanding of her personality, and decreed that her works were only performed as “a kind of special pleading on behalf of a great-hearted woman who was also a popular public figure.” But we are now far enough from the Smyth legends that new productions and recordings can let her music speak for itself. Perhaps there is a new Ethel Smyth story that needs to be told, that puts her in her rightful place as a crucial figure in the history of 20th-century music. ∎

A statue of the composer was unveiled in Woking, outside of London, in March 2022.

Credit WikiCommons

Dr. Leah Broad is a music historian at Oxford University. She is currently writing a book on four female composers, including Dame Ethel Smyth.

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LA TRAVIATA THE WRECKERS

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The company debut of Louisa Muller was partially supported by OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors, generously funded by the Marineau Family Foundation.

BY FRANCESCO MARIA PIAVE

SUNG IN ITALIAN WITH PROJECTED ENGLISH TRANSLATION

An opera in three acts

The performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, including two intermissions.

A co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Canadian Opera Company

The activities of Houston Grand Opera are supported in part by funds provided by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Alternate cast/student performance

MUSIC BY GIUSEPPE VERDI

LIBRETTO

Quick Start Guide

THE OPERA IN ONE SENTENCE

A courtesan and a bourgeois retreat from high society to live together in the country, but after she leaves him at his father’s request, he learns the truth and rushes back to her side, only to find her on her deathbed.

BACKGROUND

La traviata is based on a novel-turned-play titled The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas fils, the son of the author of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers

This French work was inspired by the true story of one of Dumas’s lovers, Alphonsine Plessis, who was known as the courtesan Marie Duplessis during her life, renamed Marguerite Gautier in the book. She would become the tragic, noble, yet helpless courtesan that Verdi refashioned into the titular “fallen woman,” Violetta Valéry. Verdi likely had read the novel shortly after it was published in 1848; when he saw the play in Paris in 1852, he immediately began composing music for it. The opera premiered on March 6, 1853 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

La traviata holds the crown as the world’s most popular opera. Much of its appeal, as with all of Verdi’s mature works, lies in the sheer number and quality of show-stopping tunes. Each of the three principal roles—Violetta, Alfredo, and his father, Giorgio Germont—have recognizable tunes that have permeated popular culture. In the brief Act I prelude, listen to the way Verdi introduces us to two of the opera’s critical melodies in reverse chronological order: first the fragility of an ill woman, followed by a broad, falling melody of unfettered love. The first melody remains fixed, while the second transforms throughout the opera as Violetta’s story unfolds.

A COURTESAN’S LIFE

Options for single women without means were limited in 19th-century Paris, and contemporary accounts tell of countless young women rescued from poverty and drudgery by wealthy, famous, or influential men. But as Alphonsine Plessis’s health declined, so did her place in society. As her body degenerated, so did her source of income, and her treasured jewels were sold, one at a time. Dumas knew nothing of her death until he encountered an announcement advertising an auction of her remaining personal effects, which inspired him to write the first scene of the novel.

LA TRAVIATA ON THE SILVER SCREEN

Verdi’s opera of a tragically beautiful young woman whose fate is largely determined by the actions and decisions of wealthy, powerful men has led to numerous contemporary adaptations. Pretty Woman, the 1990 romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, tells a similar story— and the plot hinges on the duo attending a performance of the opera—however, it should be noted that a Parisian courtesan and a Los Angeles prostitute held very different roles in society. Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge! explores a story much closer to the source material, as a young writer reflects on his relationship with the courtesan Satine, the “sparkling diamond” of 1900s Paris.

FUN FACT

The premiere of La traviata was met with rambunctious jeering from the audience in Venice, after a poor showing from the lead singers. Verdi, who measured his success with box office receipts and audience reception, wrote to a friend the next day what has become one of his most famous lines: “La traviata last night was a failure. Was the fault mine or the singers’? Time will tell.”

Moulin Rouge! starring Nicole Kidman is one of many adaptations of the story.

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST (in order of vocal appearance)

Violetta Valéry

Angel Blue *

Underwritten by Allyson Pritchett

Cecilia Violetta López *

(Nov. 2, 4m, 8m)

Flora Bervoix

Marchese d’Obigny

Baron Douphol

Doctor Grenvil

Gastone, Vicomte de Letourières

Alfredo Germont

Emily Treigle †

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Crownover/ John Serpe and Tracy Maddox Fellow

Kelly Markgraf

Navasard Hakobyan *†

Melinda and Bill Brunger/ Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson Fellow

Cory McGee † Beth Madison Fellow

Eric Taylor †

Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth IV/ Sharon Ley Lietzow and Robert Lietzow/ Jill and Allyn Risley Fellow

Matthew White *

Ricardo Garcia † (Nov. 4m, 8m)

Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson/

Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and

Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr. Fellow

Annina

Giuseppe

Giorgio Germont

Messenger

Flora’s Servant

Renée Richardson *†

Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer/ Carolyn J. Levy/ Jeff Stocks and Juan Lopez Fellow

Jon Janacek

Andrei Kymach *

Anthony Clark Evans * (Nov. 2, 4m, 8m)

Saïd Henry Pressley

Austin Hoeltzel

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor

Matthew Aucoin *

Alex Amsel * (Nov. 2, 4m, 8m)

Director Arin Arbus

Set Designer Riccardo Hernández

Costume and Puppet Designer

Lighting Designer

Projections Designer

Original Choreographer

Revival Choreographer

Intimacy and Fight Director

Chorus Director

Musical Preparation

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Stage Manager

Assistant Director

* Company debut

† Houston Grand Opera Studio artist

‡ Former Houston Grand Opera Studio artist

Cait O'Connor

Marcus Doshi

Christopher Ash

Austin McCormick

Charlotte Bydwell *

Adam Noble

Richard Bado ‡

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Director Chair

Kirill Kuzmin ‡

Kevin J. Miller

Michelle Papenfuss *†

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura/ Dr. Laura E. Sulak and Dr. Richard W. Brown Fellow

Brian August

Kaley Karis Smith

English supertitles by Scott F. Heumann, adapted by Jeremy Johnson. Supertitles called by Matthew Neumann. Performing artists, stage directors, and choreographers are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, the union for opera professionals in the United States.

Scenic, costume, and lighting designers and assistant designers are represented by United Scenic Artists, IATSE Local USA-829. Orchestral musicians are represented by the Houston Professional Musicians Association, Local #65-699, American Federation of Musicians.

Stage crew personnel provided by IATSE, Local #51.

Wardrobe personnel provided by Theatrical Wardrobe Union, Local #896. Usher personnel provided by IATSE, Local B-184. This production is being recorded for archival purposes.

SYNOPSIS

Setting: In and near Paris, around 1850.

ACT I

A party is taking place at the house of Violetta Valéry, a famous and wealthy courtesan. She is gravely ill and tries to conceal this fact from the guests. Gastone introduces his friend Alfredo Germont, telling Violetta that Alfredo is a secret admirer. As the others go to another room to dance, Violetta begins coughing violently. Alfredo stays behind and tells Violetta he is in love with her, but she offers him only friendship. She gives him a flower, however, and asks him to return when it has withered. Alfredo, realizing she has just invited him to come back the next day, joyfully takes his leave. When all her guests have departed, Violetta can’t get Alfredo out of her mind: she is torn between the feelings Alfredo has stirred within her and her desire to remain always free.

INTERMISSION

ACT II, SCENE 1, THREE MONTHS LATER

Violetta’s desire for genuine love has led her to give up her extravagant lifestyle in Paris. She and Alfredo live a simple existence in the country. Violetta has been quietly selling her property to pay their expenses; when Alfredo finds out, he leaves immediately for Paris to obtain some money. While he is gone, Giorgio Germont, Alfredo’s father, comes to visit Violetta. He asks her to give up Alfredo, explaining that their scandalous relationship is threatening his daughter’s chance of a good marriage. Violetta agrees to sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of Alfredo’s family name. In a letter, she explains to Alfredo that she is leaving him but does not tell him why. After she has gone, Alfredo finds a party invitation to Violetta from her friend Flora. He decides to go to the party in hopes of finding her.

ACT II, SCENE 2

Alfredo is at Flora’s party—a Spanish-themed costume ball—and the guests begin to gamble. Violetta arrives with a new companion, Baron Douphol, who challenges Alfredo to a game. Alfredo accepts and beats Douphol repeatedly. Violetta warns Alfredo that he is in danger from Douphol, and Alfredo says he will leave—if Violetta will come with him. Violetta knows that Alfredo will not accept his father’s request to spare the family name. Because she can’t reveal the true reason she left him, Violetta says she is in love with Douphol. In front of his father and all the party guests, Alfredo angrily throws his winnings at Violetta’s feet and announces that he has now paid his courtesan for her services. Douphol challenges Alfredo to a duel.

INTERMISSION

ACT III, SOME MONTHS LATER

Violetta’s illness has brought her to the point of death. Only her physician and her maid remain at her side. Violetta reads a letter from Germont telling her that Alfredo wounded Douphol in the duel, and that he told his son the truth about why Violetta left him. Alfredo comes to beg her forgiveness. The two dream of a happy future together, but it is too late.

HGO PERFORMANCE HISTORY

La traviata was first performed at HGO during the 1956-57 season. Subsequent performances took place in seasons 1960-61, 1966-67, 1973-74, 1978-79, 1984-85, 1993-94, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2011-12, and 2017-18.

HGO ORCHESTRA

Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

VIOLIN

Denise Tarrant*, Concertmaster

Sarah and Ernest Butler Concertmaster Chair

Chloe Kim*, Assistant Concertmaster

Natalie Gaynor*, Principal Second Violin

Carrie Kauk†, Assistant Principal Second Violin

Erica Robinson*, Acting Principal Second Violin

Miriam Belyatsky*

Anabel Detrick*

Rasa Kalesnykaite†

Hae-a Lee-Barnes*

Chavdar Parashkevov†

Mary Reed*

Linda Sanders*

Oleg Sulyga*

Sylvia VerMeulen*

Melissa Williams*

Zubaida Azezi

Lindsey Baggett

Andres Eduardo Gonzalez

Kana Kimura

Emily Madonia

Mila Neal

Sean O'Neal

Patricia Quintero Garcia

Rachel Shepard

Hannah Watson

VIOLA

Eliseo Rene Salazar*, Principal

Lorento Golofeev*, Assistant Principal

Gayle Garcia-Shepard*

Erika C. Lawson*

Suzanne LeFevre†

Dawson White*

Elizabeth Golofeev

Nicholas Lindell

Sergein Yap

CELLO

Barrett Sills*, Principal

Erika Johnson*, Assistant Principal

Ariana Nelson†

Wendy Smith-Butler†

Steven Wiggs*

Shino Hayashi

Kristiana Ignatjeva

Benjamin Stoehr

DOUBLE BASS

Dennis Whittaker†, Principal

Eric Gronfor*, Assistant Principal/Acting Principal

Carla Clark*, Acting Assistant Principal

Deborah Dunham

Paul Ellison

FLUTE

Henry Williford*, Principal

Tyler Martin*

OBOE

Elizabeth Priestly Siffert†, Principal

Mayu Isom*, Acting Principal

Stanley Chyi

CLARINET

Sean Krissman†, Principal

Vanguel Tangarov, Acting Principal

Eric Chi*

BASSOON

Amanda Swain*, Principal

Michael Allard*

FRENCH HORN

Sarah Cranston*, Principal

Kimberly Penrod Minson*

Spencer Park†

Kevin McIntyre

Gavin Reed

TRUMPET

Tetsuya Lawson*, Principal

Randal Adams*

TROMBONE

Thomas Hultén*, Principal

Mark Holley†

Justin Bain†

Cameron Kerl

Ben Osborne

TUBA

Mark Barton*, Principal

TIMPANI

Alison Chang*, Principal

PERCUSSION

Richard Brown*, Principal

Christina Carroll

BANDA

Izumi Miyahara, Piccolo

Justin Best, Clarinet

Julian Hernandez, Clarinet

Aaron Griffin, French Horn

Jamie Leff, French Horn

Daniel Egan, Trumpet

Gerardo Mata, Trumpet

Matthew Dickson, Trombone

Steven Curtis, Tuba

Karen Slotter, Percussion

Joan Eidman*, Principal Harp

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Richard Brown*

* HGO Orchestra core musician

† HGO Orchestra core musician on leave this production

HGO CHORUS

Richard Bado, Chorus Director

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Director Chair

Nathan Abbott

Preston Andrews

Dennis Arrowsmith

Sarah Bannon

Zachary Barba

Alyssa Barnes

Megan Berti

Asha Brooke

Christopher Childress

Patrick Contreras

Christine Cecilia Cummins

Callie Denbigh

Peter Farley

Ami Figg

Dallas Gray

Nancy Hall

Frankie Hickman

Austin Hoeltzel

Jon Janacek

Joe Key

Alison King

Wesley Landry

Carolena Lara

Marcus Lonardo

Aarianna Longino

Alejandro Magallón

Kathy Manley Montgomery

Heath Martin

Katherine McDaniel

Jeff Monette

Leah Moody

Lance Orta

Patrick Perez

Abby Powell

Saïd Henry Pressley

Teresa Procter

Nicholas Rathgeb

Brad Raymond

Kendall Reimer

Francis Rivera

Hannah Roberts

Emily Louise Robinson

Johnny Salvesen

Christina Scanlan

Valerie Serice

Kade I. Smith

Lisa Borik Vickers

Jennifer Wright

CORPS DANCERS

Carmen E. Jones

Donald Sayre

Evan Warner

Macey Westall

SUPERNUMERARIES

Bryce H. Cooper

Ken Grissom

Alan Kim

Ian Lewis

Jonathan Moonen

John Watkins

WHO'S WHO

MATTHEW AUCOIN (UNITED STATES) CONDUCTOR

Generously underwritten by Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin

Matthew Aucoin is making his HGO debut. Aucoin is an American composer, conductor, and writer, and a 2018 MacArthur Fellow. He is a co-founder of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC), and was the Los Angeles Opera’s Artist in Residence from 2016 to 2020. Eurydice, Aucoin’s most recent opera, had its premiere at Los Angeles Opera in 2020 and went on to have a successful production at the Metropolitan Opera in the fall 2021. His previous operas, Crossing and Second Nature, have been produced at leading theaters across North America, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Canadian Opera Company, and the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). Aucoin’s orchestral and chamber music has been commissioned and performed by such luminaries as Yo-Yo Ma, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra, pianist Kirill Gerstein, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Brentano Quartet. As a conductor, Aucoin has appeared with the Los Angeles Opera, the Chicago Symphony, the Santa Fe Opera, the San Diego Symphony, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Rome Opera Orchestra, and many other ensembles, in repertoire ranging from his own music to the operas of Verdi, Mozart, and John Adams.

ALEX AMSEL (ARGENTINA) CONDUCTOR

(Student Performances Nov. 2, 4m, 8m)

Alex Amsel is making his HGO debut. He has quickly established himself as a conductor equally at home on the orchestral and operatic podium, and as a music educator for students of all ages. He joins HGO as Resident Conductor for the 2022-23 season after three seasons with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, where he was appointed Assistant Conductor by Robert Spano and led the orchestra in a variety of symphonic, chamber, and education/ outreach concerts. Amsel is currently a Music Director Finalist for the Elgin Symphony in Illinois. He was selected for the prestigious Aspen Conducting Academy for the 2020 and 2021 summers, where he worked closely with Spano and Patrick Summers. He has led orchestras at Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Round Top Music Festival, and Philadelphia International Music Festival.

ARIN ARBUS (UNITED STATES) DIRECTOR

Arin Arbus returns to HGO after serving as original director for this production of La traviata, a co-production with Canadian Opera Company and The Lyric Opera of Chicago, in 2017. Also for HGO, she staged Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia

(2012). Arbus is resident director at Theatre for a New Audience, where she has directed The Winter’s Tale and The Skin of Our Teeth (Obie Award); repertory productions of Strindberg’s The Father and Ibsen’s A Doll’s House; and King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Measure for Measure, and Othello. In 2019 Arbus made her Broadway debut directing Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Tony nomination for Best Revival), starring six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and two-time Oscar nominee Michael Shannon. In association with Rehabilitation Through the Arts, for several years Arbus led a company of incarcerated residents at Woodbourne Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in upstate New York. In 2019 she directed an Arabic adaptation of The Tempest, performed by refugees in a camp in Greece for The Campfire Project.

RICCARDO HERNÁNDEZ (UNITED STATES) SET DESIGNER

Riccardo Hernández’s work has been seen previously at HGO in La traviata (2017), the world premiere of A Coffin in Egypt (2014), and Carmen (2006, 2000). He has designed more than 250 opera and theater productions internationally and across the United States. Recent opera designs include Carmen for Minnesota Opera and Glimmerglass Opera and Lucia di Lammermoor and Don Giovanni for Santa Fe Opera. Opera world premieres include Il Postino for Los Angeles Opera and Philip Glass’s Appomatox for San Francisco Opera. Other designs include The Abduction from the Seraglio for Opera de Nice; Il Tabarro/I Pagliacci and Sweeney Todd for Opera Theater of Saint Louis; The Lost Highway for London’s English National Opera/Young Vic; Don Giovanni for Chicago Opera; Haroun for New York City Opera; Amistad for Lyric Opera of Chicago; and more for Florida Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Gotham Opera NYC, and others. Hernández’s extensive Broadway credits include Jagged Little Pill (Tony Nomination Best Scenic Design of a Musical); Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (Tony Award nomination for best play revival), Indecent (Tony Award nomination for best play); The Gin Game; The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (2012 Tony Award for best musical revival); The People in the Picture; and Tony Kushner’s Caroline, or Change, which was also performed at the Royal National Theater in London and won both Olivier and Evening Standard awards for best musical. Hernández is a recipient of numerous awards including the Princess Grace Statue Award. He serves on the faculty of the Yale School of Drama.

CAIT O’CONNOR (UNITED STATES) COSTUME AND PUPPET DESIGNER

Cait O’Connor is a New York-based painter and designer for opera, dance, theater, and film. She returns to HGO after serving as the original costume and puppet designer for the company’s 2017 production of La traviata, for which she

received the prestigious Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Costume Design O’Connor recently designed Hamlet for The Old Globe in San Diego. Her other major projects include Rossignol (Canadian Opera Company); Inspiré (Cirque du Soleil); The Seagull (Anton’s Week LLC); Lie of the Mind, Romeo and Juliet, and Parade (Trinity Repertory Theater); Titus Andronicus (Public Theater); Balm in Gilead (Solo Foundation); The Witch of Edmonton (Red Bull Theater); and productions for Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Free Play Festival, The Wooster Group, and Shakespeare in the Park, among many other venues. With Michael Curry, O’Connor designed large-scale puppets and interactive costumes for the Opéra national de Paris. She has exhibited work in New York galleries including the Monique Goldstrom Gallery in Soho, and has participated in the group exhibition “Wildly Different Things: New York and Dublin,” organized by BlueLeaf Gallery, Dublin, and Contaminate NYC. O’Connor holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Department of Design for Stage and Film at New York University.

MARCUS DOSHI (UNITED STATES) LIGHTING DESIGNER

Marcus Doshi returns to HGO after serving as the original lighting designer for the company’s 2017 production of La traviata. This season he also serves as lighting designer for The Wreckers Previously for HGO, he designed the lighting for Julius Caesar (2017). He is an international award-winning theater maker who designs lighting and sets for theater, opera, and dance. He also collaborates with artists and architects on a wide array of nonperformance-based work. Doshi’s work has been seen extensively in New York. His Broadway credits include Linda Vista (2019) and Pass Over (2021). Work Off-Broadway includes a longstanding collaboration with Theatre for a New Audience. His designs have been featured in Chicago (Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Lyric Opera, others), at most major regional theaters and opera companies in the U.S., and internationally in 18 countries across five continents. Notable work includes Les Mamelles de Tirésias (Aldeburgh Music, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, La Monnaie in Brussels, Dutch National Opera, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia); Don Giovanni (Santa Fe Opera); and Elektra (Seattle Opera); as well design for the Sydney Festival, National Arts Centre Mumbai, and many others. He is Associate Chair of the Department of Theater at Northwestern University, where he teaches design.

CHRISTOPHER ASH (UNITED STATES) PROJECTIONS DESIGNER

Christopher Ash returns to HGO after serving as the original projection designer for La traviata (2017), co-commissioned by HGO, Canadian Opera Company, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. His opera designs also have been seen at Opéra national de Paris and The Metropolitan Opera. Ash’s work as an international designer and filmmaker draws on 25 years of experience, has been seen in 13

countries, and has been recognized with 15 awards. His Broadway credits include Sunday in the Park with George (starring Jake Gyllenhaal), Saint Joan, Network, The Prince of Broadway, The Crucible, and On the Town. He holds an MFA in design from the Yale School of Drama.

AUSTIN MCCORMICK (UNITED STATES) ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHER

Austin McCormick made his HGO debut with the company’s 2017 production of La traviata. He is the creator of Brooklyn-based COMPANY XIV, a unique blend of circus, Baroque dance, ballet, opera, live music, and lavish design. Recent credits include choreography for the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company, The Juilliard School, Guggenheim Works in Process, Carnegie Hall, La Serenissima festival, Gotham Chamber Opera, the Kennedy Center, Theater for a New Audience, and Opera Columbus. McCormick has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards (Best Choreography and Unique Theatrical Experience), the grand jury prize for Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center, and a Bessie Award. He is the recipient of an Innovative Theater Award for outstanding choreography, Opera America’s Robert L.B. Tobin Director/Designer Prize, and a Dora Mayor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreography. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard School.

CHARLOTTE BYDWELL (CANADA) REVIVAL CHOREOGRAPHER

Charlotte Bydwell is making her HGO debut. Bydwell has performed and choreographed at leading theaters around the world, as well as in recognized film/TV productions. She has worked extensively as a choreographer, movement coach, dance captain, and fight captain on productions for the Old Globe in San Diego, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Virginia Stage Company, and at theaters around New York City. She has worked alongside directors such as Mark Lamos, Scott Ellis, and Rob Melrose. She made her Off-Broadway choreographic debut with Nicholas Tolkien’s Terezin at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons and was the season choreographer on Comedy Central’s new series, ALTERNATINO, created by and starring Arturo Castro. She served as the choreographer for the 2021 National Tour, New York City and Chappaqua Performing Arts Center productions of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Bydwell holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard Dance Division and a Master of Fine Arts from the Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Acting Program, where she was a recipient of the Craig Noel Fellowship.

ADAM NOBLE (UNITED STATES) INTIMACY AND FIGHT DIRECTOR

Adam Noble is a movement specialist with over 25 years of experience in theater, opera, and film. He is the Movement Instructor for the HGO Studio, and this season serves as Intimacy and Fight Director for all HGO Brown Theater productions. He previously served as the company’s Fight Director for Julius Caesar (2018) and Rigoletto (2019), and as the Fight and Intimacy Director for Romeo and Juliet (2022), Carmen (2021), and Don Giovanni (2019). Notable credits include The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Alley Theatre, Opera Carolina, Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, Dayton Opera, the Public Theatre, and more. Noble is the co-founder and artistic director of the Dynamic Presence Project, a theater company focused on the revitalization and proliferation of movement theater and embodied physical storytelling. He teaches movement both nationally and internationally, and has choreographed the physicality, violence, and intimacy for well over 200 productions. As the Associate Professor of Acting & Movement at the University of Houston, he serves both the MFA and the BFA acting programs. He is also the resident Fight Director & Intimacy Coordinator for The Alley Theatre.

RICHARD BADO (UNITED STATES)  CHORUS DIRECTOR

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Director Chair

HGO Studio alumnus Richard Bado is director of artistic planning and chorus director at HGO. He made his professional conducting debut in 1989 leading HGO’s acclaimed production of Show Boat at the newly restored Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Since then, he has conducted for Houston Ballet, La Scala, Opéra national de Paris, New York City Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, Tulsa Opera, the Russian National Orchestra, the Florida Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, and Wolf Trap Opera. This season he again conducts performances of The Nutcracker with the Houston Ballet. An accomplished pianist, Bado has appeared regularly with Renée Fleming in recital. He has also played for Cecilia Bartoli, Frederica von Stade, Susan Graham, Denyce Graves, Marcello Giordani, Ramón Vargas, Samuel Ramey, Jamie Barton, Ryan McKinny, and Michael Spyres. Bado holds music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where he received the 2000 Alumni Achievement Award, and West Virginia University; he also studied advanced choral conducting with Robert Shaw. For 12 years, he was the director of the opera studies program at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He has also worked for the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, the Bolshoi Opera Young Artist Program, Opera Australia, Santa Fe Opera, and Opera Theater of St. Louis. He received HGO’s Silver Rose Award in 2013 in celebration of his 25th year as chorus master.

ANGEL BLUE (UNITED STATES) SOPRANO—VIOLETTA VALÉRY

Generously underwritten by Allyson Pritchett

Angel Blue is making her HGO debut. She opened the Metropolitan Opera’s 2019-20 season as Bess in a new production of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, for which she earned a Grammy Award in the Best Opera Recording category. She reprised the same role at the Met in fall 2021 following her role debut as Destiny/Loneliness/ Greta in the company’s historic 2021-22 season opener, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the first production at the Metropolitan Opera by a Black composer. She became the first African American to receive the Beverly Sills Award from the Metropolitan Opera in 2020 and is also a 2022 Richard Tucker Foundation Awardee. Blue most recently appeared in La traviata at Covent Garden, and sang the role of Marguerite in Faust at Opéra national de Paris. She has been praised for performances at Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Theater an der Wien, Oper Frankfurt, San Diego Opera, and many other houses. She has performed as Mimì in La bohème with the English National Opera, the Palau de Les Arts in Valencia, the Vienna State Opera, the Canadian Opera Company, the Metropolitan Opera, Hamburg State Opera, and Semperoper Dresden. Blue debuted as Liù in Turandot at the San Diego Opera in 2018, as Marguerite in Faust at the Portland Opera in 2018, and as Bess in Porgy and Bess in Seattle in the same year. She debuted in Baden-Baden as Elena in Mefistofele in 2016 and sang her first Violetta in La traviata at the Seattle Opera in 2017, a role she also sang in the 2018-19 season for her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and her return to the Teatro alla Scala.

CECILIA VIOLETTA LÓPEZ (UNITED STATES) SOPRANO—VIOLETTA VALÉRY

(Student Performances Nov. 2, 4m, 8m)

Cecilia Violetta López was named one of opera’s “25 Rising Stars” by Opera News. She is making her HGO debut in her signature role of Violetta. During the 2021-22 season she appeared as Hanna Glawari in Opera Idaho’s production of The Merry Widow and as a soprano soloist in the company’s “Opera in the Park” concert. She was the soprano soloist for Handel’s Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic and returned to Zomeropera in Belgium to sing Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly. She also returned to Opera Orlando as Violetta and to Virginia Opera, where she debuted the role of Beatrice in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers. 2022-23 engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Pacific Symphony, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Utah Symphony, and Celebrando a México and the title role in Rusalka with Opera Idaho. López made her European début as Norina in Don Pasquale with Zomeropera in Belgium. She has made role debuts as Adina in The Elixir of Love with Opera Idaho, Virginia Opera, and Opera Las Vegas; the title role

in Massenet’s Manon with Opera Idaho; Nedda in I pagliacci with Opera Colorado; Desdemona in Rossini’s Otello with LoftOpera; and many other roles in houses across the country. She reprised the role of Micaëla in Carmen with Madison Opera and joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in their 2015 production of The Merry Widow. In January 2021, she was named Opera Idaho’s first Artistic Advisor.

MATTHEW WHITE (UNITED STATES)

TENOR—ALFREDO GERMONT

(Mainstage performances; High School Night Nov. 2)

Matthew White is making his HGO debut. White recently made critically acclaimed debuts as Don José in Bizet’s Carmen with the Santa Fe Opera, Rodolfo in Yuval Sharon’s new production of La bohème with Detroit Opera and Spoleto Festival USA, Don José in Carmen with Arizona Opera, Faust in Boulanger’s setting of Faust et Hélène with the Houston Symphony and Lancelot in Chausson’s Le roi Arthus with Bard SummerScape. In the 2022-23 season, White will sing Pinkerton with Opéra de Montréal, Don José for his European debut with Oper im Steinbruch in Austria, and Duca in Rigoletto with Utah Opera. In concert, he will sing Handel’s Messiah with the Nashville Symphony and the United States Naval Academy. He is a recipient of the Grand Prize of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, first place in the Deborah Voigt International Vocal Competition, and numerous other awards.

RICARDO GARCIA (UNITED STATES)

TENOR—ALFREDO GERMONT

Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson/ Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr. Fellow

(Student Performances Nov. 4m, 8m)

A third-year HGO Studio artist from Castro Valley, California, Ricardo Garcia completed his Master of Music in Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice from the University of the Pacific. For HGO’s 2021-22 season, Garcia’s roles included El Remendado in Carmen, Papí/Jasper in alternate cast performances of The Snowy Day, First Commissioner in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Romeo in alternate cast and outdoor performances of Romeo and Juliet. Other HGO roles for 2022-23 include Schmidt in Werther and Third Jew in Salome. During the 2020-21 HGO Digital season he appeared in Vinkensport as Hans Sach’s Trainer; The Making of The Snowy Day, an Opera for All; and Suite Española: Explorando Iberia. In summer 2021, he returned to Wolf Trap Opera as Valcour in The Anonymous Lover and sang the role of Grimoaldo in Rodelinda at the Aspen Music Festival. In summer 2022, he performed the role of Fabrizio Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza with Central City Opera and joined Boston Lyric Opera in his company debut as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet

ANDREI KYMACH (UKRAINE) BARITONE—GIORGIO GERMONT

Andrei Kymach is making his HGO debut. He is the 2019 first prize winner of the prestigious BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and a 2018 graduate of the Bolshoi Young Artist Program, where he made his role debut as Don Carlos in Dargomyzhsky’s The Stone Guest at the Bolshoi Theatre. In the 2021-22 season, he returned to the Bolshoi Theatre for Sadko, Bayerische Staatsoper for La bòheme, and Welsh National Opera for the title role in Don Giovanni, and debuted at the Savonlinna Festival as Escamillo in Carmen. Upcoming is his house debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Recent role highlights include Sir Riccardo Forth (I puritani) at the Gran Teatro del Liceu Barcelona, Lord Enrico Ashton (Lucia di Lammermoor) at the Auditorio de Tenerife, Don Giovanni at Opera de Nice and Théâtre d’Antibes, and a concert performance of Rubinstein’s The Demon (title role) at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Kymach gave concert performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans under Tugan Sokhiev at The Bolshoi Theatre and on tour in France including at Halle aux Grains in Toulouse and The Philharmonie de Paris, as well as a concerts for Opera de Nice, Opera de Toulon, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. He holds a degree in philosophy from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev and a degree in singing from the National Tchaikovsky Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev. He was a member of the Ukraine’s Kherson Philharmonic Society.

ANTHONY CLARK EVANS (UNITED STATES)

BARITONE—GIORGIO GERMONT

(Student Performances Nov. 2, 4m, 8m)

Anthony Clark Evans is making his HGO debut. During the 2021-22 season, Evans made his debut with Opera Philadelphia in the title role of Rigoletto and returned to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Sharpless in Madame Butterfly. During the 2020-21 season, he made his European operatic debut as Giorgio Germont in La traviata with Opéra National de Bordeaux. Operatic highlights include his debut with the Metropolitan Opera as the Huntsman in the new Mary Zimmerman production of Rusalka; his San Francisco Opera debut as Lescaut in Manon Lescaut; Zurga in The Pearl Fishers with Santa Fe Opera; Leporello in Don Giovanni with Tulsa Opera; Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera San José; his San Diego Opera debut as Sharpless in Madame Butterfly; his debut in the title role in Rigoletto with Kentucky Opera; and his debuts with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Dallas Opera, and Querido Arte in Guatemala as Marcello in La bohème. Roles with Lyric Opera of Chicago include Riccardo in I Puritani, the Jailer in Tosca, Yamadori in Madame Butterfly, the Huntsman in Rusalka, and creating the role of Simon Thibault in the world premiere of Bel Canto Awards and recognition include being named a 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World main prize finalist, a Grand Finals Winner of the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 2017 Richard Tucker career grant recipient, and a 2014 Sarah Tucker career grant recipient, among others.

EMILY TREIGLE (UNITED STATES) MEZZO-SOPRANO—FLORA BERVOIX

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Crownover/ John Serpe and Tracy Maddox Fellow

A second-year HGO Studio artist from New Orleans, Emily Treigle was named a Grand Finals Winner in the 2021 Metropolitan Opera’s Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition and was the third prize winner in HGO’s 2021 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. For HGO’s 2021-22 season, her roles included Mother Jeanne in Dialogues of the Carmelites and Gertrude in Romeo and Juliet. Other HGO roles for 2022-23 include Käthchen in Werther and Miss Violet in Another City. In 2021, she covered the title role of L’enfant in L’enfant et les Sortilèges at Rice. In 2019, Treigle trained with HGO’s Young Artist Vocal Academy and participated in the Aspen Music Festival, where she portrayed Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music. In the summer of 2021, she returned to Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist for the second time. Previous roles include Bradamante in Alcina and Mrs. Ott in Susannah, an opera made famous by her grandfather, world-renowned bass-baritone Norman Treigle. Treigle pursued her Master of Music degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree in 2020.

ERIC TAYLOR (UNITED STATES) TENOR—GASTONE, VICOMTE DE LETOURIÈRES

Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth IV/ Sharon Ley Lietzow and Robert Lietzow/ Jill and Allyn Risley Fellow

A second-year HGO Studio artist from Saint George, Utah, Eric Taylor completed his Master of Music degree at Rice University, where he performed the roles of Sam Polk in Susannah and Tito in La clemenza di Tito. He was named the second prize winner in HGO’s 2021 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. For HGO's 2021-22 season, his roles included Chevalier in Dialogues of the Carmelites, First Armored Man in The Magic Flute, and Benvolio in mainstage and outdoor performances of Romeo and Juliet. Other HGO roles for 2022-23 include Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro and Narraboth in Salome. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in music at Westminster College, he performed several leading roles, including Nemorino in The Elixir of Love and Rodolfo in La bohème, in addition to appearing in Carmina Burana with Salt Lake City’s Ballet West. Taylor has participated in Apprentice Artist programs with Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, and Utah Lyric Opera. He was named a semifinalist at the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions in 2017. He returned to the Santa Fe Opera in 2022 to perform the role of Melot in Tristan and Isolde and cover Don José in Carmen

NAVASARD HAKOBYAN (ARMENIA) BARITONE—BARON DOUPHOL

Melinda and Bill Brunger/ Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson Fellow

A first-year HGO Studio artist, Armenian baritone Navasard Hakobyan won first place at HGO’s 2022 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. During the 202223 season at HGO, his other roles include Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro and Second Nazarene in Salome. He was a member of the young artist program of the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Yerevan, Armenia since 2018. His roles there in the 2020-21 season included Silvio in Pagliacci, Giorgio Germont in La traviata, and Belcore in a new production of The Elixir of Love. He has won numerous international competitions, including first prize in the Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition and third prize in the José Carreras Grand Prix in Moscow, Russia. Hakobyan received his master’s degree at Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. He was named the 2019 winner of the President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize.

KELLY MARKGRAF (UNITED STATES) BASS-BARITONE—MARQUESE D’OBIGNY

Kelly Markgraf is making his HGO mainstage debut. He created the role of Paul Jobs in Mason Bates’s Grammy Award-winning The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at the Santa Fe Opera, as well as the role of Hannah – Before in Laura Kaminsky’s transgender opera As One, one of the most frequently performed new operas in the U.S. today. His recent and upcoming projects include the 2020 HGO Digital production of David T. Little’s Vinkensport as Prince Gabriel III of Belgium’s Trainer’s Son, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Tucson Symphony, and the world premiere of Marc Neikrug’s A Song for Mahler with Chamber Music Northwest. Markgraf has enjoyed collaboration with some of the world’s most esteemed conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, Giancarlo Guerrero, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Edo de Waart, and has performed with the nation’s leading symphony orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut as Bernardo in a live concert recording of West Side Story, which was later nominated for a Grammy Award.

CORY MCGEE (UNITED STATES) BASS—DOCTOR GRENVIL

Beth Madison Fellow

A third-year HGO Studio artist from Stafford, Virginia, Cory McGee completed his Master of Music degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He was the second prize winner in HGO’s 2020 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. Other HGO roles for 2022-23 include Johann in Werther, Jailer in Tosca, and Fifth

Jew in Salome. During the 2021-22 HGO season, he performed the role of Billy in The Snowy Day, and during the 2020-21 HGO Digital season he appeared in The Making of The Snowy Day, an Opera for All and in Giving Voice. In summer 2019, he joined Santa Fe Opera as an apprentice artist, portraying the role of the Gardener in Ruder’s The Thirteenth Child. He returned to Santa Fe in summer 2021 as an apprentice artist for the second time, performing the role of Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and recently debuted the role of Colline in La bohème at Detroit Opera. In summer 2022, he sang the role of Caspar in Der Freischütz with Wolf Trap Opera.

RENÉE RICHARDSON (HAITI/UNITED STATES)

SOPRANO—ANNINA

Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer/ Carolyn J. Levy/ Jeff Stocks and Juan Lopez Fellow

A first-year HGO Studio artist, Haitian-American soprano Renée Richardson hails from Springfield, Pennsylvania. During the 2022-23 season at HGO, she also performs the role of Woman Whose Uncle Loved Maria Callas in Another City Last season she sang Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème at the Academy of Vocal Arts, where she studied with Bill Schuman. Also at AVA, she sang the Foreign Princess in Dvořák’s Rusalka, the title role and Suor Dolcina in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Inès in Donizetti’s La favorite. She holds a Professional Studies Diploma in Voice from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where her roles included Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Béatrice in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict, and the title roles in Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Cherubini’s Medea. Richardson has been seen in several Pensacola Opera productions including Carmen, La bohème, and The Pirates of Penzance. She was the recipient of an A. Grace Lee Mims Scholarship for Negro Spirituals and was the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Kennett Symphony. She was recently named a finalist in the Vincerò Worldwide Opera Competition in Naples, Italy.

JON JANACEK (UNITED STATES)

TENOR—GIUSEPPE

Jon Janacek is a member of the HGO Chorus. He previously performed with HGO as Registrar in Madame Butterfly (2015) and Giuseppe in La traviata (2017). Other past roles include Canio in Pagliacci, Rodolfo in La bohème, and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos as a young artist with Kingwood Summer Opera; Jenik in concert for The Bartered Bride as a vocal fellow at Music Academy of the West in 2016; Bacchus with the Berlin Opera Academy in 2017; and excerpts of the title role in Lohengrin in 2018 and the role of Erik in The Flying Dutchman in 2019, both for the Wagner Institute of the Miami Music Festival. In 2020 Janacek participated in Vegas City Opera’s film, The Ring Vegas, performing the four lead tenor roles—Loge, Siegmund, and both Siegfried roles—for this new reduced version of Wagner’s Ring Cycle created by Maestro Dennis Doubin. He returned to The Wagner

Institute, Miami Music Festival, in June 2022 to sing Loge in Das Rheingold He is a continuing participant of the American Wagner Project and will return to Vegas City Opera in March 2023 to sing Siegmund in Die Walküre. An experienced concert artist, Janacek has been a featured soloist in performances of several sacred oratorios. He has appeared with symphonies and orchestras across Texas, including St. John the Devine Chorale and ROCO Chamber Orchestra in Houston. Janacek is a current participant in the Dolora Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices and a graduate of Baylor University.

SAÏD HENRY PRESSLEY (UNITED STATES) BASS-BARITONE—MESSENGER

Saïd Henry Pressley is a member of the HGO Chorus. He previously appeared with HGO mainstage productions as a Jailer in Tosca (2015) and Hyde in Prince of Players (2016). He also appeared in the company world premiere of The Pastry Prince (2015) and Cinderella in Spain (2014). He has performed as Presto in Les mamelles de Tirésias, Simone/Maestro Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, and Wu Tianshi in the American premiere of Peter Maxwell Davies’s Kommilitonen! with Juilliard Opera; as well as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, Sebastian in the world premiere recording of Lee Hoiby’s The Tempest (Albany Records), Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Sarastro in The Magic Flute with Purchase Opera. Pressley performed in Unsung Activist by Steve Wallace with Opera in the Heights and has appeared with The Dacameron Opera Coalition. With Houston’s Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, he has performed at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and MATCH Houston. He won first prize in the Tony and Sally Amato Opera Competition (2010); second prize in the Harlem Opera Theater Competition (2013); and was named a semi-finalist in Dallas Opera Guild’s Annual Vocal Competition (2014) and Best Vocalist at the Sid Wright Accompanying Competition (2018). A graduate of Purchase College Conservatory and The Juilliard School, he is pursuing a doctorate degree at the Butler School of Music.

AUSTIN HOELTZEL (UNITED STATES) BASS—FLORA’S SERVANT

Austin Hoeltzel is a member of the HGO Chorus. He previously performed as Flora’s Servant in La traviata with HGO in 2017. He hails from the tiny town of Marshall, Michigan. After completing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, he ventured to Texas to obtain a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Houston. When he is not performing around Houston as a vocalist and church musician, he can be found at Deepwater Elementary School, where he teaches classroom music.

SUNG IN ENGLISH WITH PROJECTED ENGLISH TEXT

MUSIC BY DAME ETHEL SMYTH

LIBRETTO BY HENRY BREWSTER

TRANSLATED BY AMANDA HOLDEN

An opera in three acts

The performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 32 minutes, including one intermission.

An Original HGO Production

The activities of Houston Grand Opera are supported in part by funds provided by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Quick Start Guide

THE OPERA IN ONE SENTENCE

Against the cliffs of Cornwall, a revivalist religious community prays for shipwrecks to loot for food, but the young fisherman Mark, in love with the preacher’s wife Thirza, works against the town’s depraved attempts at survival.

BACKGROUND

Dame Ethel Smyth, the first female composer to be awarded a damehood, first dreamed of this opera after taking a tour of Cornwall and hearing the stories of the shipwrecks plundered by its isolated coastal communities. Years later she wrote The Wreckers, her third opera, following Fantasio in 1898 and Der Wald in 1902. (Der Wald was the first opera by a female composer to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera, and the only one for over 100 years.)

When she finally set to creating The Wreckers, she enlisted her close friend and librettist to her first two operas, Henry Bennet Brewster, who was likely Smyth’s only male lover in a long life of romances with women. Brewster, an American by birth who grew up in France, wrote the libretto originally in French: he and Smyth thought that the opera would have the best chance of premiering in either France or Belgium, or even their own Covent Garden, which had a greater penchant for francophones than its own native English operas. Their hopes were for naught, as no opera house in the French-speaking world was receptive to producing the

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

Smyth’s music is full of power and edge-of-your-seat momentum. Sir Thomas Beecham wrote that the piece “has a distinctive quality that separates it from the rest of English music. The vigour and rhythmic force of portions of The Wreckers equal anything of the kind written in my time.” Listen to the opening theme in the overture: the 6/8 time signature is reminiscent of many a sea shanty, but the unusual number of musical bars per phrase suggests an off-kilter feeling of waves—and ships—crashing against the cliffs. This music returns shortly after the overture in the first scene, when the community anticipates a storm that may bring them their next shipwreck.

FUN FACT

The libretto identifies the religious community in the opera as pietists of the late-18th-century Wesleyan Revival, the foundation of present-day Methodism. Cornwall became known as a stronghold of Methodism, with some crediting the county’s isolation as a unifying motivator: between cholera outbreaks, unemployment in the mines, and poor fishing seasons, the Methodist chapel became the central social forum of Cornish communities. On the other hand, the intensity with which Cornish Methodism flourished endowed the communities with a people’s authority not seen in other parts of England: John Wesley himself commented in 1788 about Methodists in Cornwall, “It has been observed for

Coast of Port Quin in Cornwall, UK

CAST & CREATIVE

CAST (in order of vocal appearance)

Tallan

Harvey

Pascoe

Avis

Lawrence

Jack

Thirza

Mark

Paul Groves

Luke Sutliff †

Lynn Gissel/ Brenda Harvey-Traylor/ Nancy Haywood Fellow

Reginald Smith, Jr. ‡

Mané Galoyan ‡

Underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson

Daniel Belcher ‡

Sun-Ly Pierce ‡

Sasha Cooke

Norman Reinhardt ‡

CREATIVE TEAM

Conductor

Director

Set and Costume Designer

Lighting Designer

Intimacy and Fight Director

Chorus Director

Dialect Coach

Musical Preparation

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Stage Manager

Assistant Director

† Houston Grand Opera Studio artist

‡ Former Houston Grand Opera Studio artist

Patrick Summers

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

Louisa Muller

Christopher Oram

Marcus Doshi

Adam Noble

Richard Bado ‡

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus

Director Chair

Jim Johnson

Alex Amsel

Peter Pasztor ‡

Madeline Slettedahl

Bin Yu Sanford †

Lynn Des Prez/ Stephanie Larsen / Dr. and Mrs. Miguel Miro-Quesada Fellow

Annie Wheeler

Frances Rabalais

English supertitles by Jeremy Johnson. Supertitles called by Luisana Rivas. Performing artists, stage directors, and choreographers are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, the union for opera professionals in the United States.

Scenic, costume, and lighting designers and assistant designers are represented by United Scenic Artists, IATSE Local USA-829. Orchestral musicians are represented by the Houston Professional Musicians Association, Local #65-699, American Federation of Musicians. Stage crew personnel provided by IATSE, Local #51.

Wardrobe personnel provided by Theatrical Wardrobe Union, Local #896.

Usher personnel provided by IATSE, Local B-184. This production is being recorded for archival purposes.

Scenery constructed by Bay Production, Cardiff.

Fire EFX by Bill Parker, BP F/X, Houston.

Water Special FX by Global Special Effects, Lexington.

Withy pots by Nigel Legge, Cornwall.

Line baskets provided by Joe Gray, Shiver Me Timbers, Cornwall.

Cawl baskets by Jesica Clark, Willow Vale Farms, New York.

Smocks by Zoe Payne, The Smock Shop, Cornwall.

Transportation by Andrew and Anne Newport, AR Newport Haulage, Cornwall.

SYNOPSIS

ACT I

Along the Cornish coast at the time of the Wesleyan Revival, an isolated and impoverished religious community of fishermen and miners gathers for Sunday service. They anticipate a storm, hoping that it will bring them food in the form of a shipwreck against their cliffs. Pascoe, the local preacher, berates them for drinking and dancing on the Sabbath, insinuating that the recent scarcity of ships to plunder is holy punishment. When he leaves to tend to a dying man, however, the lighthouse keeper Lawrence and his daughter Avis offer another explanation: they have seen someone on the cliffs lighting a fire to warn passing ships of the nearby rocks.

The community determines that they must have a traitor in their midst, preventing the shipwrecks they need to survive. As the town heads into the chapel, Thirza, the preacher’s much younger wife, declines to pray with them and rushes into her cottage. Avis stays behind when she notices that Mark, a fisherman that once courted her, is arriving. He sings in a merry mood and tosses a flower to Thirza’s cottage, confirming Avis’s suspicions of why Mark no longer loves her.

Holding the flower that Mark tossed her, Thirza, now alone, hopes for love. Her husband returns from his ministry and reproaches her for not being in the chapel, but Thirza stands her ground and says she no longer believes in what Pascoe does: she is horrified by his sanctimonious preaching that leads to the deaths of innocent people for the town’s plundering.

After the service ends and dusk sets in, Lawrence and Avis talk with the tavern landlord Tallan, his son Jack, and Lawrence’s brother-in-law Harvey. They see Pascoe in something of a trance, and he leaves to go pray alone. Avis, jealous of Mark’s love for Thirza, accuses Pascoe of being the community’s traitor, saying that Thirza rules his heart and has commanded him to light the fires that keep the passing ships safe. Since his punishment would be death, they resolve to watch Pascoe closely for proof before publicly accusing him; they and the rest of the town’s wreckers await the night’s storm.

INTERMISSION ACT II

Jack, enamored with Avis, agrees to go with her along the cliffs to search for the traitor. Mark arrives on the cliffs and amusedly watches the two run about, thinking that their “tryst” has freed him from Avis’s bitterness. When they run off, he aches for his true love as he readies a beacon: Mark is the one warning the passing ships. Thirza arrives and the two profess their love for one another, but she warns him that the town is on the alert, and he must not light the beacon. He convinces her to run away with him, leaving their town behind forever as they light the beacon one last time. Pascoe arrives just as the two flee; realizing what Thirza has done, he collapses in misery near the fire. Lawrence, Avis, Tallan, Jack, and Harvey find Pascoe’s body next to the warning beacon—they seem to have found their proof of Avis’s accusation.

ACT III

The town sets up an impromptu court in a cave by the sea to charge Pascoe with his crimes; as they question him, he refuses to deny the charge or say why he was near the beacon. When he is finally sentenced to death, Mark returns to confess, and to spare Pascoe’s life. Avis, seeing her plan to pin the guilt on Pascoe and Thirza fall apart, tries to convince the town that Mark was with her that night and could not have lit the fire. Lawrence reinstates order and recounts that 50 years earlier, in that very cave, a man was left to drown at high tide for the same crime of lighting beacons. The community renders the same judgment on Mark and Thirza, leaving them to drown as the two blissfully embrace.

HGO ORCHESTRA

Patrick Summers, Artistic and Music Director

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

VIOLIN

Denise Tarrant*, Concertmaster

Sarah and Ernest Butler Concertmaster Chair

Chloe Kim*, Assistant Concertmaster

Natalie Gaynor*, Principal Second Violin

Carrie Kauk†, Assistant Principal Second Violin

Melissa Williams*, Acting Assistant Principal

Second Violin

Miriam Belyatsky*

Anabel Detrick*

Rasa Kalesnykaite†

Hae-a Lee-Barnes*

Chavdar Parashkevov†

Mary Reed*

Erica Robinson*

Linda Sanders*

Oleg Sulyga*

Sylvia VerMeulen*

Zubaida Azezi

Lindsey Baggett

Andres Eduardo Gonzalez

Kana Kimura

Emily Madonia

Mila Neal

Patricia Quintero Garcia

Jacob Schafer

Rachel Shepard

Hannah Watson

VIOLA

Eliseo Rene Salazar*, Principal

Lorento Golofeev*, Assistant Principal

Gayle Garcia-Shepard*

Erika C. Lawson*

Suzanne LeFevre†

Dawson White*

Matthew Carrington

Elizabeth Golofeev

Sergein Yap

CELLO

Barrett Sills*, Principal

Erika Johnson*, Assistant Principal

Ariana Nelson†

Wendy Smith-Butler†

Steven Wiggs†

Shino Hayashi

Simon Housner

Kristiana Ignatjeva

Benjamin Stoehr

DOUBLE BASS

Dennis Whittaker†, Principal

Erik Gronfor*, Assistant Principal/Acting Principal

Carla Clark*, Acting Assistant Principal

Hunter Capoccioni

Deborah Dunham

FLUTE

Henry Williford*, Principal

Tyler Martin*

Izumi Miyahara

OBOE

Elizabeth Priestly Siffert†, Principal

Mayu Isom*, Acting Principal

Stanley Chyi

Claire Kostic

CLARINET

Sean Krissman†, Principal

Vanguel Tangarov, Acting Principal

Eric Chi*

Molly Mayfield

BASSOON

Amanda Swain*, Principal

Michael Allard*

Micah Doherty

FRENCH HORN

Sarah Cranston*, Principal

Kimberly Penrod Minson*

Spencer Park†

Aaron Griffin

Jamie Leff

Kevin McIntyre

TRUMPET

Tetsuya Lawson*, Principal

Randal Adams*

TROMBONE

Thomas Hultén*, Principal

Mark Holley†

Justin Bain†

Matthew Dickson

Ben Osborne

TUBA

Mark Barton*, Principal

TIMPANI

Alison Chang*, Principal

PERCUSSION

Richard Brown*, Principal

Christina Carroll

Karen Slotter

HARP

Joan Eidman*, Principal

BANDA

Thomas Marvil, Organ

Christina Carroll, Tambourine

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL MANAGER

Richard Brown*

* HGO Orchestra core musician

† HGO Orchestra core musician on leave this production

HGO CHORUS

Richard Bado, Chorus Director

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Director Chair

Nathan Abbott

Ofelia Adame

Geordie Alexander

Preston Andrews

Maggie Armand

Dennis Arrowsmith

Sarah Bannon

Zachary Barba

Megan Berti

Asha Brooke

Steve Buza

Christopher Childress

Scott Clark

Patrick Contreras

Esteban G. Cordero Pérez

Callie Denbigh

Stacia Morgan Dunn

Ashly Evans

Peter Farley

David Ferguson

Don Figg

Dallas Gray

EJ Grayson

Nancy Hall

Sarah Jane Hardin

Frankie Hickman

Austin Hoeltzel

Julie Hoeltzel

Patty Holley

Audrey Hurley

Jon Janacek

Katherine Jones

Joe Key

Melissa Krueger

Wesley Landry

Sarah L. Lee

Aarianna Longino

Alejandro Magallón

Neal Martinez

Norman Mathews

Katherine McDaniel

Jeff Monette

Natasha Monette

Matthew Neumann

Patrick Perez

Abby Powell

Saïd Henry Pressley

Nicholas Rathgeb

Kendall Reimer

Francis Rivera

Hannah Roberts

Emily Louise Robinson

Kathleen Ruhleder

Johnny Salvesen

Christina Scanlan

Kaitlyn Stavinoha

Rebecca Tann

Miles Ward

Jennifer Wright

Chloe Zimmermann

SUPERNUMERARIES

Noah Alarcon

Nathan Scot Bryant

Emma Cranston

Luke Gibson

Katherine Lu

Max Madof

Evelyn Markgraf

Liam Norton

Jennifer Ouedraogo

Elsa Rautio

Ian Utterson

Ski'Yah A. Williams

WHO'S WHO

PATRICK SUMMERS (UNITED STATES) CONDUCTOR

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

Patrick Summers was named artistic and music director of HGO in 2011 after having served as the company’s music director since 1998. Some highlights of his work at HGO include conducting the company’s first-ever complete cycle of Wagner’s Ring and its first performances of the Verdi Requiem; collaborating on the world premieres of Tarik O’Regan’s The Phoenix, André Previn’s Brief Encounter, Christopher Theofanidis’s The Refuge, Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life, The End of the Affair, and Three Decembers, Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree and Prince of Players, Tod Machover’s Resurrection, and Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day; leading the American premiere of Weinberg’s Holocaust opera The Passenger, both at HGO and on tour to the Lincoln Center Festival; and nurturing the careers of such artists as Christine Goerke, Ailyn Perez, Joyce DiDonato, Ana María Martínez, Ryan McKinny, Tamara Wilson, Albina Shagimuratova, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Norman Reinhardt, Jamie Barton, and Dimitri Pittas. Maestro Summers has enjoyed a long association with San Francisco Opera (SFO) and was honored in 2015 with the San Francisco Opera Medal. His work with SFO includes conducting Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick, which was recorded and telecast on PBS’s Great Performances. In 2017, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree by Indiana University. He was recently named Co-Artistic Director of the Aspen Music Festival’s Opera Theater and VocalARTS alongside Renée Fleming. This season at HGO, he also conducts The Marriage of Figaro; in 2021-22 he conducted The Snowy Day, Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Romeo and Juliet; and in 2019-20 he conducted Saul and Aida. Other recent engagements include Dead Man Walking at the Israeli Opera.

LOUISA MULLER (UNITED STATES) DIRECTOR

Louisa Muller previously directed Madame Butterfly for HGO, both on the mainstage (2015) and in outdoor performances (2011), as well as outdoor performances of Tosca (2010) and The Refuge (2008). This season, she also returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to direct Ernani and makes her Philharmonia Baroque debut with a revival of her production of Amadigi di Gaula Future engagements include Rinaldo with Pinchgut Opera in Australia and further new productions for Santa Fe Opera and Garsington Opera. Her debut with Garsington Opera, a new production of The Turn of the Screw, was named by The Guardian as one of the Top Ten Classical Music Events of the Year and won a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. Her other recent new productions include the premiere of Amadigi di Gaula for Boston Baroque; The Rake’s Progress at The Juilliard School; and Romeo and Juliet, The Rape of Lucretia, Tosca, and The Ghosts of Versailles for Wolf Trap Opera. She has staged Das Rheingold and Ariadne auf Naxos for the New York Philharmonic and at the Edinburgh International

Festival, respectively. She has also directed Tosca, Madame Butterfly, and La bohème (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Don Carlo and Tannhäuser (Los Angeles Opera); La traviata (Minnesota Opera); further productions of Madame Butterfly (Grand Théâtre de Genéve, Opera Queensland); and Don Giovanni, The Elixir of Love, and Cavalleria Rusticana/ Pagliacci (Metropolitan Opera).

CHRISTOPHER ORAM (UNITED KINGDOM) SET AND COSTUME DESIGNER

Previously for HGO, Christopher Oram designed sets and costumes for Madame Butterfly (2010, 2015) and The Marriage of Figaro (2016). Other opera credits include Billy Budd (Glyndebourne, Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Don Giovanni (Metropolitan Opera). His theater credits include Red (Donmar Warehouse and NYC); Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Cripple of Inishmaan (NYC); Peter and Alice and Privates on Parade (Michael Grandage Company and West End); Macbeth (Manchester International Festival and Park Avenue Armory, NYC); Frozen (St. James Theatre, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, NYC); Company (Sheffield Crucible); Othello, King Lear, Passion, Parade, and Frost/Nixon (Donmar); Hamlet, Madame de Sade, Twelfth Night, and Ivanov (Donmar and Wyndham’s); Summerfolk, Danton’s Death, Stuff Happens, and Power (National Theatre); Backbeat (Glasgow Citizen’s); Evita (Adelphi and NYC); Guys and Dolls (Piccadilly); King Lear and The Seagull (Royal Shakespeare Company and world tour); Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies, and The Mirror & The Light (RSC, London and NYC); A Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, and The Entertainer (Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company and Garrick). Oram is a recipient of the Tony, Drama Desk, Olivier, Evening Standard, Critic’s Circle, Garland, Falstaff, and Ovation Awards for his work in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

MARCUS DOSHI (UNITED STATES) LIGHTING DESIGNER

For information on Marcus Doshi, please see page 39.

ADAM NOBLE (UNITED STATES) INTIMACY AND FIGHT DIRECTOR

For information on Adam Noble, please see page 40.

RICHARD BADO (UNITED STATES) CHORUS DIRECTOR

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus Director Chair

For information on Richard Bado, please see page 40.

SASHA COOKE (UNITED STATES) MEZZO-SOPRANO—THIRZA

Previously with HGO, Sasha Cooke performed in Verdi’s Requiem (2017) and as Magnolia Hawks in Show Boat (2013); she also gave a Live from The Cullen recital with Kirill Kuzmin for HGO Digital in 2021. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others, and with over 70 symphony orchestras worldwide. In the 2021-22 season, Cooke returned to the Metropolitan Opera for her role debut as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. On the concert stage, she joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra first for performances of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, and then again as Margret in Wozzeck, both in Boston and on tour at Carnegie Hall. Other engagements last season include the Minnesota Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Festival de la Côte Saint-André, and many other companies. Also last season, Cooke’s new CD, entitled how do I find you, was released on the Pentatone label. As a dedicated recitalist, Cooke was presented by Young Concert Artists in her widely acclaimed New York and Washington debuts at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and the Kennedy Center. She has also appeared in recital at Alice Tully Hall, The Wigmore Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the 92nd St Y. She has a bachelor’s degree from Rice University and a master’s degree from the Juilliard School.

NORMAN REINHARDT (UNITED STATES) TENOR—MARK

HGO Studio alumnus Norman Reinhardt has been seen at HGO as Tamino in The Magic Flute (2022), Tony in West Side Story (2018), Lensky in Eugene Onegin (2015), Ferrando in Così fan tutte and Cassio in Otello (both in 2014), Jacquino in Fidelio (2011), Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2009), Bénédict in Béatrice et Bénédict (2008), and Ernesto in Don Pasquale (2006), among others. In the 2021-22 season he appeared as Edgar Aubrey in Marschner’s Der Vampyr in Hannover and made his role debut as Erik in The Flying Dutchman with Opera Maine. Recent highlights include his debut as Alfonso in Violanta at Teatro Regio Torino, Pollione in Norma in Stuttgart, Adolar in Christof Loy’s new production of Euryanthe for Theater an der Wien, Lurcanio in Ariodante for Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and Flamand in Capriccio for Teatro Real. He also made his role debut as

Števa in Katie Mitchell’s production of Jenůfa for Dutch National Opera. At the Festival Valle d’Itria, he made his debut as Achille in Manfroce’s rare opera Ecuba. As a member of the ensemble at Oper Leipzig, he extended his repertoire to include Alfredo in La traviata, Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, and Tamino in The Magic Flute. Reinhardt made his debut at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival and at the Salzburg Festival as Tony alongside Cecilia Bartoli and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. He sang his first Pollione with Bartoli at both the Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées and at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden.

MANÉ GALOYAN (ARMENIA) SOPRANO—AVIS

Generously underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson

HGO Studio alumna Mané Galoyan has appeared with HGO many times, including as Gilda in Rigoletto (2019), Confidante in Elektra (2018), Violetta Valery in La traviata (2017), Adina in The Elixir of Love (2016), Lucy Goodman in After the Storm (2016), and Margaret Hughes in the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Prince of Players (2016). She was the first-place winner in HGO’s 27th Eleanor McCollum Competition and Concert of Arias, and the second-place prize winner of the 2021 Operalia competition, where she also won the Zarzuela Prize and the Rolex Audience Prize. In the 2022-23 season, Galoyan also performs the title role in Luisa Miller with Oper Köln, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Atlanta Opera, Violetta in La traviata with Deutsche Oper Berlin and Seattle Opera, and Pamina in The Magic Flute with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In the 2021-22 season, as an ensemble member with Deutsche Oper Berlin, she sang Pamina in The Magic Flute, Violetta in La traviata, and Corinna in Il viaggio a Reims, among other roles. She also made her debut with Dutch National Opera as Violetta and performed the title role in Luisa Miller with the Glyndebourne Festival. She holds two degrees from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory in Armenia, where she was named the 2013 winner of the President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize.

REGINALD SMITH, JR. (UNITED STATES) BARITONE—PASCOE

HGO Studio alumnus Reginald Smith, Jr. has performed at HGO in roles including Amonasro in Aida (2020); Bonze in Madame Butterfly, Speaker of the Temple, Priest, and Armoured Man in outdoor performances of The Magic Flute, and Speaker in selected mainstage performances of The Magic Flute (all 2015); Dancaïre in Carmen and Marullo in Rigoletto (2014); and Blind in Die Fledermaus (2013). He appeared with the company in Giving Voice in 2020, and gave a Live from The Cullen recital with Richard Bado for HGO Digital later the same year. His 2021-22 season included debuts with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Uncle Paul in Terrence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the San Diego Opera as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte, and

Charleston’s Holy City Arts and Lyric Opera as Germont in La traviata Smith’s 2019-20 season opened with his much-anticipated debut at The Metropolitan Opera as Jim in Porgy and Bess; he also performed the role of Jake in Porgy and Bess at Atlanta Opera. Other roles include Sharpless in Madame Butterfly (Opera Memphis); Amonasro (Opera Idaho); Senator Charles Potter, General Airlie, and Bartender in Gregory Spears’s Fellow Travelers (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Monterone in Rigoletto (Portland Opera); and Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeri (Opera Memphis). He has made recent appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Nashville Symphony.

DANIEL BELCHER (UNITED STATES) BARITONE—LAWRENCE

Grammy Award-winning baritone Daniel Belcher, an HGO Studio alumnus, has appeared at HGO as James Addison Mills III in A House without a Christmas Tree (2017), Taddeo in The Italian Girl in Algiers (2012), the title role in Billy Budd (2008), Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (2005), Papageno in The Magic Flute (2004), Schaunard in La bohème (2002), John Brooke in Little Women (2000 and world premiere in 1998), and the title role in Orfeo (1999), among others. With a repertoire of more than 80 roles, Belcher has championed roles from the Baroque to those composed expressly for him. He came to international attention in 2004 creating the role of Prior Walter in Peter Eötvös’s Angels in America for the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. In the 2021-22 season, Belcher joined the Metropolitan Opera for Akhnaten and Rigoletto. Recent engagements during the COVIDimpacted seasons included William in The Fall of the House of Usher with Boston Lyric Opera, a return to On Site Opera for Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors, a concert with the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and Older Thompson in Glory Denied with Berkshire Opera Festival. Engagements in the 2022-23 season include a return to Opera Colorado.

PAUL GROVES (UNITED STATES) TENOR—TALLAN

Previously with HGO, Paul Groves performed as Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio (2008). Groves continues to enjoy an impressive international career performing on the stages of the world’s leading opera houses and most prestigious concert halls. During the 2022-23 season, he also returns to the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Howie Albert in Terence Blanchard’s Champion. Highlights of recent seasons include performing La Damnation de Faust in concert with the Shanghai and Beijing Symphonies, and performing as Chekalinsky in The Queen of Spades and Tamino in The Magic Flute with the Metropolitan Opera. Other recent performances include Faust in Boito’s Mefistofele at Opera de Lyon, his debut at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan as the title role in Candide, and his debut as Herod in Salome with the Spoleto Festival USA.

SUN-LY PIERCE (UNITED STATES) MEZZO-SOPRANO—JACK

HGO Studio alumna Sun-Ly Pierce returns to the company for her first production after graduating from the program in spring 2022. She was the first prize winner in HGO’s 2020 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. During HGO’s 2021-22 season, she performed as Mercedes in Carmen, Sister Mathilde in Dialogues of the Carmelites, 2nd Lady in The Magic Flute, and Stephano in Romeo and Juliet. In 2020-21 for HGO, she appeared as Liesl in My Favorite Things: Songs from The Sound of Music and as Hansel in HGO Digital’s Hansel and Gretel. This season, Pierce will debut at Opera Philadelphia as Emilia in the company’s new production of Rossini’s Otello and at Detroit Opera as Arsamenes in Xerxes. She was a 2021 Vocal Fellow the Music Academy of the West, and in summer 2022, performed the role of Bao Chai in Dream of the Red Chamber at San Francisco Opera and sang Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at the Aspen Music Festival. In 2019, she joined the Broad Street Orchestra as Dorinda in Handel’s Acis and Galatea. A winner of the Marilyn Horne Song Competition, Pierce completed the graduate vocal arts program at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the Eastman School of Music.

LUKE SUTLIFF (UNITED STATES) BARITONE—HARVEY

Lynn Gissel/ Brenda Harvey-Traylor/ Nancy Haywood Fellow

A second-year HGO Studio artist from Littleton, Colorado, Luke Sutliff holds a Master of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He was recently awarded a 2022 Sara Tucker Study Grant. For HGO’s 2021-22 season, his roles included El Dancairo in Carmen, M. Javelinot / Thierry in Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Mercutio in alternate cast and outdoor performances of Romeo and Juliet. Other HGO roles for 2022-23 include Brühlmann in Werther, Sciarrone in Tosca, and A Cappadocian in Salome. At the Shepherd School, he appeared as Kaiser Overall in Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Johannes Zegner in Proving Up. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with the late Sanford Sylvan, and made his Alice Tully Hall debut performing Fauré’s L’horizon chimérique. Sutliff previously performed the roles of Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Belcore in The Elixir of Love at the Chautauqua Institute. Sutliff joined Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist for summer 2021, covering the role of Jon Seward in The Lord of Cries and performing Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He returned to Santa Fe in 2022 to cover the role of Figaro in The Barber of Seville and perform El Dancairo in Carmen

OUT OF CHARACTER MATTHEW AUCOIN

By Catherine Matusow

Matthew Aucoin is, at a minimum, a quintuple threat: an American composer, conductor, writer, cofounder of his own opera company, and 2018 MacArthur Fellow who unquestionably puts the “genius” in “genius grant.”

In just one example of that genius, a 2015 New York Times article entitled “Matthew Aucoin, Opera’s Great 25-Year-Old Hope” recounts how, at age 11, he shocked his parents by sitting down at a hotel piano and playing The Marriage of Figaro from beginning to end, never having seen Mozart’s score.

To speak with him is to know that you are in the presence of blinding, dazzling brilliance, and yet Aucoin—now 32 and still a fount of hope for this art form—is delightfully downto-earth and fun to talk to. When we caught up with him to chat, he was at home in Vermont, where among (quite a few) other things, he was busy preparing for this moment: his debut engagement with HGO, and his very first time conducting Verdi’s La traviata.

Opera Cues: Conservatively speaking, how many projects are you currently working on?

Matthew Aucoin: I do try to keep it down to a relative few that I really care about. I’m working on a new theater piece—a music theater piece with Peter Sellars that I wouldn’t quite call an opera. So that’s one. There is another opera in the hopper. So that’s two. There is preparing to conduct La traviata at Houston Grand Opera. That’s three. There’s an orchestral piece. That’s four…

OC: Is any one endeavor occupying your brain more than others? What are you thinking about today?

MA: Composing always comes first for me. You know, I am a composer in the end. And so I generally wake up and think about that. And in the afternoons, I’m working on Traviata, getting dynamics and articulations written into the score so that the orchestra and chorus can be ready to roll this fall.

OC: Can you share more about how you’re prepping for La traviata?

MA: Verdi is in my bloodstream. I love

practically every note he ever wrote. I just feel this kind of animal sympathy with Verdi as a composer because he used his brain when he had to, but he mostly wrote from the heart and the gut.

Part of my background is as a vocal coach and pianist, so I study scores by playing every note at the piano and singing everything myself. I think the best way to prepare for conducting an opera is to really know how it feels from the perspective of your colleagues. No one else would ever want to hear me sing any Traviata, but in the privacy of my studio, a big part of my preparation is playing and singing just to get a sense of the flow.

And the work I’m doing now is this kind of obsessive marking of the score, little ideas about the dynamics—you know, should the orchestra play softer here? Should they play louder there? Of course, Verdi gives us a lot of that information, but the reality is he was writing for a very different performance situation where there was no pit. There was a very different-sized orchestra, different-sized theaters. So part of my job as conductor is to always have in mind what is going to speak most clearly in Houston

OC: Are you excited to work with HGO for the first time?

MA: I am so thrilled. And I think we have such a world-class cast. I mean, Angel Blue is one of my favorite sopranos working today. I’m excited to work with her. And I’m really looking forward to getting to know the city better. I’ve only ever visited for three or four days at a time, doing some things with DACAMERA I’m looking forward to getting a more in-depth Houston experience.

OC: You’ve written a fascinating new book called The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera, and everyone should read it. But in the meantime, is there a short answer? Why is opera impossible?

MA: Opera is impossible in a positive sense, because it strives for this union of all these different art forms. And something always goes wrong. We’re human. But it’s the attempt that is important. It’s this attempt to reach beyond ourselves, because even though we’re reaching for something we might never attain, we reach further than we would have

otherwise if we’re aiming for this kind of impossible alchemy. And that’s why I am drawn to this art form in the first place.

OC: Would you have had time to write the book without the pandemic?

MA: No, no chance. I know for a fact that I would have been sucked into various projects. I would have stayed on the merry-go-round of composing and performing. And I really only had a window of maybe five or six months when things were really shut down—in 2020, getting into the winter of 2021. And it helped that the book had kind of been in my head for a long time. I just had never had time to kind of sit and put it on paper. So it felt, in a way, more like transcribing something that had been kicking around for a few years.

I do think I’m not the only one to have learned a lesson or two about why it’s important to make time for things you want to do. And I’m trying—even though the world has opened back up, I’m trying to remember those lessons. It is difficult sometimes.

OC: I noticed Patrick Summers’s blurb on the back.

MA: It’s true! Patrick and I got to know each other in 2019, on one of my visits to Houston And then he was kind enough to fly out to Los Angeles for the premiere of my opera, Eurydice. And he gave me the most in-depth, thoughtful feedback of, I think, anyone that I encountered throughout the whole Eurydice process. I mean, he really understood at a cellular level what I was trying to do with the opera. And this Traviata project emerged, in a way, out of that.

OC: You founded American Modern Opera Company with Zack Winokur in 2017. What inspired you?

MA: AMOC is a collective of artists, singers, instrumentalists, and dancers. It’s not an opera company in the conventional sense; it’s more like a traveling theater troupe. Zack and I wanted to build a structure for artists to work together collaboratively over many years and to develop a shared vocabulary of art-making.

What we do as a company is we develop and produce new work, all of which feels, in a way, like opera, but sometimes, it’s a dance-focused

piece. Sometimes, it’s a concert. Sometimes, it is a staging of a chamber opera. But the important thing is that it’s all ideas that come from the artists who also perform it and bring it to life.

It’s kind of a new model for a small-scale opera company. And what we looked for in the artists that we invited to be a part of it is, we looked for people who work with opera companies or orchestras around the world, but who also sometimes want to do projects that don’t fit into that mold. We wanted people who do both. We’re not asking Julia Bullock or Davóne Tines to, say, give up singing with big opera companies. That would be ridiculous. But we like to have it both ways.

OC: It seems opera allows you to explore all your various passions at the same time.

MA: Yes. I do think, if you have all the interests I do, you’re probably doomed to work in opera. (laughs) It’s the only art form that can embrace all of them. And I do find that the different kinds of experience inform each other. If you have experience conducting operas, it really informs the way that you compose them.

OC: Why do you think La traviata is so beloved?

MA: La traviata strikes a unique balance, within Verdi’s operas, of being both forward-looking and nostalgic. La traviata comes a couple of operas after Rigoletto, which was, I think, for Verdi, kind of the lightning bolt, when he finally created something that was so condensed and taut and tense. And with Traviata, he keeps some of the innovations that he had discovered by Rigoletto, but it’s also a piece that has a lot of nostalgia for bel canto, for me. This is part of what gives it its magic. Violetta is sick. She’s dying. She is looking backwards for part of the opera. She’s looking backwards at the things she regrets. In Act Three, she’s looking back over her doomed love affair with Alfredo. And so there’s a kind of nostalgia— and the word nostalgia does mean a kind of sickness—baked into the piece. There’s a kind

of mysterious, tender, sickly quality to it that I think really affects people.

Traviata has the best of both worlds. It has the dramatic intensity of the mature Verdi, but it also has some of the sweetness of bel canto opera. Violetta’s arias are quite nostalgic and quite bel-canto-esque in their construction, especially the slower ones. So it makes perfect sense to me that when Verdi, at some point later in his career, was asked which of his operas was his favorite, he said, “Speaking as a professional, Rigoletto Speaking as an amateur, La traviata.”

It is just the most compact, explosive thing you could imagine. And when you see how much Verdi accomplishes in so little time—I am just in total awe of what happens there. And the fact that he gets to sneak in some party music in the middle of it, as a kind of palate cleanser in the midst of this massive crescendo, so to speak—it’s just the kind of thing that makes a fellow composer bow down. ∎

OC: What is your favorite thing about La traviata?

MA: There are operas that I love, and there are also acts within operas that I love. Sometimes, an act—from one intermission to the next—can be a little masterpiece of its own. And for me, Act Two of Traviata has always been one of my all-time favorite operatic acts, because it covers such an astonishing trajectory, from first seeing Violetta and Alfredo happy together, all the way through the catastrophe of her leaving him at his father’s behest and their unbearably intense confrontation at the party.

IF YOU HAVE ALL THE INTERESTS I DO, YOU’RE PROBABLY DOOMED TO WORK IN OPERA.

Matthew Aucoin: 32-year-old composer, conductor, author, and co-founder of American Modern Opera Company.

TURANDOT CAST PARTY

April 22, 2022

HGO patrons and company members joined the Turandot cast and creative team at the stunning new offices of Vinson & Elkins LLP following opening night of Puccini’s opera, in celebration of director/designer Robert Wilson’s magnificent new production. The joy was palpable following the jaw-dropping performance, which marked not only Wilson’s first return to HGO since 1996, but also Richard Bado’s 200th production as the company's chorus director! Bravo!

IMPRESARIOS CIRCLE DINNER

April 26, 2022

Members of HGO’s Impresarios Circle took over the Wortham stage alongside HGO Principal Guest Conductor Eun Sun Kim for an evening with the rising star. Hosted by Margaret Alkek Williams, the event featured Musings with the Maestro—an insightful conversation between HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor and Maestro Kim—followed by an intimate dinner with opera friends. The Impresarios Circle is HGO’s premier donor recognition society and is instrumental to HGO’s success. For information, contact Greg Robertson at 713-546-0274 or grobertson@hgo.org.

Patrick Summers, Khori Dastoor, and Vinson & Elkins host Christopher Bacon with some of the Turandot artists

HGO General Director Khori Dastoor and Maestro Eun Sun Kim

Margaret Alkek Williams and Eun Sun Kim Laura and Brad McWilliams

Jack Roth and Liz Grimm

Margaret Alkek Williams and Richard Bado

Dick Anderson's 90th birthday serenade

Director Robert Wilson and Maestro Eun Sun Kim

Front: Kevin Miller, Brenda Harvey-Traylor, Kiana Caleb. Back: Shannon Traylor Schmitt, Constance Rose-Edwards.

PATRONS CIRCLE RECITAL FEATURING MICHAEL SPYRES, BARITENOR

May 9, 2022

Michael Spyres took a quick break from charming audiences as love-struck Romeo in last season’s Romeo and Juliet to profess his adoration for HGO’s Patrons Circle at the group’s annual spring recital at the Corinthian. Accompanied by Richard Bado, the baritenor shared delightful stories alongside virtuoso performances of works by Rossini, Donizetti, Cahn & Brodszky, and more. For information on how to access an array of experiences like this one through Patrons Circle membership, contact Madeline Sebastian at msebastian@hgo.org.

LAUREATE SOCIETY RECITAL FEATURING DONNIE RAY ALBERT, BARITONE

May 15, 2022

HGO’s Laureate Society members capped off the 2021-22 season with a much-welcomed in-person return to a beloved tradition. Longtime HGO friend and star of the stage Donnie Ray Albert (Lord Capulet in spring’s Romeo and Juliet) was the cherry on top of a delicious season of live opera. Accompanied by Madeline Slettedahl, the treasured baritone delighted Laureate Society members at the Briar Club with a program of opera and Broadway favorites.

This annual recital is a treat reserved for HGO's Laureate Society members, opera lovers who have made commitments to HGO in their estate plans. For information, contact Deborah Hirsch at dhirsch@hgo.org or 713-546-0259.

Baritenor Michael Spyres, accompanied by Richard Bado

Ann and Stephen Kaufman

JP Anderson and Alfredo Tijerina

Silvia Salle and Micheline Newall

Marie-Louise Viada and Fritz Kolb

Brenda Harvey-Traylor

Ellen and Alan Holzberg

Efrain Corzo and Andrew Bowen

Glen Rosenbaum, Donnie Ray Albert, Madeline Slettedahl, Patrick Summers

OPERA BALL 2022: LE VOYAGE À MARRAKECH

April 9, 2022

HGO’s Opera Ball returned with flair (and a camel named Ernest) at a Moroccan-themed affair almost three years in the making. “Le Voyage à Marrakech”—a nod to the multiyear journey of planning the ball, thwarted by COVID-19 interruptions—delivered a vibrant Moroccan adventure chaired by Jennifer and Benjamin Fink

The Finks welcomed more than 470 guests to the Wortham’s Grand Foyer with regional music by Moodafaruka, fortune tellers, henna artists, and a silent auction chaired by Teresa and José Ivo. An auction highlight was a vacation package to Marrakesh presented by Royal Air Maroc and the Moroccan Tourism Office.

During dinner, the charm continued with belly dancers and a surprise performance of “La Vie en Rose” by soprano Ana María Martínez. City Kitchen Catering transported guests with a Mediterranean feast highlighting the many flavors of Morocco, with the spectacular culinary finale a gilded genie lantern filled with dark chocolate mousse. Guests sipped on wines curated by Medallion Global Wine Group; a “Marrakesh Mule” cocktail made with 8th Wonder vodka, ginger beer, and pomegranate; and traditional Moroccan mint tea.

The Celebrity All Stars band packed the dance floor, followed by DJ Little Martin, who fired up the ENCORE After Party crowd, welcomed by ENCORE chair Lauren Randle. Opera Ball raised over $1.2 million, benefiting HGO’s mission of enriching our diverse community through the art of opera. For information on Opera Ball 2023, visit HGO.org/OperaBall.

David and Kirby Lodholz

Dr. Karima Chami and Younes Belatier

HGO's Patrick Summers and Khori Dastoor with Ball Chairs Jennifer and Ben Fink

BenJoaquin Gouverneur, Khori Dastoor, Anne and Albert Chao

Alvin Abraham and Susan Sarofim

Mayor Sylvester Turner and Lynn Wyatt

Jim Crownover, Omana Abraham, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Sam Abraham Cynthia and Tony Petrello

Karen Payne gets henna

Isabel David, Kristy Bradsaw, Marilyn Basso, Jennifer Fink, Meredith Marshall

Stella Tang

Brandon McClendon and Myrtle Jones

Phyllis Williams and ENCORE chair Lauren Randle

Maria Victoria Vargas and Chuck Silverman

Anne and Albert Chao, Chairs

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Enjoy

GOING GRAND

HGO’s new composer-in-residence, Joel Thompson, on the power of musical storytelling

Jeremy Johnson, Dramaturg & Associate Director of New Works

Ibelieve that musical storytelling can be a site of liberation. There’s something about opera that requires community. It requires acknowledgement of something outside of ourselves.”

That’s how Houston Grand Opera’s first-ever full-time composer-in-residence started a recent conversation about his new role, which he assumed in August. Joel Thompson is a 33-year-old composer, born in the Bahamas to Jamaican

parents, who moved to Houston in grade school and then to Atlanta where he stayed through his first degree at Emory University. He recently finished coursework for his doctorate at Yale University, which he did while writing his very first opera, The Snowy Day, with librettist Andrea Davis Pinkney. The opera, which premiered at HGO in December 2021, established Joel as one of the leading voices in the next generation of composers and led to his five-year appointment in Houston.

Joel Thompson at a workshop for The Snowy Day.

While composing his first opera, Joel says, he was gripped by the art form’s power. “The Snowy Day was revolutionary for me as an artist. It allowed me to be a part of telling a story through music. Musical storytelling is a part of Black phenomena in every genre, whether hip-hop or rap—it’s all about telling stories,” he says.

“Especially now, in this age of critical race theory, where a lot of the world is trying to say stop complaining, stop being too loud, there’s this musical space where none of that matters. Opera is supposed to be loud. It’s grand. It invites you to laugh, to cry, to be as melodramatic as you want to be. It’s the full range of human emotion, and the great power of music is supporting all of that storytelling.”

Joel’s way with words is inspiring; it’s also nothing compared to his way with words and music in harmony. As a full-time member of the company, Joel will spend the next five seasons developing four pieces, beginning with a song cycle for HGO Studio artists and culminating in another world premiere opera.

Joel sees limitless possibility in what he, in tandem with the Houston community, might create during his time in this city. “I’m hoping that my time here can be a part of our society starting to consider musical storytelling to be a center of our culture. We get to define what our culture is, what it is to be American, and we get to do it together,” he says.

“I can imagine a future world in which everyone, regardless of background, can see one another more clearly, because of the power of musical storytelling. If we see our diverse stories being told in this space, if we go in with the intention to make quality art that allows even the most marginalized among us to be seen, we can be a part of the evolution of this great experiment that is the American democracy. Because we have interacted with each other in a musical storytelling space, that changes the way we interact with each other outside of that space.”

And what better place to experiment with the power of musical storytelling than in Houston, the most diverse city in the country? Joel’s residency places him side by side with this community, making art that speaks to us and for us, inviting us to musical empathy with everyone around us.

“The art that we make in Houston can be a template for other major art and cultural hubs in the country to also

contemplate the idea of America. We’re obviously undergoing growing pains in this country, in its adolescence, seemingly trying to devour each other because of differences of culture, ethnicity, and identity. We have to find ways to live with each other. If we can see each other clearly, and empathetically, in this musical storytelling space, we can figure out a lot of that noise,” he says.

We will not get there through words alone, Joel believes. “That’s the mystery of music. If we could articulate it, we would stop making music,” he says. “We’re still making music because it does something that language can’t do, regardless of which language we speak—something is communicated so that, when wielded intentionally and respectfully, the art of music is an invitation to empathy. I’m not saying music is something that can force the coldest heart to melt. But it can say, ‘I’m here. I’ve taken all my walls down. Come and see me, who I really am.’” ∎

Karen Slack and Nicholas Newton as Peter's parents in Joel Thompson's HGO world premiere opera, The Snowy Day

Where are you from originally, and how did you find your way to music as a career?

I’m originally from Bloomingdale, Illinois, a town outside of Chicago. Growing up, my dad often played his guitar and sang to me, and my mom would sometimes play a piano she had inherited from her parents. One day when I was 5 years old, I asked to take piano lessons. Apparently, I got hooked, because here we are over three decades later, and I’m still sitting at the bench!

As a pianist, how did you catch the “opera bug”?

The opera bug came early, though my decision to enter the opera world as a career choice came much later. I often caught the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on our local radio station as a kid, and when one of my early piano teachers found out I had a thing for voices, she immediately got me involved with vocal collaborations whenever possible. When I got to college, I found myself lurking about the voice studios, playing for voice lessons and recitals, and generally taking a great interest in all things opera and song, while simultaneously pursuing degrees in piano performance and musicology. It wasn’t until after graduating with my master’s degree that I realized all these side projects and collaborations I loved so much needed to be my main focus.

INTRODUCING MAUREEN ZOLTEK!

The HGO Studio’s new Music Director, Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair, answers questions about her career and life.

By Brian Speck, HGO Studio Director

WELCOME TO HGO!

Five first-year artists join the 2022-23 Studio class:

Who are your most important musical mentors?

Two people really spring to mind, although there have been many incredible musical mentors in my life. The first is Mary Sauer, who was principal pianist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a mere 57 years(!) and taught me everything I know about beauty of tone, technique, and musicianship. The second is Warren Jones, a household name in our world, of course, and also an outstanding human and educator, one who really helped me unearth a deeper understanding of words and music.

Do you have a favorite opera?

I couldn’t possibly choose just one, but I can probably whittle it down to five—Peter Grimes, Wozzeck, Jenůfa, Elektra, and Dialogues of the Carmelites

What are you up to when you’re not busy with opera?

When I’m not in the rehearsal room you can usually find me outside with my standard poodle, Henry, in the kitchen making cookies, or swinging in my hammock absorbed in a book.

Soprano

Meryl Dominguez from Brooklyn, New York

Armenian baritone Navasard Hakobyan, first place winner at HGO’s 2022 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias

Pianist/coach Michelle Papenfuss from Fairfax, Virginia

Haitian-American soprano Renée Richardson from Springfield, Pennsylvania

Mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner from El Paso, Texas

Photo credit: Thomas Guerrero

HGO STUDIO ARTISTS 2022–23

Meryl Dominguez, soprano

Mr. and Mrs. Harlan C. Stai Fellow

Ricardo Garcia, tenor

Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson/ Dr. Ellen

R. Gritz and Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr. Fellow

Navasard Hakobyan, baritone

Melinda and Bill Brunger/ Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Nickson Fellow

Cory McGee, bass Beth Madison Fellow

HGO STUDIO FACULTY & STAFF

Brian Speck, Director

Maureen Zoltek, Studio Music Director

Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair Endowment Fund

Jamie Gelfand, Studio Manager

Ana María Martínez, HGO Artistic Advisor

Stephen King, Director of Vocal Instruction

Sponsored by Jill and Allyn Risley, Janet Sims, and James J. Drach Endowment Fund

Patrick Summers, Conducting Instructor and Coach, Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

HGO STUDIO SUPPORTERS

The HGO Studio is grateful for the in-kind support of the Texas Voice Center. The Young Artists Vocal Academy (YAVA) is generously underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Wakefield and the HGO Guild.

Additional support for YAVA is provided by Mr. Patrick Carfizzi, Gwyneth Campbell, and David and Norine Gill. HGO thanks Magnolia Houston for outstanding support of the HGO Studio and YAVA programs.

Additional support for the Houston Grand Opera Studio is provided by Sylvia Barnes and Jim Trimble, Dr. Raymond Chinn, Mr. and Mrs. Melvyn Hetzel, Ms. Diane K. Morales, Mr. and Mrs. Jay Watkins, and the following funds within the Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc.:

Michelle Papenfuss, pianist/coach

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura/ Dr. Laura E. Sulak and Dr. Richard W. Brown Fellow

Renée Richardson, soprano

Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer/ Carolyn J. Levy/ Jeff Stocks and Juan Lopez Fellow

Luke Sutliff, baritone Lynn Gissel/ Brenda Harvey-Traylor/ Nancy Haywood Fellow

Eric Taylor, tenor Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth IV/ Sharon Ley Lietzow and Robert Lietzow/ Jill and Allyn Risley Fellow

Emily Treigle, mezzo-soprano

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Crownover/ John Serpe and Tracy Maddox Fellow

Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano

Amy and Mark Melton/ Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth Fellow

Bin Yu Sanford, pianist/coach

Lynn Des Prez/ Stephanie Larsen / Dr. and Mrs. Miguel Miro-Quesada Fellow

Peter Pasztor, Principal Coach

Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. James A. Elkins Jr. Endowment Fund

Kirill Kuzmin, Head of Music Staff

Kevin J. Miller, Assistant Conductor

Madeline Slettedahl, Assistant Conductor

Brian Connelly, Piano Instructor

Tara Faircloth, Drama Coach, Showcase Director

Adam Noble, Movement Instructor, Showcase Fight and Intimacy Director

Christa Gaug, German Instructor

Enrica Vagliani Gray, Italian Instructor

Sponsored by Marsha Montemayor

Raymond Hounfodji, French Instructor

Sponsored by Craig Miller and Chris Bacon

Joy Jonstone, English Instructor

The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation

Endowment Fund

Marjorie and Thomas Capshaw

Endowment Fund

James J. Drach Endowment Fund

The Evans and Portela Family Fund

Carol Lynn Lay Fletcher Endowment Fund

William Randolph Hearst

Endowed Scholarship Fund

Charlotte Howe Memorial Scholarship Fund

Elva Lobit Opera Endowment Fund

Marian and Speros Martel

Foundation Endowment Fund

Erin Gregory Neale Endowment Fund

Dr. Mary Joan Nish and  Patricia Bratsas Endowed Fund

John M. O’Quinn Foundation Endowed Fund

Shell Lubricants (formerly  PennzoilQuaker State Company) Fund

Mary C. Gayler Snook Endowment Fund

Tenneco, Inc., Endowment Fund

Weston-Cargill Endowed Fund

Mary C. Gayler Snook Endowment Fund

Tenneco, Inc., Endowment Fund

Weston-Cargill Endowed Fund

It’s a new and exciting school year, which means Opera to Go!, HGO’s touring program for Houston-area students and families, is already in full swing. This season’s production, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers, was commissioned by HGO, made its world premiere here in 2017, and went on to a successful life on stages throughout the country. We caught up with librettist David Johnston and composer Kamala Sankaram to ask them a few questions about their hit opera, now playing at a school or community space near you!

How would you describe Monkey and Francine?

David Johnston: It’s the story of Monkey and his sister Francine, as they learn how to outwit crocodiles and tigers and work together to save the kingdom. This is a story about female empowerment! It’s also about family, and the importance of reading. And it’s fun for adults.

Kamala Sankaram: The score grooves! The inspiration for the story comes partly from the Hanuman comics that I had when I was a kid, so the score also had to be very colorful and animated. It draws on many different musical influences, including ’60s Bollywood (the work of R.D. Burman, in particular), traditional Hindustani raga, son montuno, and the psychedelic Afrofusion of Frances Bebey.

What inspired you to create it?

KS: This piece really came about through conversations with David. Both of us wanted to create something that was universal and that brought together cultural traditions from across the world.

DJ: I knew I needed strong female characters that Kamala could have fun writing. I sat in the Midtown library in

OPERA TO GO! IN FULL SWING

Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers: an HGO original, and a hit with audiences of all ages

Manhattan with stacks of books on mythology and folklore, focusing on stories from India, China, West Africa, and various Native American traditions. I love folklore, so this was a very fun thing for me to work on. I also love Bob’s Burgers, and I think that influenced me while I was working on this—that whole comedic thing of children being insane sometimes.

The opera has had a successful life on other stages since its world premiere at HGO. What has that been like for you?

KS: It’s always exciting when your work has additional performances! But what is most exciting is that every new performance presents an opportunity for kids to hear music that they might not always get to hear while introducing them to musical storytelling.

Are you excited HGO is bringing it back?

DJ: HGO is a leading American house for new opera. They made a commitment to commissioning new operas for young audiences, which the repertory desperately needs. I’m thrilled they’re bringing it back. My wish is that the performers and audiences enjoy it as much as Kamala and I enjoyed writing it. —Chelsea Lerner, Community & Learning Programs Manager

Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers is touring through December 16, 2022, and again from January 23-May 19, 2023. If you’d like to experience this fun-filled opera at your school or community center, please contact the Community & Learning team at operatogo@hgo.org or 713-546-0245.

Ugochukwu Obudulu, Alessandro Gucciardi, Brennan Ellsworth, Sydney Gibson, Yueheng Gao, Gwendolyn Goetz, McLain Weaver, Olivia Gonzales, Nikolas Theriault, Yerim Colin

A WARM WELCOME TO THE NEW BFHSVS CLASS

After last year’s hybrid season, which combined virtual and in person activities, we are excited to bring our Bauer Family High School Voice Studio students back to the Wortham for 2022-23. The extraordinary students accepted into this competitive, tuition-free program, all of whom are interested in pursuing vocal performance at the collegiate level, learn healthy vocal techniques while honing their artistic expression within a rigorous and supportive environment.

The students receive private voice lessons with the incredible voice faculty of Christopher Michel, Héctor Vásquez, and Alicia Gianni; monthly masterclasses with guest artists; and college preparation courses that include audition techniques, text interpretation and diction, and application assistance.

Throughout the season, our BFHSVS students get to lead HGO’s Teen Opera Club meetings, attend dress rehearsals for every production, bring new students into the world of opera, and learn about careers in the arts directly from company staff. These young singers started their instruction in August, with a day-long bootcamp at the Wortham. We are delighted to welcome the class of 2023 to the HGO family.

—Alisa Magallón, Associate Director Programming and Engagement

THE SPIRIT SOARS

Seeking the Human Spirit is HGO’s six-year multidisciplinary initiative designed to highlight the universal spiritual themes raised in opera and to enable the Houston community to experience opera’s beauty, emotional power, and potential to heal. The initiative, which began in the fall of 2017, concludes during the 2022-23 season.

The Community & Learning team is looking forward to exploring this season’s theme, Spirit. It can manifest in many ways: as the driving force of life, in our connection to land and water, or as a guide that directs action, thought, and belief. Spiritual moments can be experienced in and out of religious contexts—in solitude, in companionship, in community. During the season ahead, we will seek to understand these ideas by exploring the worlds and characters of operas The Wreckers, El Milagro del Recuerdo, Werther, and Salome, as well as the fourth Giving Voice concert.

Yerim Colin, senior, Tomball Memorial HS

Brennan Ellsworth, junior, Katy HS

Yueheng Gao, senior, Tompkins HS

Sydney Gibson, junior, Kinder HSPVA

Gwendolyn Goetz, senior, The Woodlands HS

Olivia Gonzalez, senior, Kinder HSPVA

Alessandro Gucciardi, senior, Elkins HS

Nikolas Theriault, senior, Cinco Ranch HS

Ugochukwu Obudulu, senior, Shadow Creek HS

McLain Weaver, senior, The Woodlands HS

For the past five years, we’ve worked with partners from the Houston community to explore each season’s theme through opera. Through next spring, programming will take place in partnership with Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Discovery Green, The Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Emancipation Park Conservancy, The Institute for Spirituality & Health, Methodist Hospital, and many more Houston-area organizations.

Our six-year journey will culminate in May 2023 with the premiere of six new compositions for small ensembles, each a reflection of one of our Seeking the Human Spirit themes: Sacrifice, Transformation, Identity, Faith, Character, and Spirit. Please join us. —Alisa Magallón, Associate Director Programming and Engagement

Left to right:

Right: Celebrating Juneteenth

A SUMMER FOR THE BOOKS

This summer HGO’s Community & Learning team braved the heat, working with our fabulous community partners to forge lasting connections and celebrate the power of the human voice. Here’s a sample of activities:

Juneteenth at Emancipation Park

HGO continued its ongoing collaboration with Emancipation Park Conservancy to celebrate the historic Third Ward site’s 150th anniversary. Local artists, entrepreneurs, and over 7,000 community members flooded the park on June 18 and 19 for a two-day festival dedicated to honoring the community’s rich history.

As part of the festivities, HGO commissioned a spoken-word poem from writer and activist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, the librettist for

COMMUNITY AND LEARNING FUNDERS

Guarantors

The Brown Foundation

City of Houston through the  Miller Theatre Advisory Board

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Sara and Bill Morgan

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

Grand Underwriter

Judy and Dick Agee

Mathilda Cochran

ConocoPhillips

H-E-B

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ™

The Powell Foundation

Underwriters

Ruth and Ted Bauer Family Foundation

HGO’s 2019 world-premiere opera, Marian’s Song. The poem, based on an oral history interview with long-time Third Ward resident Jackie Bostic, is part of an ongoing project to preserve the unique history of the Third Ward through poetry and song.

D.E.E.P.’s poem, “Inheritance,” performed by her friend and fellow performance poet Monica Davidson, drew tears from many in the crowd. I was grown here, the poem reads. Backbone built of faith. Fourth Ward’s baby, Third Ward bound, freedom blossoming on more adaptable ground.

Opera Camps at the Wortham

After two years of virtual summer camps, Community & Learning had a fantastic time

partnering with music education organization American Festival of the Arts (AFA) for this year’s Opera Camp programs. It was wonderful to welcome campers back to the Wortham.

Students grades 3 through 8 whipped up an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz during Create an Opera. Meanwhile, our Art of Opera high school students had the incredible opportunity to present an HGO-commissioned worldpremiere opera: The Impresario of Oz by Mark Buller and Anthony Silvestri. We captured the fun, inspiring live performance to share with audiences via HGO Digital. Make sure to check it out at Watch.HGODigital.org—the future is looking bright!

Partnership with Harris County Public Libraries

This summer also marked the start of a new partnership with Harris County Public Libraries. HGO teaching artists visited 15 libraries in the HCPL system to sing, move, and share the joy of opera with nearly 600 of HGO’s youngest community members.

Caregivers and children alike had a blast as we shook tambourines to Bizet’s Carmen, waved parachutes to Rossini’s William Tell overture, and shared Storybook Opera tales. We had a busy summer, but the work never stops for Community & Learning. We cannot wait to continue providing authentic, enriching experiences through the entire season ahead!

—Sonia Hamer, Community & Learning Programs Coordinator

Shelly Cyprus

Rosemary Malbin

Vivian L. Smith Foundation

Alan and Frank York

Supporters

Adrienne Bond

M. David Lowe and Nana Booker  Booker · Lowe Gallery

Mr. and Mrs. Lester P. Burgess

The Lawrence E. Carlton, MD,  Endowment Fund

The Cockrell Family Fund

James J. Drach Endowment Fund

William E. and Natoma Harvey Charitable Trust

Albert and Ethel Herzstein Foundation

Houston Grand Opera Guild

Lee Huber

Dr. Laura Marsh

Mrs. Michael J. Pancherz

Texas Commission on the Arts

Union Pacific Foundation

The activities of Houston Grand Opera are supported in part by funds provided by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

The NEXUS Initiative

Community and Learning programs including Student Performances and HGO’s performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre, are supported through the NEXUS initiative, which is made possible by:

The Brown Foundation, Inc.

The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

Shell USA, Inc.

The Impresarios Circle is Houston Grand Opera’s premier donor recognition society. These vanguard supporters who provide annual support of at least $100,000 are instrumental to HGO’s success. For information, please contact Greg Robertson, chief philanthropy officer, at 713-546-0274 or grobertson@ hgo.org.

ROBIN

ANGLY AND MILES SMITH

HGO subscribers Robin and Miles joined the Founders Council in 2010. The company is honored to have Robin on the HGO Board of Directors and as a member of HGO’s Laureate Society. The couple is very familiar with the view from the HGO stage as well—both are former singers in the HGO Chorus. Robin and Miles have been donors to HGO special events, the Young Artists Vocal Academy, and HGO’s Ring cycle. They are charter members of the Impresarios Circle and generously underwrite a mainstage production each season.

JANICE BARROW

Jan’s relationship with HGO extends back to the early 1980s, when she and her late husband, Dr. Thomas Barrow, first became subscribers. Jan is a member of HGO’s Laureate Society and the Founders Council, contributing to HGO’s main stage and special events. She also supports the HGO Studio, having underwritten several rising opera stars over the past 20 years. Jan’s late husband, Tom, former chairman of the HGO Board of Directors, was instrumental in the concept and construction of the Wortham Center. A lifelong lover of music, Jan is past president of the Houston Symphony and has a special affinity for Puccini and Wagner.

THE BROWN FOUNDATION, INC.

The Brown Foundation, Inc., established in 1951 by Herman and Margarett Root Brown and George R. and Alice Pratt Brown, has been a treasured partner of HGO since 1984. Based in Houston, the Foundation distributes funds principally for education, community service, and the arts, especially the visual and performing arts. HGO is tremendously grateful for The Brown Foundation’s leadership support, which has been critical to the company’s unprecedented growth and success in recent years. The Brown Foundation was among the lead contributors to HGO’s Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19 recovery efforts.

SARAH AND ERNEST BUTLER

HGO subscribers for over 20 years, Ernest and Sarah are the lead underwriters for the company’s digital artistic programming. They also have generously endowed three chairs at HGO: those of HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers, Chorus Master Richard Bado, and HGO Chorus Concertmaster Denise Tarrant. Because supporting young artists is a particular passion for both, HGO’s Concert of Arias is one of their favorite annual events. Ernest and Sarah reside in Austin and are longtime supporters of Ballet Austin, Austin Opera, Austin Symphony Orchestra, the Texas Cultural Trust, and the University of Texas Butler School of Music,

which has carried their name since 2008. Ernest and Sarah are world travelers, and they never miss an opportunity to see opera in the cities they visit.

ANNE AND ALBERT CHAO

Anne and Albert have been subscribers and supporters of HGO for the past two decades. While serving as president and CEO of Westlake Chemical Corporation, Albert finds time for numerous cultural causes. He is a member of the HGO Board of Directors and was the co-chair of Inspiring Performance—The Campaign for Houston Grand Opera. Over the years, the Chaos have sponsored HGO special events, the HGO Studio, Song of Houston, and mainstage productions. The couple has also supported the HGO Endowment. This season they will chair the annual Opera Ball.

LOUISE G. CHAPMAN

Louise Chapman of Corpus Christi, Texas, a longtime supporter of HGO, recently joined the HGO Board of Directors. Louise’s late husband, John O. Chapman, was a south Texas agricultural businessman and philanthropist. In addition to HGO, the Chapmans have supported numerous organizations in health, education, and the arts, including Texas A & M University, the Corpus Christi Symphony, and the Art Museum of South Texas. Louise and HGO Trustee Connie Dyer have known each other since they were college roommates at The University of Texas.

THE ROBERT AND JANE CIZIK FOUNDATION

The Cizik family name is synonymous with passion, devotion, and service to the people of Houston. The Ciziks have always been associated with hard work, high achievement, inspirational leadership, and love for their family. Survived by his wife, Jane, Robert Cizik spearheaded the fundraising and building of HGO’s home, the Wortham Theater Center. The Robert and Jane Cizik Foundation gives generously to many educational institutions and charitable organizations, including UTHealth, Harvard University, the University of Houston, and the University of Connecticut. In 2017, the School of Nursing at UTHealth was re-named the Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth in recognition of the family’s dedicated support.

Robin Angly, Chair

MATHILDA COCHRAN

Mathilda is a native of New Orleans and a long-time resident of Houston. She is a retired museum educator, having served for many years as Manager of the Docent and Tour Program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as well as a volunteer with Taping for the Blind, Inc. She and her late husband, Mike, created the Cochran Family Professorship in Earth and Environmental Sciences to support Tulane University’s School of Science and Engineering. Mathilda currently serves as a member of the HGO Board of Directors and is chair of the Community and Learning Committee. She has been an HGO subscriber since the 1986-87 season.

CONOCOPHILLIPS

For over 40 years, ConocoPhillips has supported various programs at HGO, from special events to mainstage productions, including a long-standing tradition of supporting HGO’s season-opening operas. In 2009, the company gave a major multi-year grant to establish ConocoPhillips New Initiatives, a far-reaching program that allows the Opera to develop new and innovative education and community collaboration programs. Kelly Rose, general counsel and SVP, serves on the HGO Board of Directors.

JIM AND MOLLY CROWNOVER

Molly and Jim have been HGO subscribers for over 30 years and are members of the Impresarios Circle and Laureate Society. Jim has been a member of HGO’s Board of Directors since 1987 including service as chairman from 2016-18 and on the Executive, Governance, Development, and Finance Committees. He currently serves as Chair Emeritus. In 1998, Jim retired from a 30-year career with McKinsey & Company, Inc. and has served on myriad corporate and non-profit boards including Rice University (past board chair), United Way (past campaign chair), and most recently as M.D. Anderson Foundation President. Molly continues to serve on the HGO Studio and Special Events Committees. She also serves as Chairman of The Shepherd Society at Rice University and on the Houston Ballet Board of Trustees (past Executive Committee and Ballet Ball chair). Molly and Jim have chaired HGO's Concert of Arias, been honorees at Concert of Arias and Opening Night Dinner, and are currently chairing 2022 Opening Night.

THE CULLEN FOUNDATION

For more than three decades, The Cullen Foundation has been a vital member of the HGO family. Established in 1947, the Foundation has more than a half-century history of giving generously to education, health care, and the arts in Texas, primarily in the Greater Houston area. The Opera is very grateful for the Foundation’s longstanding leadership support of HGO’s Family and Holiday Opera Series, as well as special support for HGO’s COVID-19 recovery efforts.

THE CULLEN TRUST FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts has been a lead underwriter of HGO’s mainstage season for nearly 30 years. The Trust was established from assets of The Cullen Foundation to specifically benefit Texas performing arts institutions, particularly those within the Greater Houston area. In recent years, The Cullen Trust has provided lead support for memorable productions including HGO’s Family and Holiday Opera Series, and made a leadership contribution to HGO’s Hurricane Harvey recovery fund, as well as a generous gift to HGO’s COVID-19 recovery efforts.

CONNIE DYER

Connie Dyer has been an important member of the HGO family for decades. Connie loves HGO Opening Night festivities and the Concert of Arias. She is a leadership donor, Trustee, and a member of the Laureate Society and the Founders Council for Artistic Excellence. With her late husband Byron, she has hosted receptions for HGO Patrons in their beautiful home in Santa Fe. They were early and enthusiastic underwriters for HGO’s Seeking the Human Spirit initiative, and most recently Connie made a grand grand guarantor pledge for HGO’s COVID Relief Campaign. HGO Board Member Louise Chapman and Connie were college roommates at the University of Texas, Austin.

DRS. LIZ GRIMM AND JACK ROTH

HGO subscribers since the 2013–14 season, Liz and Jack have both committed themselves to cancer research and patient care through their work at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Jack is a member of the HGO Board of Directors and serves as HGO Studio Committee Chair. Liz and Jack were generous underwriters of HGO’s historic, first-ever Ring cycle and lead supporters of HGO’s German repertoire, including Elektra.Additionally, Liz and Jack chaired the 2018 Opera Ball and chaired last season’s Concert of Arias.

NANCY HAYWOOD

Long-time Trustee Nancy Haywood loves HGO, and her particular passion is the HGO Studio and supporting young artists. Her enthusiasm is infectious. This season Nancy is underwriting second-year HGO Studio artist Luke Sutliff. Her love for supporting young artists goes beyond HGO to the Houston Boy Choir, where she is one of their most ardent benefactors and Board Members. Nancy is a member of HGO’s Studio Committee, Philanthropy Committee, and the Laureate Society. Most recently, she made a guarantor pledge for HGO’s COVID Relief Campaign. Nancy and her late husband, Dr. Ted Haywood, approached every opera performance as a “date night.” Ted Haywood was a prince.

WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST FOUNDATION

The William Randolph Hearst Foundation is a national philanthropic resource for organizations working in the fields of culture, education, health, and social services. The Foundation identifies and funds outstanding nonprofits to

ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive, and inspiring lives. A dedicated supporter of HGO, the Foundation is a leading advocate for the Opera's Community and Learning initiatives. The continued support from the Foundation makes it possible for Houstonians of all ages to explore, engage, and learn through the inspiring art of opera.

H-E-B

For over 115 years, H-E-B has contributed to worthy causes throughout Texas and Mexico, a tradition proudly maintained today. And for over 20 years, H-E-B has been a lead supporter of the Opera's arts education programs for Houston area students. H-E-B’s partnership helps over 70,000 young people experience the magic of opera each season. Always celebrating Houston’s cultural diversity, H-E-B helped make possible last season’s Marian’s Song and this season’s world premiere, The Snowy Day

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ENDOWMENT, INC.

Established and incorporated in 1982, the Houston Grand Opera Endowment (HGOE) is a vital financial management tool that ensures HGO has a reliable, regular source of income. Today, the Endowment contains over 50 named funds, both unrestricted and restricted, and annually distributes 4.5 percent of the Endowment’s average market value to HGO, making it the largest single annual funder of the Opera. HGOE leadership includes Chair Yolanda Knull, Senior Chair Tom Rushing, and several members of the HGO Board of Directors.

HOUSTON METHODIST

For over ten years, Houston Grand Opera has partnered with Houston Methodist, the official health care provider for HGO. Houston Methodist’s Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM) is the only center of its kind in the country, comprising a specialized group of more than 100 physicians working collaboratively to address the specific demands placed upon performing artists. In addition to the first-rate medical care CPAM provides HGO artists, Houston Methodist also generously supports HGO’s mainstage season and partners frequently on Community and Learning collaborations. HGO is fortunate to have Dr. Warren Ellsworth and Dr. Apurva Thekdi serve as Houston Methodist’s corporate trustees.

THE HUMPHREYS FOUNDATION

Based in Liberty, Texas, the Humphreys Foundation has been a major underwriter of HGO’s mainstage season since 1980. Geraldine Davis Humphreys (d. 1961), a member of the pioneer Hardin family of Liberty, Texas, bequeathed her estate to the Humphreys Foundation, which was formally established in 1959. The Foundation provides support for performing arts in Texas and college scholarship funding for students in the arts. Linda Bertman, Louis Paine, and Robert Wall serve as trustees of the Humphreys Foundation. In recent years, the Foundation’s generous support has helped make possible unforgettable productions, unforgettable productions, such as last May’s My Favorite Things: Songs from The Sound of Music

ELIZABETH AND RICHARD HUSSEINI

We like to think that HGO helped “set the stage” for Elizabeth and Richard Husseini's love story. When a set malfunction at the end of the first act of HGO’s The Flying Dutchman forced Maestro to re-start the opera from the top, the two seatmates bonded in their shared delight that they got to hear more Wagner! The two got engaged one year later (at HGO, of course). Richard is a tax partner at Kirkland & Ellis, a generous HGO corporate supporter, and serves on both the HGO Board of Directors and the HGO Endowment Board. Elizabeth retired from Baker Botts as a corporate and securities partner and devotes her attention to family and community matters, including Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Preservation Houston, the Junior League, and River Oaks Baptist School, which the Husseinis' two sons attend. Enthusiastic supporters of the young artists and alumni of the HGO Studio, the couple chaired the 2019 Concert of Arias. This season, the Husseinis are generously underwriting the U.S. premiere of The Wreckers as well as HGO Studio alumna Tamara Wilson's much-anticipated role debut in the titular role of Tosca

DONNA KAPLAN AND RICHARD LYDECKER

Richard Lydecker has been an HGO subscriber and supporter for more than three decades. He is a member of the HGO Board of Directors and Impresarios Circle. Richard has great passion for opera, especially Wagner, and he and Donna were underwriters for HGO’s Ring cycle. They are also special events sponsors, supporting Opera Ball and Concert of Arias.

CLAIRE LIU AND JOE GREENBERG

Claire and Joe have subscribed to HGO for many seasons and are members of HGO’s Founders Council for Artistic Excellence. Claire assumed the role of Chair of the HGO Board of Directors in August 2022. She is newly retired from LyondellBassell Industries where she led the corporate finance team, and was formerly a managing director with Bank of America. Joe is founder and CEO of Alta Resources, L.L.C., a private company involved in the development of shale oil and gas resources in North America. Claire and Joe support many organizations, with particular emphasis on educational organizations including YES Prep and Beatrice Mayes Charter School. An avid runner, Claire has completed a marathon in all 50 states.

BETH MADISON

This season marks Beth’s 23rd as an HGO subscriber. HGO has had the honor of her support since 2004. Past chair of the HGO Board of Directors, she currently serves on the HGO Studio Committee, and is an active member of HGO’s Founders Council. She was the honoree at the 2017 Concert of Arias. Beth generously supports the HGO Studio, special events, and mainstage operas. Beth has been inducted into the Greater Houston Women’s Hall of Fame and serves on the University of Houston System Board of Regents.

PAUL MARSDEN AND JAY ROCKWELL

Paul Marsden and Jay Rockwell became HGO Trustees in the 2020–21 season and generously increased their support to join the Impresario’s Circle in late 2021. Paul is President of Bechtel’s Energy global business unit in Houston and has served in key leadership roles for over two decades, dating back to his start with the company in London in 1995. His background as a pianist comes in handy as he accompanies his partner Jay Rockwell, an accomplished operatic baritone, who has sung with the Houston Grand Opera Chorus in recent productions.

THE ROBERT AND JANICE MCNAIR FOUNDATION

Janice and the late Bob McNair, longtime HGO subscribers and supporters, are well known for their incredible philanthropy and for bringing the NFL back to Houston. Bob was a former chair of the HGO Board of Directors (1995-97). Through the family’s passionate support of students, young entrepreneurs, medical research and the community, The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation is transforming some of the biggest challenges our nation faces today into the solutions of tomorrow. As the lead supporter of HGO’s Holiday Opera Series, the McNair Foundation makes it possible for thousands of students and families to experience shorter length family-friendly operas during the holiday season each year.

M.D. ANDERSON FOUNDATION

The M.D. Anderson Foundation has provided general operating support to HGO for more than 30 years. The Foundation was established in 1936 by Monroe Dunaway Anderson, whose company, Anderson, Clayton and Co., was the world’s largest cotton merchant. While the Foundation started the Texas Medical Center and was instrumental in bringing to it one of the premier cancer centers in the world, the Foundation’s trustees also looked to improve the wellness of communities through the arts. HGO is privileged to have such a longstanding and committed partner in enhancing the quality of life for all Houstonians.

SARA AND BILL MORGAN

Sara and Bill have been supporting HGO since 2002. Sara is a co-founder of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, where she currently serves on the board. Bill is a co-founder of the Kinder Morgan companies and the retired vice chairman and president of Kinder Morgan, Inc., and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, LP. The Morgans support Community and Learning initiatives, HGO’s special events, and mainstage productions, including the Holiday Opera Series. HGO is thrilled to have Sara serve on the HGO Board of Directors and as a member and past chair of the Community and Learning Committee.

NOVUM ENERGY

Founded in 2011 in Panama, Novum Energy is an international physical oil supply and trading company committed to industry excellence in delivery standards and customer service.

Founder and President Alfredo Vilas serves on the HGO Board of Directors and has over 20 years of experience and a passion for service to the community through cultural, recre -

ational, and philanthropic work.

JILL AND ALLYN RISLEY

Jill and Allyn Risley have been HGO subscribers since the 2003-04 season and are members of the company’s Founders Council. Allyn and Jill have been key influencers of HGO programs for many years, with special affection for our esteemed HGO Studio. They co-sponsor HGO Studio Artist Eric Taylor and faculty member Dr. Stephen King, Director of Vocal Instruction. Allyn is Chairman of Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) North America, an engineering company specializing in liquid gas containment systems using cryogenics. Allyn served as Chair of the HGO Board of Directors from 2020 to August 2022.

GLEN ROSENBAUM

Glen Rosenbaum is a Senior Partner of Tax at Vinson & Elkins. As part of his broad-based tax practice Glen works on behalf of civic and cultural organizations, for which he handles formation, obtaining of tax-exempt status, and various corporate, tax, and business matters, some on a pro bono basis. Glen received his B.B.A. from the University of Texas and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He is a Board member of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association and serves on its Executive Committee, as well as President and Board member of Houston Food Bank Endowment, and a Trustee of the Nathan J. Klein Fund. Glen is a member of HGO’s Board of Directors, serving as its Chairman from 2009-11, and is currently a member of the Finance and Philanthropy Committees. As a long-serving Board member, Glen led a team of Vinson & Elkins lawyers from 1983-87 that represented HGO in connection with the negotiation and drafting of the various development and operating agreements relating to the Wortham Center and the Wortham Center Operating Company. These agreements remain in effect today.

SCHLUMBERGER

Schlumberger is a leading corporate contributor to HGO, supporting the main stage and a wide range of special projects over nearly 20 years. Schlumberger’s leadership gift was integral to launching HGO’s ongoing affordability program, the NEXUS Initiative, in 2007—since then, NEXUS has made great opera accessible to more than 275,000 people. HGO is honored to count Schlumberger among its most dedicated corporate supporters. Fred Dyen, Cameron Group HR director, served on the HGO Board of Directors.

SHELL USA, INC.

Shell USA, Inc. is a leader in the Houston arts community, supporting HGO for over 40 years. Shell USA, Inc.’s leadership support makes opera more accessible to everyone through the NEXUS Initiative for Affordability and inspires young minds with STEM-aligned arts education opportunities like our annual Opera Camps. Shell USA, Inc. was also a major supporter of HGO’s Hurricane Harvey recovery. HGO is honored to have Christos Angelides, external relations general manager of integrated gas ventures, as a Trustee.

DIAN AND HARLAN STAI

Harlan, a member of the HGO Board of Directors, and Dian are charter members of HGO’s Founders Council for Artistic Excellence, and their leadership support includes mainstage productions, the HGO Studio, the HGO Endowment, and special events. The Stais have also sponsored HGO Studio artists and they host annual recitals featuring HGO Studio artists at Mansefeldt, their renowned Fredericksburg ranch. HGO was privileged to recognize Dian and Harlan as the honorees of Opening Night 2008 and the 2014 Concert of Arias.

TEXAS COMMISSION ON THE ARTS

The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in creative projects and programs. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in the state, throughout the nation, and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism, and artist sustainability initiatives. Over the years, TCA has provided invaluable support to many HGO projects, including mainstage productions and Community and Learning education initiatives.

JOHN G. TURNER & JERRY G. FISCHER

John and Jerry, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, travel around the world to experience the best that opera has to offer. HGO subscribers and donors for over a decade, the couple’s leadership support of Wagner’s Ring cycle (2014–17) was the largest gift ever made to HGO for a single production. John, a shareholder at Turner Industries Group, is a member of the HGO Board of Directors and past chair of the HGO Studio Committee. Jerry is a board member of Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. In recent years, John and Jerry have supported HGO mainstage productions, the HGO Studio, and special events. They are members of the Founders Council for Artistic Excellence, and John is a member of HGO’s Laureate Society.

VINSON & ELKINS LLP

HGO has been privileged to have the support of international law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP for 40 years. For more than 100 years, Vinson & Elkins LLP has been deeply committed to empowering the communities in which it serves. It has enriched the cultural vibrancy of Houston by supporting HGO through in-kind legal services and contributions to special events and mainstage productions, including last season’s Turandot. The Opera is honored to have two Vinson & Elkins LLP partners serve on its board of directors: from left, Chris Bacon and Glen A. Rosenbaum.

MARGARET ALKEK WILLIAMS

Margaret, a longtime singer, possesses a deep affinity for all music, and especially opera, supporting HGO for over 30 years. Currently, Margaret continues her parents’

legacy as chairman of their foundation, where her son Charles A. Williams serves as president. HGO is humbled by Margaret’s incredible generosity and dedication to the company, both as an individual donor and through her family’s foundation. She has endowed the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, held by HGO General Director Khori Dastoor, and is a member of HGO’s Laureate Society. A valued member of the HGO Board of Directors, Margaret was the honoree of the 2009 Opera Ball and chairman of the 2014 Ball, and she generously chaired the 2018 Hurricane Harvey benefit Concert HGO and Plácido: Coming Home!

THE WORTHAM FOUNDATION, INC.

In the 1980s, the Wortham Foundation contributed $20 million to lead the capital campaign for the Wortham Theater Center, guided by businessman Gus S. Wortham’s early recognition of the vital role of the arts in making Houston an appealing place to live and work. During their lifetimes, Gus and his wife, Lyndall, were dedicated to improving the lives of Houstonians. The Foundation continues to support the Opera through the Wortham Foundation Permanent Endowment and generous annual operating support. This leadership support has been vital to HGO’s growth and commitment to excellence. The Wortham Foundation’s support of HGO’s Hurricane Harvey recovery helped to bring the company back home, and we are deeply grateful.

LYNN WYATT

Lynn’s generosity touches every aspect of HGO. She is a Lifetime Trustee of HGO and serves as the vice chairman of the HGO Board of Directors. She chaired HGO’s Golden Jubilee Gala in 2005. Oscar Wyatt endowed The Lynn Wyatt Great Artist Fund in 2010, honoring Lynn’s service to the company and dedication to bringing the world’s best operatic artists to HGO, and she was the honoree at the 2010 Opera Ball. Lynn and Oscar have been lead supporters of a number of HGO productions and programs, including the multiyear company-wide initiative Seeking the Human Spirit.

Houston Grand Opera Trustees and Patrons Circle members support the Opera with annual donations of $10,000 or $5,000, respectively, and make possible the incredible work of HGO. Trustees and Patrons enjoy many benefits at the Opera, including Masterson Green Room privileges during performance intermissions, behind-the-scenes experiences, personalized ticket service, two tickets to all open dress rehearsals, Opera Guild membership, a discount on Opera Guild Boutique purchases, and much more. For information on joining as a Trustee or Patron, please contact David Krohn, director of philanthropy, at 713-980-8685 or dkrohn@hgo.org.

CHAIR, DONOR ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Ms. Gwyneth Campbell, Chair, Donor Engagement Committee

TRUSTEE—$10,000 OR MORE

Christopher Bacon and Craig Miller

Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Barnes

Blanche S. and Robert C. Bast, Jr., MD

Dr. James A. Belli and Dr. Patricia Eifel

Dr. Dennis Berthold and

Dr. Pamela Matthews, College Station, TX

Dr. Michael and Susan Bloome

Ms. Adrienne Bond

Walt and Nancy Bratic

Mr. Stephen Brossart and Mr. Gerrod George

Dr. Janet Bruner

Mollie and Wayne Brunetti

Ms. Elise Bungo

Mr. and Mrs. Lester P. Burgess

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burleson

Mr. Tom Burley and Mr. Michael Arellano

Mrs. Carol Butler

Drs. Ian and Patricia Butler

Ms. Gwyneth Campbell and  Mr. Joseph L. Campbell

Mr. and Mrs. Beto Cardenas

Jess and Patricia Carnes

Ms. Janet Langford Carrig

Mr. Eliodoro Castillo and Mr. Eric McLaughlin

Dr. Peter Chang and Hon. Theresa Chang

Mr. Robert N. Chanon

Mr. Anthony Chapman

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Clarke

Julie and Bert Cornelison

Mr. Robert L. Cook and  Mrs. Giovanna Imperia

Kathy and Richard Stout

Mr. And Mrs. Hiram Davis

Ms. Anna M. Dean

Dr. Elaine Decanio

Ms. Elisabeth DeWitts

Jeanette and John DiFilippo

Anna and Brad Eastman

Mr. Perry Ewing

Mary Ann and Larry Faulkner

Carol Lay Fletcher

Wanda and Roger Fowler

Ms. Caroline Freeman

Ms. Patricia B. Freeman and  Mr. Bruce Patterson

S. Scott and Gina Gaille

Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Galfione

Mr. and Mrs. Scott J. Garber

Gerard and Christine Gaynor

Dr. and Mrs. David P. Gill

Mrs. Geraldine C. Gill

Mr. Wesley Goble and Mr. Barry Liss

Sandy and Lee Godfrey

Mr. and Mrs. Melvyn Hetzel

Rosalie and William M. Hitchcock

Dr. Patricia Holmes

Lee M. Huber

Ms. Linda Katz

Ann and Stephen Kaufman

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Knull III

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Kolb

Ann Koster

Elizabeth and Bill Kroger

Mr. and Mrs. Blair Labatt, San Antonio, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Randall B. Lake

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Langenstein

Mr. Alfred W. Lasher III

Dr. and Mrs. Ernst Leiss

Max Levit

Ms. Bernice Lindstrom

Ms. Michele Malloy

Ms. Diane M. Marcinek

Mary Marquardsen

Dorothy McCaine

Mr. and Mrs. D. Patrick McCelvey

Ms. Janice McNeil

Dr. Alice R. McPherson

Jan and Nathan Meehan

Ginger Menown

Jerry and Sharyn Metcalf

Chadd Mikulin and Amanda Lenertz

Dr. Indira Mysorekar Mills and Dr. Jason Mills

Dr. and Mrs. William E. Mitch

Marsha L. Montemayor

Erik B. Nelson and Terry R. Brandhorst

Beverly and Staman Ogilvie

Susan and Edward Osterberg

Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Pancherz

Ms. Jeanne M. Perdue

Ms. Elizabeth Phillips

Mr. Mark Poag and Dr. Mary Poag

Dr. Angela Rechichi-Apollo

Mr. Todd Reppert

Ms. Katherine Reynolds

Mr. Serge Ribot

Ed and Janet Rinehart

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Ritchie

Mr. Mike Rydin

Adel and Jason Sander

Judy and Henry Sauer

Ms. Jill Schaar and Mr. George Caflisch

Mr. Vance Senter and Mrs. Jane Senter

Mrs. Helen P. Shaffer

Hinda Simon

Ms. Janet Sims

Dr. Ioannis Skaribas and Mrs. Evelina Skaribas

Diana Strassmann and Jeffrey Smisek

Bruce Stein

Dr. and Mrs. Demetrio Tagaropulos

Mrs. Carolyn Taub

Mr. Minas and Dr. Jennifer Tektiridis

Ann Tornyos

James M. Trimble and Sylvia Barnes

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor

Mr. and Mrs. John Untereker

Salle Vaughn

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander van Veldhoven

Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Wakefield

Mary Lee and Jim Wallace

Mr. and Mrs. Jay Watkins

Mr. and Mrs. K.C. Weiner

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Wolff

Mr. and Mrs. C. Clifford Wright, Jr.

Mr. Hugh Zhang and Ms. Lulu Tan

1 Anonymous

YOUNG TRUSTEE—$5,000 OR MORE

Emily Bivona and Ryan Manser

Michelle Klinger and Ru Flanagan

Mr. and Mrs. Damian Gill

Meredith and Joseph Gomez

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Hanno

Ms. Kathleen Henry

Mr. Peter Hermosa

Ms. Ellen Liu and Ms. Ilana Walder-Biesanz

Sara and Gabriel Loperena

Drs. Mauricio Perillo and Luján Stasevicius

Lauren Randle

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Ritter

Dr. Nico Roussel and Ms. Teresa Procter

Jennifer Salcich

Drs. Vivek and Ishwaria Subbiah

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Tang

Dr. Yin Yiu

1 Anonymous

NATIONAL TRUSTEE—

$5,000 OR MORE

Ms. Jacqueline S. Akins, San Antonio, TX

Mrs. Estella Hollin-Avery, Fredericksburg, TX

Jorge Bernal and Andrea Maher,  Bogota, Colombia

Dr. Dennis Berthold and Dr. Pamela Matthews

Mr. Richard E. Boner and  Ms. Susan Pryor, Austin, TX

Mr. Bryce Cotner, Austin, TX

Dr. Thomas S. DeNapoli and  Mr. Mark Walker, San Antonio, TX

Mr. James M. Duerr and  Dr. Pamela Hall, San Antonio, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Duncan, Santa Fe, NM

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Evans, Coldspring, TX

Jack and Marsha Firestone, Miami, FL

Brian Hencey and Charles Ross Jr., Austin, TX

Edward and Patricia Hymson,  San Francisco, CA

Mrs. Judy Kay, Dallas, TX

Dr. and Mrs. Morton Leonard Jr.,  Galveston, TX

Cathleen C. and Jerome M. Loving, Bryan, TX Barbara and Camp Matens, Baton Rogue, LA

Mr. Kenton McDonald and Ms. Alissa Adkins,  Corpus Christi, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Spencer Mehrens, Longview, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Misamore, Sedona, AZ

Mr. John P. Muth, Wimberly, TX

Ms. Claire O'Malley, San Antonio, TX

Ms. Wanda A. Reynolds, Austin, TX

Dr. Sid Roberts and Mrs. Catherine Roberts,  Lufkin, TX

James and Nathanael Rosenheim,  College Station, TX

Mr. Donald Wertz, Austin, TX

Ms. Charlotte Williams, Killeen, TX

Valerie and David Woodcock,  College Station, TX

PATRONS CIRCLE—$5,000 OR MORE

Ms. Jacquelyn M. Abbott

Mr. W. Kendall Adam

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clay Adams Jr.

Mrs. Nancy C. Allen

Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Alvarado

Alfredo Tijerina and JP Anderson

Shaza and Mark Anderson

Dr. Julia Andrieni and Dr. Robert Phillips

Chris and Michelle Angelides

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Ardell

Bill A. Arning and Aaron Skolnick

Paul and Maida Asofsky

Mr. Neely Atkinson

Mr. and Mrs. Bryan W. Bagley

Kate Baker

Nancy and Paul Balmert

Dr. Roger Barascout

Mr. William Bartlett

Mr. and Mrs. James Becker

Drs. Robert S. and Nancy Benjamin

Dr. and Mrs. Joel M. Berman

Drs. Henry and Louise Bethea

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley C. Beyer

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Bickel

Dr. Joan Hacken Bitar

Dr. Jerry L. Bohannon

Mr. Jeffery Bosworth and  Mr. Timothy Bammel

Mr. Al Brende and Mrs. Ann Bayless

Mr. Chester Brooke and Dr. Nancy Poindexter

Dr. Luis Camacho

Ms. Marion Cameron

Mr. Patrick Carfizzi

Mr. and Mrs. Thierry Caruso

Mrs. John R. Castano

Dr. Beth Chambers and  Mr. J. Michael Chambers

Ms. Nada Chandler

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Christiansen

Ms. Janet Clark

Ms. Donna Collins

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Collier

Dr. and Mrs. J. Michael Condit

Dr. Nancy I. Cook

Ms. Sasha Davis

Dr. and Mrs. Roupen Dekmezian

Dr. and Mrs. William F. Donovan

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Dooley

Mr. James Dorough-Lewis and Mr. Jacob Carr

Dr. and Mrs. Giulio Draetta

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Dubrowski

Mrs. Eliza Duncan

Mrs. Nancy Dunlap

Dr. David Edelstein and Mrs. Julie Riggins

Mr. John Egbert and Mrs. Kathy Beck

Kellie Elder and David Halbert

Mrs. James A. Elkins III

Parrish N. Erwin Jr.

Ms. Thea M. Fabio and Mr. Richard Merrill

Ms. Ann L. Faget

Mr. Brian Faulkner and Ms. Jackie Macha

Ms. Vicki Schmid Faulkner

Ms. Ursula Felmet

Ms. Julie Fischer

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Fish

Mr. John E. Frantz

Drs. Daniel and Jean Freeman

Mr. and Mrs. William B. Freeman Jr.

Dr. Alice Gates and Dr. Wayne Wilner

Dr. Layne O. Gentry

Nancy Glass, M.D. and John Belmont, M.D.

Rhoda Goldberg

Mr. Thomas K. Golden and  Mrs. Susan Baker Golden

Mary Frances Gonzalez

Sue Goott

Mrs. Gwynn F. Gorsuch

Dr. and Mrs. David Y. Graham

Joyce Z. Greenberg

Dr. and Mrs. Stephen B. Greenberg

Ms. Dianne L. Gross

William and Jane Guest

Mr. Walker Hale and Dr. Katherine Hale

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Halsey

Mrs. Mary Hankey

Mr. Frank Harmon III and  The Honorable Melinda Harmon

Mr. and Mrs. A. John Harper III

Dr. Linda L. Hart

Ms. Paige Hassall

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Hewell

Pam Higgins and Tom Jones

Mrs. Ann G. Hightower

Dr. Douglas & Maureen Hirsch

Deborah and Michael Hirsch

Dr. Holly Holmes

Alan and Ellen Holzberg

Mr. and Mrs. John H. Homier

Dr. and Mrs. Gabriel N. Hortobagyi

Mr. and Mrs. Clay Hoster

Dr. Kevin Hude

Robert and Kitty Hunter

Dr. Alan J. Hurwitz

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Jacob

Mr. and Mrs. Malick Jamal

Ms. Joan Jeffrey

Mr. and Mrs. James K. Jennings, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Basil Joffe

Mr. Anson Jones

Charlotte Jones

Mr. Richard F. Kantenberger

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Kauffman

Mr. Anthony K.

Mr. and Mrs. George B. Kelly

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Rice Kelly

Ms. Nancy J. Kerby

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Kidd

Mr. Mark Klitzke

Dr. and Mrs. Lary R. Kupor

Dr. Helen W. Lane

Mr. and Mrs. Bryant Lee

Mr. Richard Leibman

Dr. Mike Lemanski

Dr. and Mrs. Olivier Lhemann

Ms. Eileen Louvier

Ms. Lynn Luster

Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Lynn

Renee Margolin

Mark and Juliet Markovich

Mr. Joseph Matulevich

Mr. R. Davis Maxey

Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm Mazow

Wynn and Shawna McCloskey

Gillian and Michael McCord

Mimi Reed McGehee

Keith and Elizabeth McPherson

Kay and Larry Medford

Mrs. Anne C. Mendelsohn

Hal and Terry Meyer

Mr. David Montague

Mr. and Mrs. Sidney S. Moran

Ms. Anne Morris

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen J. Morris

Ms. Linda C. Murray

Franci Neely

Mrs. Bobbie Newman

Maureen O'Driscoll-Levy, M.D.

Drs. John and Karen Oldham

Geoffry H. Oshman

Mrs. Maria Papadopoulos

Adrienn L. Parsons

Susan and Ward Pennebaker

Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Pinson

Mr. and Mrs. Elvin B. Pippert Jr.

Mrs. Jenny Popatia

Lou and Joan Pucher

Dr. and Mrs. Florante A. Quiocho

Radoff Family

Ms. Judith Raines

Dr. David Reininger and Ms. Laura Lee Jones

Carol F. Relihan

Mr. Robert Richter Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory S. Robertson

Mrs. Henry K. Roos

Drs. Alejandro and Lynn Rosas

Dr. and Mrs. Franklin Rose

Dr. and Mrs. Sean Rosenbaum

Mrs. Shirley Rose

Mrs. Richard P. Schissler Jr.

Ms. Denmon Sigler and Mr. Peter Chok

Mr. Douglas Skopp

Mr. and Mrs. George Sneed

Mr. and Mrs. Aaron J. Stai

Mr. Per A. Staunstrup and Ms. Joan Bruun

Richard P. Steele and Mary McKerall

Mrs. Sue Stocks

Mr. Burke Strickland

Dr. Pavlina Suchanova

Drs. Adaani E. Frost and Wadi N. Suki

Ms. Susan L. Thompson

Ms. Sara Tirschwell

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Tobias

Mrs. Ann Gordon Trammell

Dr. Elizabeth Travis and Mr. Jerry Hyde

Dr. David Tweardy and Dr. Ruth Falik

John C. Tweed

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Veselka

Greg Vetter and Irene Kosturakis

Ms. Marie-Louise S. Viada

Dean Walker

Mr. and Mrs. M. C. "Bill" Walker III

Diane and Raymond Wallace

Mr. Jesse Weir

Ms. Pippa Wiley

Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Williams

Dr. Courtney Williams

Ms. Jane L. Williams

Loretta and Lawrence Williams

Nancy and Sid Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Wise

Ms. Debra Witges

Mr. and Mrs. John W. Wright

Drs. Edward Yeh and Hui-Ming Chang

Dr. and Mrs. Peirong Yu

John L. Zipprich II

5 Anonymous

YOUNG PATRONS—$2,500 OR MORE

Dr. Matthew J. Bicocca and  Mrs. Yvonne Pham Bicocca

Mr. David Broadwell

Ms. Lindsay Buchanan

Mr. Sholto Davidson

Mr. Albert Garcia Jr.

Ms. Anna Gryska

Mr. Daniel Katz

Lady Kimbrell and Mr. Joshua Allison

Mr. Brett Lutz and Mrs. Elizabeth Lutz

Rachael and Daniel MacLeod

Mr. and Mrs. William McElhiney

Ms. Zoe Miller

Adam and Tina Outland

Ms. Constance Rose-Edwards

Mr. Justin Rowinsky and Ms. Catarina Saraiva

Abby Sanchez-Matzen and Lennart Matzen

Ms. Emily Schreiber

Mr. Lars Seemann and

Mrs. Nancy Elmohamad

Kelsey Stewart

Ms. Susan Tan

Julia and Jason Wang

Joshua and Rebekah Wilkinson

NATIONAL PATRONS—

$2,500 OR MORE

Ms. Cynthia Akagi and Mr. Tom Akagi,  Madison, WI

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Allison, Olympia, WA

Dr. Debra Blatz, Austin, TX

Tom and Kay Brahaney, Midland, TX

Dr. Bernd U. Budelmann, Galveston, TX

Mrs. Carol W. Byrd, Wetumka, OK

Ms. Louise Cantwell, San Antonio, TX

Ms. Susan Carvel, New Braunfels, TX

Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Cloudman III, Boulder, CO

Dr. and Mrs. Marvin A. Fishman, NM

Michael Freeburger and Matilda Perkins,  Fair Oaks Ranch, TX

Mr. Raymond Goldstein and  Ms. Jane T. Welch, San Antonio, TX

Ms. Gabriella M. Guerra, San Antonio, TX

Mr. Charles Hanes, San Jose, CA

Ms. Gail Jarratt, San Antonio, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey S. Kay, Austin, TX

Jeff and Gail Kodosky, Austin, TX

Mr. Peter Manis and  Ms. Susan Richman, Chicago, IL

Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Milstein, Olney, MD

Dr. James F. Nelson and  Mr. Yong Zhang, San Antonio, TX

Mr. William Nicholas, Georgetown, TX

John and Elizabeth Nielsen-Gammon,  College Station, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Eliseo Salazar, San Antonio, TX

Mr. Richard See, Friendswood, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Victor E. Serrato, Pharr, TX

Robert and Nancy Shivers, San Antonio, TX

Ms. Alice Simkins, San Antonio, TX

Eleanor and Philip Straub, Metairie, LA

Ms. Lori Summa, Lancaster, NH

Mr. Kiyoshi Tamagawa and Mr. Bill Dick, Austin, TX

Dr. and Mrs. Clark D. Terrell, Boerne, TX

Dr. David N. Tobey and Dr. Michelle Berger,  Austin, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Tucker, Bryan, TX

Mr. Tom Turnbull and  Mr. Darrell Smith, Eunice, LA

Mrs. Rons Voogt, Huntsville, TX

Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Weaver, Washington, D.C.

Margaret and Alan Weinblatt,  San Antonio, TX

Jim and Sydney Wild, San Antonio, TX

Dr. Raymond Chinn, San Diego, CA

HGO DONORS

Houston Grand Opera appreciates all individuals who contribute to the company’s success. Support in any amount is received most gratefully. Our donors share a dedication to supporting the arts in our community, and the generosity of these individuals makes it possible for HGO to sustain world-class opera in the Houston area. For information on becoming a Houston Grand Opera donor, please contact David Krohn, director of philanthropy, at 713-980-8685 or dkrohn@hgo.org.

ASSOCIATE PATRONS—

$2,000 OR MORE

Dr. Robert E. Anderson

Mr. and Mrs. V. G. Beghini

Ms. Sonja Bruzauskas and

Mr. Houston Haymon

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Carvelli

Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Castelberg

Kenneth T. Chin

Vicki Clepper

Mr. Jerry Conry

Ms. Joyce Cramer

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Dean

Cynthia A. Diller

Mr. Alan England

Mr. and Mrs. Blake Eskew

Dr. Wm. David George

Susan Giannatonio and Bruce Winquist

Mr. Michael Gillin and Ms. Pamela Newberry

Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Girouard

Mr. and Mrs. David Guenther

Mr. Claudio Gutierrez

Mr. and Mrs. Dewuse Guyton

Ms. Julia Gwaltney

Dr. and Mrs. Carlos R. Hamilton, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael F. Henderek

Mr. Stanley A. Hoffberger

Mr. and Mrs. Ronald E. Huebsch

Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Jackson

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Kaplan

Mr. John Keville

Lynn Lamkin

Ana María Martínez

Onalee and Dr. Michael C. McEwen

Mr. James L. McNett

Mr. Douglas D. Miller

John Newton and Peggy Cramer

Mr. Nigel Prior

Ms. Michelle Denise Profit

Suzanne Page-Pryde and Arthur Pryde

Mr. Jack Rooker

Sharon Ruhly

Ramon and Chula Sanchez

Ms. Jo Ann W. Schaffer

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schufreider

Christopher B. Schulze, M.D.

Virginia Snider and Michael Osborne

Ms. Karen MacAdam Somer

Dr. Robert Southard and Mrs. Kristi Southard

Mr. Leon Thomsen and Mrs. Pat Thomsen

Nancy Thompson

Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Trainer Jr.

Geoffrey Walker and Ann Kennedy

Mr. and Mrs. John Wallace

Mr. and Mrs. Alton L. Warren

Barbara and Erroll Wendland The Cook Foundation

Pamela and James Wilhite

Ms. Elizabeth D. Williams

Dr. Randall Wolf

3 Anonymous

CONTRIBUTING FELLOWS— $1,000 OR MORE

Ms. Cecilia Aguilar

Mr. and Mrs. Neil Ken Alexander

Joan Alexander

Mrs. Linda Alexander

Mr. and Mrs. Orlando Alvarado

Mr. Robert K. Arnett Jr.

Ms. Dorothy B. Autin

Dr. Carlos Bacino

Mrs. Deborah S. Bautch

Mr. Mervyn G. Blieden

Jim and Susan Boone

Mr. Bob F. Boydston

Ms. Julia Cambra

Ms. Mary Clark

Dr. Claude Cech

Mr. and Mrs. James Collins

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Corona

Mr. John Dazey

Peggy DeMarsh

Dr. Susan E. Denson

Dr. and Mrs. R. L. Deter

Mrs. Sarah D. Donaho

Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Eubank

Steve and Marie Fay Evnochides

Sylvia B. Fatzer

Mrs. Madeleine Ferris

Mr. David Fleischer

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fowler

Lucy Gebhart

Mr. Enrico R. Giannetti

Mr. David Gockley

Ruzena Gordon

Mr. Urban Grass

Ms. Janet Graves

Ms. Suzanne Green

Dr. James E. Griffin III and Dr. Margo Denke

Mr. and Mrs. Ira Gruber

Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Guinee

Mr. and Mrs. Philip Gunnels

Mr. Donald Hang

Ms. Rebecca Hansen

Mr. Rawley Penick and  Mrs. Meredith L. Hathorn

Dr. Ralph J. Herring

Ms. Eliane S. Herring

Dr. Sallie T. Hightower

Kay and Michael W. Hilliard

Mr. Edward L. Hoffman

Mr. Steven Jay Hooker

Mr. John Hrncir

Mr. Francisco J. Izaguirre

Mr. Mark E. Jacobs

Mr. and Mrs. John Jordan

Dr. Ngaruiya Kariuki

Lynda and Frank Kelly

Mr. and Mrs. John Lattin

Mr. John Lauber and Ms. Susan M. Coughlin

Ms. Rachel Le and Mr. Lam Nguy

Mrs. Yildiz Lee

Mr. David Leebron and Ms. Ping Sun

Dr. Benjamin Lichtiger

Ms. Nadine Littles

Mrs. Sylvia Lohkamp and Mr. Tucker Coughlen

Mr. and Mrs. Karl R. Loos

Mr. Robert Lorio

Dr. Robert Louis

Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Y. Lui

Mr. and Mrs. C. Robert Mace

Ms. Nancy Manderson

Dr. and Mrs. Moshe H. Maor

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Marshall

Mr. H. Woods Martin

Ms. Marion Andrus McCollam

Dr. Mary Fae McKay

Frank J. Meckel

Mrs. Theresa L. Meyer

Ms. Celia Morgan

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Moynier

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Mueller

Mr. and Mrs. Mike Newman

Mr. Dean Niemeyer and  Dr. Marlowe D. Niemeyer

Ms. Marilyn Oshman

Mr. and Ms. Carl Pascoe

Dr. and Mrs. Richard B. Pesikoff

Mr. and Mrs. Phil Plant

Dr. V.A. Pittman-Waller

Susie and Jim Pokorski

Ms. Ella W. Prichard

Mr. and Mrs. William Rawl

Mr. and Mrs. Gene Steve Rhea

Mr. William K. Rice

Mrs. Carol Ritter

Mansel and Brenda Rubenstein

Mr. Alan Schmitz

Kenneth and Deborah Scianna

Mr. Nick Shumway and Mr. Robert Mayott

Mr. Herbert Simons

Jan Simpson

Mr. and Mrs. Louis. S. Sklar

Ms. Anne Sloan

Len Slusser

Ms. Linda F. Sonier

Mr. and Mrs. George Stark

Dr. and Mrs. C. Richard Stasney

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Unger

Dr. and Mrs. Lieven J. Van Riet

Darlene Walker and Reagan Redman

Andrea Ward and David Trahan

Mr. Peter J. Wender

J. M. Weltzien

Ms. Susan Trammell Whitfield

Mrs. Dolores Wilkenfeld

Ms. Irena Witt

Dr. Thomas Woodell II

Drs. William and Huda Yahya Zoghbi

3 Anonymous

See tomorrow’s opera stars perform on the Cullen stage during the Concert of Arias, the live final round of the annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. This is a beloved tradition at HGO, full of soul-stirring music, suspense, high stakes, and fun! Vote for your favorite artist during the concert, then join us for a lively dinner with all the finalists in the Wortham’s Grand Foyer.

Cocktail Attire

TICKETS FROM $600 | TABLES FROM $6,000

Proceeds benefit the future of the operatic art form through HGO Studio’s recruitment, nurturing, and support of world-class talent.

HGO.org/COA specialevents@hgo.org

713-546-0700

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS

Houston Grand Opera’s corporate, foundation, and government partners make it possible for HGO to create and share great art with our community. We are incredibly proud to work with these organizations and grateful for all they do. For information on joining HGO’s valued team of corporate and foundation supporters, please contact Kelly Finn, director of institutional giving, at 713-546-0265 or kfinn@hgo.org.

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION, GOVERNMENT

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA CORPORATE COUNCIL

Thomas R. Ajamie, Ajamie LLP

Chris Angelides, Shell USA, Inc.

J. Scott Arnoldy, Triten Corporation

Chris Bacon, Vinson & Elkins LLP

C. Mark Baker, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP

Astley Blair, Marine Well  Containment Company

Meg Boulware, Boulware & Valoir

Albert Chao,  Westlake Chemical Corporation

Adam Cook, Tokio Marine HCC

Joshua Davidson, Baker Botts L.L.P.

Frederic Dyen, Schlumberger

Susan R. Eisenberg, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Warren Ellsworth, MD, Houston Methodist

John C. Harrell, Truist

Michael Hilliard, Winstead PC

Richard Husseini, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Michelle Huth, Frost Bank

Beth Jarlock, EY

Patrick Keller, Truist

Richard Leibman, FROSCH

David LePori, Frost Bank

Bryce Lindner, Bank of America

Claire Liu, LyondellBasell (Retired)

Craig Miller, Frost Bank

Arcy Muñoz, Wells Fargo

Ward Pennebaker, Pennebaker

Gloria M. Portela, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Allyn Risley, GTT North America

Susan Rivera, Tokio Marine HCC

Kelly Rose, ConocoPhillips

Glen Rosenbaum, Vinson & Elkins LLP

Silvia Salle, Bank of America

Manolo Sánchez, Spring Labs

Susan Saurage-Altenloh,  Saurage Marketing Research

Peter D. Seltz, Principal Securities

Apurva Thekdi, MD, Houston Methodist

Ignacio Torras, Tricon Energy

Tom Van Arsdel, Winstead PC

Alfredo Vilas, Novum Energy

Allison Young, Wells Fargo

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

GUARANTORS—$100,000 OR MORE

ConocoPhillips †

H-E-B †

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ †

Houston Methodist †*

Novum Energy

Schlumberger †

Shell USA, Inc. †

Vinson & Elkins LLP †*

GRAND UNDERWRITERS—

$50,000 OR MORE

Ajamie LLP

Bank of America

M. David Lowe and Nana Booker  Booker · Lowe Gallery

Frost Bank

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

UNDERWRITERS—$25,000 OR MORE

Baker Botts L.L.P. †

Boulware & Valoir

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP †

Principal Financial Securities

Saurage Marketing Research

Tokio Marine HCC

Truist

Wells Fargo

Westlake Chemical Corporation †

Winstead PC

SPONSORS – $10,000 OR MORE

CenterPoint Energy

Locke Lord LLP †

MEMBERS – $1,000 OR MORE

Maovor, Inc.

Patterson & Sheridan LLP

Union Pacific

IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS TO OPERATIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

UNDERWRITERS—$25,000 OR MORE

Abrahams Oriental Rugs

and Home Furnishings

City Kitchen Catering

The Events Company

SPONSORS—$15,000 OR MORE

ALTO

Kirksey Gregg Productions

Magnolia Houston

Neiman Marcus Precious Jewels

CO-SPONSORS—$7,500 OR MORE

BCN Taste and Tradition

Elegant Events and Catering by Michael

Fort Bend Music Company

Medallion Global Wine Group

Sakowitz Furs

Steak48

BENEFACTORS—$5,000 OR MORE

The Corinthian at Franklin Lofts

David Peck

The Lancaster Hotel

Michaela Greenan, Corporate Council Chair

The Four Seasons Hotel Houston

Masterson Design/Mariquita Masterson

Shaftel Diamond Co.

MEMBERS—$1,000 OR MORE

Brasserie du Parc

Chu Okoli Art

Connie Kwan-Wong/CWK Collection Inc.

Dar Schafer Art

Elliott Marketing Group

Ellsworth Plastic Surgery

Gittings Portraiture

Glade Cultural Center

The Glimmerglass Festival

Guard and Grace

Hayden Lasher

The Hotel ZaZa

Joan Laughlin Art

Kim Ritter Art

Las Terrazas Resort & Residences

Lavandula Design

Matt Ringel/Red Light Management

Mayfield Piano Service

Megan Murray Photography

Page Piland Art

Rhonda Lanclos Art

Sandi Seltzer Bryant Art

Shoocha Photography

Marcia and Alfredo Vilas

FOUNDATIONS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

PREMIER GUARANTOR—

$1,000,000 OR MORE

The Brown Foundation, Inc. †

Houston Grand Opera Endowment Inc. †

The Wortham Foundation, Inc. †

Anonymous

PRINCIPAL GUARANTORS—

$500,000 OR MORE

City of Houston through Houston

Arts Alliance †

The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts †

GRAND GUARANTORS—

$250,000 OR MORE

The Alkek and Williams Foundation †

M.D. Anderson Foundation †

The Cullen Foundation †

The Humphreys Foundation †

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation †

Texas Commission on the Arts †

Anonymous

GUARANTORS—$100,000 OR MORE

The Robert & Jane Cizik Foundation

John P. McGovern Foundation †

The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation †

National Endowment for the Arts †

The Sarofim Foundation

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

GRAND UNDERWRITERS—

$50,000 OR MORE

City of Houston through the  Miller Theatre Advisory Board †

The Powell Foundation †

UNDERWRITERS—$25,000 OR MORE

Carol Franc Buck Foundation

Ruth and Ted Bauer Family Foundation †

Stedman West Foundation †

Vivian L. Smith Foundation

SPONSORS—$10,000 OR MORE

Albert and Ethel Herzstein

Charitable Foundation †

Cockrell Family Fund

OPERA America

Sterling-Turner Foundation

The Vaughn Foundation

William E. and Natoma Pyle

Harvey Charitable Trust †

MEMBERS—$1,000 OR MORE

George and Mary Josephine

Hamman Foundation †

Houston Grand Opera Guild †

Houston Endowment Inc.

Houston Saengerbund

The Nathan J. Klein Fund

* Contribution includes in- kind support

† Ten or more years of consecutive support

CORPORATE MATCHING

Baker Hughes Foundation

Bank of America Charitable Foundation

BP Foundation

Chevron Humankind

Coca-Cola North America

ConocoPhillips

Encana

EOG Resources, Inc.

LAUREATE SOCIETY

Helen Wils, Chair

EQT Foundation

ExxonMobil Foundation

Fannie Mae

Hewlett-Packard Company

IBM Corporation Illinois Tools Works Inc.

LyondellBasell Chemical Company

Macquarie

Microsoft Employee Giving

Nintendo Of America

Quantlab Financial, LLC

Salesforce

Shell USA, Inc. Foundation

The Boeing Company

Union Pacific Williams Companies

The Laureate Society comprises individuals who have helped ensure the future of Houston Grand Opera by remembering the Opera in their wills, retirement plans, trusts, or other types of estate plans. The Laureate Society does not require a minimum amount to become a member. Planned estate gifts to the Houston Grand Opera Endowment can be used to support general or specific Opera programs. Houston Grand Opera is deeply grateful to these individuals. Their generosity and foresight enable the Opera to maintain its growth and stability, thus enriching the lives of future generations. For information regarding charitable estate gift planning and how it might positively impact you, your loved ones, and Houston Grand Opera, please contact Deborah Hirsch, senior director of philanthropy, at 713-546-0259 or dhirsch@hgo.org.

LAUREATE SOCIETY MEMBERS

Ms. Gerry Aitken

Margaret Alkek Williams

Mr. William J. Altenloh and  Dr. Susan Saurage-Altenloh

Mrs. Judy Amonett

Robin Angly and Miles Smith

Bill A. Arning and Aaron Skolnick

Mrs. Judie Aronson

Christopher Bacon and Craig Miller

Gilbert Baker

Dr. Saúl and Ursula Balagura

Janice Barrow

Mr. William Bartlett

Mr. James Barton

Mr. Lary Dewain Barton

Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson

Marcheta Leighton-Beasley

Mrs. Natalie Beller

Dr. James A. Belli and Dr. Patricia Eifel

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley C. Beyer

Dr. Joan Hacken Bitar

Susan Ross Black

Dr. Michael and Susan Bloome

Dr. and Mrs. Jules H. Bohnn

Ms. Lynda Bowman

Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Bristol

Ms. Zu Dell Broadwater

Catherine Brock

Myra Brown

Mr. Richard S. Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Logan D. Browning

Mr. Richard H. Buffett

Mr. Tom Burley and Mr. Michael Arellano

Mr. Ralph Byle

Ms. Gwyneth Campbell

Roxi Cargill and Peter Weston, M.D.

Jess and Patricia Carnes

Ms. Janet Langford Carrig

Sylvia J. Carroll

Ms. Nada Chandler

Mr. Robert N. Chanon

Ms. Virginia Ann Clark

Mathilda Cochran

Mr. William E. Colburn

Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Comstock

Mr. Jim O. Connell

Mrs. Christa M. Cooper

Mr. Efraín Z. Corzo and Mr. Andrew Bowen

Mr. and Mrs. James W. Crownover

Shelly Cyprus

Mr. Karl Dahm

Dr. Lida Dahm

Mr. Darrin Davis

Ms. Sasha Davis

Ms. Anna M. Dean

Peggy DeMarsh

Ian Derrer and Daniel James

Dr. and Mrs. R. L. Deter

Ms. Elisabeth DeWitts

Connie Dyer

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Evans

Ms. Thea M. Fabio and Mr. Richard Merrill

Ms. Ann L. Faget

Ms. Vicki Schmid Faulkner

Mrs. Thomas Fauntleroy

Carol Sue Finkelstein

Jack and Marsha Firestone

Carol Lay Fletcher

Mr. Bruce Ford

Dr. Donna Fox

Dr. Alice Gates and Dr. Wayne Wilner

Dr. Layne O. Gentry

Mr. Michael B. George

Dr. Wm. David George

Dr. and Mrs. David P. Gill

Lynn Gissel

Dr. Rollin Glaser

Mr. Wesley Goble

Mr. David Gockley

Rhoda Goldberg

Leonard A. Goldstein and Helen B. Wils

Mary Frances Gonzalez

Jon Kevin Gossett

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gott

Mr. and Mrs. Donald Graubart

Claire Liu and Joe Greenberg

Dr. Nichols Grimes

Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr.

Mr. Jas A. Gundry

Mr. Claudio Gutierrez

Dr. Robert W. Guynn

Mr. and Mrs. William Haase

Dr. Linda L. Hart

Mrs. Brenda Harvey-Traylor

Nancy Haywood

Teresita and Michael Hernandez

Dr. Ralph J. Herring

Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Hewell

Mr. Edward L. Hoffman

Gary Hollingsworth and Ken Hyde

Alan and Ellen Holzberg

Mr. Frank Hood

Ms. Ami J. Hooper

Mr. and Mrs. George M. Hricik

Lee M. Huber

Robert and Kitty Hunter

Greg Ingram

Mrs. Lamar Jackson

Brian James

Spencer A. Jeffries and Kim Hawkins

Charlotte Jones

Ms. Marianne Kah

Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Kauffman

Ann and Stephen Kaufman

Charles Dennis and Steve Kelley

Mr. Anthony K.

Mr. Kyle Kerr

Ms. Virginia E. Kiser

Ann Koster

Dr. Lynn Lamkin

Ms. Michele LaNoue and Mr. Gerald Seidl

Carolyn J. Levy

Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Liesner

Mr. Michael Linkins

Mr. and Mrs. Karl R. Loos

Mrs. Marilyn Lummis

Dr. Jo Wilkinson Lyday

Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Lynn

Sandy L. Magers

Mrs. Rosemary Malbin

Ms. Michele Malloy

Emily Bivona and Ryan Manser

Mr. and Mrs. J. Landis Martin

Ms. B. Lynn Mathre

Ms. Nancy Wynne Mattison

Dr. and Mrs. Malcolm Mazow

Mrs. Dorothy McCaine

Mrs. Sarah McCollum

Deirdre McDowell

Muffy and Mike McLanahan

Will L. McLendon

Mr. Allen McReynolds

Ms. Maryellen McSweeney

Mr. and Mrs. D. Bradley McWilliams

Christianne Melanson and Durwin Sharp

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Menzie

Ms. Georgette M. Michko

Ms. Suzanne Mimnaugh

Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer

Sid Moorhead

Juan R. Morales

Mr. and Mrs. Sidney S. Moran

Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Mueller

Ms. Linda C. Murray

Terrylin G. Neale

Erik B. Nelson and Terry R. Brandhorst

Mrs. Bobbie Newman

Mrs. Tassie Nicandros

Mrs. James W. O'Keefe

Beverly and Staman Ogilvie

Geoffry H. Oshman

Ms. Maria C. (Macky) Osorio

Susan and Edward Osterberg

Mrs. Joan D. Osterweil

Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Percoco

Sara M. Peterson

Mark and Nancy Picus

Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Pinson

Susie and Jim Pokorski

Gloria M. Portela

Suzanne Page-Pryde and Arthur Pryde

Dr. Angela Rechichi-Apollo

Carol F. Relihan

Mr. Todd Reppert

Conrad and Charlaine Reynolds

Ms. Wanda A. Reynolds

Ed and Janet Rinehart

Edward N. Robinson

Mrs. Shirley Rose

Glen A. Rosenbaum

Mr. John C. Rudder Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Rushing

Mr. and Mrs. Terrell F. Sanders

Ms. Wanda Schaffner

Mr. Chris Schilling

Kenneth and Deborah Scianna

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Senuta

Mrs. Helen P. Shaffer

Ms. Sue A. Shirley-Howard

Hinda Simon

Mr. Herbert Simons

Ms. Susan Simpson

Ms. Janet Sims

Bruce Smith

Mr. Robert J. Smouse

Ms. Linda F. Sonier

Dian and Harlan Stai

Ms. Darla Y. Stange

Dr. and Mrs. C. Richard Stasney

Catherine Stevenson

Bruce Suter

Rhonda Sweeney

Mrs. Carolyn Taub

Mr. Quentin Thigpen and Ms. Amy Psaris

Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Turner

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse B. Tutor

Birgitt van Wijk

Mr. and Mrs. Alfredo Vilas

Marietta Voglis

Mrs. Rons Voogt

Dean Walker

Mr. William V. Walker

Shirley Warshaw

Mr. Gordon D. Watson

Ms. Rebecca Weaver

Mr. Jesse Weir

Mr. Geoffrey Westergaard

Pippa Wiley

Ms. Jane L. Williams

Mr. and Mrs. David S. Wolff

Dr. Fabian Worthing

Lynn Wyatt

Alan and Frank York

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Yzaguirre

Mrs. Lorena Zavala

John L. Zipprich II

26 Anonymous

WE HONOR THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO INCLUDED HGO IN THEIR ESTATE PLANS:

Dr. Antonio Arana

Dr. Thomas D. Barrow

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ENDOWMENT

Ms. Evelyn M. Bedard

Ronald Borschow

Mr. Stephen R. Brenner

Mr. Ira B. Brown

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Capshaw

Dr. Lawrence E. Carlton

Mr. Tony Carroll, LCSW

Michael Cochran

Judy Cummings

Karl A. Dahm

Ms. Marilyn R. Davis

Dick Evans

Frank R. Eyler

Linda Finger

Christine E. George

Adelma Graham

Roberta and Jack Harris

Jackson C. Hicks

Dr. Marjorie Horning

Mark Lensky

Mary R. Lewis

Bette and Peter Liebgold

Mrs. Margaret Love

Ms. Marsha Malev

Mr. Constantine Nicandros

M. Joan Nish

Mr. James W. O’Keefe

Barbara M. Osborne

Mrs. Mary Ann Phillips

Mr. Howard Pieper

Mr. and Mrs. Craig M. Rowley

Mrs. Joseph P. Ruddell

Mr. Eric W. Stein Sr.

John and Fanny Stone

Dr. Carlos Vallbona

Daisy Wong

Miss Bonnie Sue Wooldridge

Yolanda Knull, Chair

The Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc., is a separate nonprofit organization that invests contributions to earn income for the benefit of Houston Grand Opera Association. The Endowment Board works with CAPTRUST, an independent investment counsel, to engage professional investment managers. An endowed fund can be permanently established within the Houston Grand Opera Endowment through a direct contribution or via a planned gift such as a bequest. The fund can be designated for general purposes or specific interests. For a discussion on endowing a fund, please contact Deborah Hirsch, senior director of philanthropy, at 713-546-0259 or dhirsch@hgo.org. HGO acknowledges with deep gratitude the following endowed funds.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

Yolanda Knull, Chair

Tom Rushing, Senior Chair

Janet L. Carrig, Chair Emeritus

Marianne Kah, Vice Chair

Terrylin Neale, Secretary; Treasurer

Members at Large

Thomas R. Ajamie

Khori Dastoor

Richard Husseini

Stephen Kaufman

Claire Liu

Mark Poag

Scott Wise

GENERAL ENDOWMENT FUNDS

Susan Saurage-Altenloh and William  Altenloh Endowed Fund

The Rudy Avelar Patron Services Fund

Charles T. (Ted) Bauer Memorial Fund

Sandra Bernhard Endowed Fund

The Stanley and Shirley Beyer  Endowed Fund

Ronald C. Borschow Endowment Fund

Mary Frances Newton

Bowers Endowment Fund

Pat and Daniel A. Breen Endowment Fund

The Brown Foundation Endowment Fund

Jane and Robert Cizik Endowment

Michael and Mathilda Cochran  Endowment Fund

Douglas E. Colin Endowment Fund

The Gerald and Bobbie-Vee Cooney

Rudy Avelar Fund

Mary Jane Fedder Endowed Fund

Linda K. Finger Endowed Fund

Robert W. George Endowment Fund

Adelma Graham Endowed Fund

Frank Greenberg, M.D. Endowment Fund

Roberta and Jack Harris Endowed Fund

Jackson D. Hicks Endowment Fund

General and Mrs. Maurice Hirsch

Memorial Opera Fund

Ann Holmes Endowed Fund

Ira Brown Endowment Fund

Elizabeth Rieke and Wayne V. Jones

Endowment Fund

Leech Family Resilience Fund

Lensky Family Endowed Fund

Mary R. Lewis Endowed Fund

Beth Madison Endowed Fund

Franci Neely Endowed Fund

Constantine S. Nicandros

Endowment Fund

Barbara M. Osborne Charitable Trust

Cynthia and Anthony Petrello

Endowed Fund

Mary Ann Phillips Endowed Fund

C. Howard Pieper Endowment Fund

Kitty King Powell Endowment Fund

Rowley Family Endowment Fund

The Ruddell Endowment Fund

Sue Simpson Schwartz Endowment Fund

Shell Lubricants (formerly Pennzoil —

Quaker State Company) Fund

Dian and Harlan Stai Fund

The John and Fanny Stone

Endowment Fund

Dorothy Barton Thomas Endowment Fund

John G. Turner and  Jerry G. Fischer Endowed Fund

John and Sheila Tweed Endowed Fund

Marietta Voglis Endowed Fund

Bonnie Sue Wooldridge Endowment Fund

The Wortham Foundation Permanent  Endowment Fund

PRODUCTION FUNDS

Edward and Frances Bing Fund

Tracey D. Conwell Endowment Fund

The Wagner Fund

PRINCIPAL ARTISTS FUNDS

Jesse Weir and Roberto Ayala Artist Fund

The Lynn Wyatt Great Artist Fund

ENDOWED CHAIRS AND FELLOWSHIPS

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair: Khori Dastoor, General Director and Chief Executive Officer

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair:

Patrick Summers, Artistic and  Music Director

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chorus

Master Chair: Richard Bado

Sarah and Ernest Butler

Concertmaster Chair: Denise Tarrant

Mr. and Mrs. James A. Elkins Jr.

Endowed Chair: Peter Pasztor

Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair:  Maureen Zoltek

James A. Elkins Jr. Endowed Visiting  Artist Fund

ELECTRONIC MEDIA FUNDS

The Ford Foundation Endowment Fund

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA STUDIO FUNDS

Audrey Jones Beck Endowed Fellowship  Fund/Houston Endowment, Inc.

The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation  Endowment Fund

Marjorie and Thomas Capshaw  Endowment Fund

Houston Grand Opera Guild  Endowment Fund

James J. Drach Endowment Fund

Evans and Portela Family Endowed Chair

Carol Lynn Lay Fletcher Endowment Fund

William Randolph Hearst Endowed  Scholarship Fund

Charlotte Howe Memorial  Scholarship Fund

Elva Lobit Opera Endowment Fund

Marian and Speros Martel Foundation  Endowment Fund

Laura and Bradley McWilliams

Endowed Fund

Erin Gregory Neale Endowment Fund

Dr. Mary Joan Nish and Patricia Bratsas  Endowed Fund

John M. O’Quinn Foundation Endowed  Fellowship Fund

Shell Lubricants (formerly Pennzoil —  Quaker State Company) Fund

Mary C. Gayler Snook Endowment Fund

Tenneco, Inc. Endowment Fund

Weston-Cargill Endowed Fund

EDUCATION FUNDS

Bauer Family Fund

Sandra Bernhard Education Fund

Lawrence E. Carlton, M.D.,  Endowment Fund

Beth Crispin Endowment Fund

James J. Drach Endowment Fund

Fondren Foundation Fund for  Educational Programs

David Clark Grant Endowment Fund

The Schissler Family Foundation  Endowed Fund for Educational Programs

OUTREACH FUNDS

Guyla Pircher Harris Project

Spring Opera Festival Fund (Shell  Lubricants, formerly Pennzoil—Quaker  State Company)

CONCERT OF ARIAS

Eleanor Searle McCollum  Endowment Fund

SAVE THE DATES

OCTOBER 21

Opening Night Dinner: HGO celebrates the launch of the 2022-23 season following the opening performance of Verdi’s La traviata Wortham Theater Center. Molly and Jim Crownover, Chairs. Janet and John Carrig, honorees. Jill and Allyn Risley, honorees. For more info, visit HGO.org/OpeningNight, or contact Brooke Rogers at brogers@hgo.org or 713-546-0271.

OCTOBER 25

Opera Club Meeting for high school students, followed by 7:30 p.m. dress rehearsal for Smyth’s The Wreckers. For information, email community@hgo.org.

OCTOBER 28, 30M, NOVEMBER 5, 9, 11

Performances of Smyth’s The Wreckers Wortham Theater Center’s Brown Theater. Ticketholders are invited to Dramaturg Jeremy Johnson’s Opera Insights lectures, held at the Wortham Theater Center 45 minutes prior to each performance. Special intermission reception for members of Opening Nights for Young Professionals at the October 28 performance only.

NOVEMBER 2

High School Night: HGO hosts high school students and their chaperones at a full-length performance of Verdi’s La traviata. Wortham Theater Center’s Brown Theater, 7 p.m. Visit HGO.org/StudentPerformances to reserve.

NOVEMBER 4 AND 8

DECEMBER 4

HGO presents singers from the Bauer Family High School Voice Studio in a masterclass with a company artist. 2 p.m. Free; public invited. Contact Lisa Vickers at lvickers@hgo.org for information.

DECEMBER 6

Opera Club Meeting for high school students, followed by 7:30 p.m. dress rehearsal for Javier Martínez and Leonard Foglia’s El Milagro del Recuerdo. For information, email community@ hgo.org.

THROUGH DECEMBER 16

OCTOBER 21, 23M, 29,

NOVEMBER 1, 4, 6M

Performances of Verdi’s La traviata Wortham Theater Center’s Brown Theater. Ticketholders are invited to Dramaturg Jeremy Johnson’s Opera Insights lectures, held in the Brown’s Orchestra section 45 minutes prior to each performance. Special intermission reception for members of Opening Nights for Young Professionals at the October 21 performance only, and for members of Overture at the October 29 performance only.

Student Matinees: HGO hosts groups of students in grades 4-8 and their chaperones for performances of Verdi’s La traviata. 10 a.m. School groups only. Visit HGO.org/ StudentPerformances to reserve.

Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers: This year’s Opera to Go! touring production for students presents Kamala Sankaram and David Johnston’s HGO-commissioned original opera. Its hilarious fable demonstrates the power of teamwork as a pair of monkey siblings save their kingdom from the wicked tigers. Drawing on influences including ’60s Bollywood, traditional Hindustani raga, son montuno, and psychedelic Afro-fusion, this opera grooves! Recommended for children grades 2-8. To book this exciting show at your school, community center, or other venue, email operatogo@ HGO.org or visit HGO.org/operatogo.

DECEMBER 3

Carols on the Green, an uplifting evening of holiday songs in English and Spanish, featuring mariachi performers, at Discovery Green. 7 p.m.

DECEMBER 8, 9, 10, 11M, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18M

Performances of Javier Martínez and Leonard Foglia’s El Milagro del Recuerdo. Wortham Theater Center’s Cullen Theater. Ticketholders are invited to Dramaturg Jeremy Johnson’s Opera Insights lectures, held in the Cullen’s Orchestra section 45 minutes prior to each performance. Special intermission reception for members of Opening Nights for Young Professionals at the December 8 performance only, and for members of Overture at the December 17 performance only.

For more performances and events, visit HGO.org!

Metropolitan Opera House

PLAN YOUR VISIT

RESOURCES

HGO is here to make your outing to the opera a special one. When planning your visit, you have multiple resources:

Visit our website, HGO.org, to learn more about the opera you’re seeing, get directions to the theater, purchase tickets and merchandise, make a donation, and much more.

Contact HGO’s Customer Care Center at 713-228-6737 or customercare@hgo.org to request assistance with performance information, purchase or exchange tickets, or make a donation. 1-5 M-F, 10-curtain performance days.

Purchase tickets and make exchanges in person at the HGO Box Office at the Wortham Theater Center, 550 Prairie. 10-5 M-F; nooncurtain weekends during performances. Hours are subject to change.

ENJOY THE WORTHAM

We encourage our guests to make full use of the Wortham Theater Center when at an HGO performance. You can:

Attend a free Opera Insights lecture: Brush up on the day’s opera during one of HGO Dramaturg Jeremy Johnson’s popular talks. Join us on the Orchestra level of the Brown Auditorium 45 minutes before curtain time.

Relax and reflect: The Wortham Theater Center’s Brown and Cullen alcoves are there for all to enjoy. Step inside one of these golden-hued spaces in the Grand Foyer, and you’ll find a calm place to reflect on the day’s performance.

Rent a pair of binoculars: Want to see the action up close? You can rent binoculars on the Grand Tier level (5th floor).

Browse the merchandise: Posters from our current season, T-shirts, and more are available at the boutique in the Grand Foyer.

Dine in: Food services are available prior to each performance, with seating available throughout the Grand Foyer.

Enjoy a drink: The lobby bars are open before each performance and during intermission. Pro tip: Pre-order beverages for intermission at any of the bars when you arrive at the theater, and your drinks will be waiting for you!

The Founders Salon: The Founders Salon features a prix fixe, seasonally inspired menu. Reservations are required, with a priority reservation window open for Patrons Circle members up to 72 hours before the performance date. Reservations then open to full-season subscribers. To reserve, call 713.533.9318 or email cafe@eleganteventsbymichael.com.

TICKET ASSISTANCE

Exchanging tickets: Subscribers may exchange their tickets for a different performance of the same opera without fee, subject to availability, by phone. Non-subscription single tickets may be exchanged with a service fee of $10 per ticket. When exchanged for tickets of greater value, the customer will be responsible for the difference; no refunds will be made. No exchanges are permitted after the performance has begun.

Replacing lost or misplaced tickets: Contact the Customer Care Center to request replacement tickets, which will be reprinted and held at the Will Call window for you free of charge.

Options for patrons with disabilities: The Wortham features wheelchair access to both theaters with a choice of seating locations and ticket prices. An FM assistive listening device, provided by the Houston First Corporation, is available for use free of charge at all performances. Contact the Customer Care Center for details. Descriptive services for persons with vision loss are available with 48-hour advance reservations; call 713-980-8662 for details.

PARKING

Nearby paid-parking garages: These include The Theater District Parking Garage, the Lyric Parking Garage, and the Alley Theatre Garage. All are credit card-only.

Parking for guests with disabilities: If you have a state-issued disability permit and need valet parking, you may purchase special passes by contacting the Customer Care Center.

Parking spots for disabled ticket holders are also available in the Theater District Garage on a first-come, first-served basis.

Patrons Circle parking: Members enjoy complimentary self-parking in the reserved Patron Circle section of the Theater District Parking Garage.

Trustee valet parking: Trustees may utilize the valet station located on Prairie Street. If you would like information about Patrons Circle or Trustee membership, please contact HGO’s Philanthropy staff at 713-546-0704 or donorservices@hgo.org.

Leave your car at home: Alto is the official rideshare of HGO. Use the special designated drop-off/pick up area located 551 Prairie Street.

EXPLORE DOWNTOWN

HGO's recommendations for making the most of our vibrant neighborhood

For guests coming in from out of town, or any operagoer wanting to make it a downtown staycation, we recommend:

The Lancaster, for old-world glamour and service to match.

Magnolia Hotel, for historic charm with modern style.

Many of our audience members take the opportunity to explore downtown during a night or afternoon out at the opera. Here are some of our favorites for dining near the Wortham:

Georgia James Tavern, for an incredible burger and a cocktail.

Guard and Grace, for steaks, oysters, and charcuterie with a view.

B&B Butchers & Restaurant, for the finest Texas and Japanese Wagyu hand-cut steaks.

Bravery Food Hall, for a casual, chef-driven culinary experience.

Cultivated F+B in the Lancaster Hotel, for a refined night out at a historic Houston landmark.

Rosalie Italian Soul in the C. Baldwin, for red-sauce Italian in a gorgeous setting.

Common Bond Brasserie, for French comfort classics in an adorable dining room.

POST Houston Food Hall, for a foodie paradise inside an eye-popping downtown landmark (as featured on Top Chef !).

Hilton-Americas, for refined elegance plus all the amenities.

There’s lots of fun to be had downtown! Spots to explore include:

The Buffalo Bayou Walking Trail: Walk or take a tour of the bayou on a Segway and cover more ground.

Downtown Houston Tunnel System: a system of underground tunnels that includes myriad restaurants and food halls.

Bayou Place: a collection of entertainment and dining venues.

Minute Maid Park: home of the Houston Astros.

Discovery Green: a vibrant urban park.

Julia Ideson Library: historic library with distinctive and elegant Spanish architecture. Avenida Houston: fun place to sip, stroll, and savor.

Toyota Center: home of the Houston Rockets.

Wells Fargo Tower Observation Deck: FREE!

Sam Houston Park: eight historic homes in a park setting, open for tours.

Market Square Park: Houston’s oldest park.

Khori Dastoor

General Director and CEO

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

Patrick Summers

Artistic and Music Director *

Sarah and Ernest Butler Chair

ADVISOR

Ana María Martínez, Artistic Advisor

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP GROUP

Richard Bado, Director of Artistic Planning/  Chorus Director *, Sarah and Ernest  Butler Chorus Director Chair

Jennifer Davenport, Chief Marketing and  Experience Officer

Molly Dill, Chief Operating Officer *

Elizabeth Greer, Chief Financial Officer

Gregory S. Robertson, Chief Philanthropy  Officer *

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Natalie Barron, Associate Director of  Marketing and Communications

Jennifer Bowman, Director of Community  and Learning

Kristen E. Burke, Director of Production*

Sharon Ellinger, Director of Human Resources

Deborah Hirsch, Senior Director of  Philanthropy *

Scott Ipsen, Director of Patron Experience *

David Krohn, Director of Philanthropy

Alisa Magallón, Associate Director of  Programming & Engagement,  Community and Learning

Brian Speck, Director of HGO Studio *

Monica Thakkar, Associate Director of  Artistic Planning

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL DIRECTOR

Mary Elsey, Chief of Staff to the  General Director and CEO

Amber Sheppard, Governance Manager

ARTISTIC

Chris Abide, Rehearsal Administrator

Lyanne Alvarado, Assistant Manager of  Rehearsal Planning & Artist Services

Alex Amsel, Resident Conductor

Richard S. Brown, Orchestra Personnel  Manager *

Emilia Covault, Music Administrator

Joel Goodloe, Manager of Rehearsal  Planning & Artist Services

Eun Sun Kim, Principal Guest Conductor

Kiera Krieg, Artist Services Coordinator

Kirill Kuzmin, Head of Music Staff

Mark C. Lear, Associate Artistic  Administrator *

Joshua Luty, Music Librarian

Kevin J. Miller, Assistant Conductor

Peter Pasztor, Principal Coach *

Karen Reeves, Children’s Chorus Director *

Madeline Slettedahl, Assistant Conductor

AUDIENCES

Marc Alba, Customer Care Specialist

Chelsea Crouse, Creative Manager

Sadie Dill, Customer Care Specialist

Jessica Gonzalez, Marketing Manager

Latrinita Johnson, Customer Care Specialist

Maricruz Kwon, Digital Content Coordinator

Jazzlyn Levigne, Customer Care Representative

Stephan Little, Customer Care Specialist

Catherine Matusow, Associate Director of  Communications

Joel Nott, Customer Care Specialist

Candace Pittman, Digital Marketing Manager

Christopher Robinson, Graphic Designer

Alan Sellar, Videographer

Armando Urdiales, Marketing Coordinator,  Audience Initiatives

Charlotte Weschler, Customer Care Center  Manager

THE GENEVIEVE P. DEMME ARCHIVES AND RESOURCE CENTER

Brian Mitchell, Archivist *

COMMUNITY AND LEARNING

Sonia Hamer, Programs Coordinator

Jeremy Johnson, Dramaturg &  Associate Director of New Works

Chelsea Lerner, Programs Manager

Karen Mata, Operations Manager

Joel Thompson, Composer-in-Residence

Lisa Vickers, Bauer Family High School Voice  Studio Manager

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Natalie Burrows, Director of Business  Intelligence

Christian Davis, Human Resources Generalist

Ariel Ehrman, Business Intelligence Manager

Luis Franco, Office Services Coordinator *

Denise Fruge, Accounts Payable  Administrator *

Matt Gonzales, Database Administrator * Vicky Hernandez, Business Intelligence  Coordinator

Chasity Hopkins, Accounting Manager

Ty Jones, Network Administrator

Elia Medina, Payroll Administrator

M. Jane Orosco, Business Intelligence  Manager*

Denise Simon, Office Administrator *

OPERATIONS

Christopher Staub, Operations Manager *

Kiara Caridad Stewart, Covid  Compliance Manager

PHILANTHROPY

Sarah Bertrand, Philanthropy Officer

Kelly Finn, Director of Institutional Giving *

Tessa Larson, Philanthropy Officer

Sarah Long, Associate Director of  Philanthropy

Patrick Long-Quian, Philanthropy Associate

Catie Lovett, Donor Event Specialist

Meredith Morse, Operations Manager,  Institutional Giving

Allison Reeves, Associate Director of  Special Events

Alex de Aguiar Reuter, Associate Director

of Philanthropy

Sherry Rodriguez, Philanthropy Officer,  Institutional Giving

Brooke Rogers, Director of Special Events

Madeline Sebastian, Associate Director  of Philanthropy

PRODUCTION

Philip Alfano, Lighting Associate *

Brian August, Stage Manager

Kaleb Babb, Costume Coordinator

Katherine Carter, Assistant Director

Michael James Clark, Head of Lighting &  Production Media *

Andrew Cloud, Properties Associate *

Norma Cortez, Costume Director *

Meg Edwards, Assistant Stage Manger

Caitlin Farley, Assistant Stage Manager

Vince Ferraro, Head Electrician *

Beth Goodill, Assistant Stage Manager

Mark Grady, Assistant Head Electrician/  Light Board Operator

Bridget Green, Wig and Makeup Assistant

Jackson Halphide, Assistant Technical Director

Terry Harper, Technical Director

Eduardo Hawkins, Head of Sound *

John Howard, Head Carpenter

Jennelle John-Lewis, Assistant Stage Manager

Esmeralda De Leon, Costume Coordinator *

Beth Krynicki, Assistant Director

Nara Lesser, Costume Production Assistant

Judy Malone-Stein, Wardrobe Supervisor *

Melissa McClung, Technical and Production

Megan, Properties Design Director *

Frances Rabalais, Assistant Director

Colter Schoenfish, Assistant Director

Kaley Karis Smith, Assistant Director

Meghan Spear, Assistant Stage Manager

Dotti Staker, Wig and Makeup

Department Head *

Myrna Vallejo, Costume Shop Supervisor *

Sean Waldron, Head of Props

Annie Wheeler, Stage Manager *

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA STUDIO

Jamie Gelfand, Studio Manager

Maureen Zoltek, Studio Music Director

Mr. & Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair

*denotes 10 or more years of service

MARTÍNEZ / FOGLIA

Dec. 8–Dec. 18 / 22

LA FAMILIA LO ES TODO

Back by popular demand, the HGO-commissioned mariachi opera El Milagro del Recuerdo (The Miracle of Remembering) again transports audiences to Michoacán, Mexico, just in time for the holidays.

A celebration of family and tradition, this timely story follows the lives of Laurentino, a bracero who returns from the United States to spend Christmastime with his family, and his wife Renata, who worries that his time away from home is changing him. The two face a life-changing decision: whether to stay with family in Mexico, or leave for the promise of a better life.

Much of the original cast returns for this revival, including soprano Cecilia Duarte as Renata, and acclaimed bass-baritone Federico De Michelis in his role debut as Laurentino. Librettist Leonard Foglia directs, with conductor Benjamin Manis taking the podium for this new Houstonian holiday tradition.

SUNG IN SPANISH WITH PROJECTED ENGLISH TRANSLATION