(Credit: Kia Caldwell / HGO official website)

The Houston Grand Opera is set to world premiere Joel Thompson and Andrea Davis Pinkney’s “The Snowy Day.”

The opera, which is based on a book by Ezra Jack Keats, will star Karen Slack, Raven McMillon, Nicholas Newton, Elena Villalón, Blake Denson, Cory McGee, Andres Acosta, and Ricardo Garcia. HGO’s Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers conducts a production by Omer Ben Seadia.

“I’m grateful to be among such a brilliant team of creators,” said Pinkney in an official press release. “The Snowy Day brings a vivid dimension to opera by expanding the canvas on Ezra Jack Keats’ classic, while, at the same time, honoring Keats’ artistic intention—to invite diverse audiences into a vibrant storytelling experience. Joel Thompson’s musical genius brings it all alive.”

“The goal of everything I’ve ever written bends toward what’s going to happen on stage with The Snowy Day, where a little Black boy can wander in the snow, learn about himself, learn about the world, be safe, be happy, and connect with others regardless of  background, or ethnicity, or any other differences,” said Thompson. “I hope audience members can see themselves in Peter and his friends and reconnect to their inner child.”

“The Snowy Day” opens on Dec. 9, and is set to run until Dec. 19, 2021.