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News

Patrick Summers to Transition Into New Role with Houston Grand Opera

https://operawire.com/patrick-summers-to-transition-into-new-role-with-houston-grand-opera/

Houston Grand Opera has announced that Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers is transitioning to a new role in the organization. Summers, who has been at the helm for over 25 years with the company, will step away from his current position in Spring 2026 and become Music Director Emeritus, where he will serve as an advisor, scholar, and guest {…}

News

Cristian Măcelaru & Patrick Summers Join Shepherd School of Music Faculty

https://operawire.com/cristian-macelaru-patrick-summers-join-shepherd-school-of-music-faculty/

(Credit: Courtesy of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music) Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music has announced that Cristian Măcelaru and Patrick Summers have joined its faculty. Măcelaru, who studied at the institution from 2006-2008, will serve as distinguished visiting artists from 2025-26 through 2027-28. In his new role he will work with Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras Miguel Harth-Bedoya on {…}

News

Patrick Summers Takes Over Houston Grand Opera’s ‘La Favorite’

https://operawire.com/patrick-summers-takes-over-houston-grand-operas-la-favorite/

The Houston Grand Opera has announced that conductor Christophe Rousset has withdrawn from the company’s premiere of “La Favorite” due to personal reasons.  In his stead, Houston Grand Opera Artistic and Musical Director Patrick Summers will take over, leading all five performances of the run. The production kicks off on Jan. 24 and runs through Feb. 9, 2020. It will {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Houston Grand Opera’s Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers on His New Book

https://operawire.com/q-a-houston-grand-operas-artistic-and-music-director-patrick-summers-on-his-new-book/

Readers looking for a thought-provoking, feel-good book about the powers of arts education and music’s spiritual force: look no further than “The Spirit of This Place: How Music Illuminates the Human Spirit (The University of Chicago Press).” Written by Houston Grand Opera Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers, a self-professed lover of writing, the book is a collection of 36 {…}

News

Houston Grand Opera’s Patrick Summers Unveils New Book ‘The Spirity Of this Place’

https://operawire.com/houston-grand-operas-patrick-summers-unveils-new-book-the-spirity-of-this-place/

Houston Grand Opera Artistic and Musical Director Patrick Summers is releasing “The Spirit of This Place.” The book, which explores the role of art in society and in individual lives, is available on Amazon and through the Chicago University Press, which published the book. “The Spirit of This Place” places an emphasis on the importance of supporting the arts. He {…}

News

James Gaffigan Becomes Fifth Music Director in Houston Grand Opera’s History

https://operawire.com/james-gaffigan-becomes-fifth-music-director-in-houston-grand-operas-history/

(photo credit: © Miguel Lorenzo) James Gaffigan will be the fifth Music Director of the Houston Grand Opera (HGO). The company made the announcement on Nov. 6, 2025, noting that Gaffigan will begin his tenure as Music Director Designate in the 2026–27 season before assuming the full role in 2027–28. While Gaffigan is a New York native, he is also {…}

Business, News

Alan Flecther Steps Down from Aspen Music Festival & School

https://operawire.com/alan-flecther-steps-downs-from-aspen-music-festival-school/

The Aspen Music Festival and School has announced that President and CEO Alan Fletcher will transition out of his role in 2027. Fletcher will become the President Emeritus after more than two decades of leadership. In a statement, Fletcher said, “As we enter the third year of our 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2026, I have proposed to our Board leadership {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

San Francisco Opera 2025-26 Review: Dead Man Walking

https://operawire.com/san-francisco-opera-2025-26-review-dead-man-walking/

(Photo: “Dead Man Walking” by Jake Heggie was twenty-five years old on Sunday, September 14th. In San Francisco, its anniversary was celebrated by the opening of a production, one of the 80 productions worldwide, with the composer, Jake Heggie there to receive the San Francisco Opera Medal, and Sister Helen Prejean, from whose book the opera arose, and retold in {…}