The Houston Grand Opera has announced that it will launch the children’s book, “The Armadillo’s Dream” in collaboration with HGOco. This is the company’s first-ever commissioned storybook. It was authored by HGOco Touring Programs Manager Dennis Arrowsmith, in his first book. Per a press release, the book “tells the story of Sandy, an armadillo whose fondest wish is to sing {…}
One of the most exciting companies around opens its doors on its 2018 season while another major company celebrates one of the musical titans of the 20th century. Those are just two of the five major picks this year. La Traviata – Opera Theatre of Saint Louis One of the biggest opera festivals in the US kicks off with the {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has named Eun Sun Kim the first principal guest conductor in 25 years. In a press release the company noted, “Eun Sun Kim seems to me a limitless talent at the outset of an important career as her music-making is elegant, effortless, precise, and deep. Her incredible facility with languages and ability to communicate with singers, both {…}
Plácido Domingo will return to the Houston Grand Opera to celebrate the reopening of the Wortham Theater Center The gala entitled “Coming Home: A concert celebrating the return to the Wortham Theater Center” will see Domingo return to Houston where 30 years ago, he celebrated the opening of the Wortham Theater Center with Verdi’s masterpiece “Aida,” starring as Radames. This time {…}
The great German soprano Lilli Lehmann once famously remarked that singing all three Brünnhildes in Wagner’s Ring Cycle , which equals about eight hours of singing, was less taxing than a single performance of Bellini’s “Norma.” Indeed, a great “Norma” certainly doesn’t grow on trees, and in any given generation there are maybe a handful of singers who can tackle {…}
It’s a crowded weekend and thus a major challenge to select from the numerous options. The five here were our favorites, but by all means, head over to the other companies not listed here and check out the opera offerings they have. There were truly more than we could imagine. Here are our picks, in alphabetical order by company. Houston {…}
Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” has always been the gold standard for Italian opera buffa as it is based on the Figaro plays of 18th-century French playwright Pierre Beaumarchais. It seems that the buffa-style laughs and gags endemic to this masterpiece were not enough for Spanish director Joan Font, whose version is currently running at Houston Grand Opera. What {…}
The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey forced the Houston Grand Opera out of its regular space in the Wortham Theater Center and into a temporary one, dubbed HGO Resilience Theater inside the cavernous George Brown Convention Center in downtown. Experiencing a performance in such an unusual setting wasn’t a unique experience for me after seeing a production of “Tannhauser” inside a {…}
The Houston Grand Opera is primed for an exciting 2018-19 season after a tumultuous fall of 2017. Combining major classics with some unique modern works. What makes these productions all the more exciting are the artists themselves. And the company did a tremendous casting job this season. Here are the five artists that will make some major headlines this season {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2018-19 season featuring six productions of German, Italian, Spanish and French repertoire. There will also be a world premiere, the first for the company in over a decade. The season opens with “The Flying Dutchman” on Oct. 19 with Andrzej Dobber in the title role and Rachel Willis-Sørensen in the role of Senta. Kristinn Sigmundsson sings {…}
As we go deeper into January, we see more and more opera companies returning to business. The Metropolitan Opera is still very much at the forefront of some of the richest opera experiences of the weekend, but this weekend we will turn to other exciting companies taking on projects with greater risk. The majority of this weekend’s list consists of {…}