(Photo Credit: Michael Bishop) Houston Grand Opera has announced the winners of the Concert of Arias at the 38th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. British soprano Scarlett Jones took home first place and the $25,000 prize. Currently pursuing her Master of Music at The Juilliard School as a Kovner Fellow, Jones recently performed Gertrude in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and {…}
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has announced the seven finalists for the “Concert of Arias,” the final round of the 38th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. The event is set to take place Feb. 6, 2026, at the Wortham Theater Center in Houston. The finalists are sopranos Scarlett Jones, Viktoriia Shamanska, Arpi Sinanyan, and Kayla Rae Stein; mezzo-soprano Lauren {…}
(© S. Richards Photography 2016) Houston Grand Opera is set to present “Giving Voice” on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. The concert, the company’s seventh annual showcase of Black artists in classical music and opera, takes place at The Fort Bend Church in Sugar Land, Texas, marking the first time the event is held at the venue. Soloists {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has canceled its Jan. 25 performance of “Silent Night” due to inclement weather. The company said, “Out of an abundance of caution due to severe winter weather conditions, HGO has decided to cancel our Sunday, Jan. 25 performance of Silent ‘Night.’ Ticketholders will be contacted via email with further instructions for exchanging their tickets to one {…}
Houston Grand Opera has announced a new partnership with Grange Park Opera to co-produce Sir John Tavener’s “Krishna.” The work will receive its world premiere at Grange Park Opera in June 2026, followed by its American premiere, in an expanded production, at the Houston Grand Opera during the 2027-28 season. The new work recounts the life of its titular Hindu {…}
The Grammy nominations have been announced. Here are the vocal performances nominated: The Best Opera Recording nominees are Heggie’s “Intelligence” (Kwamé Ryan, Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Janai Brugger; Blanton Alspaugh, producer), Huang Ruo’s “An American Soldier” (Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Hannah Cho, Alex DeSocio, Nina Yoshida Nelsen & Brian Vu; Adam Abeshouse, Silas Brown & Doron Schachter, producers), Kouyoumdjian’s “Adoration” {…}
(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 {…}
As a result of high demand, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has released additional tickets for its second annual Family Day, featuring a special presentation of Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel.” The event, set for Feb. 14, 2026 starting at 11 a.m. at the Wortham Theater Center’s Brown Theater, will be directed by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. The opera will be performed {…}
Young Texas Artists has announced its lineup for the 2025-26 season. The “Something for Everyone” lecture series will feature “What’s so Grand About Opera?” led by Houston Grand Opera. This lecture will take place on Nov. 6. Other events in the series include An Insider’s Guide to Classical Music” and “How to Listen to a Symphony.” Programming also related to {…}
Houston Grand Opera is set to present the 2025 Butler Studio Showcase. The event, set for Sept. 12, 2025, at 7 p.m., will feature selections from such operas as “Don Giovanni,” “Don Carlo,” “Fidelio,” “Cavalleria rusticana,” “The Rake’s Progress,” “Eugene Onegin,” “Die tote Stadt,” and “La traviata.” The performers include Soprano Alissa Goretsky, third-place winner at HGO’s 2024 Concert of {…}
Houston Grand Opera has named Astley Blair to the position of Chairperson of the Board of Directors. He started his tenure on August 1, 2025, and it runs through August 1, 2027. Blair has been a subscriber of the company for more than two decades and joined the Board of Directors in 2004. Blair chaired the Audit Committee and also {…}