HGO's West Side Story returns (photo by Lynn Lane)
The six shows that will take place at the Wortham Theater are "largely about young love," and also "composed by youngsters," says HGO Artistic Director Patrick Summers. The season opens with a brand-new production of Verdi's breakthrough opera Il Trovatore, commissioned by the company from director Stephen Wadsworth, who set the story in contemporary Europe. It stars soprano Ailyn Pérez, who this season sang the title role of Madame Butterfly at HGO.
Next is Cinderella, which Rossini began writing when he was just 23; this production is directed by Joan Font of Barcelona's Els Comediants. A release calls the show "bright and whimsical," citing a group of "hilarious, scene-stealing rats" as a driving force of the opera.
Isabel Leonard in Rossini's 'Cinderella' (photo by Todd Rosenberg; courtesy of Lyric Opera of Chicago)
HGO's 'La Boheme' in 2018 (photo by Lynn Lane)
Ryan McKinny stars in 'Breaking the Waves' (photo by Jiyang-Chen)
The set design for the world premiere production of 'Il Trovatore,' by Charlie Corcoran
Come winter, beloved La Bohéme takes the stage, this one a co-production from HGO, Canadian Opera Company and San Francisco Opera that takes place on a set entirely constructed from paintings and canvases. Soprano Yaritza Veliz makes her HGO debut as Mimi, a role that has already garnered her international attention, and she'll play opposite several Grammy-winning singers as Grammy-winning Karen Kamensek conducts. Talk about star power!
Broadway masterpiece West Side Story, which last dazzled HGO audiences in 2018 when the company was displaced from the Wortham thanks to Hurricane Harvey, returns. Catch Shereen Pimentel's HGO debut as Maria, and Kyle Coffman, who starred in Steven Spielberg's 2021 film version of West Side Story, as Riff.
A contemporary newbie makes its Houston debut in the spring: Breaking the Waves, by composer-and-librettist team Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, tells a tragic story set in a strict Calvinist community in 1970s Scotland. HGO faves Lauren Snouffer and Ryan McKinny star.
And finally, the 2024-2025 season closes with a new staging of Wagner'sTannhäuser, directed by Francesca Zambello. Opera buffs might recognize tenor Russell Thomas, an "acclaimed Wagnerian," from many other Wagner shows, including HGO's 2024 production of Parsifal.
In addition to the six productions on its mainstage, HGO plans to host its inaugural HGO Family Day on Nov. 9, which will feature a 90-minute version of Cinderella and fun-for-all activities in the lobby; "bite-size operas" from popular children's-book author Mo Willems at Miller Outdoor Theater in October; and the spectacular showcase Concert of Arias on Jan. 17.
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David Ansell, Bennie Flores Ansell, Thuy Tran and James Tiebout
About 210 art lovers — including big names like Christopher Rothko and representatives from important organizations and galleries — turned out to support the Rothko Chapel’s innovative programming and community leadership. The evening raised more than $400,000, largely thanks to an exciting auction, chaired by gallerist Robert McClain. It included amazing works by Houston artists, including Mark Francis, Patrick McGrath Muñiz, and Karen Navarro, to name just a few, as well as artists on view in The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, such as Joe Peña and Alex Rubio.
Rothko Chapel board chair Troy Porter provided an opening invocation, citing the chapel’s now 52 years of social change and spiritual transformation. As guests enjoyed a sumptuous main course of buttery Verlasso salmon with fennel heirloom tomato salpicon scented with basil, Beaumont-born artist John Alexander gave a moving speech that vividly recalled his time in Houston in the 1970s (when the Rothko Chapel first opened) and affirmed his belief in the power of art to transform lives and demand a better future. Sí, se puede!
Cheech Marin and Dolores Huerta (photo by Scott Julian)
Whitney and Matt Gordon with Helene Schlumberger and Sharon Graham of McClain Gallery (photo by Scott Julian)
Delita and Cedric Martin
Troy Porter, Sandy Dow, Christopher Rothko (photo by Hung Truong)
Cheech Marin, Dolores Huerta and Vincent Valdez (photo by Hung Truong)
Rafael Longoria, Gayle DeGeurin, Tim and Suzette Walker, Geraldina and Scott Wise (photo by Scott Julian)
Diana Magaloni Kerpel of LACMA and Nacho Rodriguez Bach
Ellen Susman and Mike Loya (photo by Scott Julian)
Patrick McGrath Muniz, John Alexander and Joe Pena (photo by Scott Julian)
Michael Keegan, Cyvia Wolff and Dolores Huerta (photo by Scott Julian)
Lori Cohen and Steven Dow (photo by Hung Truong)
Maire Baldwin, Karen Wolfe, Mari Carmen Ramirez (photo by Scott Julian)
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