Ars Lyrica Houston Reveals Details for its 2025/26 Concert Season

Ars Lyrica Houston has announced its 2025/26 season, Twists of Fate. This new season explores the unpredictable forces that shape lives, through music that draws on ancient myths, biblical parables, and timeless tales of love, loss, and transformation. 

The 2025/26 season features internationally renowned soloists, rarely performed Baroque gems, and Ars Lyrica's signature dramatic storytelling. Concerts take place in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, St. Philip Presbyterian Church, and Duncan Recital Hall at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

The season opens on Friday, September 19 in Zilkha Hall with Bach's Divine Comedy, a playful and virtuosic program built around Johann Sebastian Bach's secular cantata The Dispute between Phoebus and Pan. In this whimsical “singing contest,” the gods debate the merits of artistic versus popular music—Bach, ever the diplomat, ensures both styles shine. Eight featured soloists, including sopranos Hannah De Priest and Andréa Walker, countertenors Jay Carter and Michael Skarke, tenors Matthew Newhouse and Thomas O'Neill, and bass-baritones Tom Meglioranza and Timothy Jones, bring this musical satire vividly to life.

On Saturday, October 25, Ars Lyrica returns to Zilkha Hall for Love Untamed, a deeply emotional program centered on Joseph Haydn's Arianna a Naxos, a stormy solo cantata exploring abandonment and longing. Mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner stars in this dramatic centerpiece, paired with David Ashley White's poignant song cycle The Peace of Wild Things. The program also features instrumental works by Georg Philipp Telemann and Vittorio Rieti, with Colin St-Martin (traverso), Elizabeth Blumenstock (violin), and Barrett Sills (cello).

Seasonal reflection arrives on Tuesday, December 2 at St. Philip Presbyterian Church with The Watchmen's Song, which traces Philipp Nicolai's beloved Advent chorale Wachet auf through settings by Franz Tunder, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Hugo Distler. The program also features sacred music by Heinrich Schütz and Nicolaus Bruhns. Vocalists Erica Schuller, Michael Skarke, Thomas O'Neill, and Tzvi Bat Asherah are joined by Artistic Director Matthew Dirst on organ.

On Saturday, February 14, Ars Lyrica presents Fatal Attractions at Rice University's Duncan Recital Hall. Soprano Nola Richardson returns to Houston in a program of French solo cantatas that reimagine tragic lovers from antiquity. Léandre et Héro by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault and Orphée by a young Jean-Philippe Rameau reveal the intimate storytelling power of the French Baroque in a fittingly dramatic Valentine's Day offering.

On Saturday, March 14, Ars Lyrica presents the Houston premiere of Aci, Galatea e Polifemo by George Frideric Handel at Zilkha Hall. This early Neapolitan serenata tells the tale of doomed lovers and a monstrous rival with thrilling vocal writing and theatrical flair. Lauren Snouffer stars as Aci, with Cecelia McKinley as Galatea and Douglas Williams as the cyclops Polifemo.

The season closes with a new staged production of Monteverdi's Orfeo on May 29 and 30 at Zilkha Hall. Ars Lyrica joins forces with the New York Baroque Dance Company for this fully choreographed retelling of the Orpheus myth—widely regarded as the first great opera. Karim Sulayman stars in the title role, with Amia Langer, Cecilia Duarte, Enrico Lagasca, and Tzvi Bat Asherah. The production is directed and choreographed by Catherine Turocy and conducted by Matthew Dirst.

A Post-Opera Soirée will follow the Saturday, May 30 performance at Diana's American Grill, offering audience members a chance to celebrate the season finale alongside the cast and creative team. 

Season subscriptions feature a wide range of benefits, including ticket discounts, priority seating, invitations to post-concert receptions, and access to all Zilkha Hall concert streams. A new student subscription will launch in fall 2025, offering full season access at an affordable price.