Photos: SUSANNAH to Open Houston Grand Opera Season with Angel Blue
Angel Blue makes her role debut as the title character, with baritone Rod Gilfry as Reverend Olin Blitch in the Tennessee-set opera.
Houston Grand Opera will open its 2026-27 season on Oct. 23, 2026 with Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, a classic American opera honoring the country's 250th birthday and the centennial year of composer, librettist, and educator Carlisle Floyd. The production, presented in a new staging by soprano and director Patricia Racette, will mark Maestro James Gaffigan's first return to the podium as HGO's new Music Director Designate.
Shared through a genre-blending score infused with revival hymns and Appalachian folksong, and a libretto, also by Floyd, written in colorful regional dialect, Susannah is set in the hills of Tennessee. It follows the story of title character Susannah, a young woman who is seen bathing in a creek by church elders, leading to cruel gossip, judgment, and the tragic shattering of her innocence. The opera's cast will be led by soprano Angel Blue in her role debut as Susannah, with baritone Rod Gilfry as the Reverend Olin Blitch.
The Nov. 6 performance of Susannah is an Under 40 Friday performance, part of an HGO initiative to welcome the next generation of opera lovers with $40 Orchestra-level seats, available to audience members younger than 40 after successful age verification. The Nov. 8 matinee show will mark Military Appreciation Day, a special performance honoring veterans and active-duty service members, who will receive 40% off their tickets with military ID verification.
The opera runs for two hours and 5 minutes, including one intermission. It is sung in English, with projected English text.
Cast and Creative Team
The production features the HGO Orchestra and Chorus and a cast including soprano Angel Blue as Susannah; baritone Rod Gilfry as the Reverend Olin Blitch; tenor and HGO Bauer Family High School Voice Studio alumnus Bille Bruley as Sam; and tenor Aaron Blake, who received his master's degree in vocal performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, as Little Bat. Patricia Racette directs, with HGO Music Director Designate James Gaffigan conducting.
Event Details
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. – Under 40 Friday
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, at 2 p.m. – Military Appreciation Day
Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave.
Tickets range from $25 to $210. For more information and to buy tickets, visit HGO.org or call the Box Office at 713-228-6737. Students with a valid student ID may purchase $25 tickets one month prior to the opening of every performance; see HGO.org/tickets.
About Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is one of the largest, most innovative, and most highly acclaimed opera companies in the United States. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor assumed leadership of the organization and responsibility for its strategic vision in 2021. HGO was the only American finalist for Opera Company of the Year in the 2025 International Opera Awards, and the only American company to be nominated three times. In fulfilling its mission to advance the operatic art, to serve the Houston community, and to be a global leader in the future of opera, HGO has led the field in commissioning and producing new works (76 world premieres to date) and in training and nurturing promising young artists and administrators. In 2025, the company launched the Houston Grand Opera record label, enabling it to share American operatic works with a broad international audience. The label's first release, which captured the 2023 world premiere of company-commissioned opera Intelligence, won the 2026 GRAMMY Award for Best Opera Recording. HGO contributes to the cultural enrichment of Houston and the nation through a diverse and innovative program of performances, community events, and education projects that reaches the widest possible public. The company's pioneering community and educational initiatives have set a standard in the field. HGO invites all Houstonians to experience superlative opera without the barrier of price through discounted single tickets and subscriptions, subsidized student performances, and free productions.
HGO has toured extensively and has won a Tony, three GRAMMY awards, and three Emmy awards. It is the only opera company to win all three honors.
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