BACH'S DIVINE COMEDY to Launch Ars Lyrica Houston 2025/26 Season

Ars Lyrica Houston will kick off its 2025/26 season, Twists of Fate, with Bach’s Divine Comedy, a dynamic and theatrical program that reveals the many sides of J.S. Bach. This performance on Friday, September 19 at 7:30 PM at Zilkha Hall, The Hobby Center, offers Houston audiences a rare opportunity to hear one of the composer’s most whimsical—and least frequently performed—secular cantatas.

Anchoring the program is The Dispute between Phoebus and Pan (BWV 201), a scarcely performed secular cantata that dramatizes a whimsical contest between gods of high and folk music. With playful wordplay and brilliant vocal writing, this comic gem showcases Bach’s sharp wit and dazzling versatility. Also featured are two contrasting masterworks: the serene motet Fürchte dich nicht (BWV 228) and the radiant Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major (BWV 1068), which includes the beloved “Air on the G String.”

The production features a stellar cast of Baroque specialists. Bass-baritone Timothy Jones, a nationally respected performer and professor at the University of Houston, sings the role of Pan, bringing his commanding technique and musical depth to the stage. Baritone Tom Meglioranza, lauded by The New York Times as “sublime,” takes on the role of Phoebus, offering his signature charisma and interpretive nuance.

Soprano Hannah De Priest returns to Ars Lyrica following her acclaimed debut last season. Described as “a natural Handelian” (Chicago Classical Review) with “grand vocal expressivity” (Olyrix), she is joined by soprano Andrea Walker, making her ALH debut. 

Rounding out the cast are countertenor Jay Carter, praised for his “riveting interpretations” (San Diego Story), and countertenor Michael Skarke, whose performances have been called “sexy, strong” (Stage Raw) and “superb” (Chicago Classical Review). Tenor Matthew Newhouse, a Yale-trained rising star with recent solo debuts at Carnegie Hall and the Utah Symphony, appears alongside Thomas O’Neill, a Houston-based tenor and returning Ars Lyrica favorite known for his stylistic fluency and dramatic agility.

The performance features Ars Lyrica’s acclaimed period instrument orchestra, under the direction of Artistic Director Matthew Dirst.

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