Houston Grand Opera to Stage MESSIAH by Handel, Mozart Arrangement
The choral masterpiece will be presented in an avant-garde production from visionary director Robert Wilson, originally from Waco, who passed away in 2025.
On April 17, 2026, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open Handel's Messiah, arranged by Mozart, in the first performances of the oratorio in company history. The choral masterpiece will be presented in an avant-garde production from visionary director Robert Wilson, originally from Waco, who passed away in 2025. It will be conducted by Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers in his final engagement at the HGO podium before becoming the company's Music Director Emeritus and holder of the Robert and Jane Cizik Music Director Emeritus Chair.
In Wilson's interpretation, Messiah—a narrative-free, meditative oratorio originally conceived for concert halls—transforms into a surreal and mesmerizing theatrical spectacle reminiscent of Disney's Fantasia. The production's abstract imagery, heightened by Wilson's signature lighting, will unfold in a series of striking visual tableaux that masterfully meld with the transcendent music, performed by the HGO Orchestra and Chorus alongside a quartet of internationally acclaimed soloists.
HGO's spring staging of Messiah will coincide with Robert Wilson Day, declared as April 18 by the Texas State Legislature in 1997. The show's April 19 matinee will feature a post-performance conversation celebrating Wilson's life and legacy, moderated by HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor. Panelists will include Patrick Summers; Christof Belka, Wilson's representative and the Executive Director of RW Work Ltd.; and Stephanie Engeln, Messiah's co-scenic designer with Wilson.
The May 1 presentation of Messiah 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.
Messiah runs for two hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission. It is sung in English, with projected English text.
WHO: This anticipated production will showcase the renowned HGO Chorus alongside an exceptional cast: soprano Ying Fang, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor Ben Bliss, and bass-baritone Nicholas Newton, joined by the dancer Alexis Fousekis. The production's direction, design, and lighting were created by the late Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer stages HGO's presentation. Maestro Patrick Summers takes the podium for this can't-miss HGO event.
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