Houston Grand Opera News

Beginning performances at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues), for an open-ended engagement beginning May 30 with opening night set for June 13, Desperate Measures features: Gary Marachek (Eleanor) as Father Morse, Lauren Molina (Rock of Ages) as Bella Rose, Sarah Parnicky (Show Boat at Houston Grand Opera) as Susanna/Sister Mary Jo, Conor Ryan ('Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert') as Johnny Blood, Peter Saide (Skin Tight) as Sheriff Green, Nick Wyman (Les Miserables) as Governor von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber and Anthony Festa, Celia Hottenstein, and Tom Souhrada.

Horse Head Theatre Co. (HH) is proud to announce our 9th season of Houston premieres, featuring new works that focus on character relationships, female protagonists and musically-charged stories.

Many may have heard of the movie AN AMERICAN IN PARIS that starred Gene Kelly and featured such songs as "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise," "S Wonderful," and "I Got Rhythm." Well, the recent Broadway hit of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS took some of the story, some of the songs, and added to it. What was created was a story that pays tribute to great shows of days gone by as well as adding new parts to make an extraordinary musical. As AN AMERICAN IN PARIS tours around North America, it is preparing to make a stop in Austin, Texas at the Bass Concert Hall from May 29-June 3, 2018. BWW caught up with actress Teri Hansen who plays Madame Baurel. She shared with BWW just what it was that brought her to be part of the amazing tour of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS.

San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP), has announced a special addition to its 2017-18 season, Nathan Gunn, FLYING SOLO, written and directed by Hershey Felder.

Penny Van Horn, Board Chair of The Solti Foundation U.S. and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, announced today the Foundation's ninth grant, The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, to Roderick Cox, Associate Conductor of the 114-year old Minnesota Orchestra. The $30,000 grant is the largest grant awarded to young American conductors in the United States.

On August 25 this year, Leonard Bernstein would have celebrated his 100th birthday. To honor this centennial, the 2018 Bard SummerScape festival launches with the first major revival of the composer's Peter Pan. Commissioned from Olivier Award-winning director and Bernstein specialist Christopher Alden, and presented complete in an intimate new chamber arrangement, Bard's new production is the only one of Bernstein's theatrical works to be staged in the New York area during the centenary year. Alden's psychologically gripping treatment reveals the childhood fantasy's darker side, combining new choreography from Jack Ferver, with Bernstein's joyous, shimmering score. By turns whimsical and sinister, the production's cast is led by William Michals as Captain Hook,  Peter Smith as Peter Pan, Erin Markey, as Wendy, and Ferver as Tinker Bell.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's (LACO) 50th Anniversary season concludes with guest conductor Grant Gershon leading the world premiere of Derrick Spiva Jr.'s From Here A Path, the second part of a trilogy for chamber orchestra, and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, featuring noted cellist and classical music innovator Joshua Roman, today, May 19, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, May 20, 2018, 7 pm, at Royce Hall.  In addition, Concertmaster Margaret Batjer leads from the first chair both Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in D Minor, the first work ever performed when LACO launched 50 years ago, and Mozart's Symphony No. 39 in E-Flat Major, which wraps the Orchestra's exploration this season of the composer's final three symphonies.  Spiva, describing his work, says, "From Here A Path draws inspiration from Husago, a West African piece from Ghana's Ewe people that includes drumming, dancing and singing, kaval flute playing from Eastern Europe and elements of Hindustani classical music.  The title references the momentum and resistance one gathers to reach a point."

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has appointed Eun Sun Kim as principal guest conductor starting in the 2019-20 season. She will be the first person to hold this position since 1993, when Vjekoslav Sutej completed two seasons in the role. Ms. Kim will conduct at least one opera per season, beginning with R. Strauss's Salome. The position will extend through four seasons. Ms. Kim made her United States debut conducting HGO's season- opening production of La Traviata in October 2017. She is leading the Cincinnati Symphony and May Festival Chorus this week in the Verdi Requiem.

After a national search, Florida Grand Opera (FGO) has chosen three new singers for the 2018-19 FGO Studio. One of the most respected and highly competitive studio programs in the nation, the FGO Studio, led by Artistic Directors Diana Soviero and Bernard Uzan, provides comprehensive career development to emerging artists who have demonstrated potential to make major contributions to the field of opera

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is teaming up again with Los Angeles  magazine to present Center Stage:  Mapping the Ecology of Dance in Los Angeles, a dynamic discussion with both established and emerging leaders in LA's dance world on May 17, 2018 at 9:00 am. This two-part panel will explore the exciting and explosive growth of dance in Los Angeles in recent years and the influences that have made it possible. Admission is free, but reservations are required.This special event, taking place in advance of Dance USA's 10thAnnual Conference in Downtown Los Angeles, will also be available as a Facebook Live stream on The Wallis' Facebook page.  

When Houston Grand Opera (HGO) opened its first season in Houston's new opera house at the Wortham Theater Center in 1987, world-renowned tenor Placido Domingo starred in Verdi's Aida. Now, just over 30 years later, Domingo will again take the Wortham stage on September 26 for HGO and Placido-Coming Home!, a gala evening celebrating the company's return to its creative home after a year of displacement following Hurricane Harvey. Joined by beloved Houston soprano Ana Maria Martinez and the HGO Orchestra conducted by HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers, Domingo will perform an evening of operatic and popular musical favorites. The concert, which begins at 7 p.m., will be followed by a celebration dinner in the Ballroom at Bayou Place.

On Thursday, May 24 (7:30 pm) Japan Society presents an evening with two New York-based master instrumentalists: koto player Yumi Kurosawa and shamisen player Yoko Reikano Kimura, who are revitalizing their instruments through novel repertoire, musical approaches, and playing techniques. The eclectic program will span traditional, classical, and contemporary works, including duets of koto + shamisen, shamisen + cello (Hikaru Tamaki) and koto + tabla (Anubrata Chatterjee). The recital will take place in Japan Society's serene and intimate Murase Room, with a cash bar at 7 pm. Tickets are $25, $20 for Japan Society members, available at japansociety.org/performingarts.

Beginning performances at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues), for an open-ended engagement beginning May 30 with opening night set for June 13, Desperate Measures features: Gary Marachek (Eleanor) as Father Morse, Lauren Molina (Rock of Ages) as Bella Rose, Sarah Parnicky (Show Boat at Houston Grand Opera) as Susanna/Sister Mary Jo, Conor Ryan ('Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert') as Johnny Blood, Peter Saide (Skin Tight) as Sheriff Green, Nick Wyman (Les Miserables) as Governor von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber and Anthony Festa, Celia Hottenstein, and Tom Souhrada.

Full casting has been announced for the sensational feel-good musical MAMMA MIA! which comes to Palace Theatre, Manchester from 3rd - 14th July 2018 as part of its international tour. Shona White (Donna Sheridan), Nicky Swift (Rosie), Helen Anker (Tanya), Tamlyn Henderson (Sam Carmichael), Daniel Crowder (Harry Bright), Matthew Rutherford (Bill Austin), Lucy May Barker (Sophie Sheridan), Phillip Ryan (Sky), Leisha Mollyneaux (Ali), Lottie Henshall (Lisa), Matt Jordan-Pidgeon (Pepper) and Michael Nelson (Eddie) will star in the production. At certain performances the role of Donna Sheridan will be played by Natalie Langston.

Casting has been announced for Cameron Mackintosh's spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA for its highly anticipated return to St. Louis at the Fabulous Fox Theatre May 9-20. With newly reinvented staging and stunning scenic design, this new version of PHANTOM is performed by a cast and orchestra of 52, making this one of the largest productions on tour in North America.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's (LACO) 50th Anniversary season concludes with guest conductor Grant Gershon leading the world premiere of Derrick Spiva Jr.'s From Here A Path, the second part of a trilogy for chamber orchestra, and Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major, featuring noted cellist and classical music innovator Joshua Roman, on Saturday, May 19, 8 pm, at Glendale's Alex Theatre, and Sunday, May 20, 2018, 7 pm, at Royce Hall.  In addition, Concertmaster Margaret Batjer leads from the first chair both Vivaldi's Concerto Grosso in D Minor, the first work ever performed when LACO launched 50 years ago, and Mozart's Symphony No. 39 in E-Flat Major, which wraps the Orchestra's exploration this season of the composer's final three symphonies.  Spiva, describing his work, says, "From Here A Path draws inspiration from Husago, a West African piece from Ghana's Ewe people that includes drumming, dancing and singing, kaval flute playing from Eastern Europe and elements of Hindustani classical music.  The title references the momentum and resistance one gathers to reach a point."

The Atlanta Opera closes its 2017-18 mainstage season with Stephen Sondheim's seminal musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This production of Sweeney Todd remains faithful to the original Broadway show, and features an all-star cast, including Michael Mayes in his role debut as Sweeney Todd, and Maria Zifchak as Mrs. Lovett. Timothy Myers will conduct in a company debut, and Albert Sherman, who has directed Sweeney Todd under the mentorship of Harold Prince, will serve as production director.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the final extension of its latest production, Memphis. Memphis must close Saturday, June 16, following that evening's 8 p.m. performance. Now playing through June 16 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, features  book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music and lyrics by David Bryan and  is directed by Daryl D.  Brooks, assistant directed and choreographed by Christopher Carter, music directed by Jermaine Hill and assistant choreographed by Reneisha Jenkins.

Desperate Measures will make its highly anticipated return to New World Stages beginning May30 with opening night set for June 13. 

Scott Wheeler's opera, The Sorrows of Frederick, will be seen at Brooklyn's Irondale Center on Friday, May 18, 2018, at 8pm. Act 1 of this two-act opera is being presented as part of Center for Contemporary Opera's Development Series. The libretto is by Romulus Linney. Mark Shapiro conducts and Beth Greenberg is the stage director with Keith Phares singing the title role of Frederick.