Houston Grand Opera News

San Francisco Opera presents a trio of operatic favorites- Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni and Giacomo Puccini's La Boheme-at the War Memorial Opera House from May 31 through July 2.

This weekend, February 10 and 11 at 7:30 PM, conductor Randall Craig Fleischer leads guest vocalists Debbie Gravitte, KLea Blackhurst, Ron Raines, Jason Graae, Scott Coulter, and John Boswell in a performance of 'Jerry Herman: The Broadway Legacy Concert'.

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons will hold its annual Spring Gala on Monday evening, May 8 at the event space 583 Park Avenue. Titled A CELEBRATION OF SONG, the evening will honor three of the company's exceptional alumni writers: Tony Award nominee Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven at Playwrights), Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven at Playwrights) and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife and Grey Gardens at Playwrights).

With more than 20,000 nominations made, the International Opera Awards is pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Awards. These were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph, 'Once again, it was both a challenge and a pleasure for us to produce these shortlists, and I am very grateful to our distinguished jury. The quality of the nominations—received in record numbers this year—was very high, and I hope our lists prove that for all the difficulties faced by the world's opera companies, opera is in fact in a healthy and vibrant state.'

With more than 20,000 nominations made, the International Opera Awards has just announced the finalists for this year's Awards.

MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale), celebrating its 75th anniversary during the 2016-2017 season, presents St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach on February 9, 2017 at 7pm at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall (57th Street and 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019).

MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale), celebrating its 75th anniversary during the 2016-2017 season, presents St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach on February 9, 2017 at 7pm at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall (57th Street and 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019).

On Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 7:30pm, Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents excerpts from Champion by five-time Grammy award-winning musician and playwright Terence Blanchard, who tells the true story of Emile Griffith in his haunting and visually stunning 'opera in jazz.'

Twenty of the finest young opera singers in the United States will be competing in the 29th Annual Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition presented, jointly, by The Dallas Opera and The Dallas Opera Guild.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will present Das Barbecu, a fast-paced and raucous retelling of Wagner's epic Ring cycle, on April 23at Jackson Street BBQ, and April 30 at Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon. Five actors play over 30 roles in this comic take on opera's most spectacular saga, complete with mismatched lovers, a double shotgun wedding, and family feuds, all wrapped up in a Texas-sized heap of Wild West fun. Songs run the gamut from Broadway to Texas swing, from jazz to twangy country and western. Ticket prices include a BBQ feast and drink. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for dinner, with performances beginning at 7 p.m. 

Abingdon Theatre Company, under the artistic direction of Tony Speciale, presents the world premiere of CHESS MATCH NO. 5, conceived and directed by Anne Bogart, with text arranged by Jocelyn Clarke from the words of John Cage.

Bring the whole family to see Cinderella en España-a universal rags-to-riches tale that explores the beauty of kindness and the ugliness of mistreating others. Seattle Opera will offer its new Spanish/English performance at both its annual Frost Fest on Feb. 4 at Cornish Playhouse, and onMarch 19 at Kirkland Performance Center; ultimately, the production will tour more than 40 elementary schools statewide.

An ensemble of artists committed to exploring the rarely heard music of Louis Durey present six of his unpublished manuscripts, including four North American premieres, today, February 4 at 4:00 p.m. at La Maison Francaise at New York University as a prelude to a recording to be released this May by New Focus Records.

On February 10 and 11 at 7:30 PM, conductor Randall  Craig Fleischer leads guest vocalists Debbie Gravitte, Klea Blackhurst, Ron Raines, Jason Graae, Scott Coulter, and John Boswell in a performance of "Jerry Herman: The Broadway Legacy Concert". Tickets start at $21 ($15 for students), and can be purchased at www.utahsymphony.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

North Carolina Opera's Artistic & Music Director Timothy Myers is stepping down from his post at the end of September.

With more than 20,000 nominations made, the International Opera Awards is pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Awards. These were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph, 'Once again, it was both a challenge and a pleasure for us to produce these shortlists, and I am very grateful to our distinguished jury. The quality of the nominations-received in record numbers this year-was very high, and I hope our lists prove that for all the difficulties faced by the world's opera companies, opera is in fact in a healthy and vibrant state.'

Musicologist Philip Gossett, one of the world's foremost experts on opera, is donating his complete music collection of more than 2,000 items, primarily scores of works by Rossini, Verdi, and other Italian composers, to Juilliard.

Kristine Opolais stars in her first Met performances of her breakthrough role, the title character in Dvo?ak's Rusalka, in a new staging, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Sir Mark Elder, opening at the Met February 2.

Kristine Opolais stars in her first Met performances of her breakthrough role, the title character in Dvo?ak's Rusalka, in a new staging, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Sir Mark Elder, opening at the Met February 2.

SOULSKIN Dance is proud to present a brand new work SATIN & SWING as part of their 4th Season in San Francisco. Artistic Director and Choreographer Adrianna Thompson seeks to engage audiences in a study of two eras, the 1920s and the present. Dance Mission Theatre transforms into a time machine, transporting us back to the 1920s. Glitz and glam sparkle from the dingy corners of a speakeasy. Raucous jazz blares, bringing bejeweled and sequined dancing flapper girls to life. An evening of indulgence has begun. The entry notes of Prince's 'Erotic City' ring in your ears, an echo from another time. Suddenly you notice the writing on the wall. The crash of overindulgence is imminent.