Houston Grand Opera News

Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2022–23 season, featuring a new production of Dame Ethel Smyth's rarely-performed masterpiece The Wreckers, the triumphant return of HGO-commissioned mariachi opera El Milagro del Recuerdo, the U.S. premieres of Opéra National de Paris and Royal Opera House's production of Werther and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía of Valencia's production of Salome, and beloved HGO classics La traviata, The Marriage of Figaro, and Tosca.

The leadership team at Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced that Matthew Ozawa will join the company in a newly created senior position: Chief Artistic Administration Officer. Ozawa returns to Lyric, having served as Interim Head of Lyric Unlimited, the company’s learning and creative engagement division.

​​​​​​​Wexford Festival Opera is celebrating its 70th anniversary with its debut New York concert on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 7:30pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, featuring renowned soprano Angela Meade, together with pianist Myra Huang, in works by Wagner, Meyerbeer, Amy Beach, and others.

Single tickets are now on-sale for all of the Canadian Opera Company's 2022 in-person programming. 

On April 22, 2022, Houston Grand Opera will open a new production of Puccini's Turandot created by world renowned artist Robert Wilson.  

On Tuesday, March 15, Vocal Arts DC will present soprano Elena Villalón in recital with pianist Kathleen Kelly. The concert will take place at 7:30pm at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Terrace Theater.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is proud to announce that Claire Liu will assume the role of Chairperson of its Board of Directors on August 1, 2022.

Opera Philadelphia returns to the Academy of Music stage for the first time since September 2019 with four performances of Rigoletto from April 29-May 8. Long one of the most popular works in the operatic canon, Verdi's unforgettable tragedy has not been performed by Opera Philadelphia in 15 years, making this new production an extra special event on the region's spring performing arts calendar.

This month, Theatre Now is producing staged readings of new musicals Fountain of You and The Pelican, presented in repertory with their full developmental production of The Jury now running at the Jeffrey & Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres.

'I'm just Reggie from Atlanta' baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. explained during our hour-long discussion on Zoom. That may be how he would like to view himself, but it's hardly how most others do since he's also a Grammy winning opera star who's performed at the Met. Until high school, neither opera, much less the Met were in his plans. Then when 13 he saw an Atlanta Opera production of Tosca. 'A classical voice was not new to me.' But the spectacle of unamplified voices together with theatrical staging, an orchestra, and eye-catching scenery was a revelation. 'I vividly remember the show going along, the tenor comes out, the soprano. But when Scarpia made his first big entrance, I thought Whoa, that's a different voice. It just went, boom, you know, like, like an arrow right into my heart. And I thought, what is this person?'

OPERA America has announced the recipients of the 2022 Repertoire Development Grants: American Lyric Theater (New York, NY); Beth Morrison Projects (New York, NY); Houston Grand Opera (Houston, TX); Lyric Opera of Chicago (Chicago, IL); MassOpera (Salem, MA); Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO); Pensacola Opera (Pensacola, FL) and OperaDelaware (Wilmington, DE); and Virginia Opera (Norfolk, VA). A total of $225,000 was awarded to eight projects (see below) by these nine companies.

Co-Directors Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade's production of Mozart's THE MAGIC FLUTE as staged by the Houston Grand Opera is brilliant and astounding. From the incredible set and projection design to its clever staging and superb acting—this production is one that even a 'non-opera-goer' should attend. While the production is primarily in German, this is one of the most accessible operas for anyone and everyone. As far as it's concerned to this reviewer, you must make every attempt to attend this production.

The Seattle Symphony's Songs of the Earth performance will be live broadcast and available to view on Seattle Symphony Live on February 10. The captured broadcast will be available online for one week. This performance brings together a poignant program of music that reflects on the end of life.

Jamie Barton will sing Eboli in this season’s new production of the original five-act French version of Verdi’s Don Carlos, replacing Elīna Garanča, who has withdrawn.

Audra McDonald has been awarded a record-breaking six Tony Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Emmy, receiving a National Medal of Arts and named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2015. A Juilliard-trained soprano, McDonald maintains a major career as a Grammy-winning recording and concert artist.

It was just announced that American baritone Lucas Meachem will step in to perform Athanaël in a new Olivier Py production of Jules Massenet's Thaïs at Teatro alla Scala, marking his house debut.

BroadwayWorld is excited to announce the expansion of our Education section with the launch of our new Scholarship Database- a comprehensive guide of collegiate-level performing arts scholarships across the country. In conjunction with this development, BroadwayWorld has brought on Carian Lynée Parker as our new Director of Education Outreach.

Houston Grand Opera has announced the winners for this year's Concert of Arias, the 34th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers, held last evening at the Wortham Theater Center and livestreamed for audiences at home on HGO Digital and HGO's Facebook and YouTube channels.

On Tuesday,  February 1st, Vocal Arts DC presents Will Liverman in concert with pianist Myra Huang.

Houston Grand Opera has announced the nine finalists selected to move forward in the Concert of Arias, the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers.