Rice University

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, a timeless adaptation of the Brothers Grimm tale. Produced in association with the London's Royal Ballet and Opera and San Francisco Opera.

Lyric Opera of Chicago will present Mozart’s beloved masterpiece Così fan tutte. This glamorous rom-com returns to Lyric in a sun-soaked 1930s-era seaside country club setting.

This week’s roundup highlights major leadership changes, funding shifts, and renewed investment in the performing arts. OPERA America has named Michael J. Bobbitt as its next President & CEO, while Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS announced $1.5 million in emergency food grants nationwide. In New York, The Joyce Theater Foundation received a landmark $15 million gift, and Broadway productions prepare to take the stage at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Regionally, Chicago’s cultural department faces a proposed budget reduction, Theatre Washington released a new industry impact report, and Houston Grand Opera appointed James Gaffigan as its next Music Director. Meanwhile, in the UK, opera and arts education take center stage with efforts to broaden access and strengthen creative learning.

Houston Grand Opera has announced the appointment of American conductor James Gaffigan as the fifth Music Director in the company's 70-year history.

Musiqa’s 2025 Emerging Composer Commission winner is Justin Weiss, a composer and conductor whose work has been recognized. Learn more about the recipients here!

​The Philadelphia Orchestra has added two musicians to the brass section, Victoria Knudtson, assistant principal/utility horn, and Samuel Huss, 4th/utility trumpet, in the 2025–26 season. Learn more!

Ucross Foundation will host its 2025 Gala & Benefit on November 6 at POST Houston, honoring Corbin Robertson, Jr. with the Raymond Plank Award for Visionary Leadership.

And I realized that this is a subject that I feel like we've stopped talking about, even though it's still a really big deal. The big national organization, Exodus, had been dissolved. And that's a really interesting story, actually, about how that ended. And they had so much more presence in the media when there was this big national group over it. They fragmented into all these different pieces.

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University will continue its multiyear 50th-anniversary celebration in the upcoming 2025-26 season. Learn more and see how to attend!

Grammy Award-winning soprano Ana María Martínez, with Broadway music director and conductor Andy Einhorn, will be at The Hobby Center this Saturday at 7:30 pm in the Zilkha Hall.

The Houston Chamber Choir will present Gather ‘Round on Saturday, May 31, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, concluding its 2024–2025 season, From Startup to Standout, with a special tribute to its Founder and Artistic Director, Robert Simpson.

The Houston Chamber Choir will present Gather ‘Round on Saturday, May 31, at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, concluding its 2024–2025 season, From Startup to Standout, with a special tribute to its Founder and Artistic Director, Robert Simpson.

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University has appointed David Chan as Professor of Violin, starting full time in the fall of 2025. Learn more about Chan here!

Ars Lyrica Houston has announced its 2025/26 season, Twists of Fate. This new season explores the unpredictable forces that shape lives, through music that draws on ancient myths, biblical parables, and timeless tales of love, loss, and transformation. 

This summer, vocal music takes center stage at the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS). The 2025 festival will present the staged world premiere of Siddhartha, She, a recital from Patti LuPone, and more.