Set Designer

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical returns to the Alice Busch Opera Theater in a bold new production directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by James Lowe. Set on the cusp of statehood, Oklahoma! celebrates the dreams and complexities of settlers forging new lives on the frontier. This fresh staging evokes both the grandeur of the American landscape and the optimism of the artists who created the work as World War II raged. Oklahoma! is many things: a landmark of musical theater, a grand love story, and an invitation to reflect on the promise of America.

Oklahoma!

Alice Busch Opera Theater of Cooperstown 

Presented for the first time in Lyric Opera history, Porgy and Bess is the quintessential American opera. The source of some of the twentieth century's most beloved songs—including “Summertime”—this jazzy Gershwin score is unforgettable. The opera paints a vivid picture of life in the Charleston neighborhood Catfish Row, where a poignant “opposites attract” romance unfolds alongside a powerful portrait of a community that unites in the face of tragedy and triumph.

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The Gershwins®' Porgy and Bess

Lyric Opera of Kansas City

When the young heir falls for the good-hearted party girl, the path of love starts with romance and tenderness but ends in tragedy. La traviata (“The Fallen Woman”) sweeps you into a world where society’s judgments clash with the deepest human emotions, where passion struggles against rigid demands of family and honor. Violetta, a celebrated courtesan, dares to reach for true love in a world that denies her the right to it. Renowned director Francesca Zambello highlights the emotional depth of Verdi’s masterpiece, a score that pulses with dramatic intensity and tenderness.

La traviata

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

It’s been 50 years since HGO first presented the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, restoring the “folk opera” to its creators’ full original vision in a landmark production that earned HGO both a Tony and a Grammy. Now, audiences have the chance to again experience the cherished American classic that set HGO on its path as a trailblazer, presented in an acclaimed production from director Francesca Zambello.

Porgy and Bess

Wortham Theater Center

Countless fans know and love Leonard Bernstein’s landmark work, but few have seen it like this. Originally conceived as an opera, we’re paying tribute to Bernstein’s impact with the grand operatic treatment. Rather than a small-scale instrumental ensemble, we’re unleashing the power of the LA Opera Orchestra—not to mention a magnificent cast in top vocal and physical form. Be there as James Conlon and director Francesca Zambello dive into one of the most emblematic works of American theater with this elevated, maximalist take that incorporates the iconic original choreography created by the legendary Jerome Robbins.

New York City’s West Side is split between the Jets and the Sharks—but these warring gangs never imagined that two of their own could fall in love. Tenor Duke Kim is Tony, a former Jet who finds himself falling for Maria (the radiant Gabriella Reyes). But Maria is promised to another, and her brother Bernardo is more than willing to rally his Sharks to keep it that way. The two lovers dream of a happily ever after, but their neighborhood can see tragedy coming a mile away.

West Side Story

The Music Center

Wagner’s Tannhäuser receives a highly anticipated new staging from internationally acclaimed director Francesca Zambello—and Houston audiences will be the first to experience her strikingly beautiful production. Lust and love, diametrically opposed forces in the opera’s universe, do battle within the title character’s psyche as the story unfolds. At curtain’s open, Tannhäuser has abandoned his life as a poet who sings of courtly love in favor of the carnal delights of the goddess Venus, spending a rapture-filled year on her magic mountain in the sky. Seeking something more, he renounces her, hoping to find redemption—and a union back home in Germany with his spiritual love Elisabeth. But his epic journey to salvation has been cursed.  

Tannhäuser

 Elegance and grandeur abound in this updated 20th century setting of Verdi’s treasured opera. The vibrant Violetta falls in love with young nobleman Alfredo, but society tests their love and demands sacrifice. Will they find happiness before it’s too late?  



Detroit Opera House

A tale of resistance, courage, and joy: The Sound of Music, whose story begins in the hills of Austria on the eve of the Nazis’ annexation, resonates as much today as during the musical’s 1959 premiere. Acclaimed director Francesca Zambello incorporates songs from both the theatrical version and its famous cinematic adaptation into her new production, a vibrant staging of the beloved story of the von Trapp children, their stern father, and the novice-turned-governess Maria who changes their lives. The Wortham Theater is the perfect place to experience Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original vision for their timeless musical, propelled by the full power of the world-class HGO Orchestra and Chorus and a peerless cast including world-famous mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Maria and baritone Alexander Birch Elliott as the Captain. HGO’s Richard Bado takes the podium to conduct this classic family-friendly production. 

The Sound Of Music

Elegant. Emotional. Unforgettable. How much would you sacrifice for love? Violetta holds court at every party in Paris, toasting to high-class pleasures alongside affluent men. But beneath the grandeur lies a fatal disease. Will her time run out before she knows true love? Verdi’s timeless story of fate and sacrifice, renowned for its soaring arias and heart-wrenching ending, proves how “love is the heartbeat of the universe.”

Seattle Center

A century ago, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Show Boat changed American musical theater forever with its racially integrated cast and bold portrayal of injustice along the Mississippi. Set aboard the floating theater Cotton Blossom, the groundbreaking musical traces the intertwined lives of performers navigating decades of love, loss, and prejudice—backed by a sweeping score that is influenced by genres from spirituals to ragtime to jazz. In the 1980s, HGO made history of its own by restoring Show Boat to operatic scale—and now, the company is inviting audiences to again experience this treasured classic with an acclaimed production by Francesca Zambello, performed by a cast of superstars. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard makes her role debut as Julie, with soprano Lauren Snouffer as Magnolia, baritone Edward Nelson as Gaylord, and bass Morris Robinson as Joe, whose haunting number, “Ol’ Man River,” captures the ceaseless roll of the Mighty Mississippi. Making his first return to HGO in his new role as music director emeritus, Maestro Patrick Summers conducts.

Set Designer

Peter J. Davison

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 30 - May 16, 2027

Show Boat · Houston Grand Opera

Past events

Jul 10 - Aug 15, 2026

Oklahoma! · Glimmerglass Festival

Feb 28 - Mar 8, 2026

The Gershwins®' Porgy and Bess · Lyric Opera of Kansas City

About

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