The most ambitious undertaking of Ars Lyrica’s 2023/24 season is a new production of Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula, one of a handful of “magic” operas he produced during his long career in London. The cast includes four rising stars of the operatic firmament, all ideally suited to this exceptionally beautiful score. Tara Faircloth directs and Matthew Dirst conducts this Houston premiere.

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Amadigi di Gaula

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Wagnerites from around the world will descend upon Houston when HGO presents Parsifal, the composer’s final opera, full of shimmeringly beautiful music and spiritual and philosophical exploration. The revered masterpiece takes audiences on a mystical journey through a realm where time has no meaning and a group of knights are trying to protect the Holy Grail and their wounded king, Amfortas. He can only be healed by an innocent fool—the titular protagonist—but first Parsifal must undertake a quest to reclaim the Holy Spear, enduring tests including an attempted seduction by a bevy of gorgeous women. The opera will be presented in a stunning, sensual, colorful production from Tony Award-winning director John Caird. HGO Principal Guest Conductor Eun Sun Kim leads a cast of extraordinary Wagnerians including tenor Russell Thomas as Parsifal, soprano Christine Goerke as Kundry, bass Kwangchul Youn as Gurnemanz, and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Amfortas.

Parsifal

Wortham Theater Center

Puccini’s beloved Madame Butterfly, with its soaring score and unforgettable tragic story, returns to HGO in a revival of Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage’s acclaimed production. The opera’s diverse cast will be led by internationally sought-after soprano Ailyn Pérez, who returns to Houston as Cio-Cio-San, the young Japanese girl who marries American naval lieutenant Pinkerton, performed by tenor Yongzhao Yu in his role debut. As the tale unfolds, Cio-Cio-San, abandoned by her husband, raises their son while faithfully waiting for him to return to Japan. When Pinkerton finally reappears, bringing with him a new wife and seeking to take his child back to America, heartbreaking tragedy ensues. The production’s revival, directed by Jordan Braun, stars mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce as Suzuki, bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as Sharpless, bass William Guanbo Su as the Bonze, and tenor Rodell Rosel as Goro. Maestro Patrick Summers conducts. 

Madame Butterfly

640 girls in Italy, 231 in Germany, 100 in France, 91 in Turkey, 1,003 in Spain. As the servant Leporello famously sings in his “Catalogue aria,” the eponymous fiend in Mozart’s sublime tragicomedy Don Giovanni has already been very busy when he beds the engaged Anna and then kills her father in a duel. Even as he’s pursued by aggrieved parties on all sides, Don Giovanni sets about seducing the lovely Zerlina—on her wedding day. But the arrogant Spanish antihero everyone loves to hate meets his comeuppance, and in director Kasper Holten’s brilliant production, his descent into hell is not literal but mental, as depicted by Luke Halls’s incredible projections onto Es Devlin’s magically minimalist set.

Don Giovanni

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

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

The Big Swim, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in partnership with Asia Society Texas Center , is a contemporary fable that fuses diverse influences into a single, compelling whole. Composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien have crafted a witty, heartwarming one-act opera that intentionally crosses boundaries between the traditional and modern, Eastern and Western, and classical and non-classical. In a new retelling of the race, the 12 animals learn that fierce competition is not as crucial as caring for and supporting one another, side by side.

The Big Swim

Asia Society Texas Center

Opera under the stars—is there anything better? Each spring Houston Grand Opera presents a weekend of performances for thousands of families at Miller Outdoor Theatre, one of the city’s true jewels. These free shows are not only a treasured HGO tradition, but also core to the company’s mission of providing all Houstonians with the opportunity to experience first-rate, high-quality arts experiences. Grab a spot on the lawn and enjoy Puccini’s masterpiece, Madame Butterfly, with friends and family.

Miller Outdoor Theatre Performances

Miller Outdoor Theatre

Step into the spellbinding world of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, where centuries-old works continue to mesmerize opera enthusiasts. But what's the secret behind singers mastering these timeless roles and melodies? In this immersive operatic event, witness Shepherd School's Advanced Opera Studies students perform captivating scenes from Mozart's renowned operas, Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro, accompanied by piano and harpsichord. Gain invaluable insights between scenes from music director and Mozart specialist, Gary Wedow. Don’t miss this afternoon of Mozartian magic

Deconstructing Mozart: Scenes from Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro

Brockman Hall For Opera

Ars Lyrica Houston proudly presents a new production of Handel's "Amadigi di Gaula," marking the most ambitious undertaking of their 2023/24 season. This Houston premiere, directed by Tara Faircloth and conducted by Matthew Dirst, features a cast of four rising stars in the operatic world, perfectly suited to bring to life the exceptionally beautiful score of one of Handel's magic operas produced during his prolific career in London.

The performances are scheduled for Friday, May 24, 2024, and Saturday, May 25, 2024, at 7:30 pm, with a live concert broadcast from Zilkha Hall at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The cast, in order of appearance, includes Randall Scotting as Amadigi, Nicholas Garza as Dardano, Raven McMillon as Melissa, and Nola Richardson as Oriana, with additional roles and covers by Michael Skarke, Sarah Dyer, Christine Boddicker, and Joeavian Rivera.

This production promises an evening of awe with a runtime of approximately two and a half hours, including an intermission. The production team, led by Tara Faircloth (stage director) and Matthew Dirst (music director), alongside Christina Giannelli (lighting designer), Ryan McGettigan (set designer), Julius Sanchez (stage manager), Macy Lyne (costume designer), and Jenna Wallis (surtitles), ensures a visually stunning and musically enriching experience.

Tickets are available for both in-person attendance and digital access, with the latter offering a concert broadcast link emailed to digital patrons on the morning of the performance, allowing for season-long replay access.

Join Ars Lyrica Houston in celebrating their momentous 20th anniversary season with this production of "Amadigi di Gaula," a testament to their commitment to presenting world-class Baroque opera in Houston.

Goodness triumphs in Rossini’s frothy delight, Cinderella, presented in a whimsically bright and colorful production that has enchanted audiences across the globe. In this version of the story, Cinderella’s name is Angelina; she has a wicked stepfather, Don Magnifico; a pair of bracelets replaces the slippers; and a group of hilarious life-size rats does its best to steal the show. But at its charming heart, the tale of a sweet young beauty finding love with her prince remains.

Cinderella

Just under the surface, every family has its unresolved problems and mysteries. Verdi’s Il trovatore embraces this complexity ––a Romani curse, disappeared children, mislaid identities, deadly fires, unfathomable loss. But something elemental emerges from the shadows and the embers, rekindled by Verdi’s thrumming, thrilling score––an extended family coming to terms with its secret history. In a politically divided Spain, the royalist Count di Luna and the revolutionary leader Manrico love the same woman, Leonora. As the men face off, they become ensnared in a larger web of lies, murder, and revenge, spun in part by the fascinating Romani woman Manrico knows as his mother: Azucena, whose own mother’s death set the story in motion many years earlier. Azucena holds all the cards and plays them, with eerie certainty, right up to the last moment.

Il Trovatore

Opera to Go! is a fully-staged, high-energy, 45-minute opera, and designed with students in mind. Opera to Go! is performed across countless schools and community venues all over the greater Houston region as well as to further regions in the great State of Texas.

Opera To-Go!

Alcina is a beautiful and powerful sorceress with a penchant for luring men to her enchanted island, seducing them, and turning them into rocks and wild animals when she tires of the relationship—until the dashing knight Ruggiero comes along and sparks true love. When a magic ring breaks Alcina’s spell, and Ruggiero sees things as they are, will he return her affection? A spellbinding plot filled with twists, turns, disguises, and secret passions plays out through some of Handel’s most gloriously exquisite music in this Shepherd School Opera production.

Handel’s Alcina

The Shepherd School celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month with a Spanish-language recital performed by faculty member and international opera star Ana María Martínez, six opera department students, and surprise guests. The performance includes projected images inspired by the musical works and on-screen translations.

Opera events in Houston, TX

Amadigi di Gaula

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Parsifal

Houston Grand Opera

Madame Butterfly

Houston Grand Opera

Don Giovanni

Houston Grand Opera

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: A l...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Sound Of Music

Houston Grand Opera

The Big Swim

Houston Grand Opera

Miller Outdoor Theatre Pe...

Houston Grand Opera

Deconstructing Mozart: Sc...

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice Uni...

Don Giovanni

Houston Grand Opera

Amadigi di Gaula

Ars Lyrica Houston

Cinderella

Houston Grand Opera

Il Trovatore

Houston Grand Opera

Opera To-Go!

Houston Grand Opera

Handel’s Alcina

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice Uni...

Noche Española with Ana M...

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice Uni...