Living up to its name,
Houston Grand Opera rolls the dice big time when it opens its coming season with a world premiere — covering that bet considering that the new work is by acclaimed composer Jake Heggie (
Dead Man Walking).
In a recent ceremony announcing its 2023-24 Season, HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor and HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers worked as a tag team as they delivered details about the new season that includes the world premiere of superstar composer Heggie's
Intelligence;
its second-ever
Parsifal; a new co-production of
The Sound of Music; and three popular favorites,
Falstaff, Madame Butterfly and
Don Giovanni.
Also of note, the high caliber of the singers who'll be performing on stage.
“The dreams of next season, with its mix of newness and comforting familiarity, will be brought to life by a roster of artists and creatives so prodigiously talented, it truly takes your breath away,” says HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. “These are monumental works of art, whether they were gifted to us by history’s great geniuses or the most brilliant creators of the current day."
According to an HGO press release:
Intelligence tells the story of two women—Elizabeth Van Lew, from a prominent Confederate family, and Mary Jane Bowser, born into slavery in the family’s household—who form a secret pro-Union spy ring. The opera will include a performance by eight dancers from the Urban Bush Women in their HGO debut.
“Next season’s theme surrounds finding truth within art,” says Dastoor. “These operas are united by the complexity of their musical languages, the maturity of their themes, and the immutable truths contained within their stories. Only in opera do we see the truthful representation of multiple art forms, multiple points of view, and a wide diversity of perspectives co-existing in one moment. That complexity is the essence of the human condition. Opera can be ridiculous at times, but it is always honest.”
Houston Grand Opera: 2023-24 Season
Heggie | Scheer: Intelligence
Music by Jake Heggie
Libretto by Gene Scheer
Conceived by Jake Heggie, Gene Scheer, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Performance dates: October 20, 22m, 28, November 1, 3, 2023
Sung in English with projected English text
CAST:
Elizabeth Van Lew - Jamie Barton
Mary Jane Bowser - Janai Brugger
Lucinda - J’Nai Bridges
Callie Van Lew - Caitlin Lynch
Henry - Nicholas Newton
Travis Briggs - Michael Mayes
Wilson - Joshua Blue
Dance Company - Urban Bush Women
Verdi: Falstaff
Performance dates: October 27, 29m, November 4, 8, 10, 2023
Sung in Italian with projected English translation
CAST:
Falstaff - Reginald Smith, Jr.
Alice Ford - Nicole Heaston
Ford - Blake Denson
Mistress Quickly - Jennifer Johnson Cano
Nannetta - Andrea Carroll
Fenton - Jack Swanson
Meg Page - Emily Treigle
Doctor Caius - Martin Bakari
Bardolf - Michael McDermott
Wagner: Parsifal
Performance dates: January 19, 21m, 27, 31, February 4m, 2024
Sung in German with projected English translation
CAST:
Parsifal - Russell Thomas
Kundry - Christine Goerke
Gurnemanz - Kwangchul Youn
Amfortas - Ryan McKinny
Klingsor - Andrea Silvestrelli
Titurel - André Courville
Flower Maidens - Meryl Dominguez, Erin Wagner, Renée Richardson and Ani Kushyan
Esquires - Demetrious Sampson and Michael McDermott
Puccini: Madame Butterfly
Performance dates: January 26, 28m, 30 (Student Matinee) #, February 3, 6 (High School Night) #, 7, 9, 11m, 2024
Sung in Italian with projected English translation
CAST:
Cio-Cio-San - Ailyn Pérez and Raquel González (student performance)
Pinkerton - Yongzhao Yu and Eric Taylor (student performance)
Sharpless - Michael Sumuel and Navasard Hakobyan (student performance)
Suzuki - Sun-Ly Pierce and Emily Treigle (student performance)
Goro - Rodell Rosel
The Bonze - William Guanbo Su
Yamadori - André Courville
Kate Pinkerton- Erin Wagner
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Performance dates: April 19, 21m, 27, May 1, 3, 2024
Sung in Italian with projected English translation
CAST:
Don Giovanni - Luca Pisaroni
Leporello - Ryan McKinny
Donna Anna - Andriana Chuchman
Don Ottavio - Kang Wang
Donna Elvira - Sasha Cooke
Zerlina -Erika Baikoff
Commendatore Patrick Guetti
Rodgers | Hammerstein II: The Sound of Music
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Performance dates: April 26, 28m, 30, May 4, 5m, 10, 11, 12m, 2024
Sung in English with projected English text
CAST:
Maria Rainer Isabel Leonard
Captain Georg von Trapp Alexander Birch Elliott
The Mother Abbess Katie Van Kooten
Liesl Tori Tedeschi Adams
Max Detweiler Daniel Belcher
Elsa Schraeder Megan Marino
Sister Margaretta Renée Richardson
Sister Berthe Erin Wagner
Sister Sophia Ani Kushyan
