Giving Voice 2026 by hougrandopera

The Seventh Annual

Presented by Houston Grand Opera and The Fort Bend Church

February 20, 2026 / 7:30 P.M. / THE FORT BEND CHURCH

Welcome to Giving Voice!

Welcome to the seventh annual Giving Voice concert—and the first at The Fort Bend Church!

This Houston Grand Opera series was created in 2020 by the extraordinary tenor Lawrence Brownlee to honor the legacy of Black artists in opera and song—and to ensure that important legacy continues to be heard. Over the years, it has grown into a joyful HGO tradition that brings people together through music that speaks of faith, hope, and collective memory.

Tonight’s program marks two powerful milestones: the centennial of Black History Month and the 250th anniversary of the United States. These anniversaries invite us not only to look back, but also to listen more closely—to the voices and stories that have shaped this nation’s history, and its shared cultural life, from the very beginning.

There are extraordinary artists in the house with us tonight, starting with baritone Donnie Ray Albert, whose history with HGO stretches back to 1976, when he starred as Porgy in our legendary, Grammy Award-winning Porgy and Bess. Also performing is bass-baritone Michael Sumuel, whose own deep history with HGO includes his recent, showstopping performance as Porgy this fall—a moving reflection of legacy passed from one generation to the next.

Joining them is the sublime mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, who sang Lucinda in HGO’s world-premiere opera Intelligence —and whose voice can be heard on our 2026 Grammy Award-winning recording of the same work—along with three brilliant young artists from the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio: soprano Elizabeth Hanje, tenor Demetrious Sampson, Jr., and bass-baritone Sam Dhobhany.

We are thrilled that The Fort Bend Church Music Ministry, Voices of Houston, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, and the HGO Chorus will share their beautiful artistry with us this evening, as will flutist/HGO Orchestra member Tyler Martin and pianist Kevin J. Miller.

Gregory D. McDaniel, Artistic Director of Houston Ebony Opera Guild, leads the Giving Voice Choir.

Khori Dastoor

HGO General Director and CEO

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

This evening reminds us that our nation’s strength has always come from the power of many voices raised together. Thank you for welcoming us into your community for this special evening of music-making.

Welcome to The Fort Bend Church.

On behalf of The Fort Bend Church, it is my distinct honor and joy to welcome you to Giving Voice 2026, presented in partnership with Houston Grand Opera. We are grateful that you have chosen to join us for this powerful and historic celebration, marking the centennial of Black History Month and honoring the enduring legacy of Black artistry, resilience, and sacred expression.

At The Fort Bend Church, we believe deeply in the power of voice. Voice is more than sound—it is testimony. It is memory. It is resistance and hope woven together. From the spirituals sung in hush harbors, to the operatic stages that now echo with brilliance and brilliance reclaimed, Black voices have long carried the story of a people who refused to be silenced. Tonight, we gather not only to hear those voices, but to honor them.

This collaboration with HGO reflects a shared commitment to excellence, inclusion, and cultural celebration. We are grateful for an organization that understands music as more than performance—music as proclamation, music as history, music as truth. Giving Voice 2026 stands as a reminder that art has the power to bridge generations, cross traditions, and draw us closer to one another.

As a church whose mission is centered on serving the total needs of God’s people, we are proud to open our doors and our hearts to this moment. Sacred spaces have always been places where Black creativity flourished—where songs carried sermons, and melodies carried messages of faith, freedom, and future. Tonight, those traditions converge in a way that is both reverent and revolutionary.

To the extraordinary artists, musicians, and collaborators who bring this program to life: thank you for lending your gifts, your discipline, and your voices to this sacred work. To the Houston Grand Opera leadership and team: thank you for your vision, partnership, and commitment to honoring Black history in a way that is both authentic and bold. And to every guest in attendance—whether this is your first time in this space or your return—know that you are welcomed here.

Welcome to Giving Voice 2026. May every note speak, and may every voice be heard.

With gratitude and joy,

Rev. Byron C. Stevenson

Senior Pastor, The Fort Bend Church

My prayer is that what you experience tonight will move you, challenge you, and inspire you. May the voices you hear remind you of where we’ve been, affirm where we are, and point us toward where we are still going.

Program

Oh, Fix Me

No Coward Soldier

Welcome

Lift Every Voice for Freedom

Traditional Spiritual

The Fort Bend Church Chorale

Keith Eason, Conductor

Phillip Hall, Piano

“My Third Ward” from A Voice Within

“O Lord, Thou Hast Searched Me and Known Me” from Pilgrimage

Oh, Glory

I’m Gonna Sing ’til the Spirit Moves in My Heart

Deep River

Jesus, Lay Your Head in the Window

“One day soon we’ll save up enough”from Of Mice and Men

Glenn Edward Burleigh (1949-2007)

The Fort Bend Church Chorale

Keith Eason, Conductor

Phillip Hall, Piano

Rev. Byron C. Stevenson and Khori Dastoor

Arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003) Giving Voice Choir

Gregory D. McDaniel, Conductor

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Joel Thompson (b. 1988)

Elizabeth Hanje, Soprano

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Carlisle Floyd (1926-2021) Donnie Ray Albert, Baritone

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Arr. Shawn E. Okpebholo (b. 1981)

Moses Hogan (1957-2003)

J’Nai Bridges, Mezzo-soprano

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Houston Ebony Opera Guild

Gregory D. McDaniel, Conductor

Arr. Paula Robison (b. 1941) Tyler Martin, Flute

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Arr. Moses Hogan (1957-2003) Tyler Martin, Flute

Voices of Houston

Houston Ebony Opera Guild

Gregory D. McDaniel, Conductor

Carlisle Floyd (1926-2021) Demetrious Sampson, Jr., Tenor

Sam Dhobhany, Bass-baritone

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Program

“I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’” from Porgy and Bess

I, too

George Gershwin (1898-1937) Donnie Ray Albert, Baritone

Michael Sumuel, Bass-baritone

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Undine Smith Moore (1904-89), setting of a text by Langston Hughes

Voices of Houston

If I Can Help Somebody

Alma Bazel Androzzo (19122001) | Arr. Stacey V. Gibbs (b. 1962)

Christopher Carter, Conductor

Rolethial McKelvey, Piano

Voices of Houston

“Habanera” from Carmen Georges Bizet (1838-75)

“Ves’ tabar spit” from Aleko Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

“Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Christopher Carter, Conductor

“E lucevan le stelle” from Tosca Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) Demetrious Sampson, Jr., Tenor

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

J’Nai Bridges, Mezzo-soprano

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Michael Sumuel, Bass-baritone

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Houston Grand Opera Chorus

Houston Ebony Opera Guild

Voices of Houston

The Fort Bend Church Chorale

Gregory D. McDaniel, Conductor

Kevin J. Miller, Piano

Following tonight’s performance, please join us for a fellowship reception. PRESENTED BY

Who’s Who

Linda Lorelle

EMCEE

A two-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and two-time winner of the American Women in Radio and Television’s prestigious Gracie Award, Linda Lorelle was last seen with HGO hosting a conversation at the world premiere of Joel Thompson and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton’s A Voice Within, held at Houston’s Emancipation Park in summer 2025. Lorelle anchored the evening news at KPRC, Houston’s NBC affiliate, for nearly 17 years. Since opening her media firm in 2009, the Stanford graduate has garnered an extensive roster of Fortune 500 clients, NGOs, and educational institutions, and hosts the award-winning podcast, Our Voices Matter, dedicated to reminding us of our common humanity. In February 2024, she launched Civil Dialogues in partnership with Jean Becker, former chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush. The democracy initiative partners with presidential library foundations and policy institutes to host town halls across the nation, providing a safe space for Americans to learn about and discuss difficult topics affecting the country. As co-founders of the Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund, Linda and her husband, Lou Gregory, have awarded more than $4.8 million in college scholarships and life-skills training to more than 400 Houston area students over the last 34 years. In September 2023, former Lorelle Scholars, joined by Linda and Lou’s daughter, Lindsey, assumed leadership of the organization and are ushering in a new era. In 2023, Linda Lorelle received two Bronze Telly Awards for the Lorelle Media documentary Memorial Park Conservancy Land Bridge & Prairie

J’Nai Bridges

MEZZO-SOPRANO

J’Nai Bridges made her HGO mainstage debut as Lucinda in the Grammy Award-winning world-premiere opera Intelligence

During the 2025-26 season, she performs as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible with Washington National Opera and the title role of Carmen with Seattle Opera and Cincinnati Opera; she also performs in a concert version of Rigoletto with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In the 2024-25 season, she made her role debut as Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera. Bridges appeared in HGO’s inaugural Giving Voice concert in 2020. Career highlights include the 2022 Grammy Award-winning Metropolitan Opera production of Akhnaten and 2021 Grammy Award-winning recording of Richard Danielpour’s oratorio The Passion of Yeshua with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; her sold-out Carnegie Hall recital debut; her role debut of Kasturbai in Satyagraha at LA Opera; her debuts at Dutch National Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona; creating the role of Josefa Segovia in the world premiere of John Adams’s Girls of the Golden West at San Francisco Opera; and performing in the world premiere of Bel Canto at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Bridges is the recipient of numerous honors including the prestigious 2018 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Award, a 2016 Richard Tucker Career Grant, a 2012 Marian Anderson Award, and many more.

Michael Sumuel BASS-BARITONE

Michael Sumuel, a Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio alumnus, has been seen at HGO in roles including Porgy in Porgy and Bess (2025), Sharpless in Madame Butterfly (2024); Marcello in La bohème (2018); Belcore in The Elixir of Love (2016); Papageno in The Magic Flute (2015); Superintendent Frank in Die Fledermaus (2013); Masetto in Don Giovanni (2013), and many more. During the 2025-26 season, Sumuel returns to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Papageno in The Magic Flute. He also makes debuts at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich as Leporello in Don Giovanni and the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Alberich in Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle and Achilla in Giulio Cesare. During the 202425 season, Sumuel returned to the Metropolitan Opera and debuted with Opera Australia in Sydney to sing the title role in The Marriage of Figaro ; performed in his first performances as Porgy in Porgy and Bess with Washington National Opera; and performed as Sharpless in Madame Butterfly with the Canadian Opera Company and LA Opera. Sumuel is the recipient of a Richard Tucker Career Grant. He is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finalist and a winner of the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition.

Bess , Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (2022), Tonio in Pagliacci (2000), Joe in Show Boat (1982), and Parson Alltalk in Treemonisha (1975). Albert has performed with the Metropolitan Opera as Germont in La traviata ; with Los Angeles Opera as Trinity Moses in Mahagonny, Simone in A Florentine Tragedy, and the Father in Hansel and Gretel ; and made numerous appearances with Opera Pacific, Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Dallas Opera, Arizona Opera, and other companies across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond. Recent operatic engagements include a return to the Semperoper Dresden to sing the Four Villains in The Tales of Hoffmann and Germont in La traviata ; his debut with the Glyndebourne Festival as the Doctor in Vanessa ; and his return to Copenhagen as Falstaff and to Austin Lyric Opera as Amonasro in Aida

Donnie Ray Albert BARITONE

Donnie Ray Albert is a regular guest of opera companies and orchestras around the world. This season marks 50 years since his HGO debut and 50 years since he sang Porgy in the Grammy Award-winning recording of HGO’s groundbreaking production of Porgy and Bess His many performances with HGO include the roles of Lawyer Fraizer (2025) and Porgy (1976, 1987) in Porgy and

In addition to RCA’s Grammy Award- and Grand Prix du Disque-winning recording of Porgy and Bess , he may be heard on NOW’s recording of The Horse I Ride Has Wings with David Garvey on piano, EMI’s Frühlingsbegräbnis and Eine Florentinesche Tragodie by Zemlinsky conducted by James Conlon, and Simon Sargon’s A Clear Midnight on the Gasparo label. Albert is a member of the faculty of the University of Texas in Austin.

Elizabeth Hanje

SOPRANO

Ms. Marty Dudley/ Amy and Mark Melton/ Diane Marcinek/ Jeff Stocks and Juan Lopez Fellow

Elizabeth Hanje, a TanzanianAmerican soprano from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, is a second-year artist with the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio. She was the first-place winner at HGO’s 2024 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. In the 2025-26 HGO season, her roles include Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess, First Alms Sister in Suor Angelica (Il trittico), Madeleine Audebert in Silent Night , and Gertrude in Family Day Hansel and Gretel. In the summer of 2025, Hanje was an Apprentice Singer for Santa Fe Opera, where she covered

Who’s Who

the role of Gerhilde in Die Walküre. In fall 2024, she made her mainstage debut with HGO as Ines in Il trovatore. In April 2022, she performed the role of Lyra in Alice Tierney in her debut with Opera Columbus. Hanje has sung in masterclasses with director Michael Capasso, soprano Christine Goerke, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, and soprano Harolyn Blackwell. She is a 2026 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Semifinalist as well as the winner of the Laffont Competition Northwest Region and Washington District. She is also a winner of the 2023 Duncan Williams Voice Competition, and the 2022 George Shirley Vocal Competition. In 2021, she received the Richard Miller Award for Fine Singing and a YoungArts Award. Hanje was a Young Artist with Merola Opera Program (2024) and an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera (2023), and she is a 2022 alumna of HGO’s Young Artist Vocal Academy. In 2024, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory.

Demetrious Sampson, Jr.

TENOR

Dr. Dina Alsowayel and Mr. Anthony R. Chase/ Dr. Eric McLaughlin and Mr. Elliot Castillo/ Alejandra and Héctor Torres/ Mr. Trey Yates Fellow

A third-year Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio artist from Albany, Georgia, Demetrious Sampson, Jr. performed the role of Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess this fall at HGO. Also this season for the company, he performs as The Witch in Family Day Hansel and Gretel and Lennie Small in the Butler Studio production of Of Mice and Men. This spring, he will perform the role of Rodolfo in La bohème with Austin Opera. In 2025, he performed as Malcolm in Macbeth with Atlanta Opera and Steuermann in The Flying Dutchman at Des Moines Metro Opera. During HGO’s

2024-25 season, his roles included Ruiz in Il trovatore and Parpignol in La bohème, and in the 2023-24 season, he made his company debut as 3rd Esquire in Parsifal. He made his professional debut with Atlanta Opera at the age of 20 as Crab Man in Porgy and Bess , a role he reprised at Des Moines Metro Opera in 2022 as an apprentice artist. In 2024, Sampson made company and role debuts with Cincinnati Opera as Gastone in La traviata and with Wolf Trap Opera as the Kronprinz in Kevin Puts’s Silent Night ; in 2023, he joined the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco.

A previous Encouragement Award winner, he was named a National Finalist in the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. The second place and Audience Choice Winner in HGO’s 2023 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias, Sampson is a 2022 alumnus of HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy. He received his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University.

Sam Dhobhany

BASS-BARITONE

Dian and Harlan Stai Fellow

A second-year Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio artist from Brooklyn, New York, Sam Dhobhany received the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award at HGO’s 2024 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias. He is a 2022 alumnus of HGO’s Young Artist Vocal Academy. In HGO’s 2025-26 season, his roles include Undertaker in Porgy and Bess , Notary in Gianni Schicchi (Il trittico), British Major in Silent Night , George Milton in the Butler Studio production of Of Mice and Men, and Officer in The Barber of Seville. In HGO’s 2024-25 season, he made his company debut as Alidoro in Family Day Cinderella and sang the role of Terry in Breaking the Waves . In summer 2025, Dhobhany performed the roles of Zuniga in Carmen and Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro

at Wolf Trap Opera, where in 2021, he was a member of the Studio Artist Program, covering the role of Doctor Grenvil in La traviata. In 2024, Dhobhany sang the role of Angelotti in Tosca with Dayton Opera. He was an Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera in 2023 and 2024, performing roles including Un Médecin in Pelléas et Mélisande and Marchese d’Obigny in La traviata. Dhobhany was the second-place winner of the 2025 Rocky Mountain Region of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Kevin J. Miller PIANO

American pianist and collaborator Kevin J. Miller is acclaimed for his dynamically artful performances.

As a former assistant conductor with HGO, he served on the music staff for a number of mainstage operas, including La traviata and Werther during the company’s 2022-23 season, in addition to performing at Giving Voice in 2022, 2023, and 2025. Some of his collaborations include a recital with international tenor Lawrence Brownlee at Carnegie Hall, countertenor John Holiday at the Kennedy Center and The Barbican in London, and Joseph Calleja and Nadine Sierra at the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as an appearance with Mr. Calleja on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Miller prepared soprano Jessye Norman for performances of Laura Karpman’s production of Ask Your Mama, which was performed at Carnegie Hall. He can be heard on piano on the recording Been in de Storm So Long, which features baritone Kenneth Overton. Miller has a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano from the Mannes College of Music, and a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma in Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan School of Music.

Tyler Martin FLUTE

Tyler Martin serves as second flute/ piccolo with Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ballet Orchestras, as well as Affiliate Professor of Flute at the University of Houston. He has performed with orchestras around the country including the Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and San Antonio Philharmonic. He also regularly performs with the Houston Symphony. Acclaimed as a recitalist and chamber musician, he has appeared with Performing Arts Houston’s New/Now series, Context Chamber Music Series, and Musiqa Houston. As a soloist he has been featured on American Public Media’s nationally broadcast radio show Performance Today and performed at the National Flute Association’s annual convention in 2020 and 2023. During recent summers he has performed as a member of Spoleto Festival USA, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Orford Music Festival. He is a prize winner of numerous competitions, including the Houston Flute Club, New York Flute Club, Austin Flute Society, Sphinx Organization’s SOPA Competition, and National Flute Association’s Orchestral Audition Competition. As an educator, Tyler maintains a studio of talented flutists from beginners to adults and has coached chamber music, given masterclasses, and performed across the country.

Gregory D. McDaniel

CONDUCTOR, GIVING VOICE CHOIR

Gregory D. McDaniel was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, where he curated and led the HEOG Chorus in its annual Christmas concert, A Journey to Bethlehem. He began the 2025-26 season conducting the New Jersey Symphony in their outreach concert Moonrise, featuring works by Puccini, Johann Strauss, John Williams,

Who’s Who

and others. He served on the music staff as Assistant Chorus Director for HGO’s 2025-26 season opener, Porgy and Bess , and was Music Director for the Alley Theatre’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. During the 2024-25 season, in addition to receiving the Colton Conducting Fellowship with the New Jersey Symphony, he worked with Opera in the Heights as cover conductor and chorus master for Lucia di Lammermoor. This season with Opera in the Heights, McDaniel will make his official debut as conductor for the Houston premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s Lucidity. He previously conducted the Houston premiere of Kaminsky’s As One for HOPERA. Past seasons included performances of William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA , and Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up with Opera Ithaca. McDaniel holds degrees from the University of North Texas and the University of Houston.

Houston Grand Opera

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is one of the largest, most innovative, and most highly acclaimed opera companies in the United States. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor assumed leadership of the organization and responsibility for its strategic vision in 2021. HGO is the only American finalist for Opera Company of the Year in the 2025 International Opera Awards, and the only American company to be nominated three times. In fulfilling its mission to advance the operatic art, to serve the Houston community, and to be a global leader in the future of opera, HGO has led the field in commissioning and producing new works (76 world premieres to date) and in training and nurturing promising young artists and administrators. In 2025, the company launched the Houston Grand Opera record label, enabling it to share American operatic works with a broad international audience. HGO contributes to the cultural enrichment of Houston and the nation through a diverse and innovative program of performances,

community events, and education projects that reaches the widest possible public. The company’s pioneering Community and Learning initiative has served as a model for other arts organizations. HGO invites all Houstonians to experience superlative opera without the barrier of price through discounted single tickets and subscriptions, subsidized student performances, and free productions. HGO has toured extensively and has won a Tony, three Grammy awards, and three Emmy awards. It is the only opera company to win all three honors.

The Fort Bend Church

Under the visionary leadership of Pastor Byron C. Stevenson, The Fort Bend Church (TFBC) held its inaugural worship service on August 1, 2004, in the cafeteria of Sugar Land Middle School, where more than 600 people gathered to worship together. Since that time, over 9,500 members have united with the ministry. Pastor Stevenson founded TFBC on five foundational pillars—trust, faith, kindness, compassion, and liberal giving. Guided by these principles and supported by the generosity of its members, TFBC miraculously purchased 6.3 acres of land in Sugar Land, Texas, after only nine months in existence. In March 2009, the church celebrated the opening of its 61,000-square-foot Worship Center. Less than a decade later, in 2018, TFBC expanded again with the addition of the 60,000-square-foot Legacy Center, a space dedicated to enriching families, empowering ministries, and serving the surrounding community. In 2013, the Houston Forward Times honored Pastor Stevenson as one of Houston’s Visionary Pastors, and Outreach Magazine recognized The Fort Bend Church as one of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America. Today, TFBC offers more than 40 ministries dedicated to men, women, children, youth, and families of all ages—continuing its commitment to spiritual growth, community impact, and life-changing

ministry. W. Keith Eason, known for his contributions as a singer, songwriter, church music clinician, and author of The Houston Gospel Sound, serves as TFBC’s Minister of Music.

Voices of Houston

Founded in 2019, Voices of Houston is a choral ensemble building community through the performance and practice of the Negro Spiritual. Its mission is to prepare individuals to be artistic participants in the development of community and mutual wellness through collective raising of voice in the time-tested tradition of the Negro Spiritual. Educator, musician, and servant leader Christopher C. Carter, who is dedicated to using music to propel positive social change, is the Founder and Artistic Director of Voices of Houston. In this capacity, he structures programs, directs recruiting and retention campaigns, and partners with the Leadership Team to develop significant musical experiences.

Houston Ebony Opera Guild

The Houston Ebony Opera Guild, a company of classical singers based in Houston’s African American community, is committed to the expansion of opportunities for participation in and exposure to opera, traditional Negro Spirituals, and other classical music genres. Founded by the late Dr. Robert A. Henry (1916-96), the Guild presented occasional concerts in Houston and elsewhere during the late 1980s. During its early years, HEOG was well known nationally for the large number of outstanding, professional soloists included in its membership. Through its parent body, Houston Ebony Music Society, Inc., the Guild became a formal, tax-exempt organization in 1992 and produced Porgy and Bess , its very first opera, which featured an all-local cast. Since then, productions have included superb artists from Houston and around the U.S. Today, the Guild is acclaimed by audiences and critics for its productions. Gregory D. McDaniel serves as the HEOG’s Artistic Director.

Houston Grand Opera is grateful to tenor and arts leader Lawrence Brownlee for founding the company’s Giving Voice series in 2020, launching a beloved annual tradition.

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How Firm a Foundation

Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges—now a three -time Grammy Award winner—on her artistry, and her upbringing in the church.

By Ashlyn Killian, HGO Communications Coordinator

Praised as “opera royalty” by OperaWire, threetime Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges has enjoyed a soaring international career that has taken her to the major houses of Vienna, Italy, Mexico City, and beyond. Back home in the United States, she has won acclaim for performances at companies such as the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, and Houston Grand Opera, where she performed in the first Giving Voice concert in 2020. In 2023, she made her HGO mainstage debut as Lucinda in the company’s world-premiere opera Intelligence, winning national praise for her “crystal clarity” and “gleaming intensity.” And she made the entire company proud earlier this month, when the opera’s recording won a 2026 Grammy Award.

Before Bridges became an opera star, she was a student growing up in Tacoma, Washington, where her family attended Allen AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church. It was there, she says, where her musical life began. Opera Cues asked Bridges about her experience in the church, and the ways it shaped her as a person and an artist.

Tell us about your family church.

The Allen AME Church in Tacoma, Washington was part of the Underground Railroad. I was in the children’s church choir from a very young age, and then I matriculated to the young people’s choir until I went off to college. Church has been, and continues to be, just a very integral part of my

life, and my musicianship. It’s really where the music started for me, especially with voice. It’s a foundation that guides all the music I approach.

How did that shape your development?

For me and my family, it was about the community and coming together. I have two brothers and a sister, and we were all in the church choir. As part of a Black family in Washington State, it was very helpful for me because I went to all private schools my whole life. I was usually the only African American girl, so having that sense of community and likeness was healthy for me.

When I found opera and classical music, I was like, oh, this is a fit, it’s not so far away from hymns in church. My background singing in church set me up well to perform, because singing gospel and hymns is all about expression, and opera is all about that, too. There are a lot of parallels.

Was there a special person who encouraged you?

My dad. He is really the one who motivated me. He’s been in the church choirs for 40 years, specifically an all-male church choir called Sons of Thunder. When I was a little girl, I’d look up and see my dad in the choir, which was cool. The gift of music really comes from my dad.

What did singing in choir teach you?

It taught me to really listen to other performers. My ear was always so keen that I would notice if people might not have been singing the right notes (laughs), and it taught me how to collaborate as well. It has a lot of similarities with opera, because you might not agree with what someone’s doing, but you just come together and make it happen.

What’s your favorite memory from your time performing at church?

Plenty, but I think the fondest memory I have is when I was 11, I sang a duet with my brother. It was Mother’s Day, and

we sang Stevie Wonder’s “For Your Love,” dedicated to our mom. I’ll just never forget, because my brother and I were really nervous, but we were up there and we performed. I’m pretty sure my mom has footage of it somewhere. That’s a very, very, very fond memory.

How did your church experience shape the kind of person and artist you are?

I believe the voice I have is sent by God. I remind myself, I don’t do this for me, because it’s my service to people. We are here to serve others. Gratitude is everything, and I know that that comes from being a Christian and raised in the church.

From a performance standpoint, I learned how to receive information, because a lot of being an opera singer is constantly being critiqued, whether it be by the conductor, the director, language coaches, or teachers. You have to have thick skin and not take things personally. I’m not always good at that because I’m human. When I doubt myself, I still have this higher belief that there’s nothing to really doubt, because I feel like God wouldn’t put too much on me to bear.

You were part of HGO’s first Giving Voice concert back in 2020.

It was such a success. It was so fun, because we sang opera, and most of us in that concert were raised in the church. It was like, this is who we are, which was really cool. So I’m excited to be back for this concert. And also, just to reach the Bridges won a 2026 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for singing Lucinda on HGO’s Intelligence

community in a different way. It’s always a good thing.

Have you been back to visit your home church?

Whenever I go back home, the pastor will see me and be like, we have Miss Bridges, opera star in the house. Will you bless us with a song? So, I sing, and it’s just like going home. It’s amazing knowing that I have the support of my church, and that I have many church families now. But at

my home church in Tacoma, there’s just nothing like it. I’ve sung in houses all around the world, and whenever I go home, it is by far the best audience, because I don’t have to prove myself. They’re the people that built, supported, encouraged, and armored me. I’m so grateful for my background in church because it’s hard. This career is hard, and I always know that there’s something bigger out there. I’m just grateful for that foundation. 

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H-E-B

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ™

Mr. David Montague and Mrs. Diane Ferrufino-Montague

Powell Foundation

Shell USA, Inc.

UNDERWRITERS

Ruth and Ted Bauer

Family Foundation

Ms. Kiana K. Caleb

The Cockrell Family Fund

Rebecca and Brian Duncan

Halliburton

Rosemary Malbin

Dr. Laura Marsh

Vivian L. Smith Foundation

RECEPTION SPONSORS

The Fort Bend County (TX) Chapter of the Links, Inc.

On the HGO Mainstage

Tonight’s Giving Voice soloists have given acclaimed performances in a host of major productions. Join HGO at downtown Houston’s Wortham Theater Center and experience more incredible operatic voices!