—KHORI DASTOOR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES PIECE “HOUSTON OPERA REMAINS A BEACON: DRIVEN BY CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND GENEROUS DONORS, THE INNOVATIVE COMPANY IS BUCKING TRENDS IN THE FIELD,” APRIL 29, 2025
From the first note to the last, Houston Grand Opera’s 2024-25 season was a passionate love letter to our art form, our artists, our city, and our supporters. We poured our hearts into bringing Houston an unforgettable year full of great art, and you responded. You made the season a historic success.
With your visionary support, HGO welcomed brilliant artists and creatives from around the world to the Wortham stage. We unveiled powerful new productions of Il trovatore and Tannhäuser, hosted outsize crowds for beloved favorites Cinderella, La bohème, and West Side Story, and embraced the cutting edge with modern masterpiece Breaking the Waves. Thanks to you, new audiences discovered the magic of opera, and more families than ever experienced its transformative power.
It was a season of bold growth. HGO expanded our global presence, forging new partnerships with international opera houses and attracting world-class talent to Houston. Closer to home, we deepened our community roots, extending our programming into schools and neighborhoods across the region. Through it all, we remained true to our core values: artistic excellence, discovery, resilience, and community. And we didn’t just meet our goals—we surpassed them, setting a new standard for what opera can be.
None of this would have been possible without you. Your belief in the power of great art and culture made this season soar. Thank you for bringing an incredible season of grand opera to Houston.
Khori Dastoor General Director and CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
Hear what artists. .and audiences. .loved this season by. clicking here.
Photo by
MICHAEL SPYRES IN IL TROVATORE :
LAUREN SNOUFFER IN BREAKING THE WAVES :
SHEREEN PIMENTEL IN WEST SIDE STORY : “HER VOICE BLOOMED WARMLY ON HIGH, THE TIMBRE MORE METALLIC BELOW.”
—DALLAS MORNING NEWS
OF STUNNING
YARITZA VÉLIZ IN LA BOHÈME : “TRANSCENDENT.”
—HOUSTON CHRONICLE
ISABEL
LEONARD IN CINDERELLA : “A
DELIGHT…IS THERE ANYTHING SHE CAN’T SING?” —HOUSTON
PRESS
“ S et design that includes graffiti from Houston artist Floyd Mendoza is just one of the updates in the company's ambitious retooling of Verdi's opera that deals with themes that remain relevant.” —Houston Chronicle
An extraordinary season was bookended by visionary new productions of two masterpieces from the repertoire.
“SUBLIME.”
—HOUSTON CHRONICLE
$2.4 million
Cost to create the new production
10 %
Amount by which Il trovatore surpassed its sales goal
Director Stephen Wadsworth’s interpretation of the story centered on the character of Azucena (Raehann Bryce-Davis), re-envisioned as a nightclub owner.
VERDI
Photos by Michael Bishop.
“RICH AND SWEEPING.”
—AXIOS HOUSTON
10
Number of role debuts, out of 64 this season
Instead of the traditional 13th-century Germany, the story was set in late-19th-century America, where Tannhäuser ventures from his strict religious community into Venus’s milieu, reimagined as an artists’ salon (pictured).
3
Companies—in Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Toronto—which will present this new staging after signing on as co-producers, contributing $550,000 toward design and build costs
For more on what it took to create .this ambitious new. .production,. .scan here.
“I believe every individual possesses an artistic spirit. Often, artist-protagonists are set against the backdrop of a fractured world, showcasing the belief in one person’s potential to create change through art. This was our foundation as we developed the visuals for our production of Tannhäuser.” —Director Francesca Zambello
HGO Orchestra musicians HGO Choristers
"We
seek to build upon Houston’s emerging identity as a global hub, attracting the finest young artists from around the world to Houston while welcoming international audiences from throughout our city to the Wortham Theater Center to experience our art form.” —Khori Dastoor, in CultureMap Houston
HOUSTON’S INTERNATIONAL POPULATION
HGO announced that the company is joining forces with Novum Energy to bring Latin American artists and creatives to Houston. Pictured below, Novum CEO Alfredo Vilas (left), Khori Dastoor (right), and this season’s Novum Artists: Chilean soprano Yaritza Véliz, Mimì in La bohème, and West Side Story conductor Roberto Kalb, who is originally from Mexico. $25k
Amount the first winner of the Torras Family Foundation Prize, Mihai Damian of Romania, received at the 62nd Tenor Viñas International Singing Competition at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, as part of a new partnership with the Liceu that will extend HGO’s reach into Europe. Butler Studio Director Colin Michael Brush traveled to Spain to select the winner.
Number of countries HGO ticket buyers represented during the 2024-25 season
Number of countries represented by HGO cast and creatives on the mainstage during the season
Number of Spanishlanguage outlets that covered HGO this season, including Telemundo and Univision (Houston); Europa Press (Madrid); and La Vanguardia (Barcelona)
The theater was sold out for HGO’s first-ever Noche de Ópera, a celebration of HGO’s Latin community at West Side Story .
SALES OF LA BOHÈME SURPASSED HGO’S 2018 PRODUCTION OF PUCCINI’S OPERA BY 71% , AND THE 2013 PRODUCTION BY
%
A season headlined by top artists from around the world drove audiences to HGO. Pictured: Sublime soprano Yaritza Véliz of Chile (Mimì), pictured with Michael McDermott (Rodolfo), made her HGO debut in La bohème.
A diverse cast of artists including Yesenia Ayala and Yurel Echezarreta starred in this winter’s blockbuster West Side Story production.
A HIT WITH
by
Throughout the season, artistic excellence filled the theater.
Hear from Ana. MarÍa MartÍnez on .her special role in. .West Side Story by. .scanning here.
Photos
Michael Bishop and Lynn Lane.
25K
Number of Instagram followers HGO hit this season
92.8
Average customer satisfaction score, outperforming national customer satisfaction statistics by 15%
84 %
Subscriber renewal rate, a 5% increase over last season
Amount by which sales for West Side Story surpassed the 2018 presentation of the musical 67 %
Percent of people who attended an opera this season said in a survey they will come back
Total media mentions 95 %
7 %
Percentage by which ticket revenue for the season exceeded goal
2,217
13,123
Number of audience members from outside of Houston who traveled downtown to experience HGO operas
6,460
New-to-file audience members this season
“RYAN MCKINNY'S BASSBARIT ONE HAS WARMTH, RESONANCE, AND POWER.”
— HOUSTON CHRONICLE
MISSY MAZZOLI + ROYCE VAVREK
“A CHARMING LEONARD LEADS SUPERB CAST IN HGO’S LIVELY CINDERELLA. ”
THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE
by
In the fall, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard gave a star turn as Cinderella in the opera’s mainstage run.
ROSSINI
Hear from .Houstonians who .loved Family Day by .scanning here.
Photos
Lynn Lane and Katy Anderson.
HGO’S FIRST FAMILY DAY
SELLS OUT!
Families came out in force for the company’s 90-minute, sensory-friendly, English-language performance of Cinderella , led by Isabel Leonard in her directorial debut.
160
rats!
1,000
177 % Percent of sales goal reached by Family Day
“How are we going to respond to meet the needs of our youngest community members who deserve access to worldclass art? We know the impacts of that access are tremendous, and we really don’t have time to wait for a city to provide that need. We’re going to jump into the fray and make sure that we are doing our part.”
—Khori Dastoor, to ABC13
Photos taken with Cinderella, the Prince, and of course…the
Crowns and tiaras made by young operagoers
Serving OUR COMMUNITY, AT THE WORTHAM AND FAR BEYOND
According to the Texas Cultural Trust, enrollment in arts courses improves attendance, grades, test scores, social skills, and college attendance rates yet fine arts programs are in decline across Houston. Through 223 partnerships with school districts and youth service organizations across the region, HGO increases access to the mind-expanding power of the arts. This season, 143,241 young people, families, and community members enjoyed HGO’s interactive arts programming at 106 schools, libraries, and community spaces.
FOSTERING CAREER PATHS IN .THE ARTS
Over 3,817 high school students learned about working in the arts through HGO residencies and career day visits in their own schools, including Hastings High School, part of Alief ISD.
TAKING OPERA . ON THE ROAD .
Mo Willems’s beloved characters Piggie, Elephant, and The Pigeon fit right in at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Stadium, sharing their stories with young people and families on spring break through HGO’s Opera to Go! program, which toured to 36 venues this season.
BRINGING HOU STON STUDENTS T O THE W ORTHAM THEATER CENTER
2,083 students and chaperones came downtown for the company's Student Matinee for Cinderella "For most of my students, frankly, it's the first time they've even been into Houston," shared one excited teacher. "They don't travel outside of the community that much, so it is a big, big deal for them.” And High School Night for West Side Story saw 1,854 students and chaperones join us at the Wortham. “The opera was an amazing experience," shared a chaperone from Communities in Schools of Houston. "But my favorite part of the evening was discussing the experience with the students on the way back to the school.”
SHARING CHILDREN 'S ST ORIES THROUGH SONG
Music and literacy were natural partners at 65 Storybook Opera and 70 Sing! Move! Play! sessions at 35 libraries and other spaces this season, including North Channel Branch Library in Channelview. "My daughter was DELIGHTED and hasn’t stopped chatting about it," wrote one parent. “This was wonderfully done."
SENDING ARTISTS INT O THE COMMUNITY
Youth at all 26 Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston including the Galveston location enjoyed HGO's Meet an Opera Singer program, marking the beginning of a new multiyear partnership.
GALVESTON
DOWNTOWN
CHANNELVIEW
NRG PARK
Photos by Michael Bishop, Victor Contreras, and Katy Anderson.
CAROLS
ON THE GREEN
CELEBRATING THE SEASON
Company favorite Vanessa Alonzo (left) joined members of HGO’s Butler Studio program and Bauer Family High School Voice Studio, the renowned HGO Chorus, the UH Mariachi Pumas band, Indigo Diaspora Dance Company, and Segundo Barrio Children’s Chorus for Carols on the Green. The family-friendly evening featured opera, holiday hits, mariachi, and more.
by
Photos
Michael Bishop and Latroya Brooks.
Giving Voice featured choirs from Texas Southern University, Jackson State University, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, and Voices of Houston.
A HOMEGR OWN TRADITION
Celebrated soloists Reginald Smith, Jr. and Issachah Savage joined Butler Studio artists Elizabeth Hanje and Sam Dhobhany for HGO’s sixth Giving Voice, held at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church during Black History Month. The evening honored the legacy of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities. More than a thousand people joined us at WABC, with over 30,000 viewers tuning in online!
HGO Composer-in-Residence Joel Thompson workshopped A Voice Within in partnership with Houston’s Third Ward community. Pictured: Thompson with trailblazer Jacqueline Bostic, whose story is shared as part of the song cycle.
SONGS OF OUR CITY
Composer Joel Thompson and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton held a series of workshops, Coffee with the Composer, at the Emancipation Park Conservancy ahead of the Juneteenth 2025 world premiere of their new, HGO-commissioned song cycle, A Voice Within, based on the stories of real Houstonians.
GIVING VOICE
A VOICE WITHIN
Number of countries where viewers tuned in
Online viewers, a 41% increase over last year
“THE FUTURE OF OPERA IS IN VERY STEADY HANDS IF THESE SEVEN HAVE A PART IN IT ANYWHERE.” —THE HOUSTON PRESS
From 1,000 national and international applicants, HGO selected 20 semifinalists before narrowing the field to the seven exceptional finalists for the competition's final round. Baritone Geonho Lee of South Korea won first place, as well as the Audience Choice Award. He will be one of three new artists joining the Butler Studio next season, alongside the night’s second-place winner, tenor Luka Tsevelidze of Georgia, and pianist/ coach Tzu Kuang Tan of Malaysia.
For the first time in company history, Concert of Arias finalists performed accompanied by the HGO Orchestra, with internationally acclaimed conductor James Gaffigan at the podium.
1,600
THE BAUER FAMILY HIGH SCHOOL VOICE STUDIO TAKES THE MAINSTAGE!
This season, four members of HGO’s BFHSVS program for students with a serious interest in music were cast in Wagner’s Tannhäuser as the Noble Pages: Sabine Lesniewicz, Sara Springett, Jennifer Williamson, and Emma Hart Vogelsang, who shared: “I was in disbelief! I have attended Houston Grand Opera’s performances as an audience member for years, and to get the opportunity to perform in an HGO production is a dream come true.”
CONCERT OF ARIAS
Ballots cast, a 61% percent increase over last year
Photos by Michael Bishop and Victor Contreras.
The HGO Endowment has grown by since 2016— and the Laureate Society has seen a 91% seasonover-season increase in new members
M
Total fundraising dollars contributed by company supporters in the 2024-25 season.
$10.2 M GIVEN BY INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Including contributions from 557 new donors.
$6.5 M FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND FOUNDATIONS
Including a special grant of $100,000 from MD Anderson Foundation to support innovative technologies like instant ID verification.
$3.4 M THROUGH SIGNATURE EVENTS FUNDRAISING
Including more than $2 million for Opera Ball —a new record!
Thanks to HGO’s supporters, the company continued to build a foundation for long-term fiscal stability throughout the 2024-25 season, ensuring that Houstonians will enjoy the beauty and inspiration of opera for generations to come.
$1.1 M IN SUPPORT FROM OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS
Including a generous gift from Nabors Industries that shared HGO tickets to Family Day for Cinderella , as well as West Side Story, with 560 company employees and their loved ones.
Photos by Michael Bishop, Victor Contreras, Lawrence Elizabeth Knox, and Katy Anderson.
HGO’S 10-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN
During the 2024-25 season, the HGO Board of Directors partnered with Boston Consulting Group to launch a bold new chapter in the company’s future. Together, they established the foundation for an inspiring strategic vision that charts HGO’s course toward 2035:
Be the future of American Opera and a recognized global leader by strengthening our artistic excellence, significantly expanding and diversifying the HGO audience, implementing a diverse set of revenue levers to fund our future ambitions, and accelerating the building of core capabilities that will engine our growth
SECURE ARTISTIC
HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN! GO TO HGO.ORG/DONATE
FUND OUR EXPAND AND DIVERSIFY OUR Excellence
Future Audience
2025-26: A SEASON-LONG
CELEBRATION OF ARTISTIC AND MUSIC DIRECTOR PATRICK SUMMERS
“ IT HAS BEEN THE P RIVILEGE OF A LIFETIME TO BE A PART OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY COMPANY.”
—PATRICK SUMMERS
That’s 408 performances!
At the end of next season, Patrick Summers will step down from his current position, transitioning to the role of Music Director Emeritus and holder of the Robert and Jane Cizik Music Director Emeritus Chair. The company is making plans to celebrate the Maestro who has given his all to HGO through more than 25 years of leadership with a blockbuster season of grand opera. Not only will Summers take the podium for Concert of Arias, but he will also conduct Puccini’s Il trittico and Handel’s Messiah, arranged by Mozart; see opposite page.
Number of operas Maestro Summers has conducted at HGO since 1999.
Photo by Michael Bishop.
Photos at right by Karli Cadel, David Ruano, and Cory Weaver.
Blockbuster artworks. Brilliant new productions. The biggest stars in opera.
All of Houston is invited to join in HGO’s biggest season yet!
