Houston Grand Opera Closes Strong 2016-17 Season

Houston Grand Opera announced at its annual meeting today that its 2016-17 season closed on a strong financial footing despite recent pressures on the Houston economy.

During its 62nd season, HGO presented seven mainstage productions for a total of 39 performances. Attendance was slightly lower than the previous season but remainEd Strong, with several sold-out performances. Operating support is expected to remain consistent with recent fiscal years.

Houston Grand Opera Board Chair James W. Crownover said, "This was not only a tremendous year artistically, capped by the completion of Wagner's Ring cycle, but one in which we created an inspiring new strategic framework that will guide our planning for years to come."

HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers said that this season the company "reached a new pinnacle of excellence with the performances of Götterdämmerung and continued its unparalleled record of commissioning important new work with the world premiere of Jake Heggie's marvelously imaginative It's a Wonderful Life and Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed's Some Light Emerges, a tribute to Houston's Rothko Chapel. Other highlights included the return of John Adams's Nixon in China 30 years after its world premiere by HGO, and the company's first performances of Verdi's deeply affecting Requiem, which gave a much-deserved showcase to our brilliant HGO Chorus and Orchestra, along with our four outstanding soloists. And we were thrilled to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our HGO Studio, which has become one of the leading centers for training opera's most promising singers, coaches, and conductors."

HGO Managing Director Perryn Leech observed, "From the grandeur of the Ring cycle and Faust to bilingual performances of The Barber of Seville for schoolchildren, HGO's productions in a broad range of styles and scale continue to captivate and inspire Houstonians of all ages. Several performances of Götterdämmerung and It's a Wonderful Life played to over 100% capacity and we were thrilled to welcome thousands to our community performances, including many newcomers. Audiences came from more than 24 countries and 44 states, and we are especially proud to have been the only American company among the six finalists for the 2017 International Opera Awards."

Leech added, "Despite continued challenges to balancing the budget, we are maintaining strong fiscal discipline and are confident that we can continue to produce artistic presentations of the highest quality."

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Mainstage attendance down slightly

HGO's attendance at mainstage productions was 57,763. Total sales represented a slight decrease from the previous season, due to one less production and seven fewer performances. Six performances were sold out, including performances of Faust, Götterdämmerung, and It's a Wonderful Life.

Annual operating support remains strong

The company forecasts it will have received a total of $16.2 million in annual operating support by the end of the fiscal year on July 31, which represents a decrease of $300,000 from 2015-16. HGO has added 49 new patrons and trustees during the past season, with more than 585 added since 2009.

Community and education programs connect with new audiences

HGOco, HGO's community collaboration and education arm, engaged more than 60,000 Houstonians through commissioned works, partnerships, and arts education programs.

The flagship Song of Houston program continued with the world premiere of Some Light Emerges, by composer Laura Kaminsky and librettists Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, about the creation of Houston's iconic Rothko Chapel. The Magnificent Pretty Boy, with music by the Grant Wallace Band, was workshopped and premiered in September 2016 at The Menil Collection. The Veterans Songbook project was expanded with the new choral work Overboard, by composer Mark Buller and librettist Leah Lax, which premiered on March 1, 2017, during the opening of the exhibition Guardians of the Sunda Strait: the WWII Loss of the HMAS Perth & USS Houston at the Julia Ideson Building of Houston Public Library.

HGOco celebrated the culmination of the company's Ring cycle with presentations of Das Barbecü, a high-energy country and western retelling of the Ring with music by Scott Warrender and book & lyrics by Jim Luigs.

HGOco presented mainstage performances of The Elixir of Love for two student matinees and High School Night. Storybook Opera featured a new children's book, The World's First Tooth Fairy... Ever!, by Zane Carson Carruth. Opera to Go! presented The Princess and the Pea and a bilingual adaptation of The Barber of Seville to 181 schools and community venues across the region, including 45 free performances. 'The morning performances of The Barber of Seville and your delightful Storybook Opera presentations were smash hits," reported Deer Park Elementary teacher Lisa Rajulu. "What I love most about Opera to Go! is that it forever changes children's attitudes about opera and the operatic voice."

Said HGOco Committee Chair Judy Agee, "We are gratified that our work continues to be meaningful to so many Houstonians of all ages. Our new HGOco team, so ably led by Carleen Graham, hit the ground running this year and has created a strong framework for expanding and strengthening our engagement in the years to come."

Nurturing and training young talent

The HGO Studio continued to fulfill its mission as one of the nation's leading training programs for outstanding operatic talent. Four new artists joined the program, for a total of 12. Studio pianist/coaches served on the music staff for each of HGO's 2016-17productions. In addition to appearances on the HGO stage, artists performed in community venues and at major competitions. Studio artists Mane Galoyan, Megan Samarin, Ben Edquist, and Sol Jin all won prizes in major competitions.

Two incoming Studio artists for 2017-18, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and tenor Richard Smagur, were among the winners of the Metropolitan Opera's 2017 National Council Auditions. Former Studio artists continue to make appearances at major houses around the world.

Sixteen outstanding young undergraduate artists, including two pianists, participated in two week-long sessions of the Young Artists Vocal Academy (YAVA), now in its seventh year. The program introduces these talented young people to the level of training and skills required to advance a professional career. Three current Studio artists are alumni of the YAVA program.

Free and low-cost access to opera continues

HGO's 2016-17 Miller Outdoor Theatre production, The Elixir of Love, played to a combined audience of 7,000 on May 19 and 20, marking the 60th anniversary of HGO performances at Miller. The company was delighted to return to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands for the fifth season.

The performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre-free to the public-are made possible through HGO's unique NEXUS initiative. Underwritten by leading donors, NEXUS has made it possible for HGO to share opera with families, children, students, and seniors during the last eight seasons. The program enables the company to perform for free in venues like Miller Outdoor Theatre and to sell deeply discounted tickets for just $15 at select Wortham Theater Center offerings. Since NEXUS was launched in 2007, more than 250,000 discounted or free NEXUS tickets have been sold or distributed.

"We are enormously grateful to our partners, corporate and foundation supporters, and individual donors who make it possible for us to aim high and succeed," said Leech. "The loyalty and generosity of our audience and this city's wonderful spirit have helped to make this season a spectacular one for opera in Houston and our region."

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Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is one of the largest, most innovative, and most highly acclaimed opera companies in the United States. In fulfilling its mission to advance the operatic art to serve an ever-evolving audience, HGO has led the field in commissioning new works (63 world premieres to date) and in training and nurturing promising young artists and administrators. The company 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. HGO's pioneering community engagement initiative, HGOco, has served as a model for other arts organizations.

The NEXUS Initiative is HGO's multi-year ticket underwriting program that allows Houstonians of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy opera without the barrier of price. Since 2007, NEXUS has enabled more than 250,000 Houstonians to experience superlative opera through discounted single tickets and subscriptions, subsidized student performances, and free productions.

HGO has toured extensively and has won a Tony, two Grammy awards, and two Emmy awards. It is the only opera company to win all three honors.

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