Houston Grand Opera Launches Initiative to Support Diversity in Opera

Houston Grand Opera is launching a three-year initiative, created in partnership with Novum Energy, the Novum Foundation, and Novum Energy CEO Alfredo Vilas, to support and recruit exceptional Latin American opera artists to HGO while creating new operatic offerings that reflect the diversity of Houston.  
 
As part of the new initiative, over the next three seasons Novum Energy will underwrite HGO performances by two leading Latin American artists. In winter 2025, the first two Novum Artists will make their company debuts: celebrated conductor Roberto Kalb, originally from Mexico, will take the podium for West Side Story, and Chilean soprano Yaritza Véliz, a rising star, will perform the role of Mimì in La bohème.  
 
Additionally, the Novum Foundation will underwrite a new effort to discover and foster leading operatic talent from Latin America, bringing a select group of artists to Houston each year for individualized fellowships with HGO’s prestigious Butler Studio training program. Finally, Novum Energy will support the creation of a new, Spanish-language opera with a culturally relevant story for HGO audiences to experience in a future season.  
 
“As we seek to grow the strong ties that HGO has around the world, we are so grateful to Novum Energy, the company’s foundation, and Alfredo Vilas for their visionary support of artists and artworks that will resonate with our city and support opera’s future,” says HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor. “We program our seasons to serve our international audience, and this initiative underscores HGO’s dedication to staging productions that speak to Houston’s large and growing Latin American population.”  
 
“Novum Energy has been a proud supporter of HGO for years, and I am excited to expand our partnership through our company and the Novum Foundation,” says Novum Energy CEO Alfredo Vilas. “Houston has become a thriving world capital, a cultural melting pot, and a true mecca for the arts. Our aim is to develop innovative opera programs that celebrate our community’s unique cultural blend and to mentor rising Latin American talent in the world of opera.” 
 
This new initiative will provide key resources and support to build upon HGO’s legacy of creating world-class art for Houston’s Latin community. From the company commissioning beloved Spanish-language opera Florencia en el Amazonas in 1996, to its more recent trio of internationally acclaimed mariachi operas, HGO has led the industry in developing resonant new works, fostering the talents of diverse artists, and inviting all Houstonians to experience the art form. The company will host its first-ever Noche de Ópera performance, of West Side Story, on February 15, 2025. The evening will feature both English and Spanish supertitles, Spanish-language displays and reading materials, and other activities. More information can be found at HGO.org.  
 
Vilas founded Novum Energy in 2011. Since then, he has established the company as a reliable supplier of energy products across five continents. Vilas’s passion for opera inspired him to join the HGO Board of Directors and, together with his wife Marcia Vilas, chair HGO’s “Cielito Lindo” 2019 Opera Ball. Novum Energy has been a leading corporate sponsor of HGO for over a decade and, in addition to providing general support, underwrote HGO’s 2015 mariachi opera El Pasado Nunca Se Termina.