Houston Grand Opera to Open THE SOUND OF MUSIC This Month

On April 26, 2024, Houston Grand Opera will open classic, family-friendly musical The Sound of Music, with the company’s own chorus director, Richard Bado, at the podium. Taking center stage in this production is Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Maria and acclaimed baritone Alexander Birch Elliott as Captain von Trapp.  
 
This beloved work of musical theater features music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It shares the story of the von Trapp family and the novice-turned-governess Maria, who brings joy and music into their lives.  
 
A group of talented Houston-area youths will take on singing roles as the von Trapp children. Last fall, HGO held the largest children’s auditions in company history, during which hundreds of young singers converged upon the Wortham Theater Center in hopes of joining the cast. 
 
This production represents the first time HGO has staged the perennially popular musical, presented in a new co-production from HGO and The Glimmerglass Festival, created by legendary director Francesca Zambello. Strong demand for tickets has led the company to add a ninth show date.  
 
The company also has introduced new themed experiences at select performances of the musical—Military Appreciation Day (May 5), Pride Night (May 11), and Mother’s Day (May 12)—featuring a host of lobby activations, special food and drink offerings, and more. For more information, visit HGO.org.  
 
The performance runs two hours and 48 minutes, including one intermission. It is sung in English with projected English text.  
 
The cast features  mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Maria, baritone Alexander Birch Elliott as Captain von Trapp; sopranos Katie Van Kooten as The Mother Abbess and Tori Tedeschi Adams in her company debut as Liesl; baritone Daniel Belcher as Max Derweiler; and mezzo-soprano Megan Marino in her HGO mainstage debut as Elsa Schrader. Francesca Zambello directs, with Richard Bado conducting.  
 

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