Even after Marian Anderson won international acclaim as a singer, she felt the sting of racial discrimination. She fought back with unique weapons: her deep river of a contralto voice and her unshakably dignified bearing.
He helped create an iconic group of operas, but to most of us, he exists as little more than a surname after a hyphen: Mozart-da Ponte. Yet without Lorenzo da Ponte’s librettos, we wouldn’t have Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni or Così fan tutte.
“I say this with absolute ultimate pride: I introduced Christine Goerke to Dubsmash at Mai’s in Houston. It was one of my proudest moments as a friend and as a colleague,” declares Jamie Barton
Carleen Graham has a big job. One year after taking the helm as director of HGOco, Houston Grand Opera's community collaboration and education arm, Graham has found her groove.
Houston Grand Opera has done it! The realization of Richard Wagner's epic Ring Cycle, the single most challenging and monumental artistic undertaking in the opera company's history, culminated with full force in the cathartic fourth and final installment Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods).
They rank among opera’s most electrifying heroines, yet Houston hasn’t felt their wallop for more than 25 years. Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma, a Druid priestess, sacrifices herself on a pyre to atone for her secret marriage to a Roman. Richard Strauss’ Elektra descends into madness as despair and rage over her father’s slaying consume her.
The U.S. presidential election looms, and the politician has planned his trip for maximum media impact. He’s a divisive figure, with ideas that could revolutionize the world order. Cameras track his plane’s arrival, and when he steps out, legions of television viewers are watching him. He knows that, and he has every intention of capitalizing on it.
It's the holiday season, which means we get all crazy about making memories with our family and friends. Perhaps it's this insatiable urge that drives us to the same shows over and over.