Houston Grand Opera launched its 2025-26 season with a soul-stirring assertion — one which blended historical past, concord, and excessive jazzy American type — on the season-opening efficiency of Porgy and Bess, adopted by a celebration dinner that felt extra like an all-cast reunion than a buttoned-up black-tie din din.
Below the course of Francesca Zambello, the Gershwin basic unfolded on the Wortham Theater Heart’s stage in a efficiency that was each nostalgic and unflinchingly trustworthy. The plush, jazz-meets-classical rating had audiences leaning in, and lots of discovered themselves marveling at how most of the opera’s melodies dwell rent-free in cultural reminiscence.
However it wasn’t simply the music that captivated. The emotional weight of the story and the conversations it impressed lingered lengthy after the curtain dropped.
HGO common director and CEO Khori Dastoor opened the night by reflecting on the corporate’s legacy with Porgy and Bess, which stretches again to a 1976 manufacturing that earned each a Tony and a Grammy. This 2025 revival, almost 50 years later, introduced that legacy full circle, honoring the previous whereas setting a tone for the season’s theme: The sunshine we maintain.
The manufacturing, which runs by means of November 15, contains a powerhouse forged that features bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as Porgy and soprano Angel Blue as Bess. Soprano Latonia Moore, making her HGO mainstage debut, seems as Serena. Baritone Blake Denson takes on the function of Crown, and tenor Demetrious Sampson Jr. brings charisma to Sportin’ Life. A poignant full-circle second got here with baritone Donnie Ray Albert, who portrayed Porgy in HGO’s 1976 manufacturing, returning to the stage as Lawyer Frazier. Opening night time was carried out by James Gaffigan, with Richard Bado main later performances.
The post-performance celebration on Fish Plaza, chaired by Dina Alsowayel and Tony Chase, reworked the house into a sublime nod to Charleston attraction. Lotions and greens, smooth candlelight, and pure textures made for a timeless scene, but it surely was the congenial vibe that actually stole the present. The temper was chatty, the power excessive, and the mission clear: Reconnect, rejoice, and rally behind the facility of opera.
Throughout the dinner, Dastoor and creative and music director Patrick Summers acknowledged the various supporters who introduced this night time to life. Dastoor provided a poignant nod to Summers as he begins his ultimate season in his present function, transitioning to music director emeritus subsequent 12 months. She additionally welcomed Astley Blair as HGO’s newly elected board chair, signaling an thrilling chapter forward.
Weeks later, HGO introduced Gaffigan’s appointment as the corporate’s fifth music director — a significant milestone in its 70-year historical past. Gaffigan, a rising star in European opera homes and orchestras, made his American operatic debut at HGO in 2011 and returned this fall to conduct Porgy and Bess. His connection to Houston runs deep, as an alumnus of Rice College’s Shepherd Faculty of Music.
Because the night time wound down, the forged and artistic staff obtained a standing ovation once more. And rightly so. The occasion drew 450 visitors and raised $690,000, the second-highest complete in HGO Opening Night time historical past.
CultureMap seen have been Margaret Alkek Williams, Jana and Scotty Arnoldy, Sylvia Barnes and Jim Trimble, Vivianna Jolie, Elizabeth and Neil Chapman, Rebekka and Damon Chargois, Jane Cizik, Molly Crownover, Misook Doolittle, Marty Dudley, Elaine Finger, Marianne and Joe Geagea, Claire Liu and Joe Greenberg, Janet Gurwitch and Ron Franklin, Alecia Harris, Matt Healey and Denise Reyes, Chris and Morgan Hollins, Elizabeth and Richard Husseini, Teresa and José Ivo, Monica Karuturi and Kumaran Sathyamoorthy, Sarah and Bryant Lee, Karen and Ramon Manning, Nancy McGregor and Neal Manne, Terrylin Neale, Franci Neely, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, Rebecca Rabinow and Matt Ringel, Jill and Allyn Risley, Cora and Judson Robinson, Kelly and David Rose, Anita Smith, Dian and Harlan Stai, Ellen Susman, Marguerite Swartz, Charlene Tombar, Nestor Topchy, Jesse, Brooks, and Sherida Tutor, Marcia and Alfredo Vilas, Donna Sims and Frank Wilson, Gretchen Watkins, Mary-Olga and John Warren, Yuichi and Uny Watanabe, Geraldina and Scott Clever, and Kristina and Enoch Woodhouse.
