Houston Grand Opera

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Houston Grand Opera. Opera company in Texas, USA, founded 1955 by Walter Herbert, who was succeeded as gen. man. in 1972 by David Gockley. Since 1987 has perf. in Wortham Th. Center, comprising two auditoriums, Cullen Th. (seating 1,100) and Brown Th. (2,300). Under mus. dir. John DeMain (1979–93), co. est. a high reputation. Patrick Summers mus. dir. from 1998. At its Spring Opera Fest. in 1975, it staged Joplin's Treemonisha, followed in 1976 by Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Every season since 1973 has incl. a world première or a prod. of a 20th-cent. masterpiece, e.g. Lulu and Peter Grimes. Among operas f.p. in Houston are Pasatieri's The Seagull (1974); Floyd's Bilby's Doll (1976), Willie Stark (1981), and Passion of Jonathan Wade (1991, rev. of 1962 vers. which had première in NY); Bernstein's A Quiet Place (1983); Glass's Akhnaten (1984) and The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 (1988); Adams's Nixon in China (1987); Tippett's New Year (1989); and Stewart Wallace's Harvey Milk (1995).

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Houston Grand Opera

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    Houston Grand Opera