a reason to smile

Holocaust Museum of Houston celebrates bravery over hate with gripping free film screening

Holocaust Museum Houston will present the documentary Life Will Smile.

At a time when intolerance — and even blatant antisemitism — are on the rise, a local institution is celebrating those who bravely stood up to hate. Holocaust Museum Houston will honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday, January 27, with a free admission to the museum (5401 Caroline St.), from 10 am to 5 pm.

Including in the evening is a virtual screening of the documentary Life Will Smile. The film reveals the little-known story of the small Greek island of Zakynthos, where its citizens bravely protected all 275 of their Jewish neighbors during World War II — at the height of Adolf Hitler’s insidious “Final Solution” in Europe.

The citizens of Zakynthos were led by two men: Bishop Chrysostomos and the mayor of Zakynthos, who were honored by Yad Vashem (Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust) in 1978 as “Righteous Among the Nations.” The documentary is narrated by one of the Jewish survivors of Zakynthos, 84-year old Haim Konstantini.

Following the movie screening, Her Excellency H. E. Alexandra Papadopoulou, the Greek ambassador to the United States, will join in the event live from Washington, D.C. at 6:30 pm to discuss current-day Greece. The first woman to assume the Hellenic Republic’s diplomatic representation to the United States, Papadopoulou is completing her first year in D.C., per a press release.

Registration and more information on the film screening and program is available online.

The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in effort honor the millions lost in the Holocaust.

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Emerging talent

Houston Grand Opera's 'Concert of Arias' showcases rising star singers

Winners of the 2024 Concert of Arias on stage at Houston Grand Opera

Photo by Michael Bishop, courtesy Houston Grand Opera

Winners from the 36th Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. Concert of Arias is one of Houston Grand Opera's most-loved traditions. It affords cash prizes to the winners and determines placement in HGO's Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio program.

Houston audiences can hear seven emerging opera singers from around the globe at Houston Grand Opera’s upcoming 37th Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. The annual audience favorite, also known as Concert of Arias, is Friday, January 17 at the Wortham Theater Center at 7 pm.

Prior to the performance, the seven finalists spent a week immersing themselves in HGO’s culture and collaborating with its music staff. Each finalist will sing two arias, accompanied by the HGO Orchestra, conducted by Maestro James Gaffigan. They are competing for cash prizes and placement in HGO’s prestigious Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio, one of the country’s top residency programs for emerging opera talent.

The winners will take home $25,000 for first place, $15,000 for second place, $10,000 for third place, and $5,000 for the Audience Choice Award. Each non-placing finalist will receive $3,500, with one of them selected for the $2,000 Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award.

The finalists are:

Lauren Carroll, a soprano from Bettendorf, Iowa who earned her Master of Music degree from Rice University and her Bachelor of Music degree from Drake University.
Daria Lupu a soprano from Romania who is a member of the Experimental Studio in Musical Performing Arts “Ludovic Spiess” at the Bucharest National Opera.
Alexis Seminario, a soprano who is currently a Young Artist with Palm Beach Opera and a 2020 alumna of HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy. She holds a Master of Music degree from Bard College Conservatory.
Meg Brilleslyper, a mezzo-soprano and 2022 alumna of HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy who is pursuing her Master of Music degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
Luke Norvell, a tenor from Tacoma, Washington who is a fourth-year resident artist at Academy of Vocal Art and has a Bachelor of Music degree from the Master’s University.
Luka Tsevelidze, a tenor from Georgia and student at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire who made his operatic debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute with the Tbilisi State Conservatoire Opera Studio.
Geonho Lee, a baritone from South Korea who holds a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Seoul National University and was a 2024 semifinalist in the renowned Operalia Competition. He is currently pursuing advanced studies at the University of Music and Theatre Munich.

Tickets are sold out, but people can watch a live stream of the performance, interviews with the singers, and more on HGO's YouTube channel.

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