opera's future

Young super-soloists compete in annual Houston Grand Opera global showcase

Amanda Batista (soprano) will compete in the show.

Photo courtesy of Houston Grand Opera

Fans of opera and local talent will no doubt delight in Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of the Arias, which presents its 34th annual showcase on Friday, January 21. Known as the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers, the concert showcases some of the best and brightest performers in the world at the Wortham Theater Center.

Each finalist performs two arias from the opera repertoire for a panel of acclaimed judges. Judges for this year’s competition include guest judge and soprano Christine Goerke, HGO general director and CEO Khori Dastoor, HGO artistic and music director Patrick Summers, and HGO artistic advisor and soprano Ana María Martínez.

The 2022 Concert of Arias finalists include:

Amanda Batista, soprano
Tatiana Carlos, soprano
Meryl Dominguez, soprano
Navasard Hakobyan, baritone
Jongwon Han, bass-baritone
Jonas Jud, bass
Shannon Keegan, mezzo-soprano
Evan Lazdowski, bass-baritone
Olivia Smith, soprano

HGO narrowed the applicants from 768 to 18 semifinalists before selecting the nine finalists who will come to Houston for the final round of the competition. The selected finalists will have the opportunity to learn more about HGO and work with company music staff leading up to the Concert of Arias, during which they will perform two arias each, competing for up to $10,000 in cash prizes.

Finalists will be accompanied by HGO Studio alumnus and HGO Principal Coach Kirill Kuzmin, according to a press release.

Houston Grand Opera will present the competition to a live audience in the Wortham’s Cullen Theater, and the event will be livestreamed through HGO Digital and HGO’s social platforms, per a release. Livestream viewers can follow host Norman Reinhardtas he keeps track of the action behind-the-scenes.

The in-person audience can vote for the Audience Choice Award, while livestream viewers have can vote for their favorite singer in the Online Viewers’ Choice Award. The evening ends with the announcement of the six coveted prizes: First, Second, and Third place, the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award, the Audience Choice Award, and the Online Viewers’ Choice Award.

“The Concert of Arias represents the purest distillation of this company’s values, as nothing is more important to us than the future of this art form,” said Dastoor in a statement. “Each year we put all we have into developing the talents of the finest young artists in the country through the HGO Studio program, and that starts with this thrilling competition.”

concerts opera

taking center stage

Stage adaptation of iconic Black movie Jason's Lyric to debut in Houston

Courtesy of Jason's Lyric

Most of the movie's cast will appear in the play.

Next year, Houston writer/producer/director/promoter Je’Caryous Johnson will be bringing another beloved Black movie to the live stage.

Jason’s Lyric will join New Jack City and Set It Off in the lineup of ‘90s Black-movie favorites that Johnson has adapted for the stage. The 1994 made-in-Houston drama stars Allen Payne and a pre-Will Smith Jada Pinkett as young lovers trying to maintain a relationship as conflicts and obstacles keep getting in the way.

Jason’s Lyric Live will go on a nationwide, 22-city tour, premiering right here in H-Town on Thursday, February 13 — just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Houston is my home, and bringing Jason’s Lyric Live to life here first is my way of paying homage to the city and its people who inspired this story,” Johnson said in a statement. “This is more than a play; it’s a love letter to the community.”

Payne will reprise his role as Jason, with actress/model Eva Marcille stepping in Pinkett’s role as Lyric. Naughty by Nature rapper Treach, who played Lyric’s criminal big brother Alonzo in the movie, will also return to the role for the stage production. Tyrin Turner (Menace II Society), K. Michelle (Love & Hip Hop), and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Welcome Back, Kotter) will round out the cast.

"Jason’s Lyric is one of the films that defined my career as an actor,” Payne said. “To bring it to life on stage for audiences who loved the movie — and a new generation experiencing it for the first time — is an incredible honor."

Marcille is also psyched for the show, taking on the role that Pinkett memorably brought to life. "Lyric is a character who embodies resilience and hope, and I’m honored to bring her story to life on stage,” Marcille said.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, December 13, at 10 am. For a full list of dates and ticket information, visit the website.