Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum

Gift a unique entertainment experience at the Hobby Center’s Founders Club

It's time to experience the Hobby Center in a whole new way. Book a table in 2025 for The Founders Club at the Hobby Center and you'll be transported to an intimate cabaret nightclub, complete with cocktails, nibbles, and extraordinary performances.

The New Year features live performances from local and national artists performing everything from Broadway to country to global music, meaning there's something for every taste.

The laidback vibe encourages the performers to tell stories and even chat directly with the audience, setting the Live at the Founders Club experience apart from more traditional theater experiences.

Purchase a full table for four people, or meet new friends when parties of one, two, or three are seated with other guests. It's a unique date-night idea, whether it's your first or 500th outing together, and offers a different perspective on Houston's iconic skyline thanks to the stunning, floor-to-ceiling view.

Doors open 90 minutes before showtime to encourage socializing, and full table service is available before and during the show.

A distinct menu is curated for each performance, but imagine ordering up a martini and seasonal cheese selection, a frozen hibiscus margarita and shrimp cocktail, or a black cherry old fashioned and smoked salmon flatbread. A wide variety of wines, beers, and spirits are available, as well as non-alcoholic options.

Hobby Center Founders Club Cheers to new friends made at the table.Photo by Annie Mulligan

Photo by Jacob Parrish Power

A more intimate side of the Hobby Center.

“The Founders Club is a beautiful intimate space that welcomes artists who seek deep connections with the audience,” says Deborah Lugo, Hobby Center vice president of programming and education. “It goes beyond talent; the audience will want to get to know these inspiring artists in a more personal way. From world music to cabaret to jazz, and maybe even a little country, we are looking to share something with Houstonians they may not otherwise experience.”

Upcoming 2025 show dates include:

Over the Moon: Broadway Reimagined starring Teresa Zimmerman, January 17 & 18
Honky Tonk Hearts – The Best of Country Duets starring Ben Hope & Katie Barton Hope, February 14 & 15
An Evening with Sally Mayes, March 28 & 29
Storm Large: Inside Voice, April 3 & 4
Luciane Dom, May 9 & 10
An Evening with Broadway’s DeQuina Moore, June 20 & 21

Treat yourself to an amazing evening or gift an unforgettable experience to family and friends — tickets make great stocking stuffers! Tickets to individual shows are linked above, or see all options and purchase here.

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ExxonMobil is the presenting sponsor of The Founders Club at the Hobby Center.

theater music concerts video promoted

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.

houston grand opera performing-arts