your attention please

Houston Grand Opera names Rice alum James Gaffigan its next music director

Opera lovers in the audience for the Houston Grand Opera’s magnificent season opening production of Porgy and Bess didn’t know it, but they were hearing HGO’s future. James Gaffigan, the acclaimed conductor of the performance will no longer be called an honored guest to the company and our city; instead, he’ll make the Wortham Center his new home.

HGO announced on Thursday, November 6, that Gaffigan will serve as the fifth music director in its 70-year history, leading the company alongside general director and CEO Khori Dastoor. He replaces Patrick Summers, who announced last year that he would step down as artistic and music director at the end of the 2025-26 season.

When Gaffigan begins his term as music director designate for the 2026-27 season and then assumes the full role of music director in the 2027-28 season, he won’t find Houston an unfamiliar landscape. Though originally from New York, Gaffigan once lived here while earning his master’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.

After his time at Rice, he quickly rose to international superstardom in both symphonic and operatic circles. He has conducted some of the greatest orchestras around the country, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others. In Europe he has taken the podium at the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, and more.

In 2011, he made both his HGO and American operatic debut with the company’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. He has also become a very welcome guest conductor for national and international opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and more.

For the past several years, he has made a home in Europe serving as the general music director of Komische Oper Berlin, and he recently completed his fourth and final season as music director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain.

Even with such a strong global presence, this Rice Owl continues to migrate back to Houston, guest conducting the Houston Symphony several times. Last year, he lead the first-ever performance by the HGO Orchestra at the annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers Concert of Arias.

Gaffigan’s ties to Houston are so strong that back in 2011, CultureMap’s own society king and classical music expert, Joel Luks, pondered if Gaffigan might be an excellent candidate for Houston Symphony director upon Han Graf ’s retirement. Luks, who attended the Shepherd School at the same time as Gaffigan, lauded the maestro’s sense of musical timing, charisma, and spirit.

$\u200bHouston Grand Opera names James Gaffigan as next Music Director$

Photo by Claire McAdams

Houston Grand Opera has named James Gaffigan as its next Music Director.

“He seems to understand music-making in a macro level, presenting a cohesive interpretation, while allowing musicians freedom of expression,” described Luks, also noting Gaffigan’s ability to connect with musicians and audiences, alike.

It turns out Luks’s prediction for a musical directorship for Gaffigan was only off by 14 years and about a theater district block, the distance from Jones Hall to the Wortham Center.

“I always knew that the first post I would take in the United States as music director had to be the perfect fit,” Gaffigan said in a statement. “All the boxes needed to be ticked. As I considered which institution, which city, and which community aligned with my dreams and goals for an American institution, I found HGO to be my ideal partner. In my opinion, HGO is the most exciting opera company in the United States. It is rare to find such a healthy institution, with tremendous potential, and a solid foundation on which to build.”

Gaffigan went on to reminisce that he has admired HGO since his early twenties.

“When walking into the building, I get a sense of community and excitement for our art form and the importance it has in our lives. I feel the same from the people in the greater Houston area. Houstonians want great art. Under Khori Dastoor’s leadership, the company has flourished, and it has become clear to me that the sky is the limit. I can’t wait to return to this city and start our thrilling new chapter together.”

Dastoor sings similar praises for Gaffigan.

“To welcome James Gaffigan back to Houston, and to HGO, as our new music director represents the fulfillment of an ambitious dream,” stated Dastoor. “This fall, Houston audiences have had the incredible opportunity to witness his passion, electric energy, and mind-blowing artistry at the podium. I am overjoyed that today’s leading American conductor — who embodies a new generation of music-making at the highest level — has chosen to invest fully in this company. James was steeped in the art and culture of Houston on his way to finding phenomenal international success. His return is both a testament to our city and a reflection of HGO’s ascendance as a force in the global opera industry.”

For those wanting to get a taste of that passion and energy Gaffigan will bring to his role as Houston Grand Opera music director, he conducts Porgy and Bess November 7 and 9.

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let's dance

Houston Ballet leaps into 2026-2027 with world premieres and Swan Lake

Photo by Lawrence Elizabeth Knox

Artists of Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake.

Announcing its 2026-2027 season, Houston Ballet leaps into an immersive wonderland with the world premiere ballet Where’s Alice? from co-artistic director Stanton Welch. This is just one of many dance adventures set for a season filled with spectacular story ballets, cutting edge contemporary dances, and world premieres.

“This season reflects the full breadth of what Houston Ballet is — and where we’re going,” Houston Ballet co-artistic director Julie Kent said in a statement. “We are honoring the great choreographic voices that have shaped our art form, from Balanchine and MacMillan to Lubovitch and Peck, while simultaneously opening the door to new creative possibilities through world premieres and bold collaborations.”

The season begins September 11 through 20 with a classic Texas twang for Pecos Bill, the title production of an eclectic mixed repertory program. Stanton Welch’s fun and rollicking dance follows the adventures of the folklore cowboy, Pecos Bill. The program also showcases a work from 20th century dance master, George Balanchine, with the elegant and dynamic Symphonie Concertante. And for the first time, the company will perform celebrated choreographer Lar Lubovitch’s Meadow, a piece Julie Kent herself once danced when it first debuted.

Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon returns September 24 through October 4. First performed by the company in 1994, the doomed love story between irresistibly beautiful femme fatale, Manon, and impoverished student, Des Grieux, has had audiences swooning for decades.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Houston Ballet season without the annual Margaret Alkek Williams Jubilee of Dance. And then closing out 2026, the company gifts Houston with Welch’s delightful and delectable Nutcracker Ballet.

The new year premieres Where's Alice? , Welch’s brand new work will be a re-envisioning of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, February 25 through March 7. Describing it as one of the most ambitious undertakings in HB’s recent history, the company plans for Alice to become a fully immersive theater experience that incorporates cutting-edge audio and visual effects that will take audience down the rabbit hole into a living, breathing, wondrous world.

Keeping with what looks to be the 26-27 season’s theme of blockbuster ballets from Welch, the company floats into spring, March 11 through 21, with the classic story of Madam Butterfly, a dramatic exploration of love, sacrifice, and cultural collision danced to Puccini’s heartbreaking score.

Beginning May 27 through June 6, HB offers the second mixed repertory program of the season, The Rite of Spring, and with it another world premiere. First, the company brings back the hypnotic, contemporary ballet, Reflections, a piece it originally debuted by the dance world’s reigning rock star, Justin Peck. Company member and up-and-coming choreographer Jacquelyn Long will create a new ballet for the program. Another highlight of the evening and the title work, Welch’s The Rite of Spring, offers a a visceral and elemental reimagining of dance for Stravinsky’s score that shocked the music world when it first debuted.

$Artists of Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch\u2019s Swan Lake$

Photo by Lawrence Elizabeth Knox

Artists of Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake.

The season ends June 10 through 27 with one of ballet’s most beloved stories, Swan Lake. Stanton Welch’s celebrated production was first staged by the company in 2006 and has gone on to become an audience favorite. Inspired by Pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse’s painting “The Lady of Shalott,” the production features lavish sets and costumes.

Reflecting on the whole season and his Alice in particular, Welch echo’s Kent’s belief that the programming offers a vision that connects the company’s history, present, and future.

“Where’s Alice? is an example of that vision – a production that pushes the boundaries of ballet through immersive sets and thought-provoking storytelling that makes you question, 'Who in the world am I?' as Alice did, creating an entirely new world audiences can step into,” Welch said. “It’s work like this that allows us to welcome new audiences into the theater while continuing to challenge and inspire our longtime supporters.”

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