The highly anticipated competition is held annually to identify candidates for HGO’s internationally acclaimed young artist training program, the HGO Studio. The live event is the final stage of the competition that brings young singers from all over the world to Houston. Each finalist performs two arias from the opera repertoire for a panel of esteemed judges. The distinguished 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 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,” says Dastoor. “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.”
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. The evening’s livestream host is HGO Studio alumnus Norman Reinhardt. Reinhardt will keep online viewers apprised of all the action happening behind-the-scenes.
The in-person audience will get a chance to vote for the Audience Choice Award, and livestream viewers have the opportunity to 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.
In order to safely present the competition from the Wortham Theater Center, HGO has followed strict protocols put in place by the company’s Health Advisory Committee. The committee, whose members include professionals from Houston Methodist, has worked to develop procedures to protect the safety of artists, staff, and technicians.
“Many of the competition’s singers have spent the past two years singing in a mask, sometimes even in performances. Some were enrolled in degree programs in which the majority of instruction took place online. So it is more meaningful than ever for them to stand before a live audience in the Cullen Theater and show the world that the challenges of the past two years haven’t dulled their passion and determination to sing,” says HGO Studio Director Brian Speck.
After careful consideration of 768 candidates, HGO narrowed the applicants to 18 semifinalists before selecting the nine talented finalists who will come to Houston for the final round of the competition. Following all safety protocols, 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.
This year’s Concert of Arias is graciously chaired by Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth. Proceeds from the evening benefit the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers and the Houston Grand Opera Studio.
This year’s semifinalists include Amanda Batista, soprano; Tatiana Carlos, soprano; Meryl Dominguez, soprano; Magdalena Kuźma, soprano; Teresa Perrotta, soprano; Renée Richardson, soprano; Olivia Smith, soprano; Shannon Keegan, mezzo-soprano; Sophia Maekawa, mezzo-soprano; Elizabeth Sarian, mezzo-soprano; Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano; Aaron Crouch, tenor; Joseph Tancredi, tenor; Navasard Hakobyan, baritone; Jongwon Han, bass-baritone; Evan Lazdowski, bass-baritone; Aleksandr Utkin, bass-baritone; and Jonas Jud, bass.
Since its inception 44 years ago, the HGO Studio has grown into one of the most respected young artist programs in the world. Each of the artists in the HGO Studio has access to a learning environment that emphasizes practical experience within the professional opera world. This includes regular coaching sessions with industry professionals, roles in HGO mainstage productions, recital performances, and a variety of other concert engagements.
