The Houston Grand Opera Studio, a pioneering young artist program, was launched in 1977, and has proved a launching pad for singers like Joyce DiDonato, Jamie Barton, Ryan McKinny, and Ana María Martínez. In the years since, the company has presented 67 world premieres, including such seminal works as A Quiet Place (Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Wadsworth, 1983), Nixon in China (John Adams and Alice Goodman, 1987), Little Women (Mark Adamo, 1998) and Cold Sassy Tree (Carlisle Floyd, 2000). David Gockley took over as general director in 1972, and quickly established HGO as a leading force in the introduction of new American operas. The company started with a two-opera season, but over the next decade built itself up to five productions annually. It was founded in 1955 by impresario/conductor Walter Herbert (see page 22), in collaboration with a group of Houstonian opera lovers. Houston Grand Opera was 15 years old when it became a founding member of OPERA America. Here’s a look at three of them, then and now. Throughout its 50th anniversary year, OPERA America is saluting its 16 founding member companies.
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