HGO Joins Forces with Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University for the Fourth Annual Giving Voice
What: On Friday, February 24, 2023, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will stage the fourth annual Giving Voice concert in partnership with Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University. The fourth annual concert will be presented outside the Wortham Theater Center for the first time, at the new Cathedral of the historic Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in the Third Ward, in celebration of Black History Month.
The fourth Giving Voice will feature an awe-inspiring roster of talent including world-famous tenors George Shirley and Lawrence Brownlee; beloved soprano Nicole Heaston; HGO Studio artists Renée Richardson and Cory McGee; the world-class HGO Chorus; and the incredible choirs from the presenting partner organizations. KHOU’s Len Cannon will host the evening.
Now a beloved HGO tradition, Giving Voice was created by Brownlee in 2020 and has been replicated by companies across the country. The popular series showcases the diversity of opera artists while seeking to attract new audiences to the art form.
This year’s concert will include a mix of arias, popular songs, and spirituals and feature the debut of a new choral work by HGO Composer-in-Residence Joel Thompson, “Draw Us Near.” Thompson’s acclaimed first opera, the HGO-commissioned The Snowy Day, made its world premiere at the Wortham Theater Center in 2021.
Who: Lawrence Brownlee, the creator of HGO’s Giving Voice series, has performed numerous lead roles with the company. He was named Male Singer of the Year at the International Opera Awards and is the recipient of honors including the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Award and the OPERA NEWS Award.
George Shirley, the first African American tenor to perform a leading role at the Metropolitan Opera, has a repertoire of more than 80 operatic roles developed over a career that spans 50 years. He is the recipient of the National Medal of the Arts from President Barack Obama, this year’s OPERA NEWS Award, and numerous other honors.
Celebrated soprano Nicole Heaston, an HGO Studio alumna and veteran of the Giving Voice series, has appeared with opera companies throughout the world. Her long-standing relationship with HGO includes performing as the Countess in this season’s The Marriage of Figaro. Brownlee, Shirley, and Heaston are joined by two HGO Studio artists, soprano Renée Richardson and bass Cory McGee; the HGO Chorus; and the choirs of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University. Host Len Cannon is a news anchor at KHOU 11 who has won Emmys and the prestigious Columbia University DuPont Award for his reporting.
When: Friday, February 24, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, 3826 Wheeler Ave., Houston, TX 77004
Tariff: Tickets are free to the public but require a reservation. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit HGO.org or call the Box Office at 713-228-6737.
About Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is one of the largest, most innovative, and most highly acclaimed opera companies in the United States. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor assumed leadership of the organization and responsibility for its strategic vision in 2021. HGO was the only American finalist for Opera Company of the Year in the 2019 International Opera Awards, and the only American company to be nominated twice. In fulfilling its mission to advance the operatic art, to serve the Houston community, and to be a global leader in the future of opera, HGO has led the field in commissioning and producing new works (73 world premieres to date) and in training and nurturing promising young artists and administrators. The company contributes to the cultural enrichment of Houston and the nation through a diverse and innovative program of performances, community events, and education projects that reaches the widest possible public. HGO’s pioneering Community and Learning initiative has served as a model for other arts organizations.
The NEXUS Initiative is HGO’s multiyear ticket underwriting program that allows Houstonians of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy opera without the barrier of price. Since 2007, NEXUS has enabled more than 250,000 Houstonians to experience superlative opera through discounted single tickets and subscriptions, subsidized student performances, and free productions.
HGO has toured extensively and has won a Tony, two Grammy awards, and three Emmy awards. It is the only opera company to win all three honors.
About Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, founded in 1962 by 13 friends at Texas Southern University, today has over 15,000 members. The Reverend Dr. Marcus D. Cosby, the successor to the Founding Pastor Dr. William A. Lawson, has led the congregation since 2004. The church, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement that early on welcomed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is located in Houston’s Third Ward. Its mission is to be a worshiping, witnessing, and welcoming congregation committed to a spirit of excellence in the praise of the Almighty God through Jesus Christ; the Christian Education of children, youth, and adults for the maturation in the faith; and worldwide ministry for the promotion of peace and justice in every aspect of life. The church opened its new building in 2021.