Featuring soprano and HGO Studio alumna Tamara Wilson in the title role
On April 22, 2022, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will open a new production of Puccini’s Turandot created by world renowned artist Robert Wilson.
Originally from Waco, Texas, visionary director and lighting designer Robert Wilson offers a mesmerizing reimagining of Puccini’s finest musical masterpiece. Turandot premiered in 1926, after the composer’s death, and transports audiences to a fantasy land ruled by the titular princess, who does not want to marry. She gives her suitors two options: answer three vexing riddles correctly or die by beheading. Her plan works perfectly until she meets her match in Calaf.
Soprano and HGO Studio alumna Tamara Wilson, an opera powerhouse, performs the title role, returning to the HGO mainstage after her acclaimed performance in the title role of Aida (2020). Celebrated tenor Kristian Benedikt makes his company debut as Calaf. Houstonian, HGO Studio alumna, and beloved soprano Nicole Heaston, who took center stage in four productions during the 2020-21 HGO Digital season, returns to the Brown stage as Liù. HGO Principal Guest Conductor Eun Sun Kim, who has gained worldwide acclaim since making her U.S. debut in 2017 with HGO’s La traviata, takes the podium.
Turandot is a co-production with Teatro Real of Madrid, Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre Vilnius, Canadian Opera Company of Toronto, and Opéra National de Paris.
The opera runs two hours and 38 minutes with one intermission. It is sung in Italian with projected English translation.
Who: The cast of Turandot includes Tamara Wilson as Turandot, Kristian Benedikt as Calaf, Nicole Heaston as Liù, Peixin Chen as Timur, and Takaoki Onishi as Ping. Eun Sun Kim conducts.
When: Friday, April 22, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 24, 2022, 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 6, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 8, 2022, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave.
Tariff: Tickets range from $20 to $210. For more information and to buy tickets, visit hgo.org or call the Box Office at 713-228-6737.
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- 0138 – (foreground, left to right, in white) Sergey Skorokhodov as Calaf, Joyce El-Khoury as Liú, and David Leigh as Timur in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0157 – A scene from the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0185 – A scene from the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0554 – A scene from the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0761 – A scene from the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0781 – (l-r) Joseph Hu as Bill/Pong, Sergey Skorokhodov as Calaf, Julius Ahn as Bob/Pang, Adrian Timpau as Jim/Ping in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0922 – Tamara Wilson (foreground) as Turandot in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 1107 – Tamara Wilson (foreground) as Turandot in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
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- 0498 – Tamara Wilson as Turandot in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Turandot, 2019. Conductor Carlo Rizzi; direction, design, and lighting concept by Robert Wilson; co-director Nicola Panzer; costume designer Jacques Reynaud; co-set designer Stephanie Engeln; co-lighting designer John Torres; make-up designer Manu Halligan; video artist Tomek Jeziorski. Photo: Michael Cooper
