Houston Grand Opera Presents 2023 Butler Studio Showcase

Ten Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio artists to perform variety of operatic scenes at popular annual event

What:  The Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio presents the annual Butler Studio Showcase on September 14, 2023, in the Cullen Theater at the Wortham Theater Center. Tickets are available at HGO.org.

The event will give audiences their first look at the talented Butler Studio class of 2024 during an intimate evening designed to shine a spotlight on their individual gifts. Ten Butler Studio artists, including four new members, will perform staged, costumed excerpts from a variety of operatic works. This year’s event includes selections from Eugene Onegin, The Turn of the Screw, La favorite, Die Fledermaus, Susannah, Béatrice et Bénédict, and Madame Butterfly.

The Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio is one of the most respected young artist programs in the world. For more than 45 years, it has served promising singers and pianist/coaches, providing a bridge between full-time training and full-fledged operatic careers. During a residency of up to three years, each performer receives customized training from an expert team while gaining invaluable performance experience at the highest level.

Who:    2023-24 Butler Studio Artists

  • Meryl Dominguez, soprano
  • Renée Richardson, soprano
  • Ani Kushyan, mezzo-soprano
  • Emily Treigle, mezzo-soprano(third place winner in HGO’s 2021 Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias)
  • Erin Wagner, mezzo-soprano
  • Michael McDermott, tenor (third place at 2023 Concert of Arias)
  • Demetrious Sampson,, tenor (second place and Audience Choice at 2023 Concert of Arias)
  • Navasard Hakobyan, baritone (first place at 2022 Concert of Arias)
  • Michelle Papenfuss, pianist/coach
  • Marco Rizzello, pianist/coach

When: Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, at 7 p.m.

Where: Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave.

Tariff: Tickets are on sale now for $20. Free for subscribers; reservation required. For more information and to buy tickets, visit HGO.org or call the Box Office at 713-228-6737.