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Arts & Culture

Houston Grand Opera Chorus

Posted on January 27, 2009 · As opera-goers we're spoiled rotten in Houston. We're so used to superb choral singing in Houston Grand Opera productions that it becomes very easy to take it for granted that idiomatic, energized, precise ensemble singing with tonal beauty and crisp diction are the norm at opera companies everywhere. But just travel outside Houston and it becomes quickly and glaringly apparent that you'd have to travel internationally to find other opera choruses whose performance standards match HGO's. Seldom are the choral numbers the highlight of every opera performance the way they are at HGO.

Opera & Musical Theater

A Michael Yeargan Season

Posted on November 10, 2008 · HGO audiences will be seeing a wide variety of this versatile designer's work this season, including the entire fall repertory. Eric J. Skelly speaks with him about his first love—opera

Opera & Musical Theater

Opera Glossary

Posted on August 18, 2008 · All of us who go to the opera, regardless of whether we're casual opera-goers or inveterate opera lovers, originally had to start from scratch in our opera-going experience. Every one of us at some point in our lives had to buy that first ticket, or let someone else take us to the opera for the first time, unsure and unknowledgeable about what we were about to experience.

The Front Row

The Front Row, Monday, 8/04/2008

Posted on August 4, 2008 · We peer into the formerly hidden, behind-the-scenes aspects of the life and personality of Franco Corelli, who was the world's Number-One-Tenor during the 1960's and 70's. An intensly private man, he kept most of the details of his personal life out of the public eye, but now his story has been told in a thoroughly researched, comprehensive new biography by Rene Seghers...

Opera & Musical Theater

Gilbert vs. Sullivan

Posted on July 15, 2008 · Ask any actor and they'll tell you: Comedy is much, much harder to do than drama. And yet, come awards time, even brilliantly done comedy rarely is rewarded. It's common knowledge that comedy films and the comedic performances in them have little chance at scoring an Academy Award.

Opera & Musical Theater

Surtitles at the Opera

Posted on July 15, 2008 · Eric Skelly explores the ways that opera companies have worked to circumvent the language barrier, as well as the history and technology behind one of their more useful tools, the surtitle.

Opera & Musical Theater

Fables and Fairy Tales in Opera

Posted on June 9, 2008 · Opera is the ultimate example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Music, drama, poetry, dance, the visual arts . . . each is a rich, rewarding and fully engaging arts discipline on its own. Given the breadth of source material available, Eric Skelly discovers that many famous operas are based on fables and fairy tales.

Opera & Musical Theater

Answering the Call

Posted on April 17, 2008 · Past and present Houston Grand Opera Studio artists tell Eric J. Skelly what it's like to be called in on short notice to perform for an ailing colleague.

Opera & Musical Theater

Singspiel

Posted on January 7, 2008 · Operas come in many forms and styles, from dramatic to comedic. Eric Skelly explores the operatic style of the "singspiel," and the ways in which it influenced German opera.

Opera & Musical Theater

First Time Opera

Posted on November 12, 2007 · Going to the opera for the first time can be a daunting experience. Eric Skelly discusses how, with a little help from a fellow lover of opera, one can make their first experience a pleasant one.

Opera & Musical Theater

Wortham Center’s 20th Anniversary

Posted on October 8, 2007 · The Wortham Theater Center celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Eric Skelly recounts his experience working with the Houston Grand Opera during the opening of that storied building.

Opera & Musical Theater

HGO’s Anthony Freud and a 2007-08 Season Preview

Posted on April 11, 2007 · Eric Skelly talks with HGO's new general director and CEO Anthony Freud about the upcoming season and some of the new projects he'll be working on in the coming years.

Opera & Musical Theater

In Transition

Posted on December 31, 2006 · Eric Skelly talks with three members of the Houston Grand Opera Studio who are leaving at the end of this season about their final year in the training program, and about their experiences therein.

Opera & Musical Theater

Countertenor Leads

Posted on August 17, 2006 · The Countertenor voice seems to be entering a Golden Age in opera, with countertenors ranking among some of operas biggest marquee names. Eric Skelly explores the voice and repertoire of the countertenor, the countertenor's predecessor, the castrato, and uncovers news about the most famous castrato of them all.