WELCOME TO THE 38TH ANNUAL ELEANOR MCCOLLUM COMPETITION FOR YOUNG SINGERS, AND OUR BELOVED CONCERT OF ARIAS.
Tonight’s performance—the live final round of our competition—is the culmination of a journey that began last summer, when more than 1,000 hopeful singers, each carrying their own dreams, submitted applications and audition tapes for consideration. Over the months that followed, the HGO team heard 300 of those artists in live auditions around the world before selecting 18 gifted singers from eight countries as our semifinalists.
Those semifinalists recently traveled to Houston from Poland, China, Mexico, Armenia, and beyond for live auditions with HGO staff and leadership. Tonight’s seven finalists, having distinguished themselves from among this exceptional group, have just spent a remarkable week with us, enjoying intensive coachings, rehearsals, and their first look inside this company.
This evening, after our finalists take the Cullen Stage to perform their arias with the HGO Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Patrick Summers, we will discover how this chapter of their story ends. But, as always, this night also marks the beginning of many stories still to come.
Consider the two program alumni, soprano Mané Galoyan and baritone Thomas Glass, who will also perform this evening. Both Mané and Thomas won prizes in this very competition before joining the Butler Studio and building soaring international careers. Now they’re back in Houston to perform starring roles in our winter repertoire—as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, and Lieutenant Gordon in Silent Night offering a powerful testament to what can emerge from this stage.
Tonight you will witness the full cycle of talent development, from emerging voices to artists stepping into worldwide careers. As you take in the breadth of voices filling our theater, I invite you to remember something essential: we are here because of you. Your generosity, your belief in young artists, and your presence in this room make this evening possible.
More than any other night of our year, Concert of Arias brings people together in service of elevating the next generation of opera talent. And it showcases the very best of what our city can be: a place where global talent meets professional opportunity and Houstonian generosity to create something beautiful—at home and far beyond.
Thank you for being here.
Khori Dastoor General Director and CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
JOIN US FOR
Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer, Chairs Patrick Summers, Honoree
Houston Grand Opera’s 2:30 PM MAR 13 MAR 15 7:00 PM
APRIL 11, 2026
Featuring a musical moment from soprano Renée Fleming, honoring Patrick Summers
MEET THE JUDGES
KHORI DASTOOR
HGO General Director and CEO
Margaret Alkek Williams Chair
JULIEN BENHAMOU
Guest Judge
Director of Production, the Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées
Casting Consultant, the Metropolitan Opera and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
CONDUCTOR
SASHA COOKE
Mezzo-Soprano and Guest Judge
Co-Director, Lehrer Vocal Institute, Music Academy of the West
See Cooke at HGO as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel (through Feb. 15)!
ANA MARÍA MARTÍNEZ
Soprano and Sponsor of the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award
PATRICK SUMMERS
HGO Artistic and Music Director
LIVESTREAM HOST
ERNIE MANOUSE
Houston Public Media
Executive Producer and Host, Hello Houston
PROGRAM
SCARLETT JONES | SOPRANO | “Dich, teure Halle” from Tannhaüser – Richard Wagner
LAUREN RANDOLPH | MEZZO-SOPRANO | “O ma lyre immortelle” from Sapho – Charles Gounod
MISAEL CORRALEJO | TENOR | “Fra poco a me ricovero” from Lucia di Lammermoor –
Gaetano Donizetti
ARPI SINANYAN | SOPRANO | “Io son l’umile ancella” from Adriana Lecouvreur – Francesco Cilèa
KAYLA RAE STEIN | SOPRANO | “Come scoglio” from Così fan tutte – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
TZVI BAT ASHERAH | BASS-BARITONE | “Ves’ tabor spit” from Aleko – Sergei Rachmaninoff
TZVI BAT ASHERAH | BASS-BARITONE | “Aprite un po’ quegl’occhi” from Le nozze di Figaro –Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
KAYLA RAE STEIN | SOPRANO | “Sì, mi chiamano Mimì” from La bohème – Giacomo Puccini
SCARLETT JONES | SOPRANO | “Embroidery in childhood” from Peter Grimes – Benjamin Britten
LAUREN RANDOLPH | MEZZO-SOPRANO | “Where shall I fly?” from Hercules –
George Frideric Handel
VIKTORIIA SHAMANSKA | SOPRANO | “Depuis le jour” from Louise – Gustave Charpentier
MISAEL CORRALEJO | TENOR | “Ah! lève-toi, soleil!” from Roméo et Juliette – Charles Gounod
ARPI SINANYAN | SOPRANO | “Anch’io dischiuso” from Nabucco – Giuseppe Verdi
JUDGES’ DELIBERATION AND VOTING
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ORCHESTRA
Act III Prelude from Lohengrin – Richard Wagner
SARAH AND ERNEST BUTLER HOUSTON GRAND OPERA STUDIO ALUMNI MANÉ GALOYAN | SOPRANO | “Air des Bijoux” from Faust – Charles Gounod
THOMAS GLASS | BARITONE | “È sogno? o realtà….” from Falstaff – Giuseppe Verdi
SARAH AND ERNEST BUTLER HOUSTON GRAND OPERA STUDIO “Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso” from La rondine – Giacomo Puccini
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS
CELEBRATION DINNER
One vote per mobile device will be accepted. Need assistance with voting? We’re here to help! Find an HGO staff member or usher for troubleshooting.
Are you experiencing connectivity issues? Access HGO’s wi-fi network.
First Prize: $25,000
Sponsored by Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson
Second Prize: $15,000
Sponsored by Kelly and Cody Nicholson
Third Prize: $10,000
Sponsored by Ms. Diane M. Marcinek
Audience Choice: $5,000
Sponsored by Jill A. Schaar and George Caflisch
Non-placing Finalists: $3,500 each
Sponsored by Hon. Theresa and Dr. Peter Chang; Jacqueline Macha and Brian Faulkner; Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Galfione; Dr. Alexandra Ikeguchi; Dr. Yin Yiu and Ron Domantay
Ana María Martínez
Encouragement Award: $2,000
Sponsored by Ana María Martínez
FINALISTS
SCARLETT JONES
(UNITED KINGDOM)
SOPRANO
Scarlett Jones is currently pursuing a Master of Music at The Juilliard School, where she studies with Darrell Babidge and is a proud recipient of the prestigious Kovner Fellowship and Higley Scholarship. Jones’s recent operatic performances include Gertrude in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel with Juilliard Opera, Ariadne (cover) in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos with Dramatic Voices Berlin, and Miss Jessel (cover) in Britten’s The Turn of The Screw, also with Juilliard Opera. Jones earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London under the tutelage of Eamonn Mulhall and Robert Bottriell. During her time there, she performed the title role in Errollyn Wallen’s Dido’s Ghost, as well as Waltraute in Wagner’s Die Walküre and Wellgunde in Götterdämmerung with the school’s Postgraduate Opera Scenes.
VIKTORIIA SHAMANSKA
(UKRAINE)
SOPRANO
Currently residing in Poland, Viktoriia Shamanska is a student at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, where she studies solo singing with Prof. Dr. Hab. Agnieszka Monasterska. She has performed as a soloist with the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors such as José Miguel Pérez-Sierra, Alexander Humala, and Davide Levi. A laureate of numerous international vocal competitions, she was a finalist in the Stanisław Moniuszko International Vocal Competition (2025) and received honorable mention at the Ada Sari International Vocal Competition (2025), 2nd Prize at the Ars et Gloria Competition (2025), and 3rd Prize at the Antonina Campi International Vocal Competition (2024). In 2024, she trained at the Rossini Academy “Alberto Zedda” in Pesaro, where she made her debut as Corinna in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims during the Rossini Opera Festival. She is part of the Opera Academy in Warsaw.
ARPI SINANYAN (ARMENIA)
SOPRANO
Arpi Sinanyan received her early musical training at the Alexander Spendiaryan Music School, and later studied Academic Vocal Performance at the Arno Babajanyan College of Music and Pedagogy. In 2025, she graduated with highest distinction from the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan under the guidance of Professor Olga Gabayan, where she was awarded the Ghazaros Saryan Scholarship. Since 2022, Sinanyan has been a soloist in the Young Opera Program (director L. Javadyan) of the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Armenia, performing at major venues and cultural events across Armenia and abroad. Her achievements include prizes at the Moniuszko, Klaudia Taev, Renata Tebaldi, and Città di Alcamo competitions. She made her opera house debut in Handel’s Messiah in March 2025.
KAYLA RAE STEIN
(UNITED STATES)
SOPRANO
Kayla Rae Stein, a recent Master of Music graduate of The Juilliard School, is currently a Bailey Apprentice Artist with Palm Beach Opera. Last summer, she was a Renée Fleming Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, where she performed Mimì in La bohéme, conducted by Enrique Mazzola. Stein appeared with Juilliard Opera for Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi) and The Turn of the Screw (Mrs. Grose). She made her Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall with the AXIOM ensemble in Knussen’s Requiem: Songs for Sue. In 2024, she performed Micaëla in Carmen at Music Academy of the West, where she won second place in the Marilyn Horne Song Competition. That same year, she was a New York District winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastman School of Music and is a proud recipient of The Juilliard School’s Novick Career Advancement Grant.
LAUREN RANDOLPH (UNITED STATES)
MEZZO-SOPRANO
Lauren Randolph is currently studying with Elizabeth Bishop at The Juilliard School, where she is a recipient of the prestigious Kovner Fellowship. In 2025, she was recognized as a National Finalist in The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. Randolph’s recent operatic performances include Madame de Croissy in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites with Juilliard Opera and Grimgerde in Wagner’s Die Walküre with The Santa Fe Opera. In addition to operatic repertoire, Randolph is also a skilled concert soloist, having recently performed as the Soprano 2 soloist in Matthew Aucoin and Peter Sellars’s Music for New Bodies. In 2023, she debuted with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and Civic Orchestra as the Alto soloist in Bach’s cantatas 40 and 110. In December, she made her Carnegie Hall debut as the Alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Cecilia Chorus of New York.
MISAEL CORRALEJO (MEXICO)
TENOR
Misael Corralejo has been in residence at the Mexico Opera Studio (MOS) since 2024. In 2025, he debuted as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and as Lauro in the opera Paso del Norte, both MOS productions. The same year, he was invited to participate as an active member of the Bel Canto Institute in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. He was named a Finalist in the 2025 Carlo Morelli National Vocal Competition. In 2024, he won the Mexico District Award at the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, and in 2025, he won the Encouragement Award at the Laffont Competition in Denver. He won second prize and was a semifinalist in the zarzuela category at the 2024 Carlo Morelli National Vocal Competition and was a semifinalist and special guest at the 2024 San Miguel Opera Competition.
TZVI BAT ASHERAH (UNITED STATES)
BASS-BARITONE
Tzvi Bat Asherah is currently pursuing his Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he studies with Robin Rice. In spring 2026, he will be performing Ford in Rice’s production of Verdi’s Falstaff. Asherah sang in the 2025 Butler International Opera Competition and was awarded third place. Recently, he was seen in
the title role of a concert performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, as the English Ambassador in John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, and as Donner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold. Asherah was a member of the Apprentice Program for Singers at The Santa Fe Opera in 2024, where he made his professional debut as Waiter 3 in Der Rosenkavalier. He will be returning to Santa Fe for his second apprentice summer in 2026.
CONDUCTOR, LIVESTREAM HOST, AND ALUMNI SOLOISTS
PATRICK SUMMERS
(UNITED
STATES)
CONDUCTOR
Patrick Summers has been a central figure at HGO for over 25 years, conducting a vast range of repertoire during his tenure. First appointed in 1998 as Music Director, he became Artistic and Music Director in 2011, tasked with elevating the company’s artistic quality. Highlights at HGO include Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelungen, Tristan und Isolde, and Lohengrin; Verdi’s Requiem, Don Carlo, and La traviata; Mozart’s Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro; Britten’s Peter Grimes and Billy Budd; Handel’s Saul; Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and Turandot; and premieres by Tarik O’Regan, André Previn, Christopher Theofanidis, Jake Heggie, Carlisle Floyd, Rachel Portman, Tod Machover, and Joel Thompson. He conducted Weinberg’s The Passenger at HGO and the Lincoln Center Festival. At the Metropolitan Opera, he has led Lucia di Lammermoor, Rodelinda, Salome, I puritani, and The Enchanted Island. He has enjoyed a long association with San Francisco Opera and was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal in 2015. Selected SFO highlights include A Streetcar Named Desire, Il trittico, Moby-Dick, Dead Man Walking, and Guillaume Tell. He has appeared with the Bregenz Festival, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Australia, and guest-conducted orchestras including LA Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony. He is Co-Director of the Aspen Opera Theater and Vocal Arts program with Renée Fleming. At the end of the 2025-26 season, Summers will step down from his current role at HGO, concluding a transformative chapter before assuming the role of Music Director Emeritus. His first novel and a volume of poetry were released in 2024.
ERNIE
MANOUSE (UNITED STATES)
LIVESTREAM HOST
Ernie Manouse returns to HGO after serving as livestream host for last year’s Concert of Arias. Manouse is an executive producer with Houston Public Media and a co-host of Hello Houston. He launched his broadcasting career with NBC News before working at Chicago radio station WLS-AM. In 1996, he joined HoustonPBS (now Houston Public Media), and as an anchor and producer, he has garnered 11 Emmy Awards, five KATIE Awards, a Houston Press Club Lone Star Award, “viewer’s choice” recognition from multiple local and regional publications, and the title of “Ultimate Interviewer” from the Houston Chronicle. As a pledge spokesman, Manouse has been instrumental in raising over $2 million annually for Houston Public Media, and his talents have helped PBS affiliates across the country raise over $100 million in support of educational outreach, broadcasting, and programming needs. He has served on numerous boards, including terms as vice president for Stages Repertory Theatre, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, USO of Greater Houston, PRIDE Houston, and Q Fest Film Festival. Manouse has served as master of ceremonies, host, and auctioneer for myriad events. He is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago.
MANÉ GALOYAN (ARMENIA)
SOPRANO
This season at HGO, Butler Studio alumna Mané Galoyan performs the role of Gretel in HGO’s mainstage production of Hansel and Gretel. She has appeared with HGO many times, including as Avis in The Wreckers (2022); Gilda in Rigoletto (2019); Confidante in Elektra (2018); Violetta Valéry in La traviata (2017); Adina in The Elixir of Love (2016); Lucy Goodman in After the Storm (2016); and Margaret Hughes in the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players (2016). She was the first-place winner in HGO’s 27th Eleanor McCollum Competition Concert of Arias, and the second-place prize winner of the 2021 Operalia competition, where she also won the Zarzuela Prize and the Rolex Audience Prize. Highlights of the 2025-26 season include Musetta in La bohème with the Metropolitan Opera, Violetta with Atlanta Opera, Sister Angelica and Lauretta in Il trittico with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Soléa in Penello’s El gato montés at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, and in concert, the title role in Iolanta with the Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen. She holds two degrees from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory in Armenia, where she was named the 2013 winner of the President of the Republic of Armenia Youth Prize.
THOMAS GLASS (UNITED STATES)
BARITONE
This season at HGO, Butler Studio alumnus Thomas Glass is performing the role of Lieutenant Gordon in Silent Night. Previously at HGO, he performed as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (2022); Papageno in The Magic Flute (2022); Marcello in La bohème (2019, Miller Outdoor Theatre); Alvaro in Florencia en el Amazonas (2019); Fiorello in The Barber of Seville (2018); Krupke in West Side Story (2018); Figaro in The Barber of Seville (2018, Miller Outdoor Theatre); Marcello in La bohème (2018); and Baron Douphol in La traviata (2017). In the 2024-25 season, Glass returned to the Metropolitan Opera, where he performed the role of Starbuck in Moby-Dick and covered Antony in Antony and Cleopatra. Highlights of recent seasons include house and role debuts at The Metropolitan Opera as Yamadori in Madame Butterfly; Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as the title role in Harvey Milk: Reimagined; Berkshire Opera Festival as Ford in Falstaff; Atlanta Opera as Dandini in Cinderella; and Arizona Opera as John Lassiter in Riders of the Purple Sage. Glass is the winner of the 2022 Mabel Dorn Reader Foundation Prize at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and a Grand Prize Winner at the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He is an alumnus of the Minnesota Opera Resident Artist Program.
DRS. RACHEL AND WARREN A.
ELLSWORTH IV
2026 EVENT CHAIRS
Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth share a passion for both healing and the arts, a combination that bridges their medical careers with their dedication to Houston’s creative community. As accomplished surgeons and devoted patrons of the arts, they embody the spirit of leadership, artistry, and service that defines Houston Grand Opera’s Concert of Arias.
Warren, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, serves as Medical Director of Plastic Surgery at Houston Methodist West Hospital and holds academic appointments with both Weill Cornell Medical College and Baylor College of Medicine. As a nationally recognized leader in the field, Warren is currently the Board Vice President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and he recently served as President of the Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons. The son of an international opera singer and a lifelong musician himself, Warren grew up immersed in the operatic world. His musical training at the University of Virginia and the University of Oxford ultimately inspired his pursuit of plastic surgery—a field that marries art and science in equal measure.
Rachel, a double board-certified colon and rectal surgeon, trained under renowned surgeon Dr. Barbara Bass and is among the few female surgeons in her specialty in the Houston area. Known for her skill in minimally invasive and robotic techniques, Rachel leads with compassion and precision, earning recognition as a teacher, innovator, and advocate for women in medicine.
The couple met during their surgical training in Houston and, more than a decade later, share a thriving family life with their three children: Isabel, Warren V, and Eloise. Together, they continue to give back to the city that shaped their personal and professional journeys. Warren serves on HGO’s Board of Directors and chairs the Butler Studio Committee, a role that is especially meaningful, as his father was part of the Studio’s inaugural class. The Ellsworths also chaired HGO’s 2019 Opening Night Gala for Rigoletto and continue to champion numerous local arts organizations, including the Houston Chamber Choir, where Warren serves on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair.
Rachel and Warren are honored to chair this year’s Concert of Arias, celebrating the next generation of rising artists and reaffirming their belief that Houston’s artistic community is a vital force in the city’s cultural and civic life.
EVENT UNDERWRITERS
DRS. RACHEL AND WARREN A. ELLSWORTH IV, CHAIRS
PRESENTER
Estate of Eleanor Searle
McCollum
ORCHESTRA
PRESENTER
Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer
AWARDS
PRESENTER
Houston Methodist Official Health Care Provider of Houston Grand Opera
Ms. Marty Dudley
Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth, IV
Dian and Harlan Stai
DIRECTOR
James and Molly Crownover
Family Foundation / Petrello
Family Foundation
Teresa and José Ivo
Reinnette and Stan Marek
John G. Turner and Jerry G. Fischer
IMPRESARIO
Anne and Albert Chao
Matthew Healey
Novum Energy
Jill and Allyn Risley
CONDUCTOR
Christopher Bacon and Craig Miller
Gudrun Becker
Astley L. Blair
Capgemini
Hon. Theresa and Dr. Peter Chang
ConocoPhillips
Frost Bank
Claire Liu and Joe Greenberg
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Barbara and Patrick McCelvey / Donna and Ken Barrow
John P. McGovern Foundation
Michelle Beale and Richard H. Anderson/ Geraldine Gill/ Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth/ Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and Milton D. Rosenau, Jr./ Hinda Simon/ Helen B. Wils and Leonard A. Goldstein
CHORUS
Jack Bell
Jeanette and John DiFilippo
Stephanie D. Larsen
The Evans and Portela Family
USI Insurance Services
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Fran and Tom Callahan / Jaclyn and Tyler Goodell / Meagan and Brad Glover / Rachel and Roshan Gummattira / Ludmila and Robert Paul
MAESTRO
Sylvia Barnes and Jim Trimble
Carol Byrd
CAPTRUST
Janet and John Carrig
Carolyn and Ron Galfione
Sandy Godfrey
Marianne Kah
Marsha Montemayor
Mary Lee and James Wallace
Mary-Olga and John Warren
RÉPÉTITEUR
Gloria and Robert Anderson
Drs. Julia Andrieni and Robert Phillips
Susan Bloome
Gwyneth Campbell
Cheryl and Mike Clancy
Shelly Cyprus
Mindy and Joshua Davidson
Thomas DeNapoli and Mark Walker
Nancy Dunlap
Drs. Ruth Falik and David Tweardy
Trish Freeman and Bruce Patterson
Julia and Mark Gwaltney
Lynn Gissel
Maureen Semple-Hirsch and Douglas Hirsch
Patricia Holmes
Ellen and Alan Holzberg
Alan and Glen Husak
Ann Kaufman
Stephanie and Richard Langenstein
Rita Leader
Tracy Maddox and John Serpe
Sara and Bill Morgan
Terrylin Neale
Regina Rogers
Cindi and Franklin Rose
Roz and David Rowan
Shell
Jake Stefano
Kathleen and Richard Stout
Rhonda Sweeney
Liz Travis and Jerry Hyde
Scott and Geraldina Wise
SOLOIST
Larissa Bither
Dr. Rodger Brown and Mrs. Jacqueline Brown
Kiana Caleb
Sarah Dong and Neil Saduka
Brenda Harvey-Traylor
Patricia and Edward Hymson
Dr. Alexandra Ikeguchi
David Jaqua and John Drewer
Barbara and Blair Labatt
Jacqueline Macha and Brian Faulkner
Diane Marcinek
Indira and Jason Mills
Charlene and Charles Nickson
Susan Osterberg
Judy Ramsey
Susan Saurage-Altenloh
Tatiana Sorkin
YOUNG PROFESSIONAL
Roya Gordon
Anna Kovalenko
Lori Harrington and Parashar Saika
Jenny Jeong
Emily and Adrian Melendez
Gabriela Tantillo
Ilana Walder-Biesanz and Ellen Liu
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
City Kitchen Catering
The Events Company
TRAVEL SPONSORS
Thank you to Donna Saurage and Susan Saurage-Altenloh for underwriting the travel expenses of the artists participating in this year’s Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers.
HGO also thanks those who pledged their support after January 28, 2026
LEADING TONE
A new standard for showcasing opera’s next generation.
BY PATRICK SUMMERS, Artistic and Music Director
The seventh note of the musical scale is called the leading tone, and it is beautiful science: the leading note naturally resolves a scale for the ear, taking it back to its home. In the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein song, “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music, the line “tea…a drink with jam and bread” is about the leading tone.
Life has its leading tones too, those joyful moments that lead to a next career stage, and Concert of Arias offers a glimpse into an incredibly important stage of development in a gifted young artist’s professional life. It is worth remembering that prior to their arrival for tonight’s competition, each singer you will encounter has already attained a level of accomplishment achieved by very few young artists. Tonight will help them clarify what the next part of their journey may be, which for a lucky few may be an invitation to join Houston Grand Opera’s Butler Studio. Most certainly, this night will lead them somewhere.
For many reasons, Concert of Arias is the best night of the HGO season, but the chief reason is this: the accomplishment and enduring mystery of the human singing voice. Think for a moment about what singing actually is—the air of a theater, a space that is naturally silent, suddenly vibrates from a sound that emanates from one person and organically enters another, with no electronic intervention. That sound has a sonic imprint as unique as a fingerprint. In our era of highly mechanized everything, and of all kinds of artificial intelligences, singing remains one of the true natural miracles we can access.
The same is true of orchestras, who also play in natural sound, and voices inspire them—nothing changes an orchestra’s playing of Mozart, for example, more than a great singer of Mozart, while at the heart of that dialogue is the conductor, guiding how voice and orchestra speak to one another. If you ask a cellist or clarinetist what they most emulate to make the best sound on their instrument, their answer is likely—hopefully—to
The presence of our wonderful orchestra (pictured at last year’s concert) reminds us, and our contestants, that opera is also an orchestral art.
have something to do with singing, because all fine music-making aspires to vocalism. The voice is the compass point around which all other musical points turn, and this is especially true in opera, a truth that should be obvious, though very little in art is obvious any longer.
Imagine trying to evaluate the skills of a professional swimmer by putting them in a small lap pool instead of in the 164 feet of a 50-meter Olympic pool. For most of its illustrious history, and it has undoubtedly had a distinguished and long track record of success, Concert of Arias was a major operatic competition that lived with a major compromise: music conceived for orchestra was rendered solely on a piano. Truly, operatic pianists are dazzling and amazing, and the pianists who have played Concert of Arias over the years have been stellar. But for HGO to fully evaluate a singer’s career potential, they must be heard with opera’s central instrument: a full orchestra, which at HGO is our own wonderful Houston Grand Opera Orchestra.
Evaluating the size of a singer’s voice must be done with caution and nuance, because it is not actually size that carries a singer’s voice over an orchestra, but resonance. This size/resonance paradox is true of every instrument: the loudest sound in any orchestra can sometimes be the foot-long piccolo, which can handily drown out the 17 feet of tubing in a tuba, depending on the player’s resonance and the precise orchestration. A singer’s
resonance is a technical skill that is acquired through careful teaching and coaching, and it increases with maturity. A great deal of what’s evaluated tonight will be where these artists’ voices might take them in a decade; they are not solely being judged on their performance on a single evening.
Opera’s greatest asset is always its greatest simultaneous challenge: it combines many arts—music and drama and all levels of accompanying arts—and its history has often been crowded with those various elements vying for supremacy. The focus of Concert of Arias is on opera’s future singing stars, and the relationship they have—or could have—with their own voice. The presence of our wonderful orchestra reminds us, and our contestants, that opera is also an orchestral art stretching from Handel, to Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, Massenet, Puccini, Strauss, Britten, Adams, and Heggie—with many fascinating stops. Music is only ever fully ensouled when heard as a composer heard it, and we hope that tonight is the leading tone for opera’s future.
The HGO Orchestra’s performance at Concert of Arias 2026 is generously underwritten by Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer, in honor and celebration of Maestro Patrick Summers and his profound impact upon HGO.
HGO ORCHESTRA
PATRICK SUMMERS, ARTISTIC AND MUSIC DIRECTOR
VIOLIN
Denise Tarrant *, Concertmaster
Chloe Kim *, Assistant Concertmaster
Natalie Gaynor*, Principal Second Violin
Carrie Kauk †, Assistant Principal Second Violin
Hae-a Lee Barnes *, Acting Assistant Principal Second Violin
Miriam Beyatsky *
Rasa Kalesnykaite †
Chavdar Parashkevov †
Anabel Ramirez *
Mary Reed *
Erica Robinson *
Linda Sanders *
Oleg Sulyga *
Sylvia VerMeulen *
Melissa Williams *
Lucinda Chiu
Andres Gonzalez
Kana Kimura
Mila Neal
Rachel Shepard
Emily Zelaya
VIOLA
Eliseo Rene Salazar *, Principal
Lorento Golofeev *, Assistant Principal
Gayle Garcia-Shepard *
Erika C. Lawson *
Suzanne LeFevre *
Matthew Weathers *
CELLO
Barrett Sills *, Principal
Erika Johnson *, Assistant Principal
Dana Rath *
Wendy Smith-Butler *
Chennie Sung †
Shino Hayashi
DOUBLE BASS
Dennis Whittaker †, Principal
Erik Gronfor *, Acting Principal
Carla Clark *, Acting Assisting Principal
Deborah Dunham
FLUTE
Henry Williford †, Principal
Tyler Martin †
Monica Daniel-Barker, Acting Principal
Allison Asthana
Rebecca Powell Garfield
PICCOLO
Allison Asthana
OBOE
Elizabeth Priestly Gehrke *, Principal
Mayu Isom †
Stanley Chyi
Spring Hill
ENGLISH HORN
Spring Hill
CLARINET
Eric Chi *, Principal
Julian Hernandez
Molly Mayfield
BASS CLARINET
Molly Mayfield
BASSOON
Amanda Swain *, Principal
Quincey Trojanowski †
Micah Doherty
Katia Osorio
CONTRABASSOON
Micah Doherty
HORN
Sarah Cranston *, Principal
Kimberly Penrod Minson *
Spencer Park *
Aaron Griffin
Jamie Leff
TRUMPET
Tetsuya Lawson *, Principal
Randal Adams *
Gerardo Mata
TROMBONE
Thomas Hultén *, Principal
Mark Holley †
Jordan Milek Johnson †
Cameron Kerl
Brian Logan
TUBA
Mark Barton *, Principal
TIMPANI
Alison Chang *, Principal
PERCUSSION
Christina Carroll, Acting Principal
Karen Slotter
HARP
Caitlin Mehrtens *, Principal
HARPSICHORD/CELESTA
William Woodard
* HGO Orchestra core musician † HGO Orchestra core musician on leave this production
Bass-baritone
YOU ARE AN ARTIST NOW
On the occasion of HGO’s 38th Concert of Arias, advice for young singers.
BY COLIN MICHAEL BRUSH, Butler Studio Director
Ispend my life traveling around the world listening to singers. Every year I hear thousands of voices.
Sometimes I have the chance to speak with an artist afterward and share my thoughts. More often, I do not. The reflections that follow are the truths I have observed and the guidance I wish I could give every young singer I hear. They are shaped by the many vantage points I have held inside the opera world, as a singer, a casting manager, an artist manager and agent, and now as the Director of the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio.
Opera singers are artists. In that sense they stand alongside painters, dancers, actors, writers, and every other kind of creative maker. I am writing from the vantage point of opera, but these ideas apply wherever someone is trying to bring something true into the world. Art is art. The instrument changes, but the principles are the same:
Sam Dhobhany joined the Butler Studio after winning the competition’s Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award in 2024.
Let your technique be the vehicle of your artistry
When I listen to someone sing, I want to know technically how well they understand their own voice. I listen for an even sound from top to bottom, consistent support, healthy production, and a clear sense that the voice is sustainable, authentically produced and not imitated. Technique includes acting, movement, and musicianship. Clear physical choices, a defined character arc, a sense of musical style—all of these shape the foundation of the work. However, technique only matters insofar as it serves the artistic expression and perspective of the artist by bringing to life what lives in their artistic imagination.
Renée Fleming is a perfect example of the way technique and expression are tied together. She spent years in the practice room, patiently building a technique that was specific to her own instrument. She endeavored to create for herself a system that would allow maximum musical, emotional, and artistic freedom. Once her technique was solid, she could express anything she wanted. A strong technique gives you the ability to realize what lives in your imagination. Without that, the most profound artistic ideas stay trapped in your head and never breathe real life.
Be a crock pot, not a microwave
You cannot fake preparation. Preparation shows motivation, discipline, and respect for the craft. It is obvious
when someone has lived with a role, slowly and patiently, and it is just as obvious when someone has rushed.
Many singers prepare with a microwave mentality. They cram, memorize the basics, and rush through the process. The result is uneven. Some parts are hot and overdone, other parts are still frozen and unusable. Nothing truly settles into the body.
Real preparation is more like a crock pot: slow, steady, and consistent. Each day you work, another layer of music, text, rhythm, intention, and character sinks deeper into your system. Over time the music is fully cooked, evenly flavored, and truly embodied. That kind of preparation allows you to live inside the piece rather than simply stand next to it and recite.
Do not wait for permission to be an artist
A common error I hear from young singers is this: I will really interpret later, once I am a professional. For now, I just need to get it right. This is a trap. You are an artist now. You do not need permission to be one if you have something to say. You do not need to wait for a contract or a title to begin embodying being an artist. The time to take ownership of your artistic perspective is quite literally now.
At the same time, you are never finished. Curiosity must stay alive for your entire career. The best artists are students forever, always striving for deeper truths, a better way to express or to tell the story. They keep
Soprano Elizabeth Hanje, a current Butler Studio artist, won first place in the competition in 2024.
asking how a phrase can be more true, how a choice can be more specific, how a character can be more alive. Art is subjective. Many singers are secretly hunting for the one right answer and for someone to tell them they are correct. That longing for certainty can paralyze you. The more comfortable you become with the fact that there is no absolute right or wrong in interpretation, the more space opens for real artistry. People who succeed are the ones who bring a clear perspective instead of waiting to be told exactly what to do.
Experience life, so you have something to express
Art is about the human condition. You cannot say anything meaningful about life if you never truly live it. Seek out experiences. Listen to other people’s stories. Pay attention to lives different from your own. Nature, cities, friendships, conflict, joy, loss, boredom, tragedy, surprise—all of it becomes material for expression. You should know other art forms intimately. You should fill your eyes and ears with theater, painting, film, poetry, architecture, nature, human connections, street life, everything. The richer your inner world, the richer your work on stage.
Bring intention to every single thing you do
I was deeply influenced early on by the way visual artists think about meaning, particularly the idea that every element of a work should serve a central message. In painting, each material is chosen for its relationship to the whole. Every brush stroke and color choice carries intention and contributes to the larger philosophical message of the piece. If an element does not advance that core, it does not belong. Beauty without meaning is empty. A work with no underlying purpose is not really art, it is decoration.
The same principle applies to music. Every sound, gesture, breath, and choice must serve something larger than itself. A gesture without a reason behind it looks fake. A high note or an ornament that appears only to impress is empty. But when a phrase grows from a character’s intention or need, when a gesture expresses a specific desire, when breath and body are aligned with what the person on stage wants, all of the elements begin to alchemize. The music, the text, the voice, the body, and the scenic world fuse into something larger than the sum of their parts. That is the alchemy of art.
That is when audiences lean forward and cannot look away.
Bring us into your world. Lean into what makes you different. Your experiences, your questions, and your way of seeing the world are your most precious resources. Remember the famous Oscar Wilde quote: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” Every time I hear an audition, I am sincerely hoping the singer will be extraordinary. I actively hope to see something I have never seen before, have this artist show me something about a piece I have never conceived of before.
Remember you are building the audience of tomorrow
Opera is one of the most powerful ways humans have invented to tell stories. It is intimate and enormous at the same time. It can alter how an audience feels about the human condition in a single evening. We all share the responsibility for building the audience of the future. This work does not belong only to the companies, the press, the marketing departments. Artists who engage audiences—who make them feel, think and care—are the ones who secure the next chapter of this art form.
Do not be afraid to think differently. Many trailblazers were simply people who dared to imagine a story in a new way and then had the courage to follow that vision. Your interpretation may be the one that unlocks the piece for someone in the audience. Think boldly. Make a real case for why your way of telling the story reveals something essential.
Opera asks for full engagement of voice, body, mind, and soul. When solid technique, deep preparation, a sharp mentality, rich experience, and intentional artistry alchemize and come together, they create something that can change people. That is the level you should aim for. Your perspective is your truth. Your voice is valid. Step into your work with courage and clarity. We are waiting for you to show us what only you can do.
BUTLER STUDIO ARTISTS 2025–26
JENNY CHOO, PIANIST/COACH
Dr. Laura E. Sulak and Dr. Richard W. Brown Fellow
SAM DHOBHANY, BASS-BARITONE
Dian and Harlan Stai Fellow
GEONHO LEE, BARITONE
MICHAEL MCDERMOTT, TENOR
ALISSA GORETSKY, SOPRANO
ELIZABETH HANJE, SOPRANO
Mr. and Mrs. James W. Crownover/ Dr. and Mrs. Miguel Miro-Quesada/ Dr. John Serpe and Tracy Maddox Fellow
TZU KUANG TAN, PIANIST/COACH
Shelly Cyprus Fellow
Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson/ Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and Mr. Milton D. Rosenau Jr. Fellow
LUKA TSEVELIDZE, TENOR
Donna and Ken Barrow/ Barbara and Pat McCelvey/ Irina and Andrey Polunin/ Ms. Rita Leader/ Jill A. Schaar and George Caflisch Fellow
Gloria M. Portela/ Susan Bloome/ James M. Trimble and Sylvia Barnes Fellow
Ms. Marty Dudley/ Amy and Mark Melton/ Diane Marcinek/ Jeff Stocks and Juan Lopez Fellow
SHAWN ROTH, TENOR
Melinda and Bill Brunger/ Drs. Liz Grimm and Jack Roth/ Drs. Rachel and Warren A. Ellsworth IV/ Kathleen Moore and Steven Homer/ Sharon Ley Lietzow and Robert Lietzow Fellow
ZINIU ZHAO, BASS
Carolyn J. Levy/ Jill and Allyn Risley/ Dr. Peter Chang and Hon. Theresa Chang and Friends Fellow
DEMETRIOUS SAMPSON, JR., TENOR Dr. Dina Alsowayel and Mr. Anthony R. Chase/ Dr. Eric McLaughlin and Mr. Elliot Castillo/ Alejandra and Héctor Torres/ Mr. Trey Yates Fellow
NURTURING TOMORROW’S STARS
The best training happens onstage—and our Butler Studio artists are shining across HGO’s 2025-26 season.
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess
Demetrious Sampson Jr. –Sportin’ Life
Elizabeth Hanje – Strawberry Woman
Sam Dhobhany – Undertaker
Tzu Kuang Tan – Assistant Coach
Puccini’s Il trittico
Shawn Roth – Song Seller, Il tabarro
Alissa Goretsky – Young Lover, Il tabarro/Nursing Sister, Suor Angelica
Michael McDermott – Young Lover, Il tabarro
Elizabeth Hanje – First Alms Sister, Suor Angelica
Left to right: Demetrious Sampson, Jr. in Porgy and Bess; Alissa Goretsky, right (with Corinne Winters), in Suor Angelica (Il trittico); and Ziniu Zhao in Silent Night
PAST WINNERS
Andrea Carroll A.C.
2013 Thomas Richards 1st Place
Sydney Mancasola 2nd Place
Sarah Larsen 3rd Place
Sydney Mancasola A.C.
2014 D’Ana Lombard 1st Place
Amanda Woodbury 2nd Place
Sofia Selowsky 3rd Place
Amanda Woodbury A.C.
2015 Mané Galoyan 1st Place
Chris Bozeka 2nd Place
Federico De Michelis 3rd Place
Yongzhao Yu A.M.M.E.A.
Yongzhao Yu A.C.
2016 Madison Leonard 1st Place
Zoie Reams 2nd Place
Alexandra Razskazoff 3rd Place
Yelena Dyachek A.M.M.E.A.
Sol Jin A.C.
2017 Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen 1st Place Nicolette Book 2nd Place
Thomas Glass 3rd Place
Siphokazi Molteno A.M.M.E.A.
Siphokazi Molteno A.C.
Geoffrey Hahn O.V.C.
2018 Leia Lensing 1st Place
Dorothy Gal 2nd Place
Lindsay Kate Brown 3rd Place
Liv Redpath A.M.M.E.A.
Liv Redpath A.C.
Leia Lensing O.V.C.
2019 William Meinert 1st Place
William Guanbo Su 2nd Place
Nicholas Newton 3rd Place
Yunuet Laguna A.M.M.E.A.
Elena Villalón A.C.
Katherine DeYoung O.V.C.
2020 Sun-Ly Pierce 1st Place
Cory McGee 2nd Place
Angel Romero 3rd Place
Tatiana Carlos A.M.M.E.A.
Angel Romero A.C. Laureano Quant O.V.C.
2021 Key’mon W. Murrah 1st Place
Eric Taylor 2nd Place
Emily Treigle 3rd Place
Ángel Vargas A.M.M.E.A.
Brittany Olivia Logan A.C.
2022 Navasard Hakobyan 1st Place
Amanda Batista 2nd Place
Jongwon Han 3rd Place
Olivia Smith A.M.M.E.A. Jongwon Han A.C.
Olivia Smith O.V.C.
2023 Natalie Lewis 1st Place
Demetrious Sampson, Jr. 2nd Place
Michael McDermott 3rd Place
Gabrielle Turgeon A.M.M.E.A.
Demetrious Sampson, Jr. A.C.
Natalie Lewis O.V.C.
2024 Elizabeth Hanje 1st Place
Ziniu Zhao 2nd Place
Alissa Goretsky 3rd place
Sam Dhobhany A.M.M.E.A.
Jazmine Saunders A.C. Jouelle Roberson O.V.C.
2025 Geonho Lee 1st Place
Luka Tsevelidze 2nd Place
Lauren Carroll 3rd Place
Daria Lupu A.M.M.E.A Geonho Lee A.C.
A.C. — Audience Choice
A.M.M.E.A. — Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award
O.V.C. — Online Viewers’ Choice
WITH APPRECIATION
2025–26 Butler Studio Faculty & Staff
Colin Michael Brush, Director
Sponsored by Christopher Bacon and Craig Miller, Mr. Jack Bell, Lynn Gissel, and Lynn Des Prez
Maureen Zoltek, Music Director
Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Chair
Kiera Krieg, Butler Studio Manager
Stephen King, Director of Vocal Instruction
Sponsored by Jill and Allyn Risley, Janet Sims, and the James J. Drach
Endowment Fund
Peter Pasztor, Principal Coach
Sponsored by the Mr. and Mrs. James A. Elkins Jr. Endowment Fund
Nicholas Roehler, Assistant Conductor
Madeline Slettedahl, Assistant Conductor
William Woodard, Assistant Conductor
Nadya Mercado, Butler Studio Intern
Christa Gaug, German Instructor
Enrica Vagliani Gray, Italian Instructor
Sponsored by Marsha Montemayor
Neda Zafaranian, English Instructor
Brian Connelly, Piano Instructor
Mo Zhou, Showcase Director and Guest Acting Faculty
Alley Theatre, Acting Instruction
Stephen Neely, Dalcroze Eurhythmics Instructor
Tiffany Soricelli, Finance Instructor
Nino Sanikidze, Russian Diction Coach
Margo Garrett, Guest Coach
Warren Jones, Guest Coach
Hemdi Kfir, Guest Coach
Thomas Lausmann, Guest Coach
2025–26 Butler Studio Committee
Robin Angly
Michelle Beale, Vice Chair
Melinda Brunger
Patrick Carfizzi
Molly Crownover
Lynn Des Prez
Dr. Warren A. Ellsworth IV, Chair
Lynn Gissel
Sandy Godfrey
Dr. Ellen R. Gritz
Brenda Harvey-Traylor
Steve Homer
Marianne Kah
Stephanie Larsen
Richard Leibman
Carolyn J. Levy
Tracy Maddox
Beth Madison
Amy Melton
Miguel Miro-Quesada
Valerie Miro-Quesada
Kathy Moore
Charlene Nickson
Gloria Portela
Allyn Risley
Jill Risley
Dr. Jack A. Roth
John Serpe
Janet Sims
Dian Stai
Harlan Stai
John G. Turner
Bob Wakefield
Trey Yates
Concert of Arias 2026
Production Staff
Lighting Designer
Michael James Clark
Director of Operations & Institutional Projects
Christopher Staub
Video Direction
Ben Doyle
Livestream Production
BEND Productions
Stage Manager
Caitlin Farley
Assistant Stage Manager
Annie Wheeler
Supertitles
Alexa Lietzow
Program Editors
Ashlyn Killian, Catherine Matusow
Program Designer
Chelsea Crouse
ABOUT THE BUTLER STUDIO
Butler Studio Supporters
The Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio is grateful for the underwriting support of Mrs. Estela Hollin-Avery, Ms. Marty Dudley, Ms. Stephanie Larsen, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Langenstein. The Butler Studio is also thankful for the in-kind support of the Texas Voice Center and for the outstanding support of the Magnolia Houston hotel.
Additional support for the Butler Studio is provided by the following funds within the Houston Grand Opera Endowment, Inc.:
The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation Endowment Fund
Marjorie and Thomas Capshaw Endowment Fund
James J. Drach Endowment Fund
The Evans and Portela Family Fund
Carol Lynn Lay Fletcher Endowment Fund
William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund
Jackson D. Hicks Endowment Fund
Charlotte Howe
Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Eleanor McCollum competition is a crucial recruitment tool for the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio, one of the most highly respected and prestigious young artist programs in the world. Since 1977, the Butler Studio has served young singers and pianist/coaches who have completed their academic training and are preparing to embark on full-fledged operatic careers. Each year after an exhaustive international search, a hand-selected group of the most exceptionally talented individuals is brought here to Houston to work on the mainstage and in recital alongside the best in the business at Houston Grand Opera. During a residency of up to three years, each performer collaborates with an expert team while gaining invaluable experience at the highest professional level. Alumni of the Butler Studio perform at the best opera houses around the world—and internationally renowned artists such as Joyce DiDonato, Jamie Barton, Ana María Martínez, Ryan McKinny, and Tamara Wilson still regularly return to their home stage at HGO. For many, the Butler Studio is just the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the company.
Elva Lobit Opera Endowment Fund
Marian and Speros Martel Foundation Endowment Fund
Erin Gregory Neale Endowment Fund
Dr. Mary Joan Nish and Patricia Bratsas Endowed Fund
