Patrick Summers (Conductor)

Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Music Director Chair

HGO Music Director Patrick Summers conducts the concurrent productions of Puccini’s Tosca and Britten’s The Turn of the Screw this winter. Earlier this season, he conducted the first opera by Richard Wagner to be produced at Houston Grand Opera since 2001: Lohengrin. Summers made an acclaimed company debut in 1999 conducting Verdi’s La traviata and has since conducted more than thirty operas here including last season’s Rigoletto, Chorus!, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the world premiere of Previn’s Brief Encounter. His other HGO world premieres include Three Decembers (Last Acts) and The End of the Affair by Jake Heggie; The Refuge by Christopher Theofanidis; and Resurrection by Todd Machover; all of which are available on CD from Albany Records. He recently conducted the world premiere of Moravec’s The Letter at the Santa Fe Opera and will conduct the world premiere of Heggie’s Moby Dick at the Dallas Opera. His diverse credits at the Metropolitan Opera include Salome and Madama Butterfly. Other highlights include A Streetcar Named Desire, Ariodante and Three Decembers (Last Acts) at San Francisco Opera, where he has just been appointed principal guest conductor; La Cenerentola at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona; and Verdi’s Nabucco and Puccini’s Turandot with Opera Australia. Maestro Summers led the Orchestra of Saint Luke’s on Renée Fleming’s Grammy Award-winning solo recording Bel Canto, available from Decca. This coming winter at HGO, he will lead Patricia Racette in her role debut in the title role of Tosca, and will conduct The Turn of the Screw. Other upcoming engagements include the world premiere of Heggie’s Moby Dick at the Dallas Opera next spring.