Dec. 13, 2024

Love Songs: A Story in Three Acts

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Ani Kushyan and Navasard Hakobyan in Salzburg, Austria.

This season, HGO is shining a spotlight on love. Star-cross'd love, mad love, eternal love—it’s what opera’s all about, and it’s no surprise love blooms behind the scenes, too. We asked three operatic couples, all part of the HGO family, to share their stories with Opera Cues 

The Ballad of Ani and Navasard: A Proposal in the Sky

Mezzo-soprano Ani Kushyan and baritone Navasard Hakobyan, two current members of HGO’s Butler Studio, met in Yerevan, Armenia in 2016, while studying under the same teacher. She was in her third year with the Komitas State Conservatory, and he was entering his first.  

 

“When I entered the room for the first time for my lessons, she was standing there, and I just thought, oh, wow,” Navasard remembers. “The first time I met her, I knew I felt something, but I said, no, it’s time to concentrate on my career, on singing.” 

 

“I remember, I was always impressed by how focused he was on his craft,” says Ani. “He wasn’t messing around. He didn’t live in Yerevan, so his commute to and from his hometown, Garni, was four hours. But in the mornings, he was always the first student to practice. I liked that about him.” 

 

The pair got to know each other as friends and remained so for years, long after Ani finished her studies in Armenia and began traveling abroad to further her craft. When Ani moved back to Armenia in 2021, the two finally started dating. Shortly afterward, Navasard traveled to Houston, won HGO’s Concert of Arias competition, and received an invitation to join the Butler Studio training program for young artists. 

 

It was tough for both that Navasard was leaving for the States so soon after they got together. But the next year, it was Ani’s turn to compete in the Concert of Arias and win a spot with the Butler Studio. Armenia had set the stage for their relationship, and Houston would change it forever. Navasard decided to propose to Ani that fall, when she moved here to join the program.  

 

He called up Ani’s mother, who arranged for her to pack a lavish white dress in her suitcase for the occasion, saying she could wear it to fancy parties. He also arranged for their mutual friend, the Armenian soprano Mané Galoyan, who was in Houston to perform in HGO’s The Wreckers, to help him.  

 

Mané invited Ani to a girls-only white party at a swanky rooftop downtown. On the big day Mané breezed in, dressed in white, and announced that it was incredibly important for the two of them to go buy a table, like, right now. “What had actually happened,” Ani says, “was that Navasard forgot to buy a table to put all the sweets, champagne, and flowers on. So, I ended up going to buy a table.” 

 

“For her own proposal,” Navasard chimes in. 

 

“Yeah, for my proposal!” Ani laughs. 

 

When they arrived for the party, Ani was confused as to why Mané kept her waiting in the parking garage. Then, finally, everything was ready. When Ani stepped foot onto the rooftop, she was floored. A string trio playing “La vie en rose” was there to greet her. And there, across the way, a beaming Navasard stood with the flowers, the sweets, the champagne, and, of course, the fabled table. Needless to say, she said yes.  

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Mané Galoyan and Roberto Kalb met during a Rigoletto production.
The Song of Mané and Roberto: A COVID Wedding 

Soprano Mané Galoyan, a Butler Studio alumna and HGO favorite, and conductor/composer Roberto Kalb, making his company debut at the podium for West Side Story, first met in 2019, in a perhaps unlikely location: Louisville, Kentucky. “An Armenian and a Mexican meet in Kentucky,” Mané jokes. “It happens all the time, I’m sure.” 

 

They were both in town for Rigoletto with Kentucky Opera. “We immediately hit it off as friends. We had an incredible artistic experience. She’s an incredible singer, musician,” says Roberto. “We only became a couple six months later.” 

 

The new couple vacationed in Hawaii while Mané was working, after which she joined him in Chicago, where he had a gig. Then COVID-19 ground the world to a halt. The pair “panic-drove all the way down to Miami,” says Roberto, where they remained.  

 

The virus tore the performing world apart, but the couple, suddenly possessed of a luxurious amount of time, was closer than ever. They would sit down at the piano with a glass of wine, sight-reading duets of Schubert symphonies until four in the morning. 

 

“Sometimes it was very ridiculous,” Mané shares. “But it’s a very nerdy activity that we both love. He’s so talented and has so much knowledge. It’s like his brain is an encyclopedia. He’s so musical, and such a good conductor, but he is always very kind. I think that it’s a good combination. We need more of that in the world.” 

 

“I don’t know of a better soprano alive. Really,” says Roberto, returning the admiration. “She’s also the most wonderful human. She’s down to earth, she’s warm, everything that I always wanted in someone. I feel truly lucky to have met her.” 

 

In December 2020, the couple tied the knot with a Zoom wedding for the ages. Roberto’s immediate family attended the ceremony in person, while Mané’s family, unable to travel from Armenia, joined the rest of their 200-odd guests virtually to cheer on the newlyweds from home. After their first dance, Mané’s father, who only speaks Armenian, moved the couple by giving a heartfelt speech entirely in English.  

 

Once the virtual guests said their goodbyes, Roberto’s family kept the party going. They had good champagne with pizza and wedding cake, smoking cigars into the early hours of the morning. “It was a very strange but very beautiful day,” Roberto says. “It was actually kind of magical.” 

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Ailyn Pérez and Soloman Howard after the opening night performance of Tosca at the War Memorial Opera House (2021). ©Drew Altizer Photography/San Francisco Opera
The Duet of Ailyn and Soloman: It’s About Time

Soprano Ailyn Pérez, Leonora in Il trovatore this season at HGO, and bass Soloman Howard met at the Santa Fe Opera, all the way back in 2016. It wasn’t the right time for them just yet, but the two noticed each other right away. In fact, Ailyn remembers reminding herself to breathe. “I was struck with this sense of awe and joy and peace all in one,” she recalls. “People say love at first sight, but I felt peace at first sight.”  

 
She wasn’t alone in her feelings. Soloman was captivated by her eyes from the moment they first locked gazes. The two hadn’t even had a real conversation, but he immediately felt seen. It’s like she’s looking into your soul,” he says. “It says, I see you, all of you, and I care to know more. I care to listen. I was like, whew, I’m in trouble.” 

 

In 2019, the stars finally aligned for Ailyn and Soloman. From then on, they took part in the same ritual as all opera couples: a lot of video calls. The two were head-over-heels, but their busy careers made it tough. “When we’re on contract, we’re basically on call 24 hours a day,” says Ailyn. “Planning to see someone, make appointments, go on dates, it’s hard for us.” 

 

Still, they were fortunate to share an understanding about the artist’s life and to be able to face its challenges together. “To have someone who knows firsthand the demands that this profession has of you, specifically as a singer, is very comforting,” says Soloman. “And it’s nice to have a trusted set of ears in the house that says—baby, I’m singing this, what does this sound like? I try to do the same for her. I think it’s a beautiful partnership.” 

 

“We talk about doing new roles or new jobs and what we bring to it,” adds Ailyn. “Soloman brings his life experience with him on stage. He shares those pieces of himself in his work, even though it’s in a different language with a different composer, different venue, different colleagues, in different places in the world—he still brings that Soloman. For me, that’s been a great deal of inspiration.” 

 

“Her compassion and care and generosity that she has, not just as an artist, but in everyday life, is one of the things I love most about her. It makes her a great communicator on stage. I think because of her vulnerability, generosity, and how sincere she is as a person, it translates to her artistry.”  

 

It was only fitting that a love born from opera would ultimately lead to a proposal on stage. After a performance of Tosca at San Francisco Opera in 2019, Solomon got down on one knee before the audience and popped the question. Ailyn excitedly hopped over to kiss Soloman, who lifted her into his arms as the crowd cheered. 

 

“He almost couldn’t hear me scream yes,” laughs Ailyn, “because the whole audience was already beating me to it.” 

about the author
Amber Francis
Amber Francis is Communications Coordinator at Houston Grand Opera.