HGO Digital
Songs for Murdered Sisters
Streaming through May 31, 2021
Five years ago, Joshua Hopkins’s life changed forever when his sister Nathalie, along with two other women, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in a spree that is now considered one of the worst cases of domestic violence in Canadian history. In his grief, Hopkins conceived of this song cycle. Co-commissioned by HGO with Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra, with music by Jake Heggie set to poetry by Margaret Atwood, this powerful new work, directed by James Niebuhr, is Hopkins’s way of honoring his sister’s memory and speaking out against domestic violence.
Songs for Murdered Sisters is dedicated to the memory of Nathalie, Carol, & Anastasia and Pat Lowther & Debbie Rottman.
White Ribbon Pledge:
Joshua Hopkins hopes that sharing this harrowing story through song will inspire other voices to take up the call in the future, providing hope and healing for countless families around the world who have been impacted by this global societal issue.
More immediately, Joshua challenges other men to own their responsibility to end gender-based violence. Please visit whiteribbonsisters.com today and pledge never to commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women.
Help Joshua reach his goal of inspiring 10,000 men to take the White Ribbon pledge by sharing your commitment with the hashtag #WhiteRibbonSisters.
CAST
| Joshua Hopkins | Baritone |
| Jake Heggie | Composer and Pianist |
CREATIVE
| James Niebuhr | Director |
| Michael MacDonald | Producer |
CREATOR'S CONVERSATION
| Jake Heggie | Composer |
| Margaret Atwood | Poet |
| Joshua Hopkins | Baritone |
| Patrick Summers | HGO Artistic & Music Director |
Viewers around the world will be able to transport themselves to a front row seat and stream exclusive Houston Grand Opera Digital content worldwide through Marquee TV, an on-demand streaming platform dedicated to global arts and culture. Serving up a world-class catalogue of contemporary and classical masterpieces, including dance, opera, theatre, music and arts documentaries, Marquee TV has been designed for a growing digital audience of culture lovers and the arts-curious. This season's partnership arrangement between Houston Grand Opera and Marquee TV is the first of its kind with a US-based performing arts organization, granting Marquee TV access to stream Houston Grand Opera’s 2020–21 season exclusively. The subscription-based arts channel will host Houston Grand Opera’s brand-new content and allow users to access it for free through their website, app, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and other platforms.
Grand Underwriter
Diane B. Wilsey
Underwriter
Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation
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2020–21 Season
Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the entire live, in-person mainstage 2020-21 season has been canceled. HGO patrons and subscribers who currently have tickets for the 2020–21 season will have their subscriptions moved to the following season automatically.