Mr. John G. Turner and Mr. Jerry G. Fischer

John and Jerry are visionary philanthropists who exemplify the transformational power of passion meeting purpose. Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they travel around the world to experience the best that opera has to offer. They have supported opera programs worldwide, including the Houston Grand Opera and programs in Santa Fe, New York, Germany, and London, and have made gifts in support of twenty initiatives within the LSU College of Music & Dramatics Arts. HGO subscribers and donors for over a decade, the couple’s leadership support of Wagner’s Ring cycle (2014-17) was the largest gift ever made to HGO for a single production. John, a shareholder at Tuner Industries Group, is a member of the HGO Board of Directors and past chair of HGO Studio Committee. Jerry is a board member of Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. In recent years, John and Jerry have supported HGO mainstage productions, the HGO Studio, and special events. They are members of the Founders Council for Artistic Excellence, and John is a member of HGO’s Laureate Society.

Patrick Summers

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. In 2026, 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.