CHEERS TO OUR SUPPORTERS FOR A WONDERFULLY SUCCESSFUL OPENING NIGHT!

HGO toasted the 2022-23 season with its Opening Night performance of Verdi’s La traviata followed by a celebration dinner on the Wortham’s Fish Plaza. Chaired by longtime opera champions Molly and Jim Crownover, the occasion set attendance and fundraising records bringing in over $600,000. 

In a full-circle moment, the production of La traviata, was the same one that opened HGO’s Resilience Theater—a makeshift opera house in the GRB Convention Center that saved the opera season after Harvey poured 14 feet of water into the Wortham in 2017. Jim Crownover served as Board Chair at the time. And so, this dinner became a celebration of resilience. 

The evening began with a full house for the national anthem conducted by HGO Patron Aaron Stai—a fun HGO tradition. The breathtaking performance of La traviata featured Grammy Award-winning soprano Angel Blue as Violetta and was dedicated to Ukrainian baritone Andrei Kymach as Giorgio. The night also marked the HGO debut of conductor Matthew Aucoin. 

Post-performance, guests made their way through The Events Company’s ten-foot floral Champagne flutes and a flurry of real bubbles to enjoy a Parisian meal by City Kitchen Catering. Current HGO Board Chair Claire Liu introduced the evening’s honorees, Board Chairs Janet Carrig (2018-20) and Allyn Risley (2020-22), paying homage to their inspiring leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor and HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers then introduced the La traviata cast and creative team to a standing ovation by all.