“Houston Grand Opera, which was driven from its opera house by the flooding unleashed by Hurricane Harvey, said on Monday that it had found a temporary home for the first three productions of the season: Exhibit Hall A3 of the city’s George R. Brown Convention Center, which sheltered hundreds of Texans during the storm,” writes Michael Cooper in Tuesday’s (9/26) New York Times. “The company is calling it ‘the HGO Resilience Theater.’ Moving opera productions—with their large casts, choruses, full orchestra, elaborate costumes and imposing scenery—to a new space on short notice will require some resiliency. But the company was left with little choice after its regular home, the Wortham Theater Center, was flooded with 12 feet of water by the hurricane, causing enough damage that it will likely remain closed until at least May. So the company will open its season on Oct. 20 with Verdi’s ‘La Traviata.’ … The new ‘HGO Resilience Theater’ will hold approximately 1,700 seats—about 700 fewer than the biggest theater at the Wortham.” The Houston Symphony’s home, Jones Hall, which is near the Wortham Center, suffered minimal storm damage and is under repair. The Houston Symphony is currently performing at Rice University.
Click here for information from the League of American Orchestras about disaster relief and preparedness, updates on orchestras affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and how to help.
Posted September 26, 2017
