Recently, Houston Ebony Opera Guild, Houston Chamber Choir, and Alley Theatre announced the appointments of new directors, following the retirement of longtime arts leaders. The Houston Symphony and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston also announced major new hires.
Gregory D. McDaniel took the helm of Houston Ebony Opera Guild as its new Artistic Director, effective July 1, 2025, following an announcement of his appointment in May.
A Houston native, McDaniel returns to the Bayou City from the New Jersey Symphony, where he served as the Colton Conducting Fellow for the 2024-25 season. Previously, he has worked with numerous symphony orchestras and opera companies in the US and Canada, including the Orchestre Métropolitain in Québec, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Opera Ithaca, Boise Baroque Orchestra, Prizm Ensemble, and Opera in the Heights. He received his bachelor’s degree in Choral Music Education from the University of Houston and his master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of North Texas.
Houston Ebony Opera Guild stated in a press release that McDaniel’s appointment marks “a new chapter in the organization’s storied legacy of celebrating and advancing the contributions of Black classical musicians and composers.”
McDaniel succeeds Dr. Jason Oby, who stepped down after nearly three decades with the organization, serving as soloist, conductor, curator of repertoire and content, and Artistic Director.
“A great choice!” wrote Oby in a social media post regarding McDaniel’s appointment.
In response, McDaniel posted in a public comment: “Thank you, Dr. Oby. Your recognition means a great deal to me, especially since you have dedicated the past 28 years to advancing this organization to new heights of artistic and creative prominence both here and abroad. I hope to build upon the strong foundation of excellence you have established and to continue your legacy of dedication.”
In a statement, McDaniel also said that he aims “to introduce innovative strategies to engage new audiences and enhance the relevance of our contributions to the art form.”
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When longtime founding Artistic Director Robert Simpson announced in early 2024 that he would retire from the Houston Chamber Choir after the 2024-25 season, Dr. Betsy Cook Weber was named the ensemble’s next leader.
Following Simpson’s 30th and final season and the announcement of a $1 million anonymous donation to the Choir in June, Dr. Weber will officially begin her tenure as Artistic Director of the Grammy Award-winning Houston Chamber Choir this fall.
Dr. Weber is the Madison Endowed Professor of Music Emeritus and former Director of Choral Studies at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, as well as the Director Emeritus of the Houston Symphony Chorus. With degrees from the University of North Texas, Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ), and the University of Houston, she has an extensive background and award-winning reputation as a nationally and internationally active conductor, presenter, educator, and adjudicator.
“Betsy is a person I have worked with over the years. I admire her greatly. She’s been a part of the choral scene in Houston for many years. She’s extraordinarily well respected. … it gives me a great sense of comfort and excitement that the Houston Chamber Choir’s next chapter will be under the leadership of such an inspired musician,” Simpson told the Houston Press in an article by Sam Byrd.
The Houston Chamber Choir recently announced its 2025-26 season, Friends and Neighbors, which will open on September 6.
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Alex Soares was recently named Chief Marketing Officer of the Houston Symphony, having served as Interim CMO since 2024.
Soares’ marketing leadership is tied to the orchestra’s growth in ticketing revenue, rise in subscription sales, and expanded audience engagement this past season, according to a press release.
During its 2024-25 season, subscription sales grew 12% and single ticket revenue rose 28% year-over-year, said the Houston Symphony. Additionally, “innovative programming and community-centered campaigns” drew high levels of audience attendance—including the sold-out April performances of Cynthia Erivo with the Houston Symphony, which set a record for the first single program in the Symphony’s history to surpass $1 million in revenue.
Soares’ appointment as CMO is the second development in Houston Symphony leadership this year, following the appointment of Gary Ginstling to Executive Director/CEO in January.
“It’s an honor to step into this role during such a transformational chapter for the Symphony under Gary Ginstling’s leadership,” said Soares in a statement. “With bold artistic vision, a newly renovated Jones Hall, and a team deeply committed to connecting people through music, we have a unique opportunity to reimagine the concertgoing experience.”
A graduate of the University of Houston and an accomplished, formally trained contemporary dancer, Soares was President of technology firm REI Network, L.P. and founder of Wheelhaus Consulting, prior to joining the Houston Symphony, where he also served as Senior Director of Marketing before becoming CMO.
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Last month, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston announced the appointment of Dr. Brittany Webb as Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Dr. Webb joins the MFAH from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia (PAFA), where she has curated an extensive roster of exhibitions since 2018, most recently in her role as the inaugural Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of 20th-Century Art and the John Rhoden Collection. Previously, she served as a curatorial and research assistant at the African American Museum in Philadelphia (2014–18).
Her recent publications include her contributions for Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art, a major catalogue for the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and for the forthcoming Birmingham Museum of Art collection catalogue Roll Call: 200 Years of Black American Art, as well as Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden (2023).
The MFAH’s social media announcement of Dr. Webb’s appointment received hundreds of positive reactions and scores of congratulations from the public, welcoming her to Houston.
Gary Tinterow, director and Margaret Alkek Williams chair of the MFAH, said in a statement that Dr. Webb “stood out for her strong sense of passion and purpose, deep connection to communities and constituents, and history of developing and producing thoughtful, illuminating exhibitions of American contemporary art and African American art within an international context.”
Dr. Webb received a Ph.D. in anthropology from Temple University and a B.A. in political science from the University of Southern California.
She begins her position at the MFAH this summer.
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Texas native, former Houstonian, and veteran of the theatre world, Jennifer Bielstein has been named Managing Director of the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre.
Bielstein will begin her new role on October 20, 2025 at a significant moment in The Alley’s history, as the company approaches its 80th anniversary in 2026. She succeeds Dean Gladden, who retires after a 19-year tenure that encompassed “a comprehensive renovation of the theatre complex, which necessitated a 14-month off-site relocation, $26 million in damages from Hurricane Harvey, and the global COVID-19 shutdown,” according to a press release.
“To return home and serve the city’s flagship nonprofit theatre is truly an honor,” said Bielstein in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside the Alley’s exceptional Board, staff, crew, and artists, and to engaging fully with the Houston community as we build an exciting future together.”
With more than two decades of leadership experience in regional theatre, Bielstein has served as Executive Director of the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco, as well as top positions at Guthrie Theater, Actors Theater of Louisville, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She is currently on the board of Theatre Communications Group (TCG).
The Alley’s Artistic Director Rob Melrose described Bielstein as “a legend in her own right” with a successful track record at major theatre companies, and he added in a statement: “I also feel that Jennifer’s warmth, kindness, and collaborative spirit are just what we need as we chart our way to Alley Theatre’s next era of success.”
In an interview with Margaret Downing of the Houston Press, Bielstein said that, in her career thus far, she is most proud of “creating really positive inclusive organizational cultures that ensure staff and artists and audiences feel welcome.”
Houston Arts Journal 