The Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust have announced that the application cycle is now open for the 2024 class of Young Masters, described as “a joint initiative that provides exemplary Texas student artists in grades 8-11 with the financial help they need to pursue advanced study in the areas of visual arts, literary arts, music, theater, dance, musical theater, folk arts, and media arts.”
Awardees will receive grants of $5,000 per year (for up to two years, with submission of a report and update required) to fund their studies in their respective artistic fields.
Applicants must be 8th through 11th grade students who are legal U.S. residents living in Texas and participating in a school-based program, a summer institute, or a specialized course of study or receiving private lessons from a qualified professional instructor, as stated in a press release.
A panel of arts experts from across the state will review applications based on artistic excellence, level of commitment, and quality of their proposed plan of study.
“The Young Masters grant program was created as a way to recognize and support young people pursuing the dream of becoming prominent Texan artists of the next generation,” said Gary Gibbs, Texas Commission on the Arts Executive Director, in a statement.
“We look forward to receiving applications from candidates who are already demonstrating outstanding artistic ability, talent, and dedication to developing their knowledge in their chosen discipline,” he said.
According to a press release, Texas Commission on the Arts and Texas Cultural Trust have given 401 grants to 184 Young Masters, awarding more than $1.2 million to date.
In 2022, 15 Young Masters were awarded grants, including four students from the Greater Houston area (Natalie Hampton, Houston – Literary Arts; Gabi Wager Saldivar, Houston – Musical Theater; Bryant Li, Katy – Music; Aarushi Lakhi, Pearland – Dance). The 2024 grantees will represent the 12th class of Young Masters, whose roster dates back to 2002.
“We are thrilled to help these Young Masters take their education to the next level and bolster their creative training. This program opens doors to opportunities never imagined for these young artists and cultivates the Texas legends of tomorrow,” said Heidi Marquez Smith, Texas Cultural Trust Chief Executive Officer, in a statement.
Applications and more information are available here. There is no application fee.
Artists with disabilities can find information on alternative ways to apply here.
Deadline to apply is November 1, 2023. Grantees will be notified by April 1, 2024 and will be honored at a celebration in spring 2024 in Austin.
“In other productions I have seen, she tends to be played as a cutesy, coquettish ingénue that is waiting around for a man to come and save her,” she said. “But that is simply not supported by the librettist’s text.”
In Pirates of Penzance, considered one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s funniest and most popular operettas, Mabel is the love interest of protagonist Frederic, who must serve out an apprenticeship to pirates until his 21st birthday—that is, until 21 of his Leap Year birthdays have passed, which extends his sentence by decades.
“Gilbert paints her as a fiery young woman who knows what she wants and who is not afraid to speak up and get it,” said Kenley-Miller. “From the beginning of my conception for the piece, I knew that Mabel was going to be the key to a new interpretation.”
This summer, Kenley-Miller becomes the second woman to direct the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston in its 70-year history. Founded in 1952, the award-winning, Emmy-nominated company is considered to be the oldest continuously operating opera company in Houston.
A veteran director of opera and musical theater on stage and in film, Kenley-Miller received her DMA from the University of Houston and is Assistant Professor and Opera Stage Director at The University of Oklahoma. She is also the founder of Intersection Arts, an organization which explores the convergence of the arts and current social and cultural issues.
Sean Holshouser (Pirate King), Dennis Arrowsmith (Major General), and Nicole Kenley-Miller (Stage Director) in rehearsal for Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston’s 2023 production of “Pirates of Penzance” / Photo by Karen Jones
As stage director of Pirates of Penzance, which runs July 22-23 and July 29-30 at the Hobby Center, she succeeds British director and actor, Alistair Donkin, who served the company for 40 years as a beloved featured performer and choreographer, as well as stage director from 1985 until his retirement last summer.
Kenley-Miller’s appointment is part of a new chapter at the company, which also welcomes other changes this summer: renowned conductor Eiki Isomura, who leads Houston’s Opera in the Heights, takes the helm as Music Director; bass-baritone Joseph Rawley serves as Artistic Director, a new position responsible for conveying the company’s vision to the Board and providing long-term artistic continuity; and longtime company baritone Dennis Arrowsmith stars for the first time as Major-General Stanley, an iconic role previously sung by Donkin.
At a time when women remain underrepresented in American opera leadership positions—on average representing fewer than 30% of stage directors working in a season, according to an internal review by Opera America—this summer’s production of Pirates is also noteworthy for its female-driven production team. Led by Kenley-Miller, they include Jodi Bobrovsky (Set Designer), Riana Canetti-Rios (Lighting Designer), Shaun Heath and Mary Webber (Costume Designers), Lauren Pastorek (Choreographer), Debs Ramser (Stage Manager), Cathy Comeaux (Wig Stylist), Susie DeBlieck (Makeup Designer), Carolena Lara (Assistant Director Intern), and Sarah Roberts (Production Intern).
From portraying Mabel in a much stronger way than usual to dressing the character in late-Victorian hiking suits, Kenley-Miller says she hopes that the audience will see that the production aims to present the women of Pirates in a new light.
Jodi Bobrovsky, scenic designer for Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston’s 2023 production of “Pirates of Penzance” / Photo by Corey Nance
Houston Arts Journal reached out to Nicole Kenley-Miller for the following interview about her vision as a stage director and her production team’s interpretation of Pirates:
Houston Arts Journal: Throughout your career, you’ve “worked fluidly between the opera and music theatre genres,” as your bio says. How did your love of the performing arts begin?
Nicole Kenley-Miller: I grew up singing in school and church choirs. When I started my undergraduate degree, I was just planning to sing as a hobby while pursuing a pre-med degree. Even though I had never seen an opera, I decided to audition for the production my freshman year, and they cast me as Florence Pike in Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring. The opera bug bit me, and I changed my major to Vocal Performance.
I went on to study at Eastman School of Music and then had a long career singing and teaching voice in the Houston area where I gradually became more interested in stage direction, because it offered more scope for the imagination. I started directing shows around Houston and ultimately got a doctorate in Opera and Directing at University of Houston. Each show I direct is a new world I get to step into and learn about. While I still sing, directing is now my main focus, and I have never looked back.
HAJ: Do you remember the first production you ever directed? What was that experience like? I’d love to hear a bit of the story behind that, in the spirit of getting to know you.
NKM: The first few productions I directed were for Lone Star College–Cy-Fair. I remember a production of Camelot we did there, which included an original set and costumes–a fairly significant amount of resource for a director who is just starting out. Usually at that point in one’s career, you have to make do with some black theatrical cubes and costumes from the actors’ closets. But I actually had the opportunity to collaborate on a design with their in-house set designer and a costume designer, who was the mother of one of the cast members. The conception and design of a show is a part of the process that I have come to love so much, because it allows me to create a world and imagine ways to tell these beloved stories through different lenses.
Stage Director Nicole Kenley-Miller in rehearsal with the cast of Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston’s 2023 production of “Pirates of Penzance” / Photo by Karen Jones
HAJ: You’re taking over as director of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston after 40 years of Alistair Donkin at the helm. What do you personally enjoy—or want people to know—about Gilbert and Sullivan’s work?
NKM: It has been such an honor to be the first director to open a new chapter for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society after Alistair’s long legacy with the company. I worked with Alistair Donkin and Robert Linder as a G&S chorister and understudy of Katisha in The Mikado when I was fresh out of undergraduate school in 1997, and I will always be grateful to them for their encouragement of me in the early stages of my career.
Gilbert & Sullivan is such great repertoire for young singers to get their start. It offers very accessible music and dialogue that draws on so many of the fundamental concepts of comedy that have been passed down over time. If a singer can do this kind of broad comedy, which is so dependent on good timing and understanding of how to use one’s body, they can pretty much do anything else on stage.
Many people don’t realize that Gilbert & Sullivan is a historical touchstone for much of our modern-day music theatre, and it has been a major influence on so many artists who write and perform on Broadway stages and in film today—Lin Manuel-Miranda, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kelsey Grammer, to name a few.
HAJ: You happen to be only the 2nd woman to direct Houston’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society. The company tells me that previously Carolyn Franklin directed The Gondoliers in 1978. Because I know that you’re interested in the intersection of social/cultural issues and art, I wanted to ask how you view your opportunity to direct this production as a female director? What aspects of Gilbert and Sullivan’s work do you wish to bring out, which might have been overlooked—or could be reinterpreted?
NKM: It is such an honor to be the second woman to direct for the Society. As a woman in the male-dominated industry of stage directing, the particular lens I bring to every show cannot help but be influenced by my perspective as a woman. I have created and directed several pieces that are explicitly about a woman’s perspective, such as my recent work The Women Have Something to Say that opened off-Broadway in New York back in May.
While it’s not always possible to be as direct with these themes in more traditional operas, I find that I am constantly trying to reevaluate the female characters in a show by going back to the original text that the librettist wrote. With so many of these canonical works, the composers and librettists originally wrote the female characters in strong and dynamic ways, which have often been watered down or smoothed out by directors over decades of performance practice. I often find this with Mozart heroines, and it is equally an issue with historical interpretations of the women in Gilbert and Sullivan. I hope the audience will see that we are presenting the women’s roles in Pirates in a new light.
There is also an opportunity with G&S to bring out the original intent of their works, which was to poke fun at the very aristocratic class that had the means to attend their performances. Their works were originally a satirical commentary on the socio-economic inequities that existed in their day. Over time, this intent has been lost, so we’re trying to punch up those themes in this production of Pirates as well.
Cast blocking during a rehearsal of Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston’s 2023 production of “Pirates of Penzance” / Photo by Karen Jones
HAJ: Can you tell us about your take on Pirates—and, in particular, your “fresh spin” on the character Mabel?
NKM: I’m most excited about the portrayal of Mabel. In other productions I have seen, she tends to be played as a cutesy, coquettish ingénue that is waiting around for a man to come and save her. But that is simply not supported by the librettist’s text. Gilbert paints her as a fiery young woman who knows what she wants and who is not afraid to speak up and get it. From the beginning of my conception for the piece, I knew that Mabel was going to be the key to a new interpretation.
To amplify her character, I decided to update the piece from its usual 1870s setting to 1893, so that we could capitalize on the historical synchronicity of the burgeoning women’s suffrage movement in Britain. Moving to the late 19th century also allowed us to explore different costumes for the women. When we first meet them, they are hiking over the Cornish seaside cliffs, so this later setting allowed us to put them in late-Victorian hiking or cycling suits, and opened the door for Mabel to be in, [gasp], pants!
HAJ: This production seems to have a female-led creative team—not only yourself as a director, but a total of 11 women involved with producing this show (9 creative team artists and 2 interns). You shared with me that this is a “high percentage vs. the usual in the industry.” Can you give a little context to how this compares to the industry based on your personal experience of gender equity?
NKM: I am very proud of the large representation of women on our design and production team. While women are often behind the scenes in so many areas of opera and theatre, particularly in costume design, stage management, and dance, there are certain roles in the theatre which still have a glass ceiling for women—particularly the areas of stage direction, set design, and lighting design. Though I am happy to say that this is gradually changing in the opera industry, there is still work to be done, so I am proud to have this team of women playing such a central role in Pirates.
HAJ: As a follow up, what do you see as the significance or impact of having a female-driven production?
NKM: For me, the significance of a greater presence of women in leadership in opera is not about quotas and numbers, but rather in expanding and enriching the way we tell these stories. When women or any underrepresented group tell a story, we cannot help but bring our experience to the table. Because I’m a woman, I am automatically going to bring a more organic understanding of the female characters to the forefront in my interpretation. And that vision then allows the design and production team to follow suit within their specialties of sets, costumes, choreography, etc. Ultimately, I believe the art form will benefit by expanding the way we tell these stories so that they can speak to a wider range of audiences and attract a new generations of opera lovers.
Music rehearsal for Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston’s 2023 production of “Pirates of Penzance” / Photo by Joe Carl White
HAJ: Lastly, this year’s Pirates also features new sets designed by Jodi Bobrovsky and new costumes by Shaun Heath and Mary Webber. Can you give us a sense of what they look like and how they complement your vision of this production?
NKM: I am so excited about the new designs that Jodi Bobrovsky, Shaun Heath, and Mary Webber have brought to the table. They are colorful and full of life. The costumes are always a central way in which we communicate the period of the piece. Shaun and Mary’s designs have allowed us to capture the late Victorian look that the setting calls for, but in an anachronistic color palette for this time period that reflects the exaggerated nature of Gilbert and Sullivan’s outrageous plots and comedy. And Jodi’s colorful set design inspired by British travel posters of the Cornish coast provides a vibrant backdrop to all the hilarity that will ensue in front of it.
It should be mentioned that we have new exciting choreography as well, created by Lauren Pastorek. There is so much movement in this production, and there will never be a dull moment. All of these women have been so integral to casting a new vision for this piece, and I have so much admiration for their expertise and long histories in the Houston opera and theatre scene.
Scene from “Mughal-e-Azam” / Courtesy of mughaleazamplay.com
Considered the first original, large-scale Broadway-style music written and produced in India, Mughal-e-Azam is in the midst of its first North American tour, making a stop in Houston for performances July 14 – 16 at the Wortham Center’s Brown Theater.
Based on the epic, blockbuster 1960 Bollywood movie of the same name, Maughal-e-Azam: The Musical premiered in 2016 in Mumbai and has been described in a press release as “a love letter to South Asian history and legend,” as well a “a love story as familiar to Indians and their Eastern neighbors as Romeo and Juliet is to the West.”
In the era of the Mughals, Emperor Akbar’s desire of a son is fulfilled when his wife, Jodhabai, gives birth to Salim, who grows up to be a spoiled brat filled with disrespect and self-indulgence. Consequently, he’s sent off to war in Akbar’s army and returns as a reformed person with perseverance and discipline fourteen years later. Salim, now a young man, falls in love with Anarkali, a lowly courtesan. Bahar, a dancer who covets the love of the Prince, is filled with jealousy upon discovering the secret affair and exposes it to Akbar. The emperor, full of royal pride, vehemently disapproves of the relationship and imprisons Anarkali, which leads Salim to declare an open rebellion against him. The war between father and son changes the lives of everyone in the empire threatening the foundations of the Mughal rule in India.
synopsis of “Mughal-e-Azam,” press release
Produced by Shapoorji Pallonji (who produced the original film) and directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, the musical stage adaptation was nominated for 14 Broadway World India Awards in 2017 and won seven for Best Play, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Choreography, Best Original Set Design, Best Original Lighting Design, and Best Ensemble Cast.
Scene from “Mughal-e-Azam” / Courtesy of mughaleazamplay.com
The production includes 350 cast and crew members, more than 550 costumes designed by Bollywood designer Manish Malhotra, and reimagined choreography from the 1960 film.
“Seven years back, when we green-lighted this project, we had not imagined that it would run for 19 seasons and travel to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Muscat, Doha, and now North America. There is a lot of technical and logistic expertise that goes into a massive show like this, but what really makes it universally loved is its emotional core and the love story of Salim and Anarkali,” said Deepesh Salgia, head of Creative and Strategic Vision for the musical, in an article by Hindustan Times.
Presented by Bollywood Entertainment, in partnership with Houston’s Indo-American Association, Mughal-e-Azam’s North American tour kicked off with a flash mob in New York City’s Time Square, and then began its official 13-city tour on May 26 in Atlanta. The production will travel to Dallas, following its Houston performances.
The show’s dialogue and lyrics are spoken and sung in Urdu and Hindi, with English subtitles.
Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective hosted a Mother’s Day event with storytelling and a movement class in Wiley Park in Freedmen’s Town, May 2023 / Photo courtesy of Stacey Allen
Through residencies by four artists and collectives between June – September 2023, CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town aims to honor, preserve, and amplify the histories, stories, and experiences of Houston’s oldest Black settlement and its residents.
Situated along Buffalo Bayou in Houston’s Fourth Ward, Freedmen’s Town was settled shortly after June 19, 1865—Juneteenth—when enslaved African Americans were finally granted the freedom that had been legally theirs since the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation 2 ½ years earlier. Eager to begin new lives in a new place as freed people, these men, women, and children from the surrounding rural areas journeyed to Houston, and began creating a community.
In what became known as Freedmen’s Town, they built homes, schools, businesses, churches, and lives. They built a world in which African Americans could prosper and thrive. Freedmen’s Town is where Black Houston took shape … By 1880, Freedmen’s Town was home to 95% of Black Houstonians. By the 1930s, it had produced over 400 Black-owned businesses. It was the “mother ward,” the Harlem of the South.
Freedmen’s Town overlooking downtown Houston / Photo courtesy of Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy
In March, the mental health and arts nonprofit The Black Man Project, dance company Nia’s Daughters, and interdisciplinary artists Ann ‘Sole Sister’ Johnson and Billion Tekleab were announced as the 2023 CAMHLAB Freedmen’s Town Artists-in-Residence, and they will carry out projects, community activities, and public presentations over the course of this summer and coming months.
Choreographer and dancer Stacey Allen is the founder and Creative Director of Nia’s Daughters, a movement collective whose works aim to incorporate social justice and activism. During their residency, Allen says her company will create a body of work that centers the stories of resilience and resistance of African Americans in Texas—including The Fairytale Project, a dance theater production inspired by the love story of Jim and Winnie Shankle, and Aesthetic Inheritances, a film and exhibit made in collaboration with artists Danielle Mason and Keda Sharber, which highlights the Freedom Colony Barrett Station and explores Black material culture.
Nia’s Daughters in “The Fairytale Project” / Keda Sharber of Images by Papillon
“This work in Freedmen’s Town is a beautiful extension of this path of storytelling. We’ve been here and will not allow for our stories to be erased. Our goal is that this work conjures memory and sparks something inside audiences, and they cherish their own histories,” said Allen.
According to Allen, Nia’s Daughters kicked off their CAMHLAB residency by hosting an interactive, yet laidback outdoor Mother’s Day event in May in Freedmen’s Town.
“We engaged residents with storytelling with the elder Sister Mama Sonya, and our company members, Lakendra Howard and Sydney Hart with myself led the children in a movement class,” said Allen. “The rest was a super organic kickback—popcorn, juice, a DJ—you know, feeling the flow of Sundays at Wiley Park.”
Nia’s Daughters presented a Mother’s Day event at Wiley Park to kick off their CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town artist residency / Photo courtesy of Stacey Allen
Allen says they will return to Wiley Park for another event in coming months, which will include more movement classes, more storytelling, and more kicking back with the community.
“We truly respect the work that Charonda Johnson [Vice President of the Freedmen’s Town Association and a fifth generation Freedmen’s Town resident] has done in her neighborhood and are just honored to be able to build trust with Freedmen’s Town residents and share our movement practice with the youth.”
Allen told Houston Arts Journal that Nia’s Daughters will also present a public program at POST, to be scheduled in the fall, which will include a quilting workshop by Joethella Gipson and the debut of Sister Mama Sonya’s “mahogany messages: poetic melodies,” a new poetry and dance piece with narratives about Freedmen’s Town residents.
This work in Freedmen’s Town is a beautiful extension of this path of storytelling. We’ve been here and will not allow for our stories to be erased. Our goal is that this work conjures memory and sparks something inside audiences, and they cherish their own histories.
Stacey Allen, Nia’s Daughters Movement Collective
These artist residencies point to a community partnership between Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy that goes back to 2020, when the two organizations began formal discussions and programming centered around community engagement and empowerment, as well as “the shared belief that arts and culture is an essential catalyst for change.”
Their partnership also supports artists-in-residence at POST, including Freedmen’s Town Lead Research Fellow Amarie Gipson, whose Reading Room is a curated library of books by and about Black artists, and Freedmen’s Town Film Documentarian Nate Edwards, whose works-in-progress can be viewed this summer during open studio hours:
CAMHLAB at Freedmen’s Town is part of Rebirth in Action: Telling the Story of Freedom—a multi-year project of CAMH, HFTC, the City of Houston, and artist Theaster Gates—which was announced in January and funded by a $1.25 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and an NEA “Our Town” grant.
With the goal to “to promote Houston Freedmen’s Town as monument of Black community, agency, and heritage,” according to a press release, Rebirth in Action includes various phases of artist-led, community, and infrastructure projects—including the archaeological preservation of brick streets, laid by formerly enslaved residents, which hold historical, spiritual, and cultural significance.
Historic Freedmen’s Town bricks at the intersection of Wilson Street and Andrews Street / Photo courtesy of Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Houston Ballet Music Director and Principal Conductor Ermanno Florio in rehearsals with the Houston Ballet Orchestra / Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
Houston Ballet recently announced that the 2023-2024 season will be Ermanno Florio’s final season as Music Director after 32 years at the podium.
“Although I’m stepping down as Music Director of Houston Ballet, I will continue with my international conducting career and look forward to the possibility of guest conducting with the Company in the years ahead,” said Florio in a statement.
Musicians of the Houston Ballet Orchestra describe Maestro Florio as a “strong musical leader” with “an unerring sense of tempo and timing, so crucial in ballet,” who has shown great care and compassion with colleagues over his decades with the company.
Houston Ballet says that Florio has been the Principal Conductor for every production since he joined the company in 1992, from repertoire spanning the classics of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky to many world premieres.
Florio also guided and led the orchestra through the COVID-19 pandemic, including a socially-distanced recording session in January 2021, which marked the first time since the start of the pandemic that the orchestra reunited on stage at the Wortham Theater Center.
“What we do is bring people together. When the music starts, there’s a sense of unity. I still get shivers thinking about it—it’s gratifying and good for the soul,” Florio told Houston Chronicle reporter Amber Elliott at the time.
Houston Ballet Music Director and Principal Conductor Ermanno Florio conducting the Houston Ballet Orchestra / Photo by Christian Brown (2015). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
A Houston Chronicle article in 2008 by Charles Ward recounted the story of how Florio got the job to come to Houston: it started in La Scala, where he had prepared music—to “great reviews”—for a dance production at Teatro alla Scala.
“Former Houston Ballet principal Li Cunxin was a guest dancer in the La Scala show, and former artistic director Ben Stevenson came to see him,” wrote Ward. “Li, Stevenson and Florio all went out to dinner. Florio came to conduct Houston Ballet as a guest during the 1991-92 season; he got the music director job here in 1992.”
In addition to his enduring role at Houston Ballet, Florio was Music Director of the American Ballet Theatre (1998 – 2001) and Music Director of Het Nationale Ballet in Amsterdam (2004 – 2012), where he continues to serve as principal guest conductor. His career highlights also include an extensive and award-winning discography, as well as numerous music arrangements of ballet scores, including Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch’s Marie Antoinette and La Bayadère.
Welch called Florio’s ability to bring dancers and musicians closer together “extraordinary.”
“His collaboration with all has resulted in continuous wonderful performances and contributed greatly to our company’s artistic success, all while helping to build the reputation of Houston as one of the greatest cities in the world for art,” said Welch in a statement.
Houston Arts Journal reached out to longtime musicians of the Houston Ballet Orchestra for their following reactions to Maestro Florio’s tenure:
Ermanno is a real humanist, and a really great guy. Approaching him is always easy, even for serious conversations, and he seems to actually enjoy talking with the musicians in the orchestra. He cares about his people very much, and rarely a harsh thing comes out of his mouth, but when it does, we probably needed it. It will be sad to see him go. The man is a very prolific ballet conductor, in rep and in number of performances across the world. 32 years is a long time, anywhere, so his presence as a consistent symbol of the grace and excellence of the Houston Ballet will be missed greatly.
Rene Salazar, Principal Violist since 2003
Houston Ballet Music Director and Principal Conductor Ermanno Florio / Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2011). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
Ermanno Florio has been conductor with Houston Ballet for over 30 years … I joined the orchestra 27 years ago, so I’ve been witness to his remarkable journey. During his tenure, the ballet orchestra has blossomed, in large measure due to Ermanno’s steady cultivation and balanced leadership … Whether performing a tried and true classic or something outlandish and new, Ermanno brings to the podium a serious dedication to the music while navigating a graceful path between dancers, choreographers, stage managers, and musicians, all the while arriving at the podium with an elegance and charisma and with never a hair out of place … With an unerring sense of tempo and timing, so crucial in ballet, it is no wonder that he has flourished in Houston and in the world of dance, enjoying an international career. The Houston Ballet Orchestra celebrates his legacy and we will miss him. Fortunately, we will have one more great season together!
Barrett Sills, Principal Cellist since 1996
Houston Ballet Principal Chase O’Connell as Prince Siegfried and Artists of Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake / Photo by Lawrence Elizabeth Knox (2023). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
I have known and worked closely with Ermanno Florio throughout his tenure with Houston Ballet. His first appearance with the Houston Ballet Orchestra was as a guest conductor. Following that successful engagement, he became our music director and principal conductor beginning the next season. Ermanno has striven to make the orchestra’s playing a sensitive and compelling musical accompaniment to the choreography. Houston Ballet has been the beneficiary of his many years of conducting on the international stage, all the while growing his knowledge and musical understanding. His standards and expectations are high, and the orchestra has continued to show musical growth each season. He is always a strong musical leader focused on our performance success, but also has a caring and compassionate side when dealing with the members of the orchestra. He has made a huge positive impact on the orchestra, and I will miss working with him greatly.
Rick Reeves, Bass Trombone since 1987 and current Orchestra Manager
According to company representatives, recently appointed Associate Conductor Simon Thew and Florio have worked closely together and in support of each other over the past season and will continue to do so in Florio’s final season. A new music director will be announced at a later date.
L-R: Linda Lorelle, moderator, with Houston mayoral candidates Robin Williams, John Whitmire, Sheila Jackson Lee, Lee Kaplan, Gilbert Garcia, Robert Gallegos, and Amanda Edwards at the Houston Mayoral Forum on Arts and Culture / Photo by Catherine Lu
This past Monday night, the Houston Mayoral Forum on Arts and Culture—the first candidate forum of this campaign—took place before a packed audience at the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall.
The public event was organized by the city’s seven state-designated cultural districts: Arts District Houston, East End Houston Cultural District, 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, Houston Museum District, Midtown Cultural Arts and Entertainment District, Third Ward Cultural Arts District, and Theater District Houston.
In an interview with Houston Public Media, Alison Weaver, Co-President of the Museum District Association and Director of Rice University’s Moody Center for the Arts, said it was exciting to see Houstonians’ enthusiasm and support for the city’s arts and culture.
“We had over 600 people registered for the event before we had to shut down the online registration system,” said Weaver on Houston Matters with Craig Cohen. “So, the energy in the room was fantastic. The interest from across the city was extraordinary.”
According to Hillary J. Hart, Chair of Theater District Houston and Executive Director of Theatre Under the Stars, 400 people showed up in person for the event, filling Zilkha Hall to near capacity.
One of those in attendance was writer, activist, and Houston Poet Laureate, Aris Kian Brown, who live tweeted the forum from her perspective as a member of the arts and culture community:
WE BEGIN! Follow along as I live tweet from Mayoral Forum for Arts & Culture. The room is packed with cultural advocates, arts admin, artists, community organizers and residents at the intersection of all. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Sw7OLsjSjU
Brown documented the candidates’ responses—including goals to increase public art, create affordable housing for artists, and identify new sources of funding for artists—while also expressing her frustration for what she called a lack of “innovative solutions.”
“The candidates had no genuine solution or long-term engagement with arts institutions or artists. We have so much work to do,” she tweeted.
Seven Houston mayoral candidates participated: Amanda Edwards, Robert Gallegos, Gilbert Garcia, Lee Kaplan, Sheila Jackson Lee, John Whitmire, and Robin Williams.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Linda Lorelle served as moderator. Lorelle is also a ballroom dancer, who has been involved on the advisory board for Hope Stone Dance.
Lorelle told the audience that all of the questions were “sourced after conversations and interaction with all of you in the community. So, these are the questions you want answered.”
Candidates responded in alphabetical order, with two minutes to answer each question.
You can watch the entire 2023 Houston Mayoral Forum on Arts and Culture, recorded by Houston Media Source, here:
Forum Questions:
“More than 70% of Americans believe that the benefits of the arts extend beyond the individual to the community. If you are mayor and are planning for the city of the future, how will you ensure that Houston is recognized as a cultural leader?” [14:00 mark in the video]
“Dallas spends on average $17 per capita on the arts, while Austin spends $22.90, compared to Houston’s—are you ready for it—$6.70 … Houston’s thriving arts and culture scene is a significant contributor to the quality of life for its residents and visitors. It is an important economic driver, a primary recruiting tool for corporations, and a key tourism attraction for the city. So, in addition to the current Hotel Occupancy Tax allocations, what plans do you have as Mayor to increase funding for the arts outside of the Hotel Occupancy Tax?” [27:05 mark in the video]
“The city’s previous Cultural Plan is dated 2015. What is your plan as Mayor to invest in and commit to a new citywide Cultural Plan for 2024 and beyond? How will you ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are prioritized under this plan?” [42:30 mark in the video]
“There is near universal support for arts education: 91% of Americans believe that the arts are part of a well-rounded K-12 education. Over 90% say students should receive an education in the arts in elementary, middle, and high school. With the state taking over HISD, how will you as Mayor assist schools in making arts education a priority and accessible?” [57:16 mark in the video]
“The arts sector needs artists and workers to thrive. How would you as Mayor ensure that Houston’s diverse artists and cultural workers stay here and thrive here?” [1:12:23 mark in the video]
You can also read the candidates’ written responses to a Pre-Forum Q&A here.
Mural in progress by artist Aches, located on the side of Houston Ballet’s Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance, and “Imagine,” an art car by artist Ruth Sosa Bailey / Photo by Elizabeth Sosa Bailey
The public will have the opportunity to ask Houston mayoral candidates about their visions, stances, and plans for arts and culture in the city, if elected, at a community forum. The Houston Mayoral Forum on Arts and Culture will take place on Monday, June 12, 2023 at 6:30pm, preceded by a public reception at 5:30pm, at the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall.
According to a press release, organizers aim to bring the arts sector together to learn about candidate policy positions related artists, arts educators and administrators, culture bearers, and cultural institutions—and to seek answers to the question, “As Houston continues to grow, what role will arts and culture play in this ever-changing environment?”
“The arts sector is still recovering from significant events such as the pandemic,” said Harrison Guy, Artistic Director of Urban Souls Dance Company and Director of Arts and Culture of 5th Ward Cultural Arts District, in a statement.
“As we gear up for an essential election in our city, it’s crucial to create a space for a much-needed conversation that not only focuses on the arts but also acknowledges that artists are small business owners. We must also recognize that arts organizations are a driving force behind what makes our city thrive,” he said.
Based on the Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 report, the most recent national economic impact study by Americans for the Arts, the Greater Houston Region generated $119.3 million in local and state government revenues and supported 25,817 full-time equivalent jobs in 2015. Total spending in the arts and culture industry for the area (including spending by organizations and audiences) was $1.1 billion, helping to generate $801.6 million in household income for local residents.
“As critical economic drivers and significant contributors to the development of our communities, arts and culture must be part of the conversation regarding Houston’s future,” said Hillary J. Hart, Executive Director at Theatre Under the Stars and Chair of Theater District Houston, in a statement.
The format of the Houston Mayoral Forum on Arts and Culture will include opening statements by each candidate, followed by questions from Emmy Award-winning journalist Linda Lorelle, who will serve as the moderator, and questions from the audience. The public can submit questions in advance online, as well as at the event in person.
Writer, educator, and activist Tony Diaz says that he plans to attend the forum to voice his concerns for the evolving needs and changes of the local cultural landscape.
“This is a very exciting time for Latino art and culture in Houston with ALMAAHH about to hire a full-time president of the organization as it launches its visioning sessions quantifying Houston’s Latino Art Eco System, which will be part of its 2023 report. BANF is also identifying and supporting Latino individual artists, collectives, and nonprofits,” Diaz told Houston Arts Journal.
“As an artist, and as the founder of Nuestra Palabra, I would like to know how the mayoral candidates propose to create more funding for Latino Arts nonprofits, collectives, and individual artists. Also, how will they devise ways to work with, build on, and institutionalize the findings of ALMAAHH and BANF to raise Houston’s profile as a Latino arts city?” he said.
Organizers say that all Houston mayoral candidates have been invited to participate in the forum. Confirmed attendees at the time of this publication include Amanda Edwards, Robert Gallegos, Gilbert Garcia, Lee Kaplan, Sheila Jackson Lee, and John Whitmire.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner, who has been recognized for his support of arts and culture, is term-limited and will leave office in January 2024.
The public can check voter registration status here and register to vote here.
Andrew Roblyer, an interdisciplinary, non-binary, queer, and neurodivergent storyteller, has launched The Octarine Accord – a new theater company based in Houston, which will offer its first major production this summer.
The company will focus on presenting works of speculative fiction, a genre that includes fantasy, science fiction, horror, ghost stories, post-apocalyptic tales, and other related narratives.
“I’ve been in and around the Houston theater community for over a decade, and have been looking for ways to augment, not compete with, the incredible work already being done here,” Roblyer said in a statement.
“I fell in love with theater at the same time I was falling in love with science fiction, fantasy, and other forms of speculative fiction. Those kinds of stories get told on stage, but not enough,” they said.
The company’s name “octarine” means the color of magic, a term coined by writer Terry Pratchett in his fantasy novel series Discworld.
The Octarine Accord will produce The Honeycomb Trilogy by Mac Rogers, July 29 – August 13, 2023 at the MATCH. The sci-fi epic in three parts (Advance Man, Blast Radius, and Sovereign) tells the story of an alien invasion of Earth from the perspective of the same living room over the course of 20 years. The cast and creative team currently includes nearly 50 artists. Casting was recently announced on the company’s Facebook page.
Roblyer received a $15,000 grant from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance to help back the production, and he has set up an independent Kickstarter campaign to raise the project’s remaining budget.
The company also used Kickstarter to successfully fundraise for its inaugural production of Uncle Eb, an alternate-universe sequel to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which debuted last winter.
Roblyer, who founded and ran This Is Water Theatre in Bryan/College Station, Texas from 2013-2018, says they came up with the idea for The Octarine Accord in fall 2021, after rediscovering their love of Dungeons & Dragons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Forming the new company became a way to combine their love of theater and the “nerd-tastic world of speculative fiction and collaborative storytelling,” according to their website.
The company is also founded on the core value of reckless kindness, said Roblyer in a press release.
“Reckless kindness is the willingness to put kindness first, even when the wisdom of our world (or our industry) suggests that we shouldn’t; including kindness to ourselves,” Roblyer said in a statement. “This will affect everything we do: Auditions. Rehearsals. Payment. Marketing.”
The Octarine Accord was formally organized as an LLC in spring 2023. Roblyer says he aims to bring other Houston artists on board as co-operators as the company expands.
Twenty-year veteran of the nonprofit and arts world, Kathryn Lott has been named President of the Discovery Green Conservancy, the nonprofit that runs the 12-acre downtown park through a public-private partnership with the City of Houston.
Lott will begin her leadership role on July 1, 2023, succeeding longtime President Barry Mandel who is retiring after serving as President since 2010.
Since its opening 2008, Discovery Green Park has welcomed more than 20 million visitors, according to its website. Located across from the George R. Brown Convention Center, the urban green space includes a one-acre lake, fountain, playground, public art installations, gardens, and on-site restaurants. The Discovery Green Conservancy works with hundreds of community partners to program family-friendly, arts and culture, and wellness events annually, most of which are free to the public.
As President, Lott will spearhead efforts behind the care, maintenance, and programming of the park, as well as raising more than $6 million toward its annual budget.
Discovery Green’s free movie night series, Bank of America’s Screen on the Green, returns May 27 and June 3. / Photo courtesy of @DiscoveryGreenHouston on Facebook
“The role of president at Discovery Green encapsulates everything I ever dreamed of in my career,” Lott said in a statement.
“I look forward to caring for a beautiful and respected green space while fundraising for programming and performing and visual arts,” she continued. “I am eager to incorporate Houston’s technology into the landscape of the park and continue to make an impact in the community.”
Lott joins the Discovery Green Conservancy from her role as Executive Director of Southern Smoke Foundation, the Houston-based nonprofit that provides emergency relief funding and mental health services for food and beverage industry workers.
In addition, Lott has previously worked for Houston Grand Opera, Performing Arts Houston (formerly Society for the Performing Arts), and the Children’s Museum of Houston. She has also managed her own production company, Lott Entertainment, which she co-created in 2014.
Retiring President Barry Mandel, whose own pre-Discovery Green experience included leadership roles with the Houston Downtown Alliance and the Theater District Association, served as Lott’s mentor when both of them worked together in the downtown arts community, according to a press release.
“You do not know how much joy it gives me to turn over something I love to someone I love,” said Mandel in a statement. “I know she understands the essence of this place and how much it means to me, the team, and the community.”
The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston’s downtown Theater District recently announced Deborah Lugo as Vice President of Programming and Education – a new artistic leadership position at the organization.
Lugo officially begins the role in mid-April, taking on programming and education decisions that previously fell under the purview of the CEO and other members of senior leadership, according to officials at the Hobby Center.
Lugo’s responsibilities will include developing arts and education experiences for audiences, as well as “collaborative efforts with Houston’s artists and arts organizations through a lens of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, supporting the overall growth and sustainability of the arts ecosystem in our region,” as described in a press release.
“I am profoundly committed to applying, weaving, and leveraging the transformative power of the performing arts through meaningful experiences and active participation to build a more connected community,” said Lugo in a statement.
No stranger to establishing new roles, Lugo previously served as founding Executive Director of Arts Connect Houston and the first Executive Director of Mercury Chamber Orchestra. Originally from Puerto Rico, Lugo brings 17 years of experience in performing arts and education to the Hobby Center. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Princeton University and a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance from Florida International University.
Lugo joins Mark Folkes – who was appointed President and CEO in July 2022 – as the newest members of the Hobby Center’s leadership team.
“We see tremendous opportunity to evolve our programming, education, and community engagement initiatives,” said Folkes in a statement. “Deborah’s passion, strategic creativity, and deep connection to the Houston community will bring the Hobby Center’s programs to a new level of impact.”
Lugo will also play a key role in developing and implementing a new strategic plan for the Hobby Center’s third decade of operations. Having recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, the organization is in the midst of a strategic planning process “with the goal of identifying how the Hobby Center can be a catalyst for the continued improvement of the arts ecosystem in Houston,” according to a press release.
UPDATE, 4/4/23: This article was updated to include Lugo’s start date and context provided by the Hobby Center, as noted in the second paragraph.
Houston Arts Journal 