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HOUSTON EBONY OPERA
HOUSTON EBONY MUSIC SOCIETY, INC.
P.O. Box 300996
Houston, TX 77230-0996
713-335-3800
© 2008 Houston Ebony Opera

Summer Concert: A Juneteenth Celebration

June 22, 2008
[ E-flyer ]     [ Press Release ]
The grand finale for Houston’s celebration of Juneteenth will be a concert performed by Houston Ebony Opera’s chorus and soloists. With A. Jan Taylor as conductor, the program will feature arrangements of Spirituals and other works by contemporary African American composers including Moses Hogan, Robert Morris, Damon Dandridge and others. 4:00 p.m., Sunday, June 22 at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. Ticket required for admission. Reduced prices for children and for students of any age with proper I.D.

Ticket Prices:

  • Adult General Admission: $10 in advance/$15 on concert day
  • Youth/Student: $5 at all times

Purchase Outletstickets for the June 22 concert  may be purchased at the following locations:

  • Third World Imports – 3011 Caroline Street (713-526-1980) – cash, checks and credit cards accepted
  • Shrine of the Black Madonna Bookstore – 5309 MIK Boulevard ( 713-645-1071) – cash and checks only

Annual Concert at Hobby Center: Rediscovered Gems

August 17, 2008
Rediscovered Gems: A Concert of Masterpieces from Opera, Broadway and the Great American Songbook
[ E-flyer ]     [ Press Release ]

Co-directed by Jason Oby and Vicki Seldon
Sunday, August 17, 2008 – 5:00 p.m.
The Hobby-Zilkha Hall,  800 Bagby Street at Walker

Concert Highlights: Selections from Sophisticated Ladies by Duke Ellington, Treemonisha by Scott Joplin, Carmen Jones (adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen by Hammerstein), Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill, Run, Jimmy, Run by John Cornelius, Showboat by Kern & Hammerstein, Shuffle Along by Sissle & Blake ... and much more!

Program Description: The soloists and chorus of Houston Ebony Opera will present an eclectic concert from the worlds of opera, art song, musical theater, and the Great American Songbook.  Selections chosen chronicle more than 100 years of American music and highlight many of the African American composers, poets, lyricists and performers who have contributed so much to the American musical landscape. Well-beloved songs such as Ellington’s "In a Sentimental Mood" and "Take the A-Train," along with familiar music from the productions of  Showboat by Kern/ Hammerstein and Carmen Jones by Hammerstein/Bizet, will become rediscoveries when they are paired with songs from the Harlem Renaissance period with texts by Langston Hughes, excerpts from the operas Treemonisha by Scott Joplin and Highway One by William Grant Still. Also included will be music from Run Jimmy Run, a recent work by Houston composer John Cornelius. The plot of this timely and topical work, written in 1995, concerns the trials and tribulations of a fictional African American presidential candidate.

Ticket information: tickets are available at the Hobby Center box office. Please choose one of these three options

  • Go in person to the lobby at 800 Bagby.
  • Call 713-315-2525 to purchase by phone.
  • To make an online purchase at the Hobby Center, click here.

To visit the Hobby Center website, go to www.thehobbycenter.org.

Tickets:

  • $50: Conductor’s Circle. (Special premium seat and name printed in program if payment is received by August 10.)
  • $25: Companion ticket. Seating with Conductor’s Circle ticket holder.
  • $25: Reserved.
  • $20: Reserved with discount for KUHF members, senior adults (age 65+) and students with ID.
  • Group Rate: $15 per person for 10 or more tickets purchased at same time.
  • Tickets may be purchased in person, at any time, at the Hobby Center box office.
    Call the Hobby Center, 713-315-2525, for box office hours.

Make checks payable to Houston Ebony Opera or The Hobby Center.


Houston Ebony Opera’s performance at the Hobby Center is made possible by CenterPoint Energy and the Hobby Center’s Uniquely Houston series which is supported by Lexus and Continental Airlines.


Opera Preview: An Inside View of Porgy and Bess

August 21, 2008
As a part of the Artful Thursday series at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston Ebony Opera will offer a stimulating discussion by a celebrity panel and a musical preview of its upcoming concert presentation of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. 6:30 p.m., August 21, 2008, Brown Auditorium of the MFAH, 1000 Bissonnet at Main. This FREE program is a preview of Houston Ebony Opera’s 2008 Miller Theatre production.

Porgy and Bess (A Concert Version)

August 29 and
30, 2008
[ E-flyer ]     [ Press Release ]
Superb nationally acclaimed soloists and the renowned Houston Ebony Opera Chorus will sing excerpts from the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, the universally popular work that is known as the quintessential American Opera. The audience will be treated to both familiar Gershwin favorites and some of the other wonderful but seldom-performed music from this great opera. Willie Anthony Waters returns as conductor. Principal soloists include bass-baritone Dorceal Duckens, soprano Geraldine McMillian and tenor Robert Mack. Performances will take place at 8:00 p.m., August 29 and 30, 2008 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park.  FREE! Tickets for seating in the covered amphitheatre will be available in advance at the Miller Theatre box office 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. on each performance day.

Christmas Concert

December, 2008 (TBD)
[ E-flyer ]     [ Press Release ]
Houston Ebony Opera has been invited to present another Christmas concert at Westbury United Methodist Church. The date will fall in early December. Details TBA.

Houston Ebony Music Society, Inc., parent body of Houston Ebony Opera, is funded in part by the
City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.


For additional information, call 713-591-6439 or via email at ebonymusic92@earthlink.net.