Suite Española:

7:30 p.m. CT | March 26, 2021Available on demand through April 25, 2021

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA PRESENTS

EXPLORANDO IBERIA

Suite Española:EXPLORANDO IBERIA

Program“Canción Española (De España vengo)” from El niño judío Pablo Luna (1879-1942)

“Sevilla” from Suite Española Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)

“La petenera” from La marchenera Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982)

“En Aranjuez, con tu amor” from Concierto de Aranjuez Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)

“No corté más que una rosa” from La del manojo de rosas Pablo Sorozábal (1897-1988)

“No puede ser” from La tabernera del puerto Pablo Sorozábal

“Carceleras” from Las hijas del Zebedeo Ruperto Chapí (1851-1909)

“En mi tierra extremeña” from Luisa Fernanda Federico Moreno Torroba

“Asturias” from Suite Española Isaac Albéniz

“Tres estrofas de amor” Pablo Casals (1876-1973)

“El cant dels ocells” Pablo Casals

“Granada” from Suite Española Isaac Albéniz

“Dúo pasodoble” from El gato montés Manuel Penella (1880-1939)

“Guajiras” from La revoltosa Ruperto Chapí

–EPILOGO–

“Goizeko eguzki argiak” from Mirentxu Jésus Guridi (1886-1961)

FeaturingAna María Martínez Soprano Ricardo García Tenor Blake Denson Baritone Manuel Gutierrez Cabello Solo Dancer Ana María Barceló Solo Dancer Kevin J. Miller Piano Jeremy García Guitar Richard Brown Percussion

Creative TeamAna María Martínez Project Creator Chía Patiño Director S. Katy Tucker Projection Designer Irma La Paloma Choreographer Kevin J. Miller Principal Coach Jeremy Johnson Projected Titles

Suite Española:EXPLORANDO IBERIA

Underwriter

Sponsors Glen Rosenbaum Gloria Portela and Dick Evans

Video Production

Streaming Partner

Produced in association with Austin Opera

Grand Underwriters

and

Mr. and Mrs. Alfredo Vilas

CreditsBen Doyle Video Director  Daniel James Producer  Ciara Ayala Assistant Producer  Michael James Clark Lighting Designer Annie Wheeler Stage Manager  Kristen Burke Production Manager  Joshua McIntosh  Technical Director Jeremy Johnson English Subtitles  Dotti Staker Hair & Makeup  Judy Malone-Stein Wardrobe

The entire staff of HGO contributed to the success of this production. For a full listing of the company’s staff, please visit HGO.org/about-us/people.

Performing artists, stage directors, and choreographers are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union for opera professionals in the United States.

Orchestral musicians are represented by the Houston Professional Musicians Association, Local #65-699, American Federation of Musicians. 

Stage crew personnel provided by IATSE, Local #51.

Wardrobe personnel provided by Theatrical Wardrobe Union, Local #896.

Suite Española:EXPLORANDO IBERIA

Who's WhoANA MARÍA MARTÍNEZ(PUERTO RICO) SOPRANO AND CREATOR, SUITE ESPAÑOLA: EXPLORANDO IBERIA

Grammy Award–winning soprano Ana María Martínez is considered one of the foremost

sopranos of her time, with an international career that spans the world’s most important opera houses and concert halls. HGO’s artistic advisor since 2019, Martínez has a storied history with the company, performing roles including Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly (2010), the title role in Carmen (2014), Marguerite in Faust (2016), and Florencia in Florencia en el Amazonas (2019). During the 2020–21 season, Martínez performed the role of Mimì in La bohème at San Diego Opera, the world’s first-ever drive-in opera production, and portrayed Nedda in Pagliacci at Palm Beach Opera. She also gave a series of virtual performances, including a “Living Room Recital” for Los Angeles Opera and a Spanish-themed program entitled “Pasión Latina,” alongside pianist Craig Terry, for Lyric Opera of Chicago. Other engagements this season include her first-ever performances in the title role of Tosca at Opera Philadelphia and then again at Cincinnati Opera, and Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly at Opernhaus Zürich. Martínez’s career highlights include Cio-Cio San and Musetta in La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera; the title role in Rusalka at the Glyndebourne Festival and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires; the title role in Luisa Miller and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Violetta in La traviata, Donna Elvira, and Cio-Cio San at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; Donna Elvira at San Francisco Opera; Nedda in I Pagliacci, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Marguerite in Faust, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Rusalka at Lyric Opera of Chicago; Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Mimì, Violetta, Nedda, and the title role in Carmen at Los Angeles Opera; and her major roles with HGO. Orchestral highlights include performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Filharmonica della Scala, Puerto Rico Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky Symphony in Moscow, the Sinfônica Brasileira, and the BBC Symphony.

CHÍA PATIÑO(ECUADOR) DIRECTOR

Chía Patiño returns to the United States after ten years of heading the National Theatre in her native country, Ecuador. After exten-

sive experience programming and administering a large number of performances and international festivals, she is returning to directing and composing. Patiño has directed original productions of La Flauta Mágica de los Andes, Les Misérables, Faust, West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Carmen, and Dido and Aeneas, as well as the world premiere of Unicamente la Verdad and Manuela y Bolivar. For HGO,

she served as music director for Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (2013). She also has conducted Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, as well as the world premiere of its choral version, at Teatro Nacional Sucre. Her recent work as a composer includes incidental music for theater and the soundtrack for Guadual: Circo de Fibras Naturales, the first contemporary circus in Ecuador, which has traveled to Spain, Argentina, and Brazil. Patiño holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Louisville, Master and Doctor of Music degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and an MFA in Stage Direction from the University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music (CCM).

S. KATY TUCKER(UNITED STATES) PROJECTION DESIGNER

S. Katy Tucker last worked at HGO designing the projections for The Flying Dutchman (2018) and Florencia en el Amazonas (2019), and for

HGO Digital’s The Impresario this fall. Tucker began her career as a painter and video installation artist, exhibiting her work at a variety of galleries including the Corcoran Museum, Dupont Underground, The Dillon Gallery, and Artist’s Space in New York City. She has collabo-rated with renowned musicians such as Paul McCartney, Paola Prestini, Helga Davis, Amanda Gookin, and Jeffrey Ziegler. Her work in live performance has been seen around the world, at Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters, the Metropolitan Opera, the Sydney Opera House, Dutch National Opera, Carnegie Hall, the New York City Ballet, the Kennedy Center, BAM, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. Recent productions include Samson and Delilah and Don Giovanni at the Kennedy Center, Hansel and Gretel at the Canadian Opera Company, and Parsifal at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Upcoming engagements include the world premiere of Castor and Patience at Cincinnati Opera, a new production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs with Tomer Zvulun at Atlanta Opera, and Eurydice at the Metropolitan Opera with Mary Zimmerman. 

IRMA LA PALOMA(CUBA) CHOREOGRAPHER

Irma La Paloma is a flamenco artist, singer, and choreographer. She began her flamenco training in Cuba at the Escuela de Baile

Monterroso y Antas de Ulla under the direction of Spain’s María Asela Bermúdez. She performed in Havana’s Centro Gallego and Teatro García Lorca before going on to study and develop her art in Spain and the U.S. As an ambassador for Spanish and flamenco arts, La Paloma co-directed the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival from 2011 to 2016, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Spain in Houston and San Jacinto College, with funding from Humanities Texas and the National Endowment for the Arts. La

Suite Española:EXPLORANDO IBERIA

Paloma is president of the Society for Spanish and Flamenco Arts Houston and the co-founder and artistic director of Solero Flamenco, where she is also a vocalist. Houston’s premier flamenco performing company, Solero Flamenco presents song, guitar, and dance in tradi-tional, contemporary, and original works, often sharing the stage with local and international artists. Solero Flamenco has performed and collaborated with the Rice University Boniuk Institute, SPA Houston, Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts, the Helena Symphony, and many other organizations.

RICARDO GARCÍA(UNITED STATES)Michelle Beale and Dick Anderson/Dr. Ellen Gritz and Mickey Rosenau Fellow TENOR

A first-year HGO Studio artist, Ricardo García performed in HGO Digital productions Vinkensport (as Hans Sach’s Trainer) and The Making of The Snowy Day: An Opera for All. He recently completed his Master of Music in Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) and holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice from the University of the Pacific. He was a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera, where he covered Roméo in Roméo et Juliette and Giocondo in La pietra del paragone, and a voice fellow with Music Academy of the West, where he sang Jenik in The Bartered Bride. Recent roles include Lamplighter/Drunkard in The Little Prince and Fenton in Falstaff. As a first-year apprentice at Santa Fe Opera, he covered Parpignol in La bohème and sang Fenton and Normanno in the Apprentice Scenes Night. Recently, García won the San Francisco District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and advanced to the region finals in Los Angeles. This summer, he will sing the role of Grimoaldo in Rodelinda at the Aspen Music Festival.

BLAKE DENSON(UNITED STATES) Elizabeth Grimm and Jack Roth/Carolyn Levy/Gloria Portela and Dick Evans Fellow BARITONE

First-year HGO Studio artist Blake Denson also appears in HGO Digital productions Giving Voice and Hansel and Gretel (as Peter) this season. He was a Grand Finals winner in the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and is a 2018 alumnus of HGO’s Young Artists Vocal Academy (YAVA). He obtained his Bachelor of Music in voice degree from the University of Kentucky School of Music and recently completed his Master of Music degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Denson was a studio artist at Wolf Trap Opera in 2018 and was set to return to Wolf Trap Opera for a second season in the summer of 2020 to perform the Commander and cover the title role in Eugene Onegin, as well as cover the role of Marcello in La bohème, but those productions were canceled due to COVID-19.

MANUEL GUTIERREZ CABELLO(FRANCE) SOLO DANCER

Manuel Gutierrez Cabello’s work has been called “fiery” (London’s Telegraph) and “incredibly explosive” (Paris’s Figaro). He

began his training in Córdoba, Spain. By the age of 8, he won his first flamenco dance award. By age 20, he began producing works and dancing across Europe with legendary flamenco artists including Duquende, Chicuelo, Juan Carmona, and Chispa Negra. He also began to collaborate with top French choreographers Redha, Marjorie Ascione, and Gerome Zerbie. In 2008, Gutierrez was invited to choreograph the production Flamenco Flamen’ka, which sold out the Lyric Theatre in London and ran for five years in Great Britain and France. Gutierrez has choreographed many works for stage and TV, including El Emigrante, a moving tribute to Spanish immigrants in the post-war period. Since 2011, he has served as Artistic Director for the Global Gift Foundation’s charitable initiative, The Global Gift Gala. Working alongside actress, producer, and philanthropist Eva Longoria, he has produced charitable events in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Cannes, Mexico, and Dubai. Gutierrez currently resides in Los Angeles, where he has created the flamenco productions KOMPAZ and Five and has performed with the LA Opera. His powerful onstage presence and dynamic choreography have made him a sought-after artist internationally.

ANA MARÍA BARCELÓ(PUERTO RICO) SOLO DANCER

Flamenco dancer Ana María Barceló started studying ballet at 3 years old. At 11, she was selected to join the San Juan Municipal

Ballet Company. A few years later, Barceló started studying classic Spanish dancing and became interested in other Spanish dancing styles. She moved to Valencia, Spain to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematographic Screenplay, and was introduced to the world of flamenco. In 2005, she joined renowned dancer Antonio Santaella’s flamenco company in Puerto Rico, Mosaico Almudéjar, performing in theaters and tablaos throughout the island. In 2008, Barceló trav-eled to Granada, Spain to study flamenco full-time before returning to Puerto Rico to establish her own dance studio and produce performances with the island’s best singers and guitarists. Today she travels to Spain frequently, continuing her training at recog-nized flamenco schools including Amor de Dios, Manuel Betanzos, and Flamenco Ados. Barceló has almost 15 years of experience performing and teaching flamenco. She recently moved to Houston, where she performs and offers classes.

Suite Española:EXPLORANDO IBERIA

KEVIN J. MILLER(UNITED STATES) PIANO

American pianist and collaborator Kevin J. Miller is acclaimed for his dynamically artful performances. An assistant conductor with

HGO, he also appeared in the HGO Digital production Giving Voice this season. Recent engagements include a recital with international tenor Joseph Calleja and Nadine Sierra at the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as an appearance with Calleja on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. Miller prepared soprano Jessye Norman for performances of Laura Karpman’s production of Ask Your Mama, which was performed at Carnegie Hall. He has collaborated with the internationally acclaimed countertenor, David Daniels, in recital at the Glimmerglass Festival. He can be heard on the recording Been in da Storm So Long, which features baritone Kenneth Overton. Miller has a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano from the Mannes College of Music, and a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma in Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan School of Music. He has participated in some of the country’s most prestigious festivals and young artist apprenticeships, including The Tanglewood Institute of Music, Aspen Music Festival, The Cleveland Art Song Festival, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, and the Glimmerglass Festival.

JEREMY GARCÍA(UNITED STATES) GUITAR

As a soloist and composer, Jeremy García has performed all over the United States. He has collaborated with the Fort Bend Symphony,

Brazosport Symphony, and Helena Symphony in Montana, and performed in numerous festivals as a soloist and collaborated with many top flamenco artists. He has recorded two CDs, García y Reyna’s Baile del Sol and Café Khytaro’s Distancia. In 2009 García co-founded Solero Flamenco, Houston’s premier flamenco perfor-mance company, along with Irma La Paloma; the two subsequently co-founded and directed the Houston Spanish and Flamenco Festival (2011-2016). García served as Director of Guitar Studies at San Jacinto College for 20 years. Today he is the Associate Artistic Director of the Houston Classical Guitar Festival and Competition. He has a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi and a Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

RICHARD BROWN(UNITED STATES) PERCUSSION

Richard Brown enjoys a multi-faceted career as a professional musician, educator, and busi-nessman. Professor Emeritus of Percussion

at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, he currently serves as Principal Percussionist and Orchestra Personnel Manager of both the HGO Orchestra and Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, where he is also Artistic Advisor. He leads the Richard Brown Orchestra, one of Houston’s most popular dance bands, which plays large social galas, special events, and weddings. Brown has played with the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Lyric Opera, and served as percussionist with the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C., and the Houston Symphony. He spent time as a freelance percussionist in New York, playing Broadway shows such as West Side Story, Show Boat, and Shirley MacLaine, working in recording studios, and subbing with The Metropolitan Opera and The New York Philharmonic. He performed with Ann Margret for 15 years, both in Las Vegas and on tour. His company, Richard Brown Music, hires musicians for concerts and prominent churches in Houston. He is proud to say that in any given year, he offers over 2,000 employ-ment opportunities to the city’s professional musicians.