Houston Grand Opera Announces Opportunity for Local Street Performers

(Photo credit: Stephen Wadsworth)

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) invites Houston street artists to apply for the opportunity to present a large-scale work during the company’s 2024-25 season opening.

Local artists are invited to submit an image of their original street art, which may take the form of graffiti, murals, stencils or wheat-pasted posters; a short biography; and other documents detailed in the application. The submission deadline is June 21. The winner will be announced on July 15.

The selected artist will have two weeks to create a custom work for the company’s new production of Verdi’s “Il trovatore,” by Stephen Wadsworth. The story is set in contemporary Europe, “where the old world meets the new, where castles stand amid skyscrapers and monuments rub shoulders with street art.” The artist will collaborate with Wadsworth and award-winning set designer Charlie Corcoran to incorporate a wall-sized street art-style work into the production’s set. In addition to having their work presented on the Wortham Theater Center stage, the winner will receive an honorarium of $3,000. They will also be invited to attend the opera’s opening night and other special events.

Two additional artists will be chosen to create smaller-scale artworks inspired by Houston Grand Opera’s 2024-25 season. They will receive an honorarium of $500 and an invitation to “Il trovatore”. These works will be presented online or during a public exhibition.

The company’s managing director and CEO, Khori Dastoor, said in a press release: “The stories shared through masterpieces like Il trovatore are universal. As in Verdi’s opera, all families have old secrets; unresolved issues; long-buried mysteries coming to the fore. With this new production, we want to emphasize that great operas are about and for us – and that’s why we want to present a local Houston work of art on the Brown Stage. Fortunately for HGO, there is an incredible talent pool of street artists in our great city. I can’t wait to see which one helps bring this incredible production to life.

Houston Grand Opera collaborated with Houston gallerist Janice Bond, chief curator and artistic advisor for Bond Creative Advisors, as creative consultant for this initiative. In addition to participating in the public call for nominations, Bond will serve as a judge alongside Dastoor, Wadsworth and Corcoran.