Alumni and faculty from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music will command a significant presence on the nation’s leading opera stages in the 2026-27 season, including Houston Grand Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and LA Opera.
The just-announced HGO season includes a wide range of connections to the Shepherd School from conductors and directors to vocalists in leading roles. Alumnus James Gaffigan ’03 will assume the role of music director designate, stepping into the position before becoming HGO’s music director in the 2027-28 season. During the upcoming season, he will conduct Floyd’s “Susannah” and lead the company’s annual Concert of Arias.
Shepherd School faculty will also play key artistic roles in HGO’s season. David Chan, professor of violin and former concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, will make his HGO conducting debut with “The Magic Flute.” Ana María Martínez, professor of voice, will direct the Family Day bilingual English/Spanish performance of the same production. The season also marks an important moment for Patrick Summers, distinguished lecturer in opera studies, who will conduct “Show Boat” in his final season before assuming the title of music director emeritus.
Shepherd School alumni will take leading roles across the season. Lauren Snouffer ’09 stars as Magnolia Hawks in “Show Boat,” while Aaron Blake ’08 appears as Little Bat McLean in “Susannah.” Tzvi Bat Asherah ’26, currently completing graduate studies at Rice, was recently named a member of the HGO Butler Studio and has supporting roles in “The Magic Flute” and “Der Rosenkavalier.”
Shepherd School artists will also appear prominently in the upcoming season at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” Duke Kim ’18 portrays leading tenor Ferrando while Martínez takes on the role of Despina. Additional alumni appearances include Nicholas Newton ’19 as the Speaker in “The Magic Flute,” Jennifer Johnson Cano ’08 as Emilia in Verdi’s “Otello,” Ricardo José Rivera ’17 as Schaunard in select performances of Puccini’s “La Bohème” and Brenton Ryan ’11 as Valzacchi in Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier.” Ryan will also appear as Loge in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” at San Francisco Opera.
LA Opera will feature two Shepherd alumni in principal roles: Tenor Duke Kim ’18 will sing the title role in Bernstein’s “Candide,” and baritone Michael Sumuel ’09 will perform as Figaro in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
While Shepherd alumni and faculty take the stage at leading opera houses across the country, audiences in Houston will soon have an opportunity to hear the next generation of artists on campus when the Shepherd School presents Verdi’s “Falstaff” this spring. Tickets are available here.