Ars Lyrica Opera Circle Celebrates the Future
Ars Lyrica’s Opera Circle Soirée previews the company’s upcoming season




Photo Credit: Pin Lim for Ars Lyrica Houston



























The Celebration
On Friday, May 14, 2021, the elegant Dukessa in the Houston Galleria area, welcomed guests to the Ars Lyrica Opera Circle Soirée. The socially distanced event benefited Ars Lyrica Houston (ALH) and its Baroque opera productions.
The Story
The venue’s polished courtyard, embellished with sparkling fairy lights, provided the perfect setting to begin the evening. While enjoying outdoor cocktails, guests revelled in the beautiful music provided by Ars Lyrica Houston instrumentalists. After having a chance to chat and socialize, guests sat down to a delectable three-course dinner highlighted with a performance by soprano Lauren Snouffer.
The Moments
Tara Faircloth, the stage director of ALH’s successful 2018 production of Agrippina, spoke during dinner delivering special remarks to the gathering. She also gave patrons glimpses into the upcoming ALH production of The Other Euridice, a contemporary chamber opera with period instruments, by Johnathan Dove. Faircloth will be directing the production in November 2021.
The successful event raised over $26,000 in support of next season’s operas.
About Ars Lyrica Houston
Ars Lyrica Houston has become a leader in the performance of early music through its acclaimed performances and recordings of a wide range of Baroque repertoire. Under the artistic direction of Matthew Dirst, Ars Lyrica now offers a Baroque opera every other season. These theatrical spectacles offer full immersion in the world of 17th and 18th-century culture, with elaborate scenic design, virtuosic singing, stylized dances, colorful orchestras, and profoundly human stories. No other musical genre from this era has the same capacity to move, excite, and inspire audiences.
About Opera Circle
Members of Ars Lyrica’s Opera Circle guarantee that ALH can keep cultural stories and history alive through a three-year commitment towards artistic and production costs. Member contributions allow ALH to make opera resonate anew through imaginative staging in collaboration with the world’s most respected experts in dance, theater, and music.
Upcoming ALH Operas
Dido and Aeneas, by Henry Purcell, will be directed and choreographed by Catherine Turocy, the artistic director of the New York Baroque Dance Company, and feature Houston Grand Opera Studio alumni Lauren Snouffer and Mark Diamond.
The Other Euridice, by Johnathan Dove, will be directed by Tara Faircloth and feature the acclaimed American bass-baritone Douglas Williams. The Texas premiere of this production inaugurates ALH’s new commitment to offering contemporary, as well as historical, works for period instruments.
For more information, please visit www.arslyricahouston.org