Houston Grand Opera Announces Partnership with Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu
Houston Grand Opera (HGO), one of the United States' most innovative and acclaimed opera companies, will present a newly created award, the Torras Foundation Award, at the 62nd Edition of the Tenor Viñas Contest.
The Torras Foundation Award will be presented to the most outstanding and promising young vocal talent. This award highlights Houston Grand Opera's strong commitment to the training and development of the next generation of operatic talent through its prestigious Butler Studio program, from which celebrated alumna Joyce DiDonato emerged.
The winning singer will receive $25,000 plus an automatic invitation to compete in the semifinal round of Houston Grand Opera's upcoming 38th annual Eleanor McCollum Competition, which recognizes opera's most talented emerging artists while helping the company identify candidates for its highly competitive Butler Studio program.
This award is open to any singer in the competition and is not restricted to official awardees.
The award-winning singer will be selected by Mr. Colin Brush, representative of Houston Grand Opera, present in Barcelona.
“We are very pleased to begin a collaboration with the Houston Grand Opera, providing support and guidance to a promising young talent,” says Victor García de Gomar, artistic director of the Liceu.
This new partnership has been created to foster cultural exchange and collaboration between the two internationally recognized opera houses.
“HGO is an international company serving a diverse metropolis, where people from all over the world live and do business,” says Khori Dastoor, HGO's Managing Director and CEO, ”With this new partnership, we seek to leverage Houston's emerging identity as a global hub, attracting the best young artists from around the world to Houston while welcoming international audiences from across our city to the Wortham Theatre Center to experience our art form. We are thrilled to join forces with our close partners at Gran Teatre del Liceu to support emerging talent and, thanks to the generosity and vision of the Torras Foundation, identify outstanding talent whose potential, passion and excellence reflect the standards expected at HGO”.
“We are honored to be part of this partnership between two great houses, the Houston Grand Opera and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, from two cities that are so close to our hearts,” says Ignacio Torras, president and CEO of Tricon Energy, founder of Fundación Torras and vital supporter of HGO. ”By creating and funding this new prize to be awarded at the Tenor Viñas International Singing Contest, we hope to build a solid bridge that allows art to transcend borders and cultures through the sublime form of opera”,
