Opera as a Spiritual Journey: Tannhäuser and Breaking the Waves

Are you one of those people who thinks opera is outdated and inaccessible? Maestro Patrick Summers, artistic and music director of Houston Grand Opera, is here to prove you wrong and guide you through the joys and intricacies of Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser and Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves. In two sessions, Maestro Summers will delve into themes of sensual pleasure and spiritual enlightenment that are heavily present in both works. And for film aficionados, he will analyze Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves and István Szabó’s Meeting Venus and discuss how they relate to the two operas’ epic stories portrayed on the Brown stage at the Wortham Theater Center.

Patrick Summers has been a central figure at the Houston Grand Opera for over 25 years, conducting a vast range of repertoire during his tenure. First appointed to the company in 1998 as Music Director, in 2011 he assumed an expanded role as the company’s Artistic and Music Director. Maestro Summers has enjoyed long associations with Opera Australia and the Metropolitan Opera in addition to conducting for major companies throughout the world. He teaches at the Rice University Shepherd School of Music, where in August 2024 he was named a distinguished lecturer in opera studies. This year, Maestro Summers will release two novels and a volume of poetry.