HOUSTON (CelebrityAccess) — Patrick Summers, the longtime Artistic and Music Director of the Houston Grand Opera, announced plans to step down from his leadership role at the performing arts organization in early 2026.
As reported by the New York Times, Summers will transition at the close of the 2025-2026 opera season to become music director emeritus and holder of the Robert and Jane Cizik Music Director Emeritus Chair.
“Patrick Summers’s impact on this company, and opera as an American art form, is awe-inspiring,” says HGO General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor. “He has worked closely with leading composers to introduce groundbreaking new works, mentored some of the most prominent names in opera, and guided the HGO Orchestra from its infancy into the exceptional ensemble it is today. Maestro Summers has always been a forward-looking leader. He’s also been such a gracious and supportive partner to me as we’ve ushered in a new era at this company. My gratitude to him is immeasurable. I am delighted he will be continuing as my trusted colleague.”
“Since David Gockley first spoke to me almost three decades ago about coming to HGO, when I was a shy and ambitious young conductor in my thirties, to this current moment of Khori Dastoor’s early tenure, during which I will bring my long service as music director to a close, I can only say that it has been the privilege of a lifetime to be a part of this extraordinary company,” says Summers. “Houston Grand Opera is a blessed place, and I am enormously grateful for the long honor of leading our own treasured orchestra and making art with both our resident ensembles, who are our heart and soul, while guiding the artistic direction of this great company. That my tenure stretches from David to Khori will always mean the world to me. I thank everyone so deeply.”
Summers joined the HGO in 1998, recruited by then-General Director David Gockley and helped to oversee the performing arts organization as it ended its relationship with the Houston Symphony as its primary orchestra and played a significant role in the growth of the HGO Orchestra into a respected musical ensemble.
In 2011, he expanded his role to become the company’s artistic and music director, continuing to overseeing the orchestra while guiding the artistic quality of the organization’s productions.
Notable HGO productions conducted by Summers that were recorded and released as albums include Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas (two different productions), Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, and Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Mark Adamo’s Little Women, conducted by Summers, was recorded for PBS’s Great Performances.
As Summers prepares to step away from the music director role, the HGO announced it will undertake an international search for its next music director.
“HGO will need a dynamic new leader to join me in guiding the company into its next era,” says Dastoor. “We’re grateful to have the opportunity to make an investment in our incredibly important next musical chapter. We’ll be launching a global search for a music director possessed of the artistry, vision, and ambition to help push this storied company forward, as both a guiding force within the American opera industry and as Houston’s flagship performing arts organization.”
