For classical music lovers in Montgomery County, driving to Houston venues can be daunting.
Fortunately, YTA Circle, a program for supporters of the Young Texas Artists Music Competition (YTA), goes the distance instead. The group brings artists and conductors to the area for special members-only programming.
That includes Eiki Isomura, artistic director and principal conductor of Houston’s Opera in the Heights, who spoke to 30 YTA Circle members at Conroe’s Madeley Gallery in June.
Opera in the Heights is in its 23rd year of providing a stage for emerging artists. At the YTA event, Isomura discussed the company’s history, its cast members and its intimate home inside a former church.
“In an age where the arts have to compete with so many other kinds of entertainment, it was fascinating to learn how Opera in the Heights is making opera accessible to a new, less familiar, audience,” YTA President/CEO Susie Pokorski said. “Dr. Isomura was an engaging and very interesting speaker.”
Isomura joined Opera in the Heights in 2015 as interim conductor, became principal conductor in 2016, and was appointed artistic director in 2017 for an initial term of three years. He completed his doctorate in orchestral conducting at the University of Michigan and has been a conducting fellow at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada, and the CCM Spoleto Festival in Italy.
Among the works scheduled for Opera in the Heights’ 2019-2020 season, Isomura said, is Puccini’s beloved “Tosca.” With the YTA Circle eying a bus trip to a “Tosca” performance in October, this is a perfect time for area music enthusiasts to get on board and become members.
“YTA Circle members are invited to be part of several events throughout the year where they mix and mingle with each other and learn about a variety of classical music topics, artists and opportunities,” YTA Circle Chair Sarah Baxter, a broker associate for Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene in The Woodlands, said. “Our events are informative, entertaining and fun.”
YTA Circle membership fees support the annual YTA competition, making the group instrumental in identifying the next generation of musicians.
Joining YTA Circle is easy and affordable. For an annual membership fee of $55 per couple, members can attend four programs a year and enjoy discounts for YTA’s annual Bach, Beethoven & Barbecue Gala.
For information about joining YTA Circle, visit youngtexasartists.org/yta-circle