This almost slipped by us! Gay composer Jake Heggie will perform Thursday as part of The Cliburn’s 2023/24 season. For opera fans, Heggie was commissioned by The Dallas Opera for the world premiere of Moby Dick back in 2010 with librettist Gene Scheer and Great Scott in 2015 with playwright Terrence McNally also at TDO. Along with Scheer, his 10th full-length opera Intelligence, debuted at the Houston Grand Opera this fall.
Thursday night is all Heggie though.
From The Cliburn’s season announcement:
Over the Cliburn’s 60-year history, some of the most renowned and beloved classical music artists in the world have grown to love Fort Worth as a home away from home. From competitors to prolific composers to world-class touring performers across instruments, they make up an extraordinary, supportive, and dynamic network that is lovingly referred to as the Cliburn Family.
This concert season, we bring back a collection of these artists, in a joyful celebration of the people, projects, and programs that have helped define the Cliburn’s spirit and impact. Eleven invigorating, singular evenings await you—stunning traditional recitals at the Kimbell Art Museum and enchanting casual concerts at The Post and TX Whiskey Ranch. Medalists, jurors, and webcast hosts from the 2001 to 2025 Competitions (and one of their daughters!); composers who have been commissioned for and featured on Cliburn programs; and some of our perennial concert series favorites.
This will mark his first Cliburn Concerts appearance in 15 years. Fort Worth Opera vocalists will accompany Heggie followed by a conversation with the Cliburn’s Buddy Bray.
Heggie will perform Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kimbell Art Museum Piano Pavilion. For tickets, click here.
–Rich Lopez