Houston Grand Opera presents the highly anticipated world premiere of The Snowy Day December 9th through 19th at Houston’s Wortham Theater Center. Created by composer Joel Thompson and librettist Andrea Davis Pinkney, The Snowy Day is based on the classic children’s book by Ezra Jack Keats.

Written in 1962 and awarded the Caldecott medal in 1963, The Snowy Day broke the color barrier in mainstream publishing by being embraced across ethnic and social lines. Both book and opera recount the adventures of young Peter after he wakes up to the first snow of winter—the first winter when his parents have promised to let him play in the snow by himself. He sets off to explore, getting into adventures and learning lessons along the way.

The Snowy Day marks HGO's 71st world premiere. The idea for an opera based on the book began to take form after soprano Julia Bullock brought the idea to HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers six years ago. Deborah Pope, Executive Director of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, came on board, and she put bestselling author Andrea Davis Pinkney’s name forward as a potential librettist during the preliminary stages of the opera’s creation. Pinkney, who in 2016 had authored A Poem for Peter, an homage to Keats and the legacy of Peter, signed on to adapt the story for the stage. In the summer of 2017, Summers recruited brilliant young composer Joel Thompson for the project, knowing he would be the perfect fit to breathe new life into the story of Peter.

“I’m grateful to be among such a brilliant team of creators,” says librettist Andrea Davis Pinkney. “The Snowy Day brings a vivid dimension to opera by expanding the canvas on Ezra Jack Keats’ classic, while, at the same time, honoring Keats’ artistic intention – to invite diverse audiences into a vibrant storytelling experience. Joel Thompson’s musical genius brings it all alive.”

“The goal of everything I’ve ever written bends toward what’s going to happen on stage with The Snowy Day, where a little Black boy can wander in the snow, learn about himself, learn about the world, be safe, be happy, and connect with others regardless of background, or ethnicity, or any other differences,” says Joel Thompson, composer of The Snowy Day. “I hope audience members can see themselves in Peter and his friends and reconnect to their inner child.”

The world premiere opera was originally slated to debut in December 2020, but unfortunately was delayed due to COVID-19 and the subsequent cancellation of all in-person performances for HGO’s 2020-21 season. As part of the company’s alternative HGO Digital 2020-21 season, the company presented a documentary on the new work, The Making of The Snowy Day: An Opera for All.

“After the last two years of delays, we are thrilled to finally present The Snowy Day on the Wortham stage. It has been an honor to work with this superb creative team and cast to bring this historic book to life,” says HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. “Composers like Joel Thompson find universality, yet they are also totally unique. His music is already universal, very assured, and honest even at his young age, and music emanates from every aspect of his existence.”

Joel Thompson is an Emmy Award-winning composer, pianist, conductor, and educator from Atlanta. His best-known work, Seven Last Words of the Unarmed for men’s chorus, strings, and piano, premiered in November 2015 by the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club under the direction of Dr. Eugene Rogers.

Andrea Davis Pinkney is a New York Times bestselling, award-winning author and publishing executive. She has served on the creative teams for several theatrical and audio productions based on works for young people, including those drawn from her acclaimed books, Martin Rising: Requiem for a King, The Red Pencil, and Rhythm Ride: A Trip through the Motown Sound.

For the family-friendly opera’s world premiere, HGO Studio artist and soprano Raven McMillon performs the role of Peter alongside a cast predominantly consisting of current and previous HGO Studio artists including Nicholas Newton, Elena Villalón, Blake Denson, Cory McGee, and Ricardo Garcia. Critically acclaimed American soprano Karen Slack will sing the role of Mama, and Cuban-American tenor Andres Acosta will perform the role of Papi. December 15 and December 16 will feature alternate casts.

The world-premiere opera’s team includes set designer Amy Rubin, costume designer Jessica Jahn, lighting designer Michael James Clark, choreographer Courtney Jones, and HGO Dramaturg Jeremy Johnson. Director and frequent HGO collaborator Omer Ben Seadia brings the wonder and magic of a young boy’s wintry world to life. HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers conducts.

“The Snowy Day was groundbreaking in so many ways, and we are very proud to continue the legacy of this treasured book,” says Khori Dastoor, HGO’s General Director and CEO. “We are dedicated to embracing our beautifully diverse community, and to celebrating the stories that unite us, while allowing all who live here to see themselves reflected back from the stage. Our mission centers on advancing opera as an art form and building the diverse audiences of tomorrow."

Beloved by generation after generation, The Snowy Day, with its vivid, contemporary illustrations and text, has become one of the most iconic children’s books of the last century. The Library of Congress includes it in the list of books that have shaped America and in 2017 the United States Postal Service created a series of four stamps, still on sale, to honor Peter's day in the snow. The Snowy Day is the most checked-out book in the 125-year history of the New York Public Library.

The Snowy Day jumps off the page and onto the stage in large part due to HGO’s incredible production funders, including: Mr. and Mrs. William V. Morgan, The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, The Humphreys Foundation, The Cullen Foundation, Mrs. Robin Angly & Mr. Miles Smith, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Bank of America, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ziegler, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony G. Petrello, Ms. Kiana K. Caleb and Mr. Troy L. Sullivan, The Powell Foundation, H-E-B, Ms. Marsha L. Montemayor, Shell Oil Company Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Loperena.

Performances of family-friendly world-premiere opera The Snowy Day run December 9 to December 19, 2021, at Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave. Tickets range from $20 to $210. For more information and to buy tickets, visit HGO.org or call the box office at 713-228-6737.