HGO's Giving Voice 2025

Giving Voice is the brainchild of tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who created the series in 2019. This year’s event, held during Black History Month, will honor the legacy of the country’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as an important training ground for Black artists in classical music and opera. Giving Voice will feature a program of arias and songs performed by operatic soloists including HGO favorite, Butler Studio alumnus, WABC member, and Grammy Award-winning baritone Reginald Smith, Jr.; one of today’s most impressive dramatic tenors, Issachah Savage; and two talented first-year members of HGO’s Butler Studio, soprano Elizabeth Hanje and bass-baritone Sam Dhobhany. The concert will feature performances by choirs from Texas Southern University, Jackson State University, WABC, the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, and Voices of Houston.