New Director for the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio

Colin Michael Brush will run the studio's Emerging Artists Program and will recruit singers for its mainstage performances

The Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has named Colin Michael Brush as the new Director of the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio. He began his time in the position on October 3, and will focus on the artistic development of the program’s emerging artists — as well as leading initiatives to identify and recruit candidates for future HGO seasons.

Brush comes to HGO from ADA Artists/UIA Talent in Berlin, where he managed a number of artists including baritone Michael Mayes and soprano Jasmine Habersham. He has also been the artistic administrator for Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C., where he helped plan mainstage operas and other performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Brush studied Vocal Performance at Carnegie Mellon University, and followed this with a master's degree from Maryland University. As well as speaking four languages, he has been the recipient of a Bosch Foundation Fellowship and a Flausen Arts Research Grant.

"For generations now, the Butler Studio has readied brilliant young artists for careers on the great stages of the world, starting with our own," said Khori Dastoor, HGO's General Director and CEO. "Nothing is more important to our mission."

"We are thrilled to bring Colin Michael Brush to Houston, where he will use his multifaceted experience and expertise to nurture the growth of these remarkable artists. We will be charging him with expanding the Butler Studio’s reach as he scours the globe for the gifted singers who will see this peerless art form through the next century."

"I am so passionate about this art form," Brush said. "I am honored by the faith HGO has put in me to further its mission. Our choices today profoundly influence opera’s future. We must champion extraordinary new talents as we honor our traditions. Throughout my career, I have sought to prepare artists for not only their own success, but also the success of the operatic art. I can think of no better place to continue this work than with HGO in Houston."