Houston finally gets its chance to see Breaking the Waves, the critically acclaimed contemporary opera from sought-after composer-and-librettist team Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, which made its world premiere in 2016. Adapted from the art film by Lars von Trier, the story transports audiences to 1970s Scotland, where the impressionable young Bess, part of a strict Calvinist community, wins permission to marry an outsider—the offshore oil rigger Jan. After the impatient lovers consummate their union at their own wedding, Bess embarks on a journey of sexual exploration that is tragically interrupted when Jan is paralyzed in an accident, setting off a series of shocking events that culminates in the unthinkable.  

The award-winning, boundary-pushing opera will be led by two Houston favorites, both of whom launched their high-flying careers after training with HGO’s Butler Studio: luminous soprano Lauren Snouffer as Bess, and charismatic bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as Jan. Sara Brodie directs the revival of Tom Morris’s production, with Maestro Patrick Summers conducting Mazzoli’s rich, intriguing, original score.

MISSY MAZZOLI & ROYCE VAVREK
Apr. 19 - May. 4, 2025