Tenor Zachary Averyt made his operatic debut in 2001 as Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and has continued to delight audiences ever since. He appears frequently with some of Houston’s most notable ensembles, including the Grammy-nominated Ars Lyrica Houston, and was recently hailed as a “strong, clear and bright tenor,” praising him for the “warmth and ardor of his singing.”
Averyt’s recent operatic credits have included principal roles in Die Zauberflöte, Cosi fan tutte, La clemenza di Tito, Don Giovanni, Anna Bolena, Manon, and The Crucible. His diverse repertoire also includes operas by Handel, Weill, Charpentier, Massenet, Bellini, Offenbach, Rossini, Debussy, Puccini, Cimarosa, and Strauss. An avid concert singer, Mr. Averyt has explored a range of styles, singing mass settings by Charpentier, Beehoven, Mozart, Stravinsky and Robert Ray. Other oratorio credits include Carissimi’s Jephte, Handel’s Susanna and Messiah, Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives, Haydn’s The Creation, Rachmaninoff’s Vespers and Orff’s Carmina Burana.
Averyt has toured the Mediterranean with Garrison Keillor and the cast of the hit American radio program A Prairie Home Companion, and began the 2013/14 season with performances of Benjamin Britten’s Serenadesfor Tenor and Horn and Les Illuminations, garnering praise for “the warmth and power of his voice” and “a notable stage presence with solid bearing and intense focus.” In 2016, he performed an all-Britten recital at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.” Such positive reception of his interpretations of Benjamin Britten’s music has put his solo, concert and chamber works at the center of Averyt’s extensive repertoire, which also includes recent world premieres by Kyle Kindred (Canciones de Alfaro, 2016) and Karim al-Zand (The Leader; 2020 – premiere, 2022 – commercial recording).
Mr. Averyt holds degrees from both the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston. He is on the faculties of The University of Houston, The Institute of Voice Studies at the Texas Music Festival, has served on the voice faculty of the American Festival of the Arts, and lives and teaches privately in Houston, Texas.
Harpist Hope Cowan performs and teaches throughout the Houston area as a soloist, chamber musician, and event harpist. Active as both an orchestral and chamber musician, she is principal harpist with the Symphony of Southeast Texas and is a founding member of both the Deciduous and Lynx Trios. She has performed with many ensembles in Houston and beyond, including: Theater Under the Stars, ROCO, Milwaukee Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, and Mississippi Symphony. Chamber music performances include appearances at the National Flute Association Convention and the American Harp Society Summer Institute. She has appeared as a guest artist on faculty recitals at Sul Ross State University, University of Texas El Paso, and San Angelo State University.
A sought after solo and event performer, she performs weekly at IAH as part of the Houston Airport System’s award-winning “Harmony in the Air” program. As an educator, she is a teaching artist for Young Audiences of Houston, an alumna of the Da Camera Young Artist program, and a clinician and performer in schools throughout the Houston area.
A strong advocate for the local Houston harp community, she is currently the president of the Greater Houston Chapter of the American Harp Society. Ms. Cowan also teaches private harp lessons to students of all ages at her home studio and is on the faculty for the Houston Summer Harp Festival. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Houston, and a Master of Music degree from Rice University, both under the instruction of Paula Page. www.hopecowanharp.com