World Premiere: 'The Big Swim'

Schedule

Friday, February 16, 2024
7:30 p.m. Performance

Saturday, February 17, 2024
2 p.m. Performance

Sunday, February 18, 2024
2 p.m. Performance

The Big Swim celebrates Lunar New Year with a witty, heartwarming one-act opera suitable for families and opera lovers alike! In this retelling of the Jade Emperor and the Great Race — a fable that sets the order of the 12 animals in the zodiac calendar — the animals learn to put aside fierce competition to instead care for and support one another, side by side.

Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in partnership with Asia Society Texas, The Big Swim fuses diverse influences into a single, compelling story, intentionally crossing boundaries between traditional and modern, Eastern and Western, and classical and non-classical. The world premiere production — Houston Grand Opera's 76th — is directed by Mo Zhou, and features set and puppet design by Afsaneh Aayani, costume design by Valérie Bart, and lighting design by Michael Clark. Composed by Meilina Tsui and with a libretto by Melisa Tien, The Big Swim is sure to delight guests of all ages!

The work will be presented at Asia Society Texas as part of its Lunar New Year festivities and will be preceded by to-be-announced community activities.

Cast

Meigui Zhang (Rabbit/Horse)
Sun-Ly Pierce (Snake/Sheep)
Alice Chung (Ox/Pig)
Seiyoung Kim (Monkey/Rat)
Joseph Lim (Tiger/Rooster)
Zaikuan Song (Dragon/Dog)

Creative Team

Composer
Meilina Tsui

Librettist
Melisa Tien

Conductor
Eiki Isomura

Scenic and Puppet Designer
Afsaneh Aayani

Costume Designer
Valérie Thérese Bart

Lighting Designer
Michael James Clark

The Big Swim is a co‐production of Houston Grand Opera and Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Syamal and Susmita Poddar. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, The Brown Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, The Clayton Fund, Houston Endowment Inc., and Mid-America Arts Alliance. Generous funding also provided by The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts. Additional support is by the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming to Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture Presenting Sponsors

Syamal and Susmita Poddar

Performing Arts and Culture Program Sponsors

Producing Partner

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.