Premiered in 1892 and based on Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, the tragic opera about unrequited love returns to Houston Grand Opera for the first time since 1979 with this production from French director Benoît Jacquot, making his HGO debut.

The despondent title character’s inevitable descent into depression and suicide is fueled not only by unrequired love but by the social constructions that prevent Charlotte returning Werther’s passion.

This opera features four artists making their long-anticipated Houston debuts: three-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, as Charlotte; tenor Matthew Polenzani, one of the most gifted performers of his generation, as Werther; soprano Jasmine Habersham, as Charlotte's sister Sophie; and baritone Sean Michael Plumb, a 2021 Tucker Grant recipient.

"The first staging of this opera in 43 years is powerful, thanks to the voices of Matthew Polenzani and Isabel Leonard." – Houston Chronicle