Opera in the Heights starts 11th Season with New Managing Director

HOUSTON, TX - The board of directors of Opera in the Heights
(OH) has announced the appointment of Roy Hughes as managing director of the
company. Hughes replaces Reba Kochersperger, who resigned to return to the
field of education. Hughes will be primarily responsible for fundraising and
business management of OH as the company enters its 11th season.

Before joining OH, Hughes was executive director of Project GRAD, a
nonprofit organization that works with the Houston Independent School
District to help increase graduation and college attendance rates of
inner-city children. He holds a bachelor's degree from the United States
Naval Academy and a master's in international relations from American
University.

"Opera in the Heights has had an amazing 10 years," said Shelley Baker,
chair of OH's board of directors. "We have had explosive growth in season
subscriptions and ticket sales, and the company is poised for even greater
growth. We are pleased to have Roy Hughes on board. We are confident that
his vast managerial experience and his exceptional development skills are
exactly what we need to carry this momentum forward."

Although Hughes said he doesn't claim to be an opera professional, he has
had strong affiliations with numerous arts organization throughout his
career. He has served on the boards of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston,
Houston Pops Orchestra and Alley Theatre. He has also served on the advisory
board of the Watercolor Art Society in their campaign to build the
nonprofit's new facility in Houston's museum district.

During his tenure as assistant secretary of the United States Department of
the Interior, Hughes had budget responsibility for the management of Ford's
Theatre and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. He also managed
a Fortune 100 company's philanthropic giving of over $5 million annually to
organizations in the Houston area.

With Hughes devoting his time to management and development, production
responsibilities at OH will be managed by William Weibel, the company's
artistic director. Maestro Weibel, whose world-class background in the
larger world of opera has served OH well, looks forward to another
successful season this year.

"The next six months to a year are going to be critical in terms of the
future of OH," said Hughes. "The company will be looking at how it will
continue to develop. Clearly, the most important thing now is business as
usual - putting on four outstanding productions and to maintain the high
artistic quality that has been established."

Hughes said the mission of the company remains the same. "We are still
providing opportunities for young singers across the nation to get the
experience they need to further their careers. In the meantime, we're
bringing high-quality, affordable opera to the Greater Houston area."



OPERA IN THE HEIGHTS is a nonprofit, professional, regional opera company
serving the Greater Houston area with high quality opera and concert
performances in an intimate setting, at an affordable price. Each season,
the company presents four fully staged and costumed productions of
traditional operas, performed in the original language with English
surtitles and accompanied by orchestra. It operates under the guidance of a
board of directors, William Weibel as artistic director and Roy Hughes as
managing director. Opera in the Heights is funded in part by grants from
Texas Commission on the Arts and from the City of Houston through the
Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County.

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