Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio

Founded in 1977 by composer Carlisle Floyd and HGO's then-General Director David Gockley, the Butler Studio provides comprehensive career development to emerging artists who have demonstrated potential to make major contributions to the field of opera. The Butler Studio's goal is to develop well-rounded professionals by providing the highest quality training combined with a wide range of performance opportunities. One of the most respected emerging artist programs in the world, the Butler Studio is distinguished from many other programs in the level of integration between Studio members and mainstage artists and production teams. From the beginning, Butler Studio artists have been granted generous performance opportunities working alongside such renowned singers as Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee, Christine Goerke, David Portillo, Jamie Barton, Luca Pisaroni, Andriana Chuchman, Tamara Wilson, Ryan McKinny, Nicole Heaston, Matthew Polenzani, Isabel Leonard, Sasha Cooke, Russell Thomas, Christine Goerke, and Ailyn Perez, as well as renowned conductors, directors, and designers. In 2022, Sarah and Ernest Butler made a transformational gift to Houston Grand Opera, the largest in company history, by creating a new fund within the HGO Endowment. To honor their commitment to supporting excellence in the arts and the future of opera, the HGO Studio was renamed the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio.