Patrick Summers is Artistic and Music Director of Houston Grand Opera (HGO), having served as Music Director since 1998, and Principal Guest Conductor of the San Francisco Opera (SFO).

Over the past decade, Mr. Summers has led many of HGO’s artistic and strategic initiatives, including  initiating its own orchestra and founding HGOco, the company's groundbreaking educational/outreach program to the Houston community. This season, Mr. Summers conducts three HGO productions: Show Boat, produced earlier this winter, and in April/May Il Trovatore and Tristan und Isolde.  ... read full bio

Patrick Summers is Artistic and Music Director of Houston Grand Opera (HGO), having served as Music Director since 1998, and Principal Guest Conductor of the San Francisco Opera (SFO).

Over the past decade, Mr. Summers has led many of HGO’s artistic and strategic initiatives, including  initiating its own orchestra and founding HGOco, the company's groundbreaking educational/outreach program to the Houston community. This season, Mr. Summers conducts three HGO productions: Show Boat, produced earlier this winter, and in April/May Il Trovatore and Tristan und Isolde.  

Mr. Summers has been involved with dozens of world premieres of American operas and was intimately involved with the 1998 creation of A Streetcar Named Desire at the SFO, where he both assisted André Previn and conducted several of its premiere performances. He later commissioned Mr. Previn to write his second opera Brief Encounter, which premiered at HGO in 2009, and was conducted by Mr. Summers and recorded on Deutsche Grammophon. His relationship with Renée Fleming spans two decades, and includes leading several of her role premieres, tours and recordings. Their CD Bel Canto on Decca won the 2002 Grammy® award.  

His quarter-century association with the San Francisco Opera began as a member of the Merola Opera Program, shortly after which he was made music director of the SF Opera Center, the training arm of SFO. He made his SFO main stage debut (Die Fledermaus) in the early 1990s and over the years has conducted a wide range of Italian, French, and English language repertoire, most recently Jake Heggie's Moby Dick, and next season, Der fliegende Holländer, his first Wagner with the company. He made his MET debut in 1999 also with Die Fledermaus, and has similarly traversed a wide repertory from baroque (Rodelinda, Ipigénie en Tauride) to bel canto (I Puritani, Lucia) to German romantic (Salome).  It continues next season with a revival of Enchanted Island.  

In Europe, he conducts Die Zauberflöte for the Bregenz Festival 2013 and 2014, and has appeared with companies such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Welsh National Opera, and Rome Opera, among others.

Last updated February 2013. Contact Opus 3 Artists for the most up-to-date version.