| The People of Opera in the Heights |
Midge Claiborne
Director of Development
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Laurie Hewett
Office Manager / Box Office Manager
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 Midge hit the ground running when she joined the Opera in the Heights staff in August of 2007. An energetic, warm, and personable woman, she has great ideas for improving the financial health of OH. Midge is passionate about the value and importance of Opera in the Heights and works tirelessly to develop our base of support. You have probably seen her at OH performances, meeting and greeting people in the aisles or in the lobby. She has a background in fundraising on both a volunteer and professional level, as well as sales experience. Recently, she received her certification from Rice University in the field of fundraising. Hailing from Monroe, Louisiana, Midge has lived in Houston for over 30 years. One of her other passions is for Egyptian Arabian horses which she breeds on her small farm in the Chappell Hill area. |
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 Laurie has attended Opera in the Heights performances ever since the inaugural one in 1996. A longtime opera fan, she quickly became a booster for OH, encouraging others to come and see the new opera company in town. Becoming a full-time employee in the fall of 2005, she quickly adapted to the beehive of activity that is the OH office. Laurie manages the box office, develops marketing materials, prepares singer contracts, creates each opera’s program, trains new employees, and on and on. She says the greatest perk of her job is the opportunity to hear the talented young singers rehearse while she toils away in the office. Laurie enjoys reading, movies, travel, her two dachshunds, and going to more opera. In the past year she has visited the operas in Santa Fe, Chicago, and Seattle. Her favorite opera memory is a production of Cosi fan tutte in Ravenna, Italy in a small jewel box of a theater, conducted by Ricardo Muti, and featuring unknown - but at the top of their form - young singers. Sound familiar? |
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William M. Weibel
Artistic Director
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Keith Chapman
Assisstant Artistic Director
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 Maestro William M. Weibel came out of retirement in 1999 to join Opera in the Heights. He had a very full and successful career as a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, Salzburg Festival, and many other top opera venues – including a one-year stint as assisstant to Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic. He visited Opera in the Heights and saw it a place where he could contribute something to the future: helping young singers to hone their craft. He has been doing that ever since. In addition to conducting the orchestra, he coaches, teaches, guides, and advises the singers in their musical expression. Maestro Weibel plans future seasons and auditions and selects singers for OH productions after listening to hundreds of young singers in Houston, New York City, and beginning in 2008, Chicago, too. He can claim credit for bringing the levels of professionalism and sheer performance value up dramatically. The company is no longer a small neighborhood venture, but one filling the house to capacity and getting international press coverage. |
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 Keith has been a steady member of the OH staff since 1999, but since he also played the piano for a fundraiser and a scenes program in 1996, you could say he has been with Opera in the Heights since its opening days. In his current position he is the liaison between the orchestra and the Maestro, marking the musical cuts in the scores and seeing that everyone gets their music. He provides piano accompaniment in rehearsal, and fills in with the orchestra during performance with a keyboard that mimics “missing” instruments, such as trombones or a harp. Keith has his BA degree in piano from North Texas State University and his master’s degree in piano from Rice University. His ‘day job’ fits him to a tee, as he is able to use his educational training every day as Music Catalog Librarian in Fondren Library at Rice. Keith is also active in the Music Library Association at the state and national level, having just returned from the national convention in Newport, RI. |
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