As COVID cases continue to rise in Texas, Houston Grand Opera has made the decision that arts organizations around the country have rolled out over the past few months: to officially cancel its entire 2020–2021 season, with plans to resume performances in fall 2021.

The latest closure extension impacts two productions the company had planned in 2021: Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s Breaking the Waves and a presentation of The Sound of Music. Alternative programming for both titles will be announced later.

In the meantime, HGO has added some additional offerings to its digital slate, including a filmed version of the song cycle Songs for Murdered Sisters. The piece, which was originally scheduled to play in-person, is baritone Joshua Hopkins’ musical response to grief after his sister Nathalie and two other women were murdered. Jake Heggie composed the music, set to poems by Margaret Atwood. James Niebuhr directs the filmed version, to be released online February 19, 2021.

Next month will bring The Snowy Day Project, marking a collaboration between the The Snowy Day team of composer Joel Thompson and librettist Andrew David Pinkney and documentarian Annalise Ophelian. Next May, director Lileana Blain-Cruz will helm a presentation of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, blending live performances and animations by artist Hannah Wasilieski.

For more information, visit HGO.org.