Prestigious HGO Program's New Music Director Arrives from San Francisco

ONE OF THE country’s most prestigious opera-training programs, HGO Studio has announced its next music director.

Maureen Zoltek will guide the artistic development of rising-star opera greats beginning in September, when she arrives from California, where she most recently has been with the San Francisco Opera as assistant conductor, vocal coach and orchestral keyboardist. She is also on faculty at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West.

Over the course of its 45-year history, HGO Studio has become a distinguished young-artist program known globally for its ambitious integration of its members with mainstage artists and production teams. HGO itself leads the field in commissioning and producing world-premieres, and Zoltek is an active proponent of new works; this summer she has been working on John Adam’s Antony and Cleopatra, an upcoming world-premiere at San Francisco Opera.

“I am inspired by the HGO Studio’s legacy of excellence, and am privileged to now be a part of its leadership,” said Zoltek, who holds a doctorate in musical arts, in a statement. “I look forward to working with and nurturing the exceptional talents of the Studio Artists, and to giving them my unwavering, enthusiastic support and guidance as they navigate a career in this most incredible art form.”