Houston Grand Opera’s The Sound of Music Begins This Weekend. Yodelayheehoo!

Grammy Award-winning opera mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard has never “officially” yodeled before but she’ll be doing a bit of that on the Wortham stage starting Friday as she plays the lead role of Maria in the Houston Grand Opera production of The Sound of Music.

It’s the classic tale of Sister Maria, the Von Trapp children and Captain, their father, set in Austria as the Nazis begin taking over their country as a prelude to World War II. Amid this significant external  threat there’s all sorts of romantic longings going on adding to the general tension — interweaved with songs from both the musical and the movie adaptation.

This will be the first time Leonard will be Maria and she says it’s one of those roles that singers definitely want to do with its Rodger and Hammerstein’s music (“My Favorite Things,” The Lonely Gotherd,” “Maria,” “Edelweiss”) that even when the occasional dip into sexist lyrics fully qualify as earworms,.

“I think the music is extremely accessible. I think that in spite of the actual, very serious and harsh story that is this piece I think there is such a level of humanity that people  gravitate to this year after year,” Leonard says.

“It’s a great work that parents and any caregiver gravitates towards as far as showing kids. . Kids are more likely to watch things that have kids in them. I think that the joyous nature of the music  within the sort of grander not so joyous time in history, not joyous at all, it htood the test of time. Everyone I believe wants to live within moments of happiness and joy and I think this piece brings that to many people.”

She was contacted by HGO about doing it a few years back and in addition to the normal way of scheduling productions far in advance, COVID further delayed proceedings.

To prepare for the role, Leonard did look at what other performers had done — but not to mimic them, she says — and even listened to a few yodeling recordings.

This is a role that requires a lot of words and action, she says. “It is a ton of words. It is a lot of dialogue with unrepeated words. “Running around on stage can be challenging mixing that in with singing.”

And it’s long. Two hours and 48 minutes including one intermission.

It’s also got a lot of children on stage (and waiting in the wings in case one of them gets sick.  HGO says it held the largest audition in its history last fall when it hosted local youth vying to be part of the Von Trapp set of children.

“I’m actually more at ease when they’re around,” Leonard says. “They’re just lovely to be with.”

The show can be viewed on two different level with the youngest children seeing it as an adventure with great songs, while older children and adults recognize the multifaceted story it is telling, she said.

Leonard says she began singing in choir. Although she always liked musical theater, when she went to college she says she “hit a fork in the road” and decided to take the classical route at Julliard. “But I never lost my love for musical theater.” She did West Side Story with Philadelphia years ago and On the Town in San Francisco. “All those projects were part of my upbringing and make me happy as well. “

Growing up, she took ballet, tap an jazz dance classes for many years. While she never wanted dance as a career, “I was grateful that I did it because even when I stopped doing ballet, I kept going to classes that I wanted to. It gave me a physical ability on stage.”

Asked if she’s ever worn a nun’s costume before, Leonard starts laughing. “I’ve done Dialogue of the Carmelites a couple times and would say that’s where I’ve lived in a nun’s habit for an entire show.”

“I hope that when people come and see the show they just simply enjoy their evening.”

Performances are scheduled for April 26 through May 12 at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Tuesday Ap4ril 30; 2 p.m. Sundays and 1 p.m. Saturday May 11 at the  Wortham Center, 501 Texas. Sung in English with projected English text. For more information, call 713-2286737 or visit houstongrandopera.org. $25 to $210.