(Photo Credit: Ken Howard) Does opera seen at the movies count as its own experience? With the advent of streamed opera in movie theaters, the idea that filmed opera can somehow replace or make up for the real-life experience is a touchy point. Of course, one can’t compare the feeling of being in an opera house with being in a {…}
Nearly thirty years ago, Ryan Brown created Opera Lafayette (OL), an organization dedicated to exploring baroque opera and its history via implementing period-instruments. But after being at the helm of the company and shepherding its growth into one of the major torchbearers for early opera performance tradition around the world, he’s decided to step away in 2025. In his place {…}
(Photo credit: Heidi Solander) Back on July 29, Santa Fe Opera premiered a new production of Monteverdi’s seminal “Orfeo,” directed by Yuval Sharon. And while that in and of itself makes for a compelling and unique story, adding a unique layer to the experience was the fact that this production also features a new orchestration of the work by “the {…}
(Photo © Rikimaru Hotta) When he was 10-years-old, Kazushi Ōno went to the opera for the first time. What opera did he witness? “La Traviata.” He was hooked. This led him to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before he headed off to Germany to study as a scholar of the Japanese Ministry of Culture {…}
(Photo © Aline Paley) Thirty years ago, Martin Engstroem found himself in a place he had always dreamed of. During his formative years in music management, he dreamt of helping build the careers of up-and-coming artists and creating a unique experience. He is full of ideas and works alongside the biggest names in the classical music business, mainly conductors and {…}
Photo Credit: Kristen Loken Merola Opera Program presents Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” on July 13th and 15th at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, with director Jan Essinger, conductor Judith Yan, and a creative team including intimacy coordinator Maya Herbsman. Merola will also host a special conversational forum, post-performance on Saturday, July 15th with the creative team and {…}
Back in April, Searchlight Pictures released the film “Chevalier” about Joseph Bologne, one of the most acclaimed black composers of his generation. The film premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto Film Festival and was distributed theatrically throughout the USA. A few months ago, the company released it on Hulu for streaming. With the film now widely available, OperaWire had {…}
With the proposal to reconstruct the world’s first public opera house, Venice’s Teatro San Cassiano, developing apace, OperaWire took the opportunity to meet up with its artistic director, Andrea Marcon, to discuss his aims, justifications, expectations, and hopes for the project. Marcon is one of the world’s leading exponents of baroque repertoire and has conducted performances across the globe, from {…}
Earlier this month, Catapult Opera released “SWANN,” a short film by Tamar-kali and James Blaszko, that spotlights William Dorsey Swann, “the first person known to dub himself a ‘queen of drag’ and the first American on record to pursue legal and political action to defend the LGBTQ+ community’s right to gather.” Tamar-kali is a Brooklyn native who is a multi-hyphenate artist {…}
At age seven, Stefano Vignati heard a recording of Maria Callas. It was the 1964 “La Traviata” from the Maggio Musicale. He was instantly hooked. “That was my first and and I was, you know, completely caught from this,” the Artistic Director and Founder of the International Lyric Academy told OperaWire in an interview. From there, he would chart a {…}
French stage director Laurent Pelly is one of the most prolific and renowned stage directors today. Many of his productions are still being performed after premiering 20 years ago. He is a specialist in French repertoire and comedy. He also designs the costumes of his creations. His productions can be seen all over the world from Japan and Europe to {…}