Deafness & Opera In Monique Holt and Landon Krentz’s ‘Caustic Effect – An ASL Opera’

While operas that focus on disabilities in the positive, challenging conventional associations of disability and replacing them with affirmative messaging which reflects the tenaciousness of the individual over their situation, one of the last to be adapted into the operatic genre is deafness. Contemporary operas like Errollyn Wallen’s “The Paradis Files” based upon the life of Austrian composer Maria Theresia {…}

Apr 14, 2024

Artist of the Week: Miriam Khalil

This week the Edmonton Opera opened a new production of Golijov’s “Ayre,” a cycle of songs that offers a tour of the Mediterranean, particularly in that mixture of Spanish, Jewish, and Arabic influences. The work featured Miriam Khalil, a rising soprano who has established herself as one of Canada’s most versatile. In a short interview, Khalil spoke about the work: OperaWire: Tell {…}

Apr 4, 2024

Artist of the Week: Mariangela Sicilia

The Teatro alla Scala is set to revive “La Rondine” for the first time since 1994. The work is one of Puccini’s least-performed operas but has become better appreciated over the years as multiple sopranos have taken interest in the piece. For its new production, the famed theater is bringing a cast of rising stars including Mariangela Sicilia. The Italian {…}

Mar 10, 2024

Artist of the Week: Zara Houshmand

On March 10, 2024, Music of Remembrance will present the world premiere of “Phoenix,” a work that was inspired by the 16-year-old Nika Shakarami who joined other Iranian girls and citizens in protesting the death of Mahsa Amini and who died in the custody of the Iranian morality police after appearing in public without the mandated head covering. The new {…}

Mar 5, 2024

Artist of the Week: André Heller-Lopes

This week the Opera de Tenerife is set to present a new production of Dvořák’s most popular opera “Rusalka.” The work will include famed Spanish singers and will be directed by Brazilian director André Heller-Lopes, one of Latin America’s most popular opera directors. OperaWire spoke with Heller-Lopes regarding his ideas and inspiration for Rusalka. The following are the director’s thoughts {…}

Mar 4, 2024

Trekking Through American Opera (Part Three)

Photo Credit: Cannupa Hanska Luger Throughout this new series, we will be looking at the history of American opera beginning in the 2000s to the present through a revisit of certain iconic works of the decade and OperaWire’s coverage of them throughout the 21st century. In part two, we looked at five operas that reflect the incredible change in operatic {…}

Feb 28, 2024

Artist of the Week: Anle Gou

This week the Teatro Manoel di Malta is presenting Rossini’s “Armida” one of the composer’s most difficult operas and one that has six tenors. This week as the company presents the opera, Anle Gou will sing two of the opera’s tenor roles bringing out his superb Rossini tenor. Gou, who recently spoke with OperaWire about the technical challenges of Rossini {…}

Feb 27, 2024

National Sawdust & The Met Opera Present ‘Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity’

(Photo: Jill Steinberg) National Sawdust and The Met Opera presented “Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity” on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. This was the second installment of this three-part series that, according to the program, celebrates artistic convergence by investigating the intersection of innovation and tradition at National Sawdust. The evening included composer and co-founder of National Sawdust, Paola Prestini, and theater {…}

Feb 17, 2024

Artist of the Week: Eugene Brancoveanu

This week, Opera San José is set to bring a production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” with a cast of rising stars and veterans of San Jose including Eugene Brancoveanu. Brancoveanu is a Tony Award-winning baritone who became a Resident Artist of San Jose during the 2019-2020 season and stayed with the company until 2023. He became a favorite of the company {…}

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