(Credit: Cory Weaver) On August 21, the San Francisco Opera will return to the stage after a year and a half of no performances due to the pandemic. The company will revive a production of “Tosca” with an all-star cast including Ailyn Perez in her role debut and Michael Fabiano in his U.S. role debut in Shawna Lucey’s acclaimed production. {…}
(Credit: Rossini Opera Festival) The Rossini Opera Festival is back in full swing after COVID-19 and is presenting one of the composer’s rarely performed Opera Seria, “Elisabetta Regina d’Inghilterra.” The opera is best known for having the same overture as “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” and for depicting one of the most famous queens in history. For the iconic role, the {…}
This week’s word search will shine a light on interpreters of one of opera’s greatest villains. Instructions: You are free to solve the word search directly on your mobile or desktop device; just click the first and last letter of each word for it to appear on the screen. For those using a mobile device, we highly recommend turning it {…}
(Credit: © Wiener Staatsoper/Taylor) This week the Salzburg Festival continues in full swing with a new production of Händel’s oratorio “Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno.” The production is a revival from the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, which premiered to great acclaim and brings together the same cast from that very festival, with one exception. This time Regula Mühlemann will {…}
For this week’s Word Search, we turn to the world of opera basses. Instructions: You are free to solve the word search directly on your mobile or desktop device; just click the first and last letter of each word for it to appear on the screen. For those using a mobile device, we highly recommend turning it horizontal to maximize {…}
(Credit: Paolo Conserva) The Festival Valle d’Itria is well known for presenting obscure, neglected, or rarely performed works and always explores diverse themes. This year the festival’s theme is “Fiat Lux” meaning a new beginning. Among the program this year are works by Scarlatti and Haydn. There will also be a production of Porporra’s “L’Angelica,” a serenata from 1720. The {…}
(Credit: New York World-Telegram / Wolfson, Stanley) OperaWire is proud to present “The Wonderful World of Opera Dogs,” a series by Diana Burgwyn, which will focus on the relationship between opera’s most iconic stars and their beloved canines. The creation of this series and all research necessary for each individual piece were conducted solely by Diana. To learn more about {…}
Every year the Bard Summerscape presents a rarely performed work that audiences and singers get to discover. The festival has presented works from Dvorak, Korngold, Moniuszko, Weber, and Mascagni to name a few. This year, the festival will present Chausson’s only opera “Le roi Arthus” with a cast of rising stars and veterans. Norman Garrett will take on the title {…}
As we did with the last quiz, we’re going to have some fun with some of opera’s major repertory staples. This week we look at Verdi’s seminal “Rigoletto.” The quiz will not only test your knowledge of its musical passages, story points, as well as some other miscellaneous information. My hope is that this quiz will provide some new and {…}
