Roberto Alagna is a renowned French-Sicilian tenor whose career could grace a fairy tale novel. Considered to be the least talented in a large family of musicians, he nonetheless spent his youth busking around Paris cabarets, singing pop music accompanied with his guitar. But his passion, fired by Mario Lanza films, was opera and, largely self-taught, he pursued that dream. {…}
The world of opera is a rapidly changing place. Yet, at the heart of operatic theater is a desire to say something, to share something that is close to the core of being human. Opera allows composers to synthesize local culture with classical traditions while simultaneously infusing opera with popular music, jazz, and extended techniques across the many centuries of {…}
At the age of 21, mezzo-soprano Giuseppina Bridelli made her professional debut in the role of Despina under the baton of Diego Fasolis, since which time she has been on what appears to be a never-ending upward trajectory. Now firmly established as one of the leading interpreters of the baroque repertoire, she is an artist constantly in demand, performing at {…}
The end of this month sees the start of Ireland’s Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, which this year will be performing Verdi’s “Macbeth.” The staging will take place in the grounds of Lismore Castle, the perfect backdrop for evoking the atmosphere of murder, treachery and ghostly interventions, set within the walls of Inverness and Dusinane castles. The director bringing this to {…}
Milanese Stefano Secco studied piano and singing with Alberto Soresina, and also graduated in percussion under the renowned Tullio De Piscopo. He has also trained with Franco Corelli, Franca Mattiucci, Leyla Gencer and Renata Scotto. He has performed in opera houses around the world with an expansive repertoire, has made extensive audio and video recordings, and has won a number {…}
The Greek National Opera is currently performing a production of Cherubini’s rarely performed opera “Medea.” The run of the opera is part of the company’s tribute to the centennial of Maria Callas’ birth. Callas was well known for rediscovering “Medea” and made it one of her signature roles. She went on to perform it more than 30 times at the Dallas {…}
It is a very busy time for Brazilian pianist Ramon Theobald, as he is preparing the singers of Paris Opera’s Atelier for their production of Rossini’s “La Scala di Seta.” He works as both pianist and assistant conductor. Amid the intense routine of rehearsals, he found some time to explain further about work as a pianist in an Opera house. {…}
Ever since NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) were first introduced to the world in 2014—thanks to artist Kevin McCoy employing a digitized, hard-to-trace, and decentralized form of financial transactions known as the blockchain—what it means to fundraise has never been the same. While some see NFTs as a waste of time, others have capitalized on its ostensible uses. Many artists argue NFTs {…}
Irish mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan is due to return to her home city of Cork in early May, where she will be performing Charlotte in Irish National Opera’s nationwide tour of Massenet’s “Werther.” Over the past few years, the young singer has witnessed her profile rise quickly on the European opera circuit, notching up regular performances in Munich and Zurich as {…}