Q & A: Yongzhao Yu & Esther Maureen Kelly on Working with the New Jersey Symphony & ‘The Song of the Yangtze River’

On July 20, the New Jersey Symphony will perform at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. The performance will see Maestra Xian Zhang conducting the featured soloists Shanghai Isaac Stern-winning violinist Nancy Zhou (violin), Chopin-competition prize-winner Chelsea Guo (piano), Esther Maureen Kelly (soprano), and Yongzhao Yu (tenor) in a program entitled “East/West: A Symphonic Celebration.” The program will feature a wide variety of music inspired by China and {…}

Q & A: Tenor Allan Clayton on Schubert’s ‘Winterreise,’ His Process & An ‘Interesting’ Crossroads With Future Projects

   (© Sim Canetty-Clarke) At the pinnacle of the song cycle is Schubert’s “Winterreise.” It is a work that has been mythologized and has influenced generations of composers thereafter including Mahler, Britten, and Maury Yeston to name just a few. While written for tenor, it has nonetheless been recorded and performed by lower male voices as well as a plethora {…}

Q & A: Tenor Freddie De Tommaso on ‘Madama Butterfly,’ His Inspirations & What He’d Like to Change About the World

(Credit: CraigGibson) Originally having trained as a baritone, Freddie De Tommaso is an Anglo-Italian tenor from Tunbridge Wells who went from working in his Father’s High Street Italian restaurant to some of the great opera houses of the world. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and his star was launched when he won the Plácido Domingo Tenor Prize {…}

‘Ballo’ Chose Me – Joyce El-Khoury on Her Musical Journey, Creative Process & ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’

Praised for her unwavering vocal stamina, character portrayal, technique, and sublime timbral quality, Joyce El-Khoury has become one of the leading bel canto sopranos of our time. Not only an expressive dramaturge and highly sought after classical singer, but additionally a champion for classical singing advocacy in her home country of Lebanon with her “Lessons for Lebanon” work, El-Khoury epitomizes {…}

‘Voices of the African Diaspora’ – Rare Works by Black Composers Showcased by Art Song Colorado

(Photos Courtesy of Pam Chaddon, Chamber Orchestra of the Springs / Taken during rehearsal) Back in February, Eapen Leubner’s Art Song Colorado presented “Voices of the African Diaspora,” a concert dedicated to Black composers throughout the centuries. Audiences had the chance to listen to works by Joseph Bologne, H. Leslie Adams, George Walker, Jessie Montgomery, Andre Myers, and Undine Smith {…}

Building the Sorceress – Conductor David Bates & Mezzo-Soprano Madeleine Shaw on a New Approach to Purcell’s Iconic ‘Dido and Aeneas’

Perhaps no other figure in the history of the baroque period was so transformative, productive, and instrumental in the development of England’s musical heritage than Henry Purcell. He was a composer whose legacy is, somewhat remarkably, both famous and forgotten the world round. Having been born into a musical family—beginning his musical career as a boy chorister at the Chapel {…}

Q & A: Alexander Chance on Winning the Handel Singing Competition & Looking Ahead at the Future

(Credit: Nina Close) Alexander Chance is a fast-rising singer who became the first countertenor to win the International Handel Singing Competition. He has performed at Wigmore Hall, Musikfest Bremen, Nargenfestival in Tallinn, and The Grange Festival, among others. This season as he continues his rise with performances in Ravenna, Japan, Munich, Tel Aviv, and Prague, among many others. OperaWire had a {…}

Q & A: Adriana González on her U.S. Debut, Taking ‘Roméo et Juliette’ & the Challenge of Finding Her Voice

(Credit:  Marine Cessat-Bégler) Adriana González’s life changed in 2019. The lyric soprano competed in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition as one of 20 singers before heading over to Operalia and taking home first prize in both the opera and zarzuela competitions. Since then, her career has taken off in rapid succession with the soprano appearing in leading {…}

Q & A: Contralto Alessandra Visentin On Her Blossoming Career and Her Forthcoming Recording Of Respighi Rarities

(Photo: Brescia/Amisano) Italian contralto Alessandra Visentin is a singer who tends to operate below the radar. Athough rarely in the headlines, she is a singer who is forging a very successful career. She performs in major opera houses, and has just recently released her first solo recording “Per la Signora Geltruda,” a CD of works by Vivaldi. Anyone who has {…}