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 {…}

May 14, 2022

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 {…}

Apr 30, 2022

A Second Debut – How Transgender Baritone Lucas Bouk Made a New Beginning With a New Voice

Credit: Karjaka Studios “As more people transition, the [opera] industry is going to realize that transgender singers are just like any other singers. I was transphobic in my own beliefs and thought; ‘The voice will be less. It won’t be operatic in quality.’ There are some risks, of course, but I have the same lyric baritone range as a lyric {…}

Apr 26, 2022

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 {…}

Mar 30, 2022

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 {…}

Mar 23, 2022

Q & A: Baritone Fabián Veloz on his Lyric Opera of Chicago Debut, Scarpia & His Fondest Memory at the Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires

Argentinean baritone Fabián Veloz is one of the most renowned opera artists in his country. His professional debut came in the South American premiere of “Estaba la Madre” at the Teatro Argentino in La Plata and he has gone on to perform with some of the major companies in the South American company including the Teatro Avenida, the Teatro Argentino, {…}

Mar 12, 2022

Q & A: Baritone Todd Thomas on ‘Rigoletto’ & His Passion for Verdi

(Photo: R. Tinker) The ever-elusive Verdi baritone. A voice with a unique timbre, range, expressive quality, and psychological immersion that manages to let us into the lives of the composer’s most complex and complete characters. A lot of baritones aspire to this title, but it’s not in the cards for most of them. But it was for Todd Thomas. Just {…}

Mar 4, 2022

Q & A: Gerard Schwarz on ‘The Leopard,’ Florida Audiences & Performing a World Premiere

(Credit: Ben VanHouten) On March 5, the Frost Opera Theater will present the world premiere of Michael Dellaira and J. D. McClatchy’s new work “The Leopard.” The opera is based on the 1958 novel, “Il Gattopardo,” by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa, which later became a 1963 epic historical drama film directed and co-written by Luchino Visconti. The opera will be {…}

Feb 27, 2022

Q & A: Étienne Dupuis on ‘Don Carlos,’ the French Version & David McVicar’s Production at the Met

(Credit: Yan Bleney) On Feb. 28, the Metropolitan Opera will showcase the company premiere of “Don Carlos,” the French version of Verdi’s opera. For the new production by Sir David McVicar, the company has lined up an all-star cast that includes Canadian baritone Étienne Dupuis. Dupuis has performed around the world at the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra de {…}

Feb 22, 2022

Humanitarian First, Singer Second: Nigerian-Born Soprano Abiodun Koya on Her Multi-Faceted Career

Soprano Abiodun Koya is about as multifaceted as a person can get: opera singer, poet, fashion designer, model, activist, and humanitarian, to name a few. But the title she’s most proud of? Humanitarian. The soprano is living out that purpose, singing in front of and meeting people who can effect positive change and help forward her foundation’s goals. The Abiodun {…}

Feb 16, 2022

Q & A: Powerful Mezzo-Soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano On Facing Challenging Roles in ‘Sketches from Frankenstein,’ ‘A Song By Mahler,’ & ‘The Hours’

Jennifer Johnson Cano has garnered critical acclaim for committed performances of both new and standard repertoire. For her performance as Offred in Poul Ruders’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” she was lauded as “towering…restless, powerful, profound, she is as formidable as this astonishingly demanding role deserves.” With more than 100 performances on the stage at The Metropolitan Opera, her most recent roles {…}

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