Q & A: Merola Opera Program Leadership on How Cultivating Awareness Makes Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” an Urgent Story Visible Today

Photo Credit: Kristen Loken Merola Opera Program presents Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” on July 13th and 15th at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, with director Jan Essinger, conductor Judith Yan, and a creative team including intimacy coordinator Maya Herbsman. Merola will also host a special conversational forum, post-performance on Saturday, July 15th with the creative team and {…}

Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2023 Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Photo: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Tristram Kenton Normally, ‘heritage’ productions make me nervous. The established stagings summon to mind lumbering Zeffirelli-esque spectacles and unwieldy, moth-eaten costumes. Opera houses resting on their artistic laurels, unwilling take artistic risks. The ingrained conservatism in the opera business that could even prove fatal for the art form.  But, Peter Hall’s production of Benjamin {…}

Lina González-Granados to Lead Los Angeles Opera’s ‘The Rape of Lucretia’

The Los Angeles Opera has announced that it will present a concert showcase of Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” on Jan. 20, 2023. The opera will be conducted by Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados who will lead a performance headlined by singers from the company’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino will take on the lead role with baritone {…}

Peter Brathwaite, Nicky Spence, & Fleur Barron Among Stars Featured in Britten Pears Arts Fall 2022 Lineup

Britten Pears Arts has announced its Autumn 2022 season that includes “The Blue Woman,” a new opera by Laura Bowler and Laura Lomas, a new production of “The Rape of Lucretia,” and Britten song cycles performed by opera stars. Here’s the lineup. Composer Laura Bowler and librettist Laura Lomas’ new opera, “The Blue Woman,” explores the aftermath of sexual violence, {…}