Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, now in its thirteenth year, is a cultural entity in Australia, made possible with the ongoing financial assistance of the Japanese businessman, philanthropist and spiritual leader, the mysterious Dr Haruhisa Handa. This time in every year (except for 2020, due to COVID cancellations), an enormous stage is erected on the water of Sydney Harbour, while {…}
North Carolina Opera has released its casting for “The Barber of Seville,” which will take place Feb. 2 and 4, 2024. Baritone Luke Sutliff takes on the leading role of Figaro. Bass-baritone Musa Ngqungwana sings Don Basilio, with tenor David Walton as Count Almaviva, mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali as Rosina, who is joined by bass-baritone Ben Brady as her guardian, {…}
(Photo credit: Adrien Coquet) Dr. Caitlin Vincent (University of Melbourne) and Dr. Amanda Coles (Deakin University) have published their findings on the gender inequality and the impacts of non-standard work in the US opera industry. The team tracked women’s representation as conductors, directors, and designers at the 11 largest opera companies in the United States – the Metropolitan Opera, Santa Fe {…}
Francesca Zambello has withdrawn from the Karol Szymanowski Competition as a jury member due to the competition’s decision to ban Russian music. In a letter to the competition, Zambello wrote, “I have just heard from Thomas Hampson about your rules for the exclusion of Russian repertory from the competition. I am against the actions of President Putin, but I am {…}
The Washington National Opera is set to present Richard Strauss’ “Elektra.” The opera, which is set to run between Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, 2022, will be directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello in her first staging of the work, and led by Principal Conductor Evan Rogister. In a statement, Zambello noted, “Strauss’ dramatic one-act opera promises 100 minutes of {…}
The Glimmerglass Festival has announced its 2022 season, which will mark Artistic & General Director Francesca Zambello’s 12th and final season in her leadership role with the company. The season will mark the return of the festival to its main hall for after presenting this past summer’s performances completely outdoors in the aptly named festival, “Glimmerglass on the Grass.” The {…}
San Francisco Opera is in the midst of its month-long festival dedicated to Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” In the coming weeks, Lois Silverstein will explore her experience not only revisiting the 2018 opera production but several of the events and panels presented by the company. “Feminism in the Ring” was the final conversation in San Francisco’s Virtual “Ring” Festival. Facilitated by Naomi {…}
The beauty of “Götterdämmerung” is not only that it is the artful conclusion to the massive cycle of thoughts, ideas, story, and feelings that are its previous operas, but that it is its own lift to all that precedes it. Love and lust, jealousy and power, greed and hate, infinity and finitude, community and individualism – all take their place {…}
A few weeks back, we did a word search tasking you to find the names of these iconic producers and directors. Well, we’re back for part two and this time, the onus is on you to recall or investigate for the names in order to fill out the crossword puzzle. Instructions: You are free to solve the crossword directly on {…}
San Francisco Opera is in the midst of its month-long festival dedicated to Wagner’s “Ring Cycle.” In the coming weeks, Lois Silverstein will explore her experience not only revisiting the 2018 opera production, but several of the events and panels presented by the company. The landscape of the American West became the environmental directive for the 2018 Ring for Francesca Zambello. {…}
When it comes to operatic forces in the directing space, few have been as potent as Francesca Zambello. One of the few women to shine on the directorial scene during a time when directors were virtually all men (especially in the opera world), Zambello not only established her own signature style and voice but rose to leadership positions at several {…}