(Photo credit: Olivier Koning) Conductor, educator, and cultural activist Elizabeth Askren has been named the first-ever Principal Guest Conductor of Hawai’i Opera Theatre (HOT). Elizabeth Askren has serve as a master teacher at both The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductors and at the Paris Opera’s Academy. She made history by judging the Paris Philharmonic’s inaugural La Maestra Competition {…}
Stage director and former Artistic Director of Hawai’i Opera Theatre Henry Akina has died at the age of 68. Akina worked with the Hawaii Opera Theatre for more than 30 years and retired from his position as Artistic Director in 2017. His final opera with the company was Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann.” Akina was the first Hawai’i native to {…}
On Feb. 17, the Hawai’i Opera Theatre is set to open a production of “L’Elisir d’Amore” with a cast of rising stars making a house debut. Among the stars is Efraín Solís. The Latine singer is a graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship where he sang his first performances of Papageno in “Die Zauberflöte,” Dandini in “La Cenerentola,” {…}
Hawai’i Opera Theatre has announced its 2021-22 season. The company will open in October with a one-act program of opera arias directed by Artistic Advisor Jamie Offenbach. The performance, which will star soprano Elena Galván and baritone Hadleigh Adams, will be led by conductor Mark Morash. Performance Dates: October 2021 The company will also present an Opera Ball at the {…}
(Credit: Hawai’i Opera Theatre official website) The Hawai’i Opera Theatre has announced the upcoming digital world premiere of Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed’s newest opera “Hometown to the World” on May 21, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. HST. The stream will be available thereafter for purchase. The work was commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera and co-commissioned by the Hawai’i Opera {…}
Hawai’i Opera Theatre has announced that this year’s opera education programs will be going online, with the company set to present a double bill of free digital experiences for viewers across the islands and beyond. First will be one of Mozart’s earliest operas, “Bastien & Bastienne,” which will be presented through the new HOT Digital platform. The work will also {…}
Last month the Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre’s inaugurated the Opera Kanikapila session. The new series pairs opera singers with local musicians from different cultures to explore and combine their artistic abilities. Native Hawaiian Quinn Kelsey, one of opera’s leading baritones, inaugurated the series alongside Taimane Tauiliili Bobbie Gardner with a program of diverse operatic and Hawaiian music. Kelsey is well known {…}
The Hawai’i Opera Theatre has released a new video of Quinn Kelsey performing “Silent Night.” The new video is the latest project Kelsey has collaborated on with the Hawaiian company. Additionally, he is set to participate in the Hawai‘i Opera Theatre’s first kanikapila, an impromptu jam session. He will sing alongside Virtuoso ‘ukelele player, Taimane on Jan. 29 at 1:00 {…}
Hawai‘i Opera Theatre (HOT) is set to host its first kanikapila, and impromptu jam session, featuring HOT’s own international star, baritone Quinn Kelsey. Virtuoso ‘ukelele player, Taimane, will join Kelsey for the inaugural session on January 29 at 1:00 p.m.HST/6:00 p.m. EST. While the pandemic pushed music organizations to spin up virtual programming, HOT was moving in that direction prior {…}
Hawaii Opera Theatre has announced that it will be postponing its 2020-21 mainstage season and replacing it with a Digital initiative. The company was originally set ot perform “Madame Butterfly,” “Orpheus in the Underworld,” and “If I Were You” as part of its 2020-21 slate. However, due to ongoing concerns over COVID-19, the company has moved the three productions to {…}
The Hawaii Opera Theatre has announced its 2019-20 season. The season will feature three productions of some of the most beloved operas. The season opens with Puccini’s “Tosca” conducted by HOT Principal Conductor/Artistic Director Emmanuel Plasson. Performance Dates: Oct. 11, 13, 15, 2019 The second production of the season will be Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” featuring Starring Ryan Kuster in {…}
