MasterVoices is set to close its 2023-24 season on April 17 at Carnegie Hall with a revised concert version of “The Grapes of Wrath.” The opera by composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Michael Korie is based on the epic novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck. Set in the Great Depression of the 1930s, it {…}
The Oratorio Society of New York is set to perform Handel’s “Messiah” for the 149th time on Dec. 18, 2023 at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. The Society continues its tradition of performing the work. The society first performed the Messiah on Christmas Day 1874 in Carnegie Hall under the baton of founding director Leopold Damrosch. For {…}
(Photo Credit: Jean-Louis Fernandez) Reviewing a new opera is always a hard task. Beyond the many difficulties of reflecting on an extremely elaborate piece of work, after only one or two hearings, there is also a major difficulty for the critic when addressing unavoidable questions like, “is the new work any good?” This often transforms itself into a more dangerous {…}
(Credit: Courtesy of Bowman Media) On April 20, 2023, Grammy Award-winning baritone John Brancy will give a recital of works at Café Carlysle. Joined by pianist Peter Dugan, the program will feature selections from Weill, Ravel, Porter, Brel, Hahn, Gershwin, and Rachmaninoff, among others. The duo has recently taken their journey to reinvent the recital to venues such as Carnegie {…}
Photos: Erin Baiano If you were to walk down a street, stop a stranger, and ask if they’ve heard of the opera “Carmen,” more than likely, many would say yes. Ask the follow-up question: What’s it about? There may be some head scratching and faces scrunched in concentration as they try to recall … “Bullfighter.” Whether it was in an opera {…}
Mastervoices is set to present the original version of Bizet’s “Carmen” with Jazz at Lincoln Center on Oct. 25, 2022. The opera will feature dialogue instead of recitative with an English translation by Sheldon Harnick. Mezzo Ginger Costa-Jackson, Terrence Chin-Loy, Mikaela Bennett, and John Brancy star in the production. Other cast members include Nicole Fernandez-Coffaro, Kimberly Sogioka, Zhengyi Bai, Michael {…}
Ted Sperling, Artistic Director of MasterVoices has announced details of the 81st season. The 2022-23 season opens at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center with Sperling leading a concert staging of Bizet’s “Carmen “in its original Opéra Comique version. Mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson heads the cast that also includes soprano Mikaela Bennett as Micaëla and baritone John Brancy as {…}
(Credit: Courtesy of Bowman Media) San Diego Opera has announced a major cast change for its upcoming production of “Così fan tutte.” The company noted that John Brancy will be joining the cast in place of Gihoon Kim, who had been scheduled to make his North American debut. However, per a press statement, he withdrew from the production due to {…}
On Nov. 21, 2021, the San Francisco Opera unveiled Michael Cavanagh’s new production of “Così fan tutte’ that rocked with energy, gaiety, verve, and abundance. The production worked on all fronts. The stage design, created by Erhard Rom, featured the so-called Wolfbridge Country Club, in the 1930s, complete with Fitness Center, Ballroom, Badminton Court, and Swimming Pool, unfolded lively and {…}
San Francisco Opera continues its season with Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” in a new production by Michael Cavanagh. The new production is part two of the Company’s Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy which sets the opera’s amorous deceptions and confusions in a 1930s American country club. The production is set to be conducted by Henrik Nánásiand will star sopranos, Nicole Cabell and {…}
The Opéra de Montréal has announced its 2021-22 season which will feature three opera productions plus an “Opera à la carte” series. First up, the company will present a double bill of “Riders” at Sea” and “Le Flambeau de la Nuit,” which will star Allyson McHardy, Andrea Núñez, Lucie St-Martin, Geoffrey Schellenberg, Sarah Dufresne, Mishael Jedidah Eusebio, and Matthew Li. {…}
