Chautauqua Opera Company & Conservatory Unveils 2023 Season

Chautauqua Opera Company and Conservatory has announced its 2023 season. The season kicks off with “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Steven Osgood conducts and Dennis Whiteheard Darling directs. The opera stars Kevin Burdette, Eve Gigliotti, Amanda Lynn Bottoms, Arnold Livingston Geis, Michael Colman, Angela Yam, Louis Tiemann, Felix Aguilar Tomlinson, and Brian Jeffers. Performance Dates: June 30 {…}

Q & A: Intendant Thomas Bockelmann On COVID-19 Safety Protocols at Staatstheater Kassel

(Photo Credit: Staatstheater Kassel) When COVID-19 spread quickly across the globe earlier this year,  the entire opera world was forced into a lengthy shutdown. And despite continued concerns over the deadly virus, companies slowly found ways to return to some degree of normalcy. Thomas Bockelmann, the Intendant of the Staatstheater Kassel, took on this challenge head-on and recently spoke to {…}

Katarina Bradić, Vlada Borovko & Egils Silins Lead Staatstheater Kassel 2020-21 Season

Credits: (Dragana Branković / Intermusica Official website / Egils Silins official website) The Staatstheater Kassel has announced the complete casts for its 2020-21 season. Here is the full rundown. Premieres “L’Ultimo Sogno,” one act opera by Giuseppe Verdi and Carlo Ciceri will feature Vlada Borovko in the role of Violetta Valéry, Giordano Lucà as Alfredo Germont, while Cozmin Sime and {…}

Q & A: Conductor Rebecca Tong & Mezzo-Soprano Tahanee Aluwihare on City Lyric Opera’s ‘La Tragédie de Carmen’

New York’s City Lyric Opera recently staged a gritty production of Peter Brook’s adaptation of Bizet’s “Carmen,” “La Tragédie de Carmen.” The opera, an 80-minute chamber piece, retains the musical highlights of Bizet’s original, and brings into sharp focus the tragic stories of the four principal characters: Micaëla, Don José, Carmen, and Escamillo as they collide with one another and {…}

City Lyric Opera 2018-19 Review: La Tragédie de Carmen

Much can and will continue to be said, about the standard repertoire’s misogynistic themes in the era of #MeToo. The male gaze dominates the canon, and City Lyric’s revival of Peter Brook’s 80-minute chamber opera “La Tragédie de Carmen”—an adaptation of Bizet’s grand opera—explores the tragedy surrounding the four principal characters, particularly that of Carmen. The production was produced, conducted, {…}

Q & A: Tenor Matthew Pearce on Interpreting Don José in ‘Carmen’ & ‘La Tragédie de Carmen’

“Carmen” is one of the most iconic operas ever written. It is performed everywhere around the world and in recent years, directors have tried to find new ways to reinterpret the story, sometimes even changing major components. This isn’t new for an opera like “Carmen,” which actually exists in another well-known version “La Tragédie de Carmen.” While not performed as often {…}

7 New Productions & 4 World Premieres Headline Royal Opera House’s 2017-18 Season

The Royal Opera House has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature four World Premieres, seven new productions of established repertory classics and one concert performance. The New Productions The season opens on Sept. 11 with Richard Jones’ new take on Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Michael Fabiano leads the cast on opening night, though such notable artists as Maria Agresta, Benjamin {…}