Marina Costa-Jackson, Zachary Nelson & Nicole Cabell Lead North Carolina Opera’s 2022-23 Season

North Carolina Opera has announced its 2022-23 season, featuring two company premieres and audience favorites. Here’s what the company has in store for audiences. NCO will present its season opener and company premiere of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” in concert for one night only. The presentation stars Marina Costa-Jackson, Jonathan Burton, Levi Hernandez, and Donald Hartmann. NCO’s presentation of Puccini’s devastating {…}

Page to Opera Stage: Massenet & Puccini Create Plot Holes and Dramatic Tension in Adaptations of ‘Manon Lescaut’

(Credit: Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera) “Page to Opera Stage” looks at stories–real-life or fiction, old and new–that have inspired operas, and the ways these narratives have been edited and dramatized to fit a new medium. In this instalment, we look at one novel–Abbé Prevost’s ‘Manon Lescaut’–and the two (very different) audience favourite operas it inspired: Jules Massenet’s “Manon” and {…}

Théâtre des Champs-Elysées Announces Two Cast Changes for ‘Manon’

The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris has announced two cast changes for its upcoming performance of Massenet’s “Manon” on Sept. 15, 2021. The company announced that Vannina Santoni will sing the title role of Manon Lescaut replacing Patricia Petibon while Jean-Sébastien Bou will sing the role of Lescaut taking over for Arthur Ruciński. Santoni has performed the Massenet opera in Monte-Carlo {…}

Walter Fraccaro Replaces Roberto Aronica in ‘Manon Lescaut’ in Baluarte

(Credit: Opera Australia official website) The Baluarte auditorium in Pamplona has announced a second cast change for its upcoming semi-staged performances of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut.” The Spanish opera house announced that tenor Walter Fraccaro will take over the role of Des Grieux, replacing Roberto Aronica. This marks the second high-profile replacement after soprano Ainhoa Arteta was forced to cancel due {…}