Dawn Upshaw & Brentano String Quartet to Bring ‘Dido Reimagined’ to San Francisco Performances

San Francisco Performances will present five-time Grammy Award winner Dawn Upshaw, along with the Brentano String Quartet, in “Dido Reimagined: A Response to Purcell’s Lament.” The program, scheduled for Jan. 12, 2023 at the Herbst Theatre, will feature numerous English works, including Purcell’s famed lament from “Dido and Aeneas.” The second half will showcase a new work composed by Pulitzer Prize winner Melinda {…}

CAL PERFORMANCES 2022 Review: Sunday in the Park with Jamie Barton & Jake Heggie

On April 3, 2022, CAL PERFORMANCES presented “Sunday in the Park,” a musical celebration that filled the heart, mind, and soul for nearly two hours. Two artists of exceptional talent—Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano extraordinaire and noted American composer and pianist Jake Heggie—offered a program ranging from Schubert and Brahms to Price and Heggie himself. The concert was a sheer and satisfying delight {…}

Q & A : Dingle Yandell on Digital Opera & Popular Music Videos With ‘What Power Art Thou’

(Credit: Zen Grisdale) The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is actively creating new life in the digital realm of opera by evolving the genre’s traditional standards and exploring alternate creative interpretations to share with audience members at a broader level through a new series called “music video remake” films. The aesthetic concept underlying OAE’s recent film which features bass-baritone {…}

BIPOC and Women-Led Wilmington Concert Opera Announces their First Completely Virtual Opera ‘Dido and Aeneas’

Wilmington Concert Opera will stream the company’s first complete virtual opera, Purcell’s “Dido & Aeneas,” on April 11 at 2:00 P.M. EDT, on Wilmington Concert Opera’s YouTube channel and includes a live chat with the cast. Based on an episode within Virgil’s epic poem, “The Aeneid” is Purcell’s sole opera and a central work of the Baroque canon regarded as {…}

Opera Meets Film: How ‘The Cold Song’ From Purcell’s ‘King Arthur’ Provides Emotional Depth in Maurice Pialat’s ‘A Nos Amours’

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a film section or a film in its entirety and highlight the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Maurice {…}

Boston Camerata to Stage Its First Digital Opera: ‘Dido and Aeneas, An Opera for Distanced Lovers’

Boston Camerata is marking the 40th anniversary year of the release of its landmark period-instrument recording of Purcell/Tate’s “Dido and Aeneas” with a new digital production of the opera set to stream from November 14-29. The cast is led by mezzo-soprano Tahanee Aluwihare as Dido and baritone Luke Scott as Aeneas. Bookending the performance is a presentation by musicologist Ellen {…}

Les Arts Florissants’ 2020 Dans Les Jardins de William Christie Festival Concludes This Weekend

Les Arts Florissants’ 2020 “Dans Les Jardins de William Christie” Festival opened in Thiré, France on August 22 with a performance of Handel’s “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato,” the composer’s pastoral based on the poetry of John Milton. The production kicked off the annual event that combines the thrilling beauty of Baroque music and the art of gardens. The {…}