Rolando Villazón, Ailyn Pérez, Angel Blue & Susan Graham Lead Santa Fe Opera’s 2023 Season

The Santa Fe Opera has announced its 2023 season and revealed its 19th world premiere slated for 2024. The company noted that in 2024, the company has commissioned a new opera by two of America’s most exciting talents, composer Gregory Spears and former US Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy K. Smith titled “The Righteous.” The 2023 Season  The Santa Fe Opera’s 66th Festival {…}

Cecilia Bartoli to Make Wiener Staatsoper Debut With Rossini Mania Series Alongside Opéra de Monte-Carlo & Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco

The Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco are set to appear at the Vienna State Opera as part of the Festival Rossini Mania. Particularly notable about this performance series will be the Vienna State Opera debut of opera star Cecilia Bartoli. “When Bogdan Roščić asked me if I would be interested in accepting a kind of carte blanche {…}

Rolando Villazón, René Pape, Sonya Yoncheva & Michael Volle Lead Berlin State Opera’s 2022-23 Season

The Berlin State Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring a new Ring Cycle. The Ring Cycle  Daniel Barenboim conducts a new production of Wagner’s epic The Ring Cycle by Dmitri Tcherniakov. Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” is set to star Michael Volle, Lauri Vasar, Siyabonga Maqungo, Rolando Villazón, Claudia Mahnke, Anett Fritsch, Anna Kissjudit, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Stephan Rügamer, Mika Kares, {…}

Anja Harteros, Saioa Hernández, Rolando Villazón & Nina Stemme Lead Deutsche Oper Berlin’s 2022-23 Season

The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced its 2022-23 season featuring seven new productions. Premieres R.Strauss’ “Arabella” will be conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles in a new production by Tobias Kratzer. Albert Pesendorfer, Doris Soffel, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Elena Tsallagova, and Russell Braun. Performance Dates: March 18-April 6, 2023 Arne Gieshoff and Franziska Angerer’s “Bear” will have its world premiere. Performance Dates: {…}

Natalie Dessay, Jakub Józef Orliński, Joyce DiDonato & Sabine Devieilhe Lead Théâtre des Champs-Elysées’s 2022-23 Season

The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées has announced its 2022-23 season featuring productions, operas in concerts, recitals, and orchestra performances. Here is a look at the vocal performances this season. Productions  Gluck’s “Orphée et Eurydice” will star Jakub Józef Orliński and Regula Mühlemann. Thomas Hengelbrock conducts the production by Robert Carsen which also stars Elena Galitskaya. Performance Dates: Sept. 21-Oct. 1, 2022 {…}

Adela Zaharia, Tuuli Takala, Rolando Villazón & Maria José Siri lead Semperoper Dresden’s 2022-23 Season

Semperoper Dresden has announced its 2022-23 season featuring 10 brand new and 30 returning productions in both opera & ballet and its Junge Szene program.  Here is a look at the opera productions Premieres  “chasing waterfalls Angus Lee/phase7/kling klang klong” makes its world premiere conducted by the composer Angus Lee and staged by Sven Sören Beyer. The cast includes Eir {…}

Broadway Star Brian Stokes Mitchell Accepts $100,000 Donation to the Actors Fund from The Tabernacle Choir

Photo: Allison Sullivan OperaWire attended a Dec. 8 media luncheon and discussion of the upcoming television presentation of “20 Years of Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir,” set to air on PBS on Dec. 13, and BYUtv on Dec. 16. The event featured Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle award-winner, Brian Stokes Mitchell, whose involvement with the choir spans over {…}

Cecilia Bartoli, Piotr Beczala, Ildar Abdrazakov, Maria Agresta & Rolando Villazón Headline Salzburg Whitsun Festival 2022 Season

(Credit: Luigi Caputo) The Salzburg Whitsun Festival has announced its 2022 slate, focusing on the Spanish city of Seville. “There are said to be 153 operas set in and around Seville. It is a city which unites a unique mixture of proud ancient cultures which has generated and inspired incredibly varied music and enchants visitors with its stunningly bright light, {…}

Rolando Villazón to Celebrate 50th Birthday

Rolando Villazón will celebrate his 50th birthday with a concert “Cinquentañero.” The concert, which will be held on Feb. 21, 2022, one day before his 50th birthday, will take place at the Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg. Many of Villazón’s closest collaborators will celebrate the famed tenor’s milestone birthday including Daniel Barenboim, Plácido Domingo, Charles Castronovo, Magdalena Kozena, Regula Muehlemann, Fatma Said, {…}