The Washington National Opera is set to present “Opera in the Outfield” at the Nationals Park on Sept. 30, 2023. The event will be hosted by WNO General Director Timothy O’Leary and WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and will be sponsored by Mars. The event will feature family activities and pre-show performances at 5 p.m., followed by an outdoor broadcast {…}
The Washington National Opera has made two major appointments. The company announced that Chelsea Antrim Dennis would be its Director of Production, while Samuel Gelber would take on the role of Director of Artistic Planning and Operations. “We are excited to welcome Chelsea to the WNO and Kennedy Center families and to be continuing our collaboration with Sam in this {…}
(Credit: Suzanne Vinnik) The Washington National Opera (WNO) will close out its 2022-2023 season with Puccini’s “La Bohème.” The production will run between May 13-27, 2023 at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The famed opera will star Gabriella Reyes, Gihoom Kim, Blake Denson, Kang Wang, Peter Rose, and Jackeline Echols. Also on the cast roster are WNO Fellows Tiffany Chang, {…}
Photo credit: Dallas Symphony In recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Washinton National Opera announced Katherine Goforth as the first recipient of the “True Voice Award.” The new award was created specifically for transgender or nonbinary opera artists by the creators of “As One,” Kimberly Reed, Laura Kaminsky, and Mark Campbell in collaboration with Washington National Opera. The “True {…}
Washington National Opera has announced the 2023- 2024 Cafritz Young Artists cohort. The first-year artists are sopranos Tiffany Choe and Kresley Figueroa, mezzo Winona Martin, tenor Sahel Salam, bass Sergio Martinez, and pianist Pei-Hsuan Lin. Returning, second-year artists are soprano Tersa Perrotta, contralto Cecilia McKinley, tenor Jonathan Pierce Rhodes, baritones Justin Burgess and Jonathan Patton, and pianist Nicole Cloutier. Cafritz {…}
The Washington National Opera has announced its 2023-24 season featuring a new world premiere. The season opens with the world premiere of Jeanine Tesori’s new work, “Grounded,” in a co-production that was initiated and commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. Adapted from the play by George Brant and featuring his libretto, “Grounded” tells the story of Jess, an elite female F-16 {…}
Denyce Graves is set to headline Washington National Opera’s “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson” this January. The work, which will be presented at the Terrace Theater on Jan. 20 – 22, 2023 (three performances with two on the 22nd), will feature Graves in the role of Dawson, the founder of the National Negro Opera Company. Carlos Simon and Sandra {…}
Composer, librettist, and singer Ashi Day is a composer with a strong penchant for revitalizing opera’s antiquarian stories and gender hierarchy. As one of the eight women to receive funding as part of Opera America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers (OGWC), her present chamber opera project, “Waking the Witch” is scheduled to receive its first workshop performance December 9-10th at {…}
The Washington National Opera has announced the 10th anniversary of its “American Opera Initiative: Three 20-Minute Operas.” The three works that will be presented on Jan. 21, 2023, at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater include B.E. Boykin and Jarrod Lee’s “Oshun,” Jens Isben and Cecelia Raker’s “Bubbie and the Demon,” and Silen Wellington and Walken Schweigert’s “What the Spirits Show.” {…}
Christine Goerke was named a Chevalier de l’orde des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. The soprano receive the distinction on Nov. 6 at the Kennedy Center November 6 following a performance of “Elektra.” The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres was established by the French government in 1957 to recognize artists who have made a significant contribution {…}
The Washington National Opera is set to present Richard Strauss’ “Elektra.” The opera, which is set to run between Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, 2022, will be directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello in her first staging of the work, and led by Principal Conductor Evan Rogister. In a statement, Zambello noted, “Strauss’ dramatic one-act opera promises 100 minutes of {…}