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Interviews
Q & A: Elizabeth Askren on Growing MaestraMagic! & Opera as a Comic Book
(Photo credit: J. Kraemer) Following the release of the Spanish edition of MaestraMagic!’s comic book, “La Flauta Mágica,” Dr. Elizabeth Askren sat down with OperaWire to discuss this creative journey. The project started as part of Askren’s mixed-media edutainment show that she created with her daughter Lily during the lockdown in 2020. The English version and first edition of the {…}
Q & A: Soprano Ruth Iniesta on ‘Jugar con Fuego,’ Zarzuela, ‘Rigoletto’ & ‘La Bohème’
(Credit: Gemma Escribano) This month Ruth Iniesta is set to return to the Teatro de la Zarzuela, where she will sing the role of La duquesa de Medina in “Jugar con Fuego.” The zarzuela by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, which premiered in 1851, is relatively unknown and for this production, the Madrid theater will present a new production. Throughout the past {…}
Q & A: Valeria Sepe on her Role Debut as Maddalena in ‘Andrea Chénier’ & Working with Jonas Kaufmann
Valeria Sepe is one most sought-after Italian sopranos of her generation. A graduate of the Conservatory “G. F. Ghedini” in Cuneo, she has performed at leading house in Firenze, Naples, Palermo, Parma and Verona, growing her reputation as a major Verdi, Puccini, and verismo interpreter. This season, Sepe will make her debut as Maddalena in “Andrea Chénier” and will sing {…}
Indie Opera
Kaileigh Riess Stars in ‘The Singing Cabinet of Mathilde LeBeau’
Opera on Tap is set to present “The Singing Cabinet of Mathilde LeBeau.” Soprano Kaileigh Riess and actress Carla Kissane star in the concert which is the first of six installations that total up to the full opera, “The Singing Cabinets.” The story follows an automaton constructed in the likeness of a Mathilde LeBeau, a celebrated opera singer, who mysteriously {…}
Regina Opera to Present Puccini Classic
Regina Opera Company is presenting Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” from Feb. 28 through March 8, 2026, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Brooklyn. The title role of Suor Angelica will be shared among three sopranos across the run. Sara Beth Pearson takes on the role Feb. 21 and March 1, Rachel Hippert sings the part Feb. 26 and March {…}