Halle Opera House to Stage Rare Schreker Opera ‘Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin’

https://operawire.com/halle-opera-house-to-stage-rare-schreker-opera-das-spielwerk-und-die-prinzessin/

The Halle Opera House is set to stage Franz Schreker’s rarely performed opera “Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin” on April 11, 2026, with further performances running through May 24. The work will be conducted by Fabrice Bollon with Nele Lindemann directing, and the Halle State Orchestra performing. Thomas Weinhappel stars as Master Florian, with Franziska Krötenheerdt as The Princess, Chulhyun {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q &A: Sara Cortolezzis on her Royal Opera House Debut, Verdi & the Challenges of Being a Young Artist

https://operawire.com/q-a-sara-cortolezzis-on-her-royal-opera-house-debut-verdi-the-challenges-of-being-a-young-artist/

Winner of the first prize “Carlo Bergonzi” and the special prize “Renata Tebaldi” for the best female voice at the 58th Voci Verdiane International Singing Competition in Busseto in 2022, Italian soprano Sara Cortolezzis’ star is on the rise. Since taking that top prize, her career has expanded rapidly, with high-profile role debuts as Leonora in “Il Trovatore” at the {…}

Special Features

While Opera House Goes Dark Independent Festivals Shine in Portugal

https://operawire.com/while-opera-house-goes-dark-independent-festivals-shine-in-portugal/

When Lisbon’s national opera house, the Teatro São Carlos, closed its doors in 2024 for preservation and maintenance of its historic character, along with a much needed modernization of its backstage facilities, the initial announcement suggested a relatively contained closure lasting perhaps a couple of seasons. With the project now expected to extend at least into 2028, the institution has {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opera Australia 2026 Review: The Drover’s Wife

https://operawire.com/opera-australia-2026-review-the-drovers-wife/

George Palmer and Leah Purcell’s “The Drover’s Wife” had its world premiere in Brisbane in May and saw its first Sydney performance on August 7. In the program booklet, Opera Australia CEO Alex Budd says it is Opera Australia’s first First Nations work at the Sydney Opera House. In the words of the work’s co-librettist, director, and instigator Purcell, “Opera {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Soprano Stephanie Hershaw on Singing for ‘Amadeus’ & Preparing for Vache Baroque’s Semi-Opera of ‘The Tempest’

https://operawire.com/q-a-soprano-stephanie-hershaw-on-singing-for-amadeus-preparing-for-vache-baroques-semi-opera-of-the-tempest/

(Photo: Viktoria Orel) Experimental operatic powerhouse Vache Baroque has cast Stephanie Hershaw in the role of the spirit Ariel in a new production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” — a “semi-opera” in partnership with multi award-winning theater group Out of Chaos and soundscape artist Dan Samsa. Paul O’Mahony (artistic director of Out of Chaos) and Vache Baroque’s co-founding music director Jonathan {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Rossini Opera Festival 2026 Review: Il viaggio a Reims

https://operawire.com/rossini-opera-festival-2026-review-il-viaggio-a-reims/

(Photo: Rossini Opera Festival) “The Journey to Reims” occupies a singular place in Gioachino Rossini’s catalogue today: few could have imagined that a work conceived as a circumstantial celebration of the coronation of Charles X would, two centuries later, become one of the most emblematic titles of the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) in Pesaro and a veritable testing ground for {…}

News

Thomas Hampson & Melanie Diener to Lead Seventh International Opera Workshop Waiblingen

https://operawire.com/thomas-hampson-melanie-diener-to-lead-seventh-international-opera-workshop-waiblingen/

The International Opera Workshop Waiblingen will hold its seventh edition from Sept. 12 through 19 in Waiblingen, Germany. Twelve singers selected from a competitive international pool will participate in six days of public masterclasses before performing alongside soprano Melanie Diener, baritone Thomas Hampson, and the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen under chief conductor Ariane Matiakh in a program of arias by Wagner, {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Jarvus Ricardo Hester on Founding & Managing Harlem Collective Opera, WHRL Mood Radio Harlem, Mood Magazine NYC

https://operawire.com/q-a-jarvus-ricardo-hester-on-founding-managing-harlem-collective-opera-whrl-mood-radio-harlem-mood-magazine-nyc/

Jarvus Ricardo Hester is thinking about opera beyond the traditional theater. As the founder of Harlem Collective Opera, he is exploring how classical music can become more intimate, accessible, and connected to the communities it serves. At the heart of that work is the Black Composer Project, an exploration of Black art song that has grown into something larger than {…}