This week the Santa Fe Opera is set to present its 16th world premiere. The company, which has been an advocate for new opera, will present the fifth opera by Poul Ruders, “The Thirteenth Child.” The work, which tells the story of a paranoid king who banishes his 12 sons in favor of Lyra, the thirteenth child. But when Princess Lyra {…}
(Credit: Opera National de Paris) What do you do when you have sung the title roles of “Madama Butterfly,” “Il Tabarro,” “Suor Angelica,” “Manon Lescaut” “Turandot,” and “Tosca,” six of the most challenging and iconic Puccini roles? You take on a lighter and popular work; “La Bohème.” After having sung these challenging roles, Hui He will make her role debut {…}
The role of Carmen is one of the most iconic in the repertoire. It’s a role that most mezzos dream of performing for its famous arias and its complex heroine. This week mezzo-soprano Raffaella Lupinacci sings the title role for the first time in her career. Lupinacci will bring her first interpretation of the title role to the prestigious Luglio {…}
(Credit: James Gill) Elizabeth Caballero has slowly built up her international presence to great acclaim in an array of roles, across international and regional houses. Now she brings her “radiant voice” to the legendary Palacio de Bellas Artes for the first time in a highly anticipated role debut. For her house debut, Caballero is set to add the role of {…}
(Credit:: Monika Rittershaus) This week the Bayerische Staatsoper is set to present a new production of Strauss’ “Salome.” The opera is considered one of the most complex and difficult roles in the repertoire and only a great diva can truly master the physical, vocal and acting challenges of the role. For the title role, the Munich company is set to {…}
This week, Terrence Blanchard will present his second opera “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.” The work is set to world premiere at the Opera Theater Saint Louis and soprano Karen Slack will be headlining the production. In recent years the American soprano has garnered acclaim for her work in contemporary opera and distinguished herself for her powerful voice. Her {…}
Ekaterina Bakanova is one of today’s rising stars, performing some of the most demanding roles in the lyric repertoire and making important house debuts around the world. In the past few years, she has steadily conquered such houses as the Royal Opera House, Semperoper Dresden, Wexford Opera Festival, Teatro La Fenice, and Teatro Regio di Torino. This week she will {…}
This week baritone Lucia Lucas will break a glass ceiling in the United States by becoming the first trans woman to perform a principal role on the operatic stage in the U.S. Lucas will make her U.S. debut at the Tulsa Opera singing the title role of “Don Giovanni” after taking Europe by storm over the years. Lucas has reached {…}
Riccardo Frizza is one of today’s leading conductors specializing in the Italian repertoire and bringing a fresh and unique approach to the Bel Canto style. Throughout the past years he has reinvigorated the repertory, finding new critical editions and performing complete versions without the standard cuts. He has also performed rarely performed works while bringing new subtleties to standard pieces. {…}
Ryan McKinny continues to rise the ranks as one of the great American bass-baritones of his time and this week he makes his second role debut of the season in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” He will be featured in a new production for the Houston Grand Opera. Throughout the past years, McKinny has had a career mixed with classic works by {…}
Puccini was known for his tragic operas and melodic genius as well as his exploration of musical landscapes. And then “Gianni Schicchi” came along, showing the composer’s ability to expand beyond drama with one of the most important comedies in the repertoire. The title role became synonymous with numerous baritones as it gave them the ability to explore their versatility {…}
