Q & A: Artistic Director Alexander Steinbeis on the 40th Anniversary of Kissinger Sommer

(Photo Credit: Hanna Becker) Alexander Steinbeis assumed the artistic directorship of the Kissinger Sommer festival, succeeding Kari Kahl-Wolfsjäger and Tilman Schlömp, in April 2021. Previously, he served for 13 years as managing director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. In this role, he was responsible for the overall artistic planning, the introduction of numerous innovative concert formats, and worked closely with {…}

May 24, 2026

Q & A: Robin Norton-Hale on Filming ‘La Boheme’ & Her Upcoming Projects

Robin Norton-Hale is a multi-award-winning freelance writer and director for theatre, opera and film, currently based between London and Sheffield. She is the Artistic Director and CEO of English Touring Opera and an executive coach. She was the founding Artistic Director and Chief Executive of OperaUpClose, an award-winning opera company with a focus on inventive new English-language productions of {…}

May 21, 2026

Q & A: Baptiste Charroing on Leading the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées & the Weight of History

When Baptiste Charroing assumed the helm of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in September 2025, he brought with him something rare in the world of major opera houses: he already knew the place intimately. A trained viola player turned producer and arts administrator, Charroing had spent years working across some of France’s most distinguished musical institutions: from the Palazzetto Bru Zane, {…}

May 19, 2026

Q & A: Alexandre Dratwicki on Palazzetto Bru Zane, Clémence de Grandval’s ‘Mazeppa’ & Rediscovering Rare Works

Palazzetto Bru Zane has been on the forefront of the rediscovery and international promotion of the French musical heritage of the long nineteenth century. Its interests range from chamber music to the orchestral, sacred and operatic repertories, not forgetting the lighter genres characteristic of the ‘esprit français’ of the nineteenth century. Beginning in 2009, it has performed concerts and staged {…}

May 18, 2026

Q & A: Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate on His Journey, ‘Loksi’ Shaali,’ & Future Projects

(Photo Credit: Shevaun Williams) Few voices in contemporary opera carry the weight of history quite like Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. A citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and one of the foremost Native American classical composers working today, Tate has spent decades building a singular artistic mission: to bring Indigenous culture, language, and storytelling to the world’s great stages. His catalog spans {…}

May 15, 2026

Q & A: David Morales on Founding & Building Cantare Con Vivo

(Credit: Spencer Smith) How can we connect people, transforming separateness into unity? How can we create cohesion within our communities? How can a united community create a more harmonious society? David Morales, founder and artistic director of Cantare Con Vivo, believes that all this can happen through music: through the sounds of our hearts and our best intentions. When Morales {…}

May 11, 2026

Gabriela Lena Frank: Pipelines to Cultures, Stories, and Becoming the First Latina Opera Composer at the Met

(Credit: © Erik Castro) As music can travel through time, space, and lands, Gabriela Lena Frank has traveled through a multitude of worlds that now brings her to the Metropolitan Opera debuting her Spanish-language opera “El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego,” May 14th. Recent winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Music, the 25th anniversary Heinz Award, and the {…}

May 8, 2026

Q & A: Jordan Best & Lori Schulman on the Santa Cruz Opera Project

(Photos: courtesy of the artists) Chamber opera is growing in appeal. Not only with composers, such as Missy Mizzoli and Nico Muhly, but also with producers such as Pocket Opera and West Edge Opera looking for small and untraditional venues in which to present their work. Minimalist opera in small halls invariably attracts new, young, inquiring audiences and companies such {…}

May 7, 2026

Q & A: OperAffinity Founder Breana Stillman on Working with Organization & Festival’s Future, Working with Refugees & How Music Creates Connection & Understanding

It was during her years working as an opera singer in Germany that Breana Stillman first encountered the transformative power of the art form beyond the stage, specifically through children’s choirs involved in opera productions. What she witnessed there, the musical growth, the exposure to languages and cultures, the discipline and sense of community it fostered in young people, planted {…}

Apr 30, 2026

Q&A: Will Liverman on ‘Factotum: The Groom & Glow Lounge’ at Governor’s School for the Arts

(Photo credit: GSA) Will Liverman is one of the great baritones of his time performing at the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Atlanta Opera, Minnesota Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. In the midst of his run as Figaro in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” at Houston Grand Opera, Will Liverman took time to talk with OperaWire about “Factotum: The {…}

Apr 25, 2026

Q & A: Shepherd School of Music on Staging Verdi’s ‘Falstaff’ and Supporting the Future of Opera

On April 17, 2026, the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University raised the curtain on their mainstage production of Verdi’s comedic opus, “Falstaff.” Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the school has grown from its inception as Rice’s music department through the support of community partnerships and donors, and has developed into a vibrant and effective center of musical education and {…}

Behind the Scenes