There is a moment in the history of every great institution when it stops looking inward and starts looking outward. When the work of building an audience becomes the work of building a world. For Florida Grand Opera, celebrating its 85th anniversary season, that moment appears to have arrived. The Miami-based company has quietly assembled something with no direct precedent {…}
Photo by Jim Scholz/Opera Omaha During these summer months, we looked at three operas that epitomize the ways opera creates space to think about intersectional discussions and overlooked topics concerning three interconnected themes, namely race, feminism, and indigenous rights. In part one, we looked at race in Daniel Sonenberg‘s 2017 opera, ‘The Summer King,’ finding out how the complexities of {…}
It’s that time of the year again! The 2026-27 season is about to begin and audiences are getting ready to choose performances as they head back to the opera. With so much to choose from, OperaWire is breaking down 10 opera productions that are must-sees. “Lincoln in the Bardo” at the Metropolitan Opera – Oct. 19-Nov. 14, 2026 The Metropolitan {…}
This week Iwona Sobotka is set to make her debut at the Salzburg Festival in Verdi’s “Requiem.” The soprano has been performing at many of the great opera houses in the world and slowly expanding her repertoire. Verdi has been one of the composer’s with which Sobotka has been associated with singing “Otello,” “Simon Boccanegra,” “Il Trovatore,” and “La Traviata,” {…}
This week, Sebastiano Rolli is set to make his Arena di Verona debut conducting “Nabucco” in Stefano Poda’s acclaimed production. Rolli is well-known for his bel canto and Italian repertoire and has conducted at such houses as Slovak National Opera, Teatro Sociale in Rovigo, Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Teatro Verdi in Busseto, Teatro Regio di Parma, {…}
With the publication of Ross Benjamin’ translation of Daniel Kehlmann’s fictionalized story of Austrian filmmaker, Georg Wilhelm Pabst (1886-1967), The Director (2023/2025), preceded by German filmmaker Werner Herzog’s translated memoire, Every Man for Himself and God Against All (2022/2023), it’s fascinating to see how the opera-film relationship can be incredibly heterogeneous. While for Herzog, “when the whole world is transformed {…}
This week the Bayreuth Festival will open its 2026 season with “Rienzi,” a work that the festival has never performed. For the production, festival has aligned some of the greatest Wagnerians currently singing. Heading the charge will be Andreas Schager, one of the premiere tenors of the repertoire. Schager has performed the role for many years first in June 2011 at {…}
Photo Credits: Hudson Opera/RB Schlather (2017) Within contemporary American opera, there are many works whose lifespan betrays its contents. Even historical significance can’t save opera from being forgotten if it fails to find its audience. Works like Carlisle Floyd’s ‘The Passion of Jonathan Wade‘ (1962), Thea Musgrave’s ‘Simón Bolívar‘ (1994), Dorothy Moore’s ‘Frederick Douglass‘ (1985), Stewart Wallace’s ‘The Bonesetter’s Daughter‘ {…}
This week the Tiroler Festspiele Erl opens a production of “Der fliegende Holländer” with numerous rising stars including Nian Bezu, who will make her role debut as Senta. Bezu is a rising star who has performed at the Theater Baden, Finnish National Opera, Auditorio de Zaragoza, and Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, among many others. In anticipation for {…}
