On June 14, the San Francisco Opera will revive its production “Dream of the Red Chamber” with an acclaimed cast including rising Korean star Konu Kim. The tenor first came on to the scene when he won first place at the Operalia Competition in 2016 and later broke out in 2019 when he performed at the Donizetti Opera Festival in {…}
Over the past years, Benjamin Appl has become one of the great recitalists and lieder singers of his generation. He has performed many of the major song cycles in the repertoire and has made Schubert, in particular, a signature. OperaWire has raved about the baritone stating, that he is a “consummate artist” and one of the “foremost interpreters of German {…}
(Credit: Elisa Haberer) Aigul Akhmetshina is considered one of today’s promising stars in the opera world and has been hailed for her “immaculate voice” and “delicate timbre.” She made history when she became the youngest Belvedere Competition Winner who debuted at the Royal Opera House as “Carmen” at the age of 21. Since then she has made major debuts at the {…}
This week, the Royal Opera House opens a new production of “Samson et Dalila” led by the company’s music and starring one of the great mezzo’s of our time. But perhaps what makes this production all the more exciting is the young tenor SeokJong Baek, who will make his house debut. The South Korean tenor, who began as a baritone, {…}
Ever since Terrence Blanchard’s opera “Champion” received its premiere in 2013, the opera has traveled to Washington D.C and San Francisco. It is also set to make its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2022-23 season. But before that, the Boston Lyric Opera will bring the work to its audiences after having been postponed in 2020. Leading the cast {…}
This week, the Dutch National Opera will present a new production of “Anna Bolena” with a stellar cast headlined by rising star, Raffaella Lupinacci in her house debut. The Italian Mezzo-soprano will bring her acclaimed Giovanna Seymour to the Dutch house. The mezzo has performed the role at the Teatro Carlo Felice and Lithuanian Opera where critics have raved stating, {…}
On May 7, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna will open a new production of “Lucrezia Borgia,” one of Donizetti’s most popular works and one that has become a vehicle for a star soprano to show her vocal fireworks. However, it is also one of the composer’s most dramatic works and one that contains some of Donizetti’s most mature music. In {…}
On April 29, the Houston Grand Opera will open a production of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette,” one of the most renowned French operas of all time and one that contains some of the greatest extended duets. And for this occasion The opera house has assembled a bright cast that includes the rising star, Adriana González. González is making her role {…}
(Credit: Sabrina Ceballos) Verdi’s “Alzira” is likely the composer’s least-known opera. Its rarely staged or performed and it received mixed reviews when it first premiered in 1845. This week the Bilbao Opera is reviving the work in a co-production with the Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú and Opéra Royal Wallonie-Liège with well-known Verdi singers including soprano Carmen Solis. The Spanish {…}
On April 10, the Opernhaus Zürich will revive its acclaimed production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The production will feature veteran performers and some of the most acclaimed interpreters of the opera. However, there will be a newcomer to the opera, Sandra Hamaoui. The French-American soprano will make her role debut as Gilda following her successful turn as Constance in a new {…}
On April 2, the Metropolitan Opera will revive a production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” with a new cast featuring some of the world’s greatest Mozartians and some rising stars. Among the rising stars set to grace the Met stage is Ying Fang who will sing her first Susanna on the Met stage. Having made her Met debut in 2013, {…}