(Credit: Paolo Conserva) The Festival Valle d’Itria is well known for presenting obscure, neglected, or rarely performed works and always explores diverse themes. This year the festival’s theme is “Fiat Lux” meaning a new beginning. Among the program this year are works by Scarlatti and Haydn. There will also be a production of Porporra’s “L’Angelica,” a serenata from 1720. The {…}
Every year the Bard Summerscape presents a rarely performed work that audiences and singers get to discover. The festival has presented works from Dvorak, Korngold, Moniuszko, Weber, and Mascagni to name a few. This year, the festival will present Chausson’s only opera “Le roi Arthus” with a cast of rising stars and veterans. Norman Garrett will take on the title {…}
This week the Glimmerglass Festival will open in Cooperstown, New York presenting a month-long program of inventive productions and repertory staples. The season will also feature some of the world’s biggest stars including Eric Owens, who will work as the festival’s Artist in Residence for the Young Artist Program. He will also perform in two of the company’s highly anticipated {…}
The Santa Fe Opera is set to open this week with a new production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” featuring a cast of rising stars. Among them will be Vanessa Vasquez who returns to the company after her debut in 2019. This season she will add the role of the Countess to her repertoire. The Colombian-American soprano first stepped onto {…}
On June 30, the Teatro Regio di Parma will open its Festival Estate al Parco della Musica with a new production of Donizetti’s comic gem “Don Pasquale.” The production will include a cast of established and rising stars. Among them is Spanish baritone Pablo Gálvez who will make his role debut as Dottor Malatesta. Born in Guadix, Granada, the baritone {…}
On June 25, the Teatro La Fenice will open a production of Gounod’s “Faust” with a stellar cast of all-star singers and rising stars. Iván Ayón Rivas will sing the title role making his role debut and continuing his rise in the opera world. It will also mark the tenor’s return to La Fenice. Born in Perù, Rivas won the {…}
(Credit: Franco Lannino) On June 14, Simone Piazzola will take the stage of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon for the very first time marking the Italian baritone’s Portugese debut and his first live performance since the pandemic. Piazzola will sing the role of Carlo in “Ernani,” a role that he has performed at the Teatro alla Scala, {…}
With live performances returning to the stage, OperaWire will continue its weekly artist of the week series highlighting some of the world’s greatest artists as they reach milestones in their careers. And this week will be an exciting one at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as the company will world premiere the News Works Bold Voices Lab featuring three {…}
(Credit: Emilie Brouchon) This week the Polish National Opera will open a new production of Massenet’s “Werther” by Willy Decker. The production was originally set to open in May of 2020 but was canceled due to the coronavirus. Now the company has lined up an extraordinary group of soloists including Piotr Beczala, who returns to his country to sing one {…}
This week, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino is set to open “Nabucco,” the work that put Verdi on the map and is regarded as one of his early masterpieces. At the core of the opera is the challenging role of Abigaille, which requires a soprano who can sing both very low and very high with dramatic force and is also capable {…}
The Festival Verdi continues its annual festival this week with the composer’s early masterpiece “Ernani.” It is known for its challenging roles and in many ways needs four of the greatest singers in the world to do it justice. The Verdi Festival has brought in a solid cast including the prominent star Eleonora Buratto, who is set to make her {…}