Opera Meets Film: Strained Relations and Non-Endings in Sebastian Fagerlund’s ‘Autumn Sonata’

(Photo: Sakari Viika/Finnish Music Quarterly) Throughout operatic history, family difficulties are among the most widely utilized themes by composers, with the more recognizable feuds seemingly being children and their (step) mothers. From Pamina and her mother (“Die Zauberflöte”), Hansel, Gretel, and their stepmother (“Hansel and Gretel”), Lucette/Cinderella and her stepmother (“Cendrillon”), and Elektra and her stepmother (“Elektra”), there is something {…}

Dec 18, 2025

Opera Meets Film: The Pursuit Of The Dream in Miriam Gordon-Stewart’s ‘YAPS’

The world of classical singing is fraught with challenges, especially for those wishing to make a career from singing alone. From an oversaturated marketplace of voices and biases of all shapes and sizes, to economic stressors and the constant fight for golden opportunities, what keeps someone going? The chronic instability within the classical music industry makes searching for opportunities both {…}

Nov 20, 2025

Opera Meets Film: Celebrating An Operatic Giant in Brian Staufenbiel’s ‘Flicka’

Photo Credit: IMG Artists/Frederica von Stade/Robert Millard (2005) This year was exciting for many reasons but one of them stands out. On Monday, March 10, 2025, the documentary about Frederica von Stade, “Flicka: A Love Letter,” first created in 2023, was screened at the National Opera Center in New York City. Combining archival footage of performance clips, Brian Staufenbiel’s “Flicka” gave {…}

Oct 27, 2025

John Aylward’s Opera Film ‘Oblivion’ Sees International Workshops & Screenings

Following its win for “Best Musical Film” at the Cannes World Film Festival, John Aylward’s one-act opera film “Oblivion” will be performed and screened internationally this fall. First, Enigma Chamber Opera will present a live workshop performance of “Oblivion” at the Goethe-Institut Boston on Nov. 6. This event will feature live vocal performances alongside projected film excerpts, offering audiences a {…}

Oct 10, 2025

Opera Meets Film: The State of American Opera in Peter Rosen’s ‘New American Opera’

Currently, opera in America in a state of unprecedented upheaveal. With the ongoing precarity occurring at the Metropolitan Opera House, from the recent dip into their endowement, noticeable drop in attendance, and the highly controversial partnership with Saudi Arabia, the idea of American opera is in a state of flux. While this was defended by Gelb as an example of {…}

Sep 30, 2025

Atlanta Opera Film Studio to Release 18 New Opera Films

The Atlanta Opera Film Studio is set to release 18 new cinematic opera films. Past Atlanta Opera productions such as, “La bohème,” “The Anonymous Lover,” and “Das Rheingold,” have been developed from live performances into richly produced films which will be available to watch on the company’s streaming platform. Beginning Sept. 25, subscribers of the Film Studio will receive access {…}

Sep 29, 2025

Opera Meets Film: A New Perspective On Life in Michel van der Aa’s ‘A Theory of Flames’

Photo Credit: Hugo Thomassen/Nationale Opera & Ballet Striking a balance between innovation and tradition, the genre of opera films often toes the fine line between two ways of viewing both art-forms. When opera is treated as the subject it comes to life, playing the leading role, whereas when opera is perceived as the object its role becomes supportive, and life {…}

Aug 10, 2025

Opera Meets Film: Exploring Life As a Castrato in Tom Ford’s ‘Cry To Heaven’

What happens when creatives move in different directions than their main artistic medium? For many, moving between the mediums is a natural process, a way to materialize one’s creative impulses through various means. Auguste Rodin, the celebrated naturalist sculptor of the late 19th-20th century, was a fine painter as his numerous works show, although is best known for works like {…}

Jul 31, 2025

Opera Meets Film: The Dramaturgy of an Operatic Life in Alan Crosland’s ‘Greater Than Fame’

In the body of opera-oriented films, from contemporary works like ‘The Moon and the Stars‘ (2007), and ‘Florence Foster Jenkins‘ (2016), to earlier icons like ‘Fire at the Opera‘ (1930) and ‘Champagne Waltz‘ (1939), the ways opera and operatic life is conveyed on screen is highly diverse. However, go far enough backwards and one will find a way of conveying the operatic body {…}

Jun 29, 2025

Opera Meets Film: The Question of Meaning in John Irvin’s ‘The Moon and the Stars’

John Irvin’s 2007 film “The Moon and the Stars” is a tale of arduous love, societal stigma, and unyielding dedication to art. The story revolves around the production of a cinematic rendition of Puccini’s fifth opera, “Tosca.” There are two primary narratives that play out in tandem: the arrest of the production’s director, Davide Rieti, a gay Jewish man played by {…}

May 8, 2025

Opera Meets Film: A Second Look At Stephen Frears’ ‘Florence Foster Jenkins’

(Photo Credit @Paramount Pictures) Stephen Frears‘ 2016 film, “Florence Foster Jenkins,” was a instantaneous, worldwide success among critics and the public alike. It was one of the most popular biopic projects in recent Hollywood history to touch upon the musical scene before the release of Pablo Larraín’s “Maria.” The film tells of the exploits of Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944), who {…}