This week, the Semperoper Dresden opened a revival of “Turandot,” one of Puccini’s most popular works. However, what made this revival special was the birth of a new interpreter of the title role. Camilla Nylund made her role debut as Turandot, returning to Puccini after singing Tosca to great acclaim. In a statement to OperaWire regarding her role debut as {…}
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 {…}
Yes, you can be a conductor and a mother. But no one told me that. The classical music world rarely talks about women on the podium who are also mothers. I want the next generation to know that it’s possible—even if it’s exhausting. When I was 21, I decided I wanted to be a conductor at the highest level. Inspired {…}
(Credit: Gianfranco Rota) This week, the Donizetti Opera Festival is set to open with the composer’s final work, one that has been rarely heard. Major sopranos have performed the work, and this revival will feature a major Bel Canto specialist. Carmela Remigio, who has become one of the festival’s mainstays, is one of the world’s most celebrated bel canto interpreters, {…}
This week, the Royal Opera House is set to unveil a new production of “The Makropoulos Case,” a rarely performed Janáček work. The opera plays with the idea of immortality and has historically been a vehicle for a great diva. This week, the London company does just that, but also brings Katie Mitchell, a director who has been known for {…}
The sudden death of Pierre Audi in May this year lent a moving note to the presentation of the Birgit Nilsson Prize in Stockholm on October 21. The prize, which has been awarded every three years since 2009, now went to the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, where Audi had been artistic director since 2018 – a deeply fitting tribute to a man {…}
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 {…}
(Photo credit: Chuck Gilmore) Southern Appalachia is typically acknowledged as the heart of traditional American folk music, from old-time string bands to bluegrass, and haunting ballads, but there are more connections to opera and classical singing than one might realize. Pioneers like Cecil Sharp, Maud Karpeles, and John Jacob Niles collected folk songs throughout southern Appalachia, such as “The Lover’s {…}
Photo Credits: Sabine Toepffer Almost every year, a multitude of operas are premiered, some of which never really get publicly highlighted as they should due to certain operas taking the limelight, funds, and critical attention. Thus, in this three-month series entitled, Opera History Flashbacks, we’ll be taking a look at three historically important years and the operas that were premiered {…}
