Spring has sprung and special opera performances are launching at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM), while catering to an opera-in-brief community outreach program that takes the audience on a quick but enlightening journey through a specific opera. Back in 2010, MSM partnered with Anthony Amato, an avid maestro, producer, educator, and nonprofit entrepreneur, in order to create a concept {…}
Monserrat Caballé and Sondra Radvanovsky are two of the most revered sopranos of their generation. Caballé was well-known for her expressive voice and her immense repertoire. Meanwhile, today Radvanovsky is dominating the Italian verismo, Bel canto, and Verdi repertoire showing her range and flexibility. Both sopranos also performed a number of unknown or rarely-performed operas. To celebrate their birthdays, which are one {…}
Anna Caterina Antonacci has long been considered one of the most distinguished sopranos of her generation, performing a wide range of repertoire from Rossini and Bizet to Poulenc, Massenet, and Faure. The soprano has never taken the usual route and some of her unusual repertoire choices have distinguished her as a committed singer and risk taker. This week, Antonacci continues her {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment we will take a {…}
Russian Baritone Sergei Leiferkus, born on April 4, 1946, is recognized for his unique vocal quality. If you haven’t heard him before, then you should, because he has one of the most individual sounds you’ll ever hear. In fact, here’s an excerpt from a role we will talk about in a bit. In any case, the baritone enjoyed a solid {…}
For years, Diana Damrau has been one of the of the reigning Bel Canto singers in the world. She has dominated many of Donizetti’s, Rossini’s and Bellini’s heroines and she has also become one of the most prominent interpreters of Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” This week, she adds another Bel Canto masterwork to her repertoire – the title role of {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment we will take a {…}
March Madness is coming to a close. With it, we’ve gone through memorable mad scenes in opera, breathtaking historic moments, and a little bit of musical history on Lucia’s famous mad scene. To close this year’s series, I want to go through my favorite recordings of “Lucia di Lammermoor.” We’ve focused a lot on this opera as it has the {…}
Mary Bevan is an up and coming English soprano who has made a name for herself in her home country performing a wide range of repertoire. This week she will continue her trajectory of dominating modern operas with the world premiere of “Coraline” as she takes on the title role. Based on Neil Gaiman’s much-loved story, the story became an {…}
