Marking the 30th anniversary of her international debut, soprano Maria Guleghina took to Carnegie Hall to perform some of her favorite arias from past operas and concerts. Accompanied by the stalwart Craig Rutenberg, what followed was an outpouring of passion for the city where she had some of her greatest roles and where she has not performed in since 2015. {…}
Is it possible to create something risqué yet non-controversial at the same time? Something that tackles sexually-charged topics such as the LGBTQ community, dominatrices, couple swapping and the role of artificial intelligence in relationships? Can all of this be depicted in a way that isn’t preachy or pejorative in these polarizing times? Nobody probably asked themselves these questions but if {…}
Every year the Richard Tucker Foundation awards a promising young American opera singer with the annual Richard Tucker Award. The award comes with a star-studded gala that showcases the victorious artist alongside some of the greatest singers in the world, many of which are also previous winners. This year Nadine Sierra was given the award and headlined the gala at {…}
On December 8, 2017, Pacific Opera Project presented its version of Giacomo Puccini’s “La bohème,” called “The Hipsters.” Artistic Director and Company Co-Founder Josh Shaw defines “hipsters” as twenty to thirty-year-old well-educated members of a subculture that values independent thinking, an appreciation of art, creativity, intelligence, and the witty banter of well-educated young adults, many of whom have liberal arts {…}
As Manhattanites anxiously awaited the arrival of this Holiday season’s first snow, everyone seemed to buzz with excitement and wonder. This magical contagion was carried into the opening night of Manhattan School of Music’s production of “Cendrillon.” Everyone gathered in an intimate Baroque style setting at the Alliance Française’s Florence Gould Hall, and it only felt natural to partake in {…}
Back in fall 2013, Sondra Radvanovsky sang her first “Norma” at the Met. A few performances later, Angela Meade and Jamie Barton stole the spotlight when they were paired together for the second cast of the opera. Now it is the 2017-18 season and the pattern has continued, with the inclusion of Marina Rebeka for two performances in between. While {…}
Amilcare Ponchielli was unfortunate in being born after his time had passed. Although recognized as a talented composer, he developed a reputation for composing music which always appeared to be a little dated, with the result that his operas have now largely been forgotten and rarely performed, eclipsed by the greater talent of Verdi, and that of his pupils at {…}
From high up in the mountains; from a knoll, within a cave; from a curlicue within the cave, behind a rock; within two back to back rocks, down under the ground about two feet; behind a shelf of rock, jutting out from inside a dome of the oldest rocks in that cave and ancient concavities; comes this voice, round, round {…}
Drawing upon one of the most beloved of Christmas stories, Gramercy Opera has captured a gem of the holiday spirit with its production of “Dickens’ A Christmas Carol – The Opera.” Staged in the historic Montauk Club of Brooklyn, built only 45 years after the original publication of Dickens’ story, audiences will feel as though they have stepped through a {…}