Q & A: Cathedral Choral Society of Washington’s Steven Fox on Creating the Ensemble’s ‘Sound’

When he took over the job eight years ago, Steven Fox, Music Director of Cathedral Choral Society (CCS) has done his utmost to transform the organization’s direction.  To that end, Fox’s initiatives have included expanding the repertory, creating programs to improve the skill set of its members, and offering up new opportunities to deepen connections with the audience. “I am {…}

Q&A: Limmie Pulliam on Performing in the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges’ First Opera

(Photo credit: Daniel Welch) The 2025 edition of the Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges will celebrate the 280th anniversary of the composer’s birth by presenting its first opera. The concert version of Leoncavailo’s “Paglacci” stars tenor Limmie Pulliam as Canio, soprano Michelle Johnson as Nedda, along with tenor Leo Williams, and baritones Darnell Ishmel and Franco Pomponi. Alexis Rainbow directs {…}

Q & A: Katerina Burton, the Soprano Soloist for the Cathedral Choral Society’s Performance of Mozart’s Requiem at National Cathedral, Washington, DC  

(Photo credit: Gillian Riesen) When she was a child, Katerina Burton remembered her mother, a competitive figure skater, working to opera. “I loved watching her and other professionals skate to music from ‘Carmen,’ ‘Tosca,’ ‘Tristan und Isolde,’ etc…and I really just fell in love with the music and the storytelling,” Burton told OperaWire in a recent interview. That was the {…}

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Sasha Cooke & Composer Jasmine Barnes on ‘American Lament’ & How Artists Reflect Reality

(Photos: © Sasha Cooke press / Jasmine Barnes press) The pending arrival of 2026- the country’s Semiquincentennial, got mezzo- soprano Sasha Cooke thinking about what it means to be an American in these times of unrest and division, and what the country has represented these 250 years. Her five-city “Of Thee I Sing” recital tour begins November 4th and features {…}

Q & A: Soprano Sophie Junker On Playing Giulia In Cavalli’s ‘Pompeo Magno’ & Her Forthcoming Debut At The Wexford Festival Opera.

(Photo: Alan Neilson) The main presentation at this year’s Bayreuth Baroque Festival was a lavish, fully staged production of Francesco Cavalli’s 1666 opera, “Pompeo Magno,” boasting a large cast of high-quality singers and actors. Playing the role of Giulia was the Belgian soprano Sophie Junker, who, since winning both the London Händel Competition in 2010 and Innsbruck’s Cesti Competition in {…}