The International Friends of Festival Verdi is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing essential support to Teatro Regio di Parma’s annual Verdi Festival, Verdi Off, and Accademia Verdiana. It also is celebrates the enduring legacy of Giuseppe Verdi and seeks to foster robust cultural exchange between the Verdi Festival and its supporters around the world. This year the organization will {…}
(© Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson) This year, the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition held its first South American auditions in over 70 years. This historic event was several years in the making, with Andrés Rodríguez Spoerer as its main champion. As Music Director of Chile’s Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson (FIA), Rodríguez Spoerer spent years building the relationships, programs, and infrastructure that would make {…}
Soprano Amy Broadbent is a founding member of the vocal quartet The Polyphonists. She has performed in ensembles including The Crossing, Seraphic Fire, True Concord, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and the Choir of the Basilica. The Washington Bach Consort will be presenting Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, {…}
(Photo credit: Mario Cervantes) The opera pop trio, Il Volo got their start 15 years ago in the Eurovision competition. Today, the group featuring Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble, have nearly one million followers on Instagram, over two million subscribers on YouTube, and over three million likes on TikTok. Last year alone, Il Volo performed in Rome for {…}
Janet Farrell is one of five recipients of the National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards by Opera America. Farrell, who loves singing, was brought to the INSERIES by the dynamic artistic director, Timothy Nelson. With Farrell’s professional business acumen and experience at M&T Bank and her love of opera, she has been able to draw attention and support to INSERIES, something {…}
(Photo: Tatiana Mazzola) Iván Ayón-Rivas is an exciting young tenor from Peru. Trained at the Conservatory of Music of Peru, Iván received a solid vocal education under the tutelage of Maria Eloísa Aguirre and continued his studies with renowned teachers and hugely esteemed fellow Peruvian tenors Juan Diego Flórez and Luigi Alva. He is currently perfecting his technique with legendary {…}
(© Geoffroy Schied) Serge Dorny is one of the most powerful men in opera. Beginning his career as a dramaturge under Gerard Mortier at Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, he would eventually become Artistic Director of several major institutions before climbing to some of the most prestigious positions in the industry. He led as General Director of Opéra National {…}
(Credit: Ben Ealovega) Few countertenors today command the international stage with the authority and musical intelligence of Iestyn Davies. Renowned for his interpretations of Baroque repertoire as well as his compelling performances in 20th-century opera, Davies has become one of the defining voices of his generation. During his recent return to Teatro Real in Madrid to perform Oberon in “A {…}
(Photo: A soprano known for her “tender and expressive voice” (SF Examiner) Toni Marie Palmertree is described as giving “riveting” performances of Tosca, Donna Elvira, and Nedda across America. She makes her principal role debut March 28th at the Metropolitan Opera as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, Toni Marie Palmertree shares with OperaWire how {…}