Gregory Kunde is an immensely accomplished tenor on the international stage. Highly acclaimed as being at the forefront of the French and Italian Bel Canto repertoire, he has now established himself as a leading exponent in more dramatic roles, including Verdi. He has performed at pretty much every theatre in the world under all the great conductors, singing alongside some {…}
Listeners can refer to her however they wish, but Stephanie Blythe has always resisted categorizing herself as a mezzo-soprano, an alto, a contralto, or any other voice type. In her mind, she is a “vocalist.” Considering her upcoming appearances at San Diego Opera, her second foray into a role outside her gender, any attempt to categorize her voice will be {…}
On Jan. 28, Ukrainian-Canadian dramatic soprano Antonina Ermolenko will perform music by Mussorgsky in Ottawa. The soprano was originally hesitant to perform the works due to Russian’s ongoing assault on Ukraine and the her subsequent repulsion at the idea of performing Russian music. However, after discussions with her family, she realized that the power of music is that it speaks {…}
Tan Dun is arguably the most famous and influential Chinese composer, having written numerous operas such as “The First Emperor,” “Marco Polo,” “The Peony Pavilion,” and “Tea: A Mirror of Soul.” He has also written film scores (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), organic music, and several classical and symphonic works. And now, there’s “Buddha Passion.” Inspired by the famed Chinese composer’s {…}
Swiss soprano Marie Lys has had a busy past few months. Among other numerous engagements, she stood in at the last moment for the indisposed Cecilia Bartoli in the role of Alcina at Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, receiving widespread acclaim for her performance from both audiences and critics. Having just finished a run of successful performances in houses across northern {…}
Back in 2019, Tom Volf, the director of the famed “Marias by Callas” set out to put on a play that, in a similar vein to his famed documentary, allowed the iconic soprano to tell her story through a trove of letters and memoirs she had written. His choice to bring the famed diva to life? Iconic film star Monica Bellucci. {…}
In July 2019, Irish National Opera premiered “Least Like The Other” at the Galway International Arts Festival to a raft of fabulous reviews. The short opera, which lasts approximately 70 minutes, is an intensely disturbing work that explores the brutal and life-destroying system that led to Rose Kennedy having a lobotomy at the age of 23. She was born into {…}
(Credit: John Matthew Myers) Over the few years, Alasdair Kent has garnered international attention singing at the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, among others. He has become a leading Bel Canto tenor of choice performing some of the most virtuosic tenor roles in the repertoire from Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini. A winner of the First {…}
(Credit: Diana Guledani) 2022 was a year of difficulty for Andrei Kymach. His family were in Ukraine when Russia invaded, beginning a war which has now lasted for over nine months. The baritone immediately spoke out against the war and has continued to use his voice to bring attention to it. In many ways, he has become an operatic hero {…}