(Credit: Michael Cooper) “People are craving music and all the healing, soothing, and bonding elements it provides.” American-Canadian soprano superstar Sondra Radvanovsky was in Rio de Janeiro on March 13, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in full force. Radvanovsky was slated to perform at the Theatro Municipal, but the performance ended up being canceled. Faced with a {…}
Few artists have dedicated themselves to championing the works of composers of African and African American descent the way that conductor Marlon Daniel has. A Chicago native, Daniel has performed new works by such composers as Fred Onovwerosuoke, Dominique Le Gendre, and Adolphus Hailstork, among others. He also founded the Festival International de Music Saint-Georges in Guadaloupe and was the {…}
(Credit: Simon Pauly) “The music is giving me what I need. Music has always given me what I needed in my life.” When the COVID-19 hurricane struck humanity in full force in March, tenor Martin Muehle was about to begin rehearsals for the supernatural opera “The Queen of Spades” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. At that moment it was obvious {…}
Jacquelyn Wagner has become synonymous with the works of Mozart, Wagner, Strauss, and Weber. She has been hailed for her “lovely clean and focused sound” and for her “vocal command.” A leading soprano in the world, Wagner has performed at some of the leading opera houses including the Paris Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, the Zurich Opera House, the Gran {…}
(Credit: Guido Werner Photography) Young Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann currently has one of the most recognized and celebrated voices for Mozart’s operas, as well as Baroque repertoire. Already in her short career, she has performed at important international theatres such as La Scala in Milan, La Fenice Theater in Venice, and the opera houses of Zurich, Berlin, and the Salzburg {…}
(Credit: Doris Wild) Scottish mezzo-soprano Katie Coventry was facing what a lot of singers in the opera world have endured throughout 2020. As she sat in her apartment on lockdown waiting for some good news, she saw all of her professional engagements slowly disappear as the threat of COVID-19 continued to loom large. And then she got the call from {…}
(Photo Credit: Lizelle de Wit) The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact for many opera singers and companies all over the world. Not only were performances canceled left and right, but there were concerns over when and how singers might be able to get back on the operatic stage. As the months passed by, we saw online performances, socially distanced {…}
(Credit: Ben Wright Photography) This year marked the 100th anniversary of the renowned Salzburg Festival in Austria. A critical milestone for the festival, they chose to still responsibly present the event this summer, albeit with a severely reduced program and heightened safety and security in response to the global pandemic. British conductor Ivor Bolton lead the Mozarteumsorchester Salzburg performing a {…}
(Credit: Studio Amati_Bacciardi) Few singers have dominated the Rossini repertory in recent years the way Daniella Barcellona has. She debuted at the Rossini Festival in 1999 in the title role of “Tancredi,” and has since appeared in recordings of such works as “Sigismondo,” “La Donna del Lago,” “Il Viaggio a Reims,” “Adelaide of Borgogna,” and “Bianca de Falliero;” she has {…}