Q & A: Kresley Figueroa on Being a Young Artists & The Denyce Graves Foundation

The Denyce Graves Foundation began as a way to bridge the past to future by honoring overlooked musical voices and empowering the next generation of world-class artists.   Founded by opera star Denyce Graves, the foundation celebrates trailblazing musicians, music educators, and composers of color through community engagement programs, concerts and presentations, creation of new works of art, establishment of young {…}

Q & A: Lauren Randolph on Working with Denyce Graves & Denyce Graves Foundation

The Denyce Graves Foundation began as a way to bridge the past to future by honoring overlooked musical voices and empowering the next generation of world-class artists.   Founded by opera star Denyce Graves, the foundation celebrates trailblazing musicians, music educators, and composers of color through community engagement programs, concerts and presentations, creation of new works of art, establishment of young {…}

Q & A: Michele Spotti on ‘Carmen,’ Palau de les Arts, Deutsche Oper Berlin & Italian Repertoire

(Credit: ©Marco Borrelli) Michele Spotti is a rising star conductor who has slowly held important positions, including becoming the Musical Director of Marseille’s Opera House and Philharmonic Orchestra and was recently appointed the Deutsche Oper Berlin as the Principal Guest Conductor starting. He has already conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Arena Opera Festival, Les Arts in {…}

Q & A: Baritone César San Martín on the Emotional Power of Zarzuela, Returning to “La Verbena de la Paloma” & the Global Nostalgia for Our Roots

(Photo: As the 2026-27 season opens at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela, baritone César San Martín returns to one of the works most deeply connected to the city’s musical identity: Tomás Bretón’s “La Verbena de la Paloma.” San Martín appears as Julián in Nuria Castejón’s production, which returns to the stage following its 2024 presentation and forms part of a {…}

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Anita Rachvelishvili on Returning to Her Path, NYC, Teaching & The Importance of the Greek National Opera

On Oct. 15, 2026, the Greek National Opera will make its Carnegie Hall debut with a unique program that pays tribute to Nikos Kazantzakis, a Greek writer, journalist, politician, poet and philosopher. Among the vocal soloists on the showcase is Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili, who will also be performing in New York City for the first time in numerous years. {…}

Q & A: China Now Music Festival Artistic Director Jindong Cai on Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary Through Chinese-American Experience

Two chapters of American history, separated by more than a century, sit at the center of this year’s China Now Music Festival in New York. One belongs to the thousands of Chinese laborers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s. The other belongs to Maya Lin, the American artist born to Chinese immigrant parents who designed the Vietnam {…}