The nature of opera is changing. No longer bound by the stage, the whole idea that a libretto set to music and then staged is the true definition of an opera is dead. To be an “opera” is now a state-of-mind, a creative worldview that seeks to posit that all things are connected, with the actors involved as “characters” in {…}
Photos: Frances Marshall “At Home With… ” is a collaboration between OperaWire and photographer Frances Marshall of Marshall Light Studio, combining original photography with insightful interviews that reveal the human side of artists. Call him the “Voice Whisperer.” It seems vocal coach par excellence Paul Farrington can teach most anyone to sing, including the cast of Dustin Hoffman’s 2013 film, {…}
(Photos Courtesy of Pam Chaddon, Chamber Orchestra of the Springs / Taken during rehearsal) Back in February, Eapen Leubner’s Art Song Colorado presented “Voices of the African Diaspora,” a concert dedicated to Black composers throughout the centuries. Audiences had the chance to listen to works by Joseph Bologne, H. Leslie Adams, George Walker, Jessie Montgomery, Andre Myers, and Undine Smith {…}
On June 16 and 18, 2022, audiences in New York City will get the opportunity to witness the world premiere of “Southern Crossings.” The work, set to a libretto by Yvette Christiansë and Rosalind Morris, centers on the story of the meeting between famed astronomer John Hershel and Charles Darwin and how different characters experienced and hoped that that meeting {…}
On June 18, 2022, the National Sawdust and Chelsea Factory will present Bare Opera’s production of Thomas Cabaniss’ “Firesongs.” Cabaniss, a South Carolina Native, was an initiator of The Lullaby Project and The Somewhere Project, both at Carnegie Hall, and was the host and composer-in-residence for Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program between 2010-2020. In addition to the dozens of works {…}
Despite his relatively subdued presence in contemporary performance repertoire, during his time Camille Saint-Saëns was known across the world for his exceptional aptitude and fiercely developed intellect. Having begun life as a piano prodigy and gaining compositional mastery shortly after with his “First Symphony” at the age of only 17, Saint-Saëns is possibly one of France’s most transformative, yet erroneously {…}
(Credit: Annelies van der Vegt) On June 9, the Grange Festival in Hampshire will open its fifth annual season. The festival will present three operatic masterpieces including “Macbeth,” “Tamerlano” and “The Yeoman of the Guard” as well as a Jazz and a Dance program. The festival, which was founded in 2016 by Michael Chance, Rachel Pearson, and Michael Moody, opened {…}
In 2019, Gail Gordon started Numi Opera with the aim of sharing works by composers and artists who were suppressed and banned by Nazi regime due to their Jewish origins. The opening productions that the company presented were Alexander von Zemlinky’s “Der Zwerg” and Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Der Ring des Polykrates.” It was supposed to be the start of a {…}
On April 29 and May 1, the Jacksonville Symphony will present a semi-staged production of “La Bohème” with world class singers. The semi-staged production will be directed by Gregory Keller, who has helmed acclaimed opera and theater productions across the United States; he recently completed his 26th season as a Guest Stage Director at the Metropolitan Opera. Keller recently spoke with OperaWire about “La Bohème” {…}
Chinese-born composer Huang Ruo, gifted with the ability to transcend the conventional lines between East and West through aesthetics and cultural symbolism, uses his music to inspire and question assumptions about Western culture, exoticism, and the notion of musical and cultural otherness. Instead of conveying two cultures through music, his compositions are informed by life experiences from two distinct worlds {…}
Three operas and 10 performances over the course of four days is what the New England Conservatory (NEC) will take on later this month. From April 21 -24 NEC’s Opera Graduate program students will present Perla’s “An American Dream,” Ravel’s “L’Enfante et les Sortilèges,” and Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas,” under the direction of Joshua Major, who is the chair of {…}
