The winds of change are sweeping down the plains. Bring them on, say the directors of The Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Given the chance to re-invent itself with the opening of the Kauffman Center in 2011 and new production-facilities buildings shortly thereafter, the Lyric has grasped the opportunity with an impressive energy, wholly characteristic of the region’s revival. {…}
On Nov. 7, the White Light Festival in Lincoln Center will present the U.S. premieres of James MacMillan’s widely acclaimed “Stabat Mater” and “Miserere” as part of the 10th anniversary of the festival. Harry Christophers, music director and founder of The Sixteen choir, will lead both works alongside the Britten Sinfonia ensemble. It’s a big year for Christophers, who is celebrating the {…}
(Credit: Brittney Werner) If you visit New Orleans today, you can pop into the Napoleon House, the supposed location in which the former emperor would live out his days in North America. The music that you’ll hear while sipping your Pimm’s Cup in the 200-year-old house-turned-bar is classical. Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony is on repeat, after all, the maestro wrote it {…}
For five years, the Dallas Opera’s Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors has done something that few other major companies have done – champion women conductors. The program, the first ever designed to meet the needs of women opera conductors, has allowed participants an opportunity to engage in a wide-range of musical opportunities alongside some of the most {…}
(Credit: Opera Online) The Maryland Lyric Opera began with the mission of enabling the next generations of singers to have the opportunity to learn and perform alongside experienced opera professionals who have spent years developing their craft in front of the public on the world’s stages. Now in its fifth year, the company has performed fully staged as well as {…}
Recently named General Director of Center of Contemporary Opera (CCO), Francesca Campagna represents a positive shift towards greater international and personal awareness within the opera community. She is the first female in CCO’s history of 37 years to be selected for this role and also the first immigrant. Her career’s journey spans over more than a decade and has been {…}
(Credit: © KHALID ALBUSAIDI / Provided by Royal Opera House Muscat) He was artistic director all over Italy with such organizations as the Teatro Licirco Di Caligari, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro Lirico di Trieste, and Teatro Comunale Odea di Lumezzane. But now Umberto Fanni is thousands of miles away leading as the General Director of the Royal Opera {…}
(Opera Memphis/ Ziggy Mack) Committed to bringing opera to modern audiences in a meaningful and accessible manner, Opera Memphis is underway with a number of artistic initiatives which bring together matters of race, equity, and music. Currently halfway through its 30 Days of Opera program, the company has taken its passion to local venues and markets throughout the city of {…}
(Credit:©Jean-Baptiste Millot Photograph) For the past 10 years, Enrique Mazzola has become one of the leading Bel Canto conductors in the world and a leading specialist in French works. He is the Principal Guest Conductor at Deutsche Oper Berlin and has served as Artistic & Music Director of the Orchestre National d’Île de France. But now he is set to {…}
(Credit: Kathy Wittman) Boston’s Odyssey Opera has revealed that it will be “crossing the pond to merry old England” for its seventh season, which will feature a plethora of rarely performed Tudor-themed operas by a variety of composers. The company’s Founder and General-Artistic Director, Gil Rose, recently shared some insight with OperaWire on the upcoming season, particularly its exciting opener: a quasi-premiere {…}
Innsbruck’s Early Music Festival is presenting Handel’s “Ottone” as its Barockoper: Jung production in which promising young talented singers who have just embarked upon their careers are given the opportunity to perform in a fully staged work. The director for this production, Anna-Magdalena Fitzi seems the ideal choice to take charge of the staging as she works extensively with young {…}