Q&A: James Conlon, Marlon Daniel, & Maria Todaro on Their Shared Devotion to the Life and Works of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Photo: Bob-Estremera, Bonnie Perkinson, & Tania Baricklo The name and reputation of the revolutionary Classical composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges were once nearly forgotten. Through the work of Los Angeles Opera Music Director James Conlon, Marlon Daniel founder of the Saint-Georges International Music Festival, and stage director Maria Todaro, Bologne is returning to the spotlight. Below these individuals discuss {…}

Mar 15, 2023

Q & A: Francesco Filidei on His Opera ‘L’Inondation’ & Approach to Composition

Composer Francesco Filidei is on a good streak. After the success of the creation of his new cello concerto in the Festival Presences, he is having his opera, “L’Inondation,” performed a second time in Paris’s historic Operá-Comique. We met during the rehearsals of his opera to debate his views on composing and opera. OperaWire: “L’Inondation” is on its second run {…}

Mar 12, 2023

Q & A: Domingo Hindoyan on His Return to the Metropolitan Opera & Puccini

(Credit: Chris Christodoulou) In April, Domingo Hindoyan will return to the Metropolitan Opera for the second time. This time he will conduct Puccini’s masterpiece “Tosca” in David McVicar’s production. It will also be the second of three Puccini works in the season. OperaWire had a chance to speak with the conductor about his love for Puccini, “Turandot,” and the upcoming {…}

Mar 11, 2023

Q & A: Director Daisy Evans On The Haydn Foundation’s Forthcoming World Premiere ‘Peter Pan’ – The Dark Side’

J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” the mischievous, free-spirited child who never grows up, has exerted a hold over children and even many adults for well over 100 years. His adventures set in Neverland, with its array of comic book characters such as Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, the crocodile, the Lost Boys, and Wendy, have fascinated and entertained over the generations. Peter {…}

Mar 1, 2023

‘Overstory Overture’ – Tod Machover’s Upcoming Music Magic at Lincoln Center

Composer and Innovator Tod Machover breathes vitality and brightness out of his very being. Abundance and color spring from his first words. Alert and active, he spoke with me from his farm and studio in Massachusetts. He drove from his state-of-the-art Media Laboratory at M.I.T. in Cambridge, where he is the Director of the Opera of the Future group as {…}

Feb 19, 2023

Q & A: Annabel Arden on ‘Aida’ & the Royal Danish Opera

On March 2, the Royal Danish Opera is set to open a new production of Verdi’s “Aida.” The production by British director Annabel Arden is set to highlight the personal story of the captured Aida, who falls in love with her enemy. Arden will bring the story to modern times and showcase two neighboring countries at war, which is very {…}

Feb 19, 2023

Q & A: Milica Ilić on her second opera, ‘XX Mono-Opera For Schizophrenic Voice and Tight Strings’

Hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, triple-threat (composer/pianist/coach) Milica Ilić (1985 -) sat down with me to discuss her newly premiered opera, XX Mono-Opera For Schizophrenic Voice and Tight Strings, a harrowing tale about alien females from the planet Mnemosyne-369 who have their lives upturned when they receive a mysterious signal from space. Set in the far distance future, the Y chromosome {…}

Feb 19, 2023

Q &A: Shulamit Ran, Arthur Fagen & Anne Slovin on Bringing ‘Anne Frank’ to Life in Indiana

On March 3, Indiana University is set to present the world premiere of “Anne Frank” by an all-Jewish team comprising composer Shulamit Ran, librettist Charles Kondek, and conductor Arthur Fagen. Fagen is a professor of music and chair of the Jacobs School of Music Department of Orchestral Conducting and the son of Holocaust survivors. His mother, Rena, was a prisoner in Auschwitz {…}

Feb 17, 2023

Q & A: Harold Rosenbaum & William McClelland on Putting Together The New York Virtuoso Singers’ ‘American Invention’

On Sunday, Feb. 19, the New York Virtuoso Singers will present “American Invention,” a concert featuring seven world and New York premieres by such composers as Anthony David, Tania León, Elena Ruehr, Peter Zummo, Edie Hill, William McClelland, and David Paterson. Leading the performance will be conductor Harold Rosenbaum. OperaWire spoke with Rosenbaum and McClelland about the program, how it {…}

Feb 17, 2023

Q & A: Director Vincent Huguet on the Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy & Directing ‘Rigoletto’

Vincent Huguet is one of the most promising directors of today’s operatic world. Since his debut with “Lakme” at the Montpellier Opera in 2012, he has staged the “Mozart Da Ponte Trilogy” at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin—conducted by Daniel Barenboim and with the three shows performed over four days during the Berlin Festtage, Massenet’s “Manon” for Paris {…}

Jan 20, 2023

Q & A: Composer Tan Dun on Creating ‘Buddha Passion’

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 {…}

Behind the Scenes

Q&A: James Conlon, Marlon Daniel, & Maria Todaro on Their Shared Devotion to the Life and Works of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

Q & A: Francesco Filidei on His Opera ‘L’Inondation’ & Approach to Composition

Q & A: Domingo Hindoyan on His Return to the Metropolitan Opera & Puccini

Q & A: Director Daisy Evans On The Haydn Foundation’s Forthcoming World Premiere ‘Peter Pan’ – The Dark Side’

‘Overstory Overture’ – Tod Machover’s Upcoming Music Magic at Lincoln Center

Q & A: Annabel Arden on ‘Aida’ & the Royal Danish Opera

Q & A: Milica Ilić on her second opera, ‘XX Mono-Opera For Schizophrenic Voice and Tight Strings’

Q &A: Shulamit Ran, Arthur Fagen & Anne Slovin on Bringing ‘Anne Frank’ to Life in Indiana

Q & A: Harold Rosenbaum & William McClelland on Putting Together The New York Virtuoso Singers’ ‘American Invention’

Q & A: Director Vincent Huguet on the Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy & Directing ‘Rigoletto’

Q & A: Composer Tan Dun on Creating ‘Buddha Passion’