Most opera enthusiasts across the world know about the Glyndebourne Festival. They may also know about other high-profile festivals set in country houses across England, such as The Grange Opera and the Longborough festivals. Few, however, will have heard of the Waterperry Festival, situated close to the city of Oxford. Established in 2017, the festival opened its doors the following {…}
Since 2008, James Robinson has served as the Artistic Director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL). He has emphasized a great deal on bringing modern works to the company and has directed such operas as Terence Blanchard’s “Champion” and “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” John Adams’ “The Death of Klinghoffer,” Marc Blitzstein’s “Regina,” Jack Perla’s “Shalimar the {…}
(Photo: Olivier Metzger) French soprano Julie Fuchs has been busy thrilling opera audiences all over Europe with her wide-ranging repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary. She is currently making her American debut in the title role of Händel’s “Partenope” at San Francisco Opera. A lifelong singer, Fuchs began her musical training in Avignon before going on to study at the Conservatoire {…}
Spring was in the air in Philadelphia when I met with David B. Devan in Opera Philadelphia’s Center City offices. Warm temperatures and flowers heralded a new season, as clearly as the empty offices signaled change for the opera company. Devan is stepping down as Opera Philadelphia’s general director at the end of May. It was a decision prompted in {…}
(Photo Credit Anna Rakhvalova) A violinist. A composer. A polyglot whose musical world combines classical contemporary music with jazz, Arabic music, and improvisation. This is Layale Chaker, whose blossoming career, which has seen her work performed by such organizations as the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, is set to take another step when her {…}
(Photo credit: David Allen) Romanian baritone Eugene Brancoveanu recently returned to Opera San Jose for the title role of “Rigoletto” as a Resident Artist Emeritus. It’s a role he has performed on numerous occasions and one that he continues to explore with each production. His return to Opera San Jose was also special as he has been with the company {…}
(Photo credit: Leonor Anthony) Hours before her final debut performance as Mimì in Florida Grand Opera’s “La Bohème,” soprano Rebecca Krynski Cox announced via Instagram that she is nine months pregnant. Cox and Florida Grand Opera’s General Director Maria Todaro spoke with OperaWire about working together through this process and on the importance of supporting women and pregnant people within {…}
(Credit: Fay Fox) Few works of American literature have had quite the impact of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” Published in 1939, the seminal Pulitzer Prize-winning novel focuses on a poor family of tenant farmers, the Joads, as they are driven from their homes and forces to face the difficult world of the Great Depression. The film received an {…}
No stranger to the rapidly changing world of classical music, composer and musicologist Raphael Fusco has found a novel way to blend his skills as a music researcher and a composer. Previously he was interviewed about his first chamber opera, “inSOMNIA,” a fairytale opera which blended his ear for different musical genres. This time, in his new cantata for countertenor {…}
For the past 20 years, Luke McEndarfer has been the Artistic Director, President, and CEO of the National Children’s Chorus. Under his leadership, the organization has become one of the fastest-growing and most successful youth arts organizations in the United States. It has performed at Royce Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and the {…}
Later this month, audiences in Riyadh will bear witness to “Zarqa Al Yamama,” “the first Grand Opera produced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” The opera will star Dame Sarah Connolly. She is joined by Khayran Al Zahrani, Sawsan Albahiti, Reemaz Oqbi, Aleksandar Stefanowski, Amelia Wawrzon, Serena Farnocchia, Paride Cataldo, and George von Bergen. The libretto by Saleh Zamanan tells {…}