Forging A New Operatic Culture & Identity – Author & Performing Arts Manager Paolo Petrocelli on the Development of Opera in MENA

When the world of opera speaks of its development into the future, that evolution usually centers on conversations taking place in traditional opera settings, including Europe and North America. But the Middle East has not often been a major focal point of that conversation. Paolo Petrocelli, author of “The Evolution of Opera Theatre in the Middle East and North Africa” {…}

Nov 17, 2020

Q & A: Composer Matthew Peterson on Creating ‘Voir Dire’ & the Challenges of Academic Training

Credit: Froede Wendelbo Swedish-American composer Matthew Peterson is an independent and vital voice in the new opera world. He studied at Gotland School of Music Composition, Indiana University School of Music, and St. Olaf College. Just as his education is varied, this composer’s music defies categorization and encompasses many different genres. His dynamic, socially relevant true-crime opera “Voir Dire (To {…}

Nov 6, 2020

Q & A: Carrie-Ann Matheson on Salzburg Festival, Europe & Her New Position at the Merola Opera Program

In August, the Merola Opera Program named Carrie-Ann Matheson the new Artistic Director succeeding Sheri Greenawald. Her new position will provide artistic and musical leadership for all Opera Center artists and projects, including acting as the primary musical coach for its young artists, overseeing their development, collaborating on recitals, and conducting performances. Matheson began her career at the Metropolitan Opera, {…}

Oct 28, 2020

Restoring a Classic – How Opera Ritrovata Created a Critical Edition for Joseph Bologne’s ‘L’Amant Anonyme’

Back in the 18th century, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges was one of the great figures of his day. He was a notable composer, violinst, and famed swordsman, with even Mozart having had great admiration for his talents. But a racist history would conspire to ultimately send him and his work into relative obscurity to the point that today, only {…}

Oct 24, 2020

Q & A: Atlanta Opera Artistic & General Manager Tomer Zvulun on the Courage & Imagination of Making Opera into a Circus

The Atlanta Opera (TAO) website greets visitors with an invitation: “JOIN US AT THE BIG TENT!” Cool. The company’s staging its 2021 productions in an enormous tent. But wait a minute; is that a circus tent? Yes, it is, and unlike the Met’s new-ish production of “Così fan tutte” in which the circus entered the opera house, The Atlanta Opera’s {…}

Oct 19, 2020

Q & A: Ricky Ian Gordon on ‘Ellen West,’ the New Recording & Eating Disorders

Last month Bright Shiny Things released the world premiere recording of Ricky Ian Gordon and Frank Bidart’s new opera “Ellen West.” The recording was captured from the Prototype Festival in New York in January 2020, with soprano Jennifer Zetlan and baritone Nathan Gunn, the Aeolus Quartet, double bassist Evan Premo, pianist Djordje Nesic, and conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya. The new opera offers a portrait of {…}

Oct 16, 2020

Q & A: Intendant Thomas Bockelmann On COVID-19 Safety Protocols at Staatstheater Kassel

(Photo Credit: Staatstheater Kassel) When COVID-19 spread quickly across the globe earlier this year, the entire opera world was forced into a lengthy shutdown. And despite continued concerns over the deadly virus, companies slowly found ways to return to some degree of normalcy. Thomas Bockelmann, the Intendant of the Staatstheater Kassel, took on this challenge head-on and recently spoke to {…}

Sep 28, 2020

Q & A: Sarah Kirkland Snider on Composing & Recording ‘Mass for the Endangered’

On Sept. 25, Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider released her latest album “Mass for the Endangered,” a celebration of, and an elegy for, the natural world—animals, plants, insects, the planet itself—an appeal for greater awareness, urgency, and action. The piece is a six-movement Mass for the Endangered and is a rumination on the concept of the traditional Catholic Mass. It features {…}

Sep 23, 2020

Q & A: Marlon Daniel on the Chevalier de Saint-Georges & Systematic Racism in Classical Music

Few artists have dedicated themselves to championing the works of composers of African and African American descent the way that conductor Marlon Daniel has. A Chicago native, Daniel has performed new works by such composers as Fred Onovwerosuoke, Dominique Le Gendre, and Adolphus Hailstork, among others. He also founded the Festival International de Music Saint-Georges in Guadaloupe and was the {…}

Sep 22, 2020

Q & A: Martin Muehle on Brazilian Music, Favorite Roles And COVID-19

(Credit: Simon Pauly) “The music is giving me what I need. Music has always given me what I needed in my life.” When the COVID-19 hurricane struck humanity in full force in March, tenor Martin Muehle was about to begin rehearsals for the supernatural opera “The Queen of Spades” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. At that moment it was obvious {…}

Sep 13, 2020

Q & A: Hila Fahima Ruschin on Israeli Roots, Maintaining Vocal Versatility & Favorite Roles

(Photo Credit: Lizelle de Wit) The COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact for many opera singers and companies all over the world. Not only were performances canceled left and right, but there were concerns over when and how singers might be able to get back on the operatic stage. As the months passed by, we saw online performances, socially distanced {…}

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