Did you know the Metropolitan sells jean jackets inspired by some of its productions? Did you know that it also sells painted violins with unique designs? For three years the company has now been selling Rafael Colon’s unique designs which include the aforementioned jean jackets and violins. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, NYC, Colon is a former {…}
(Stephen Cain Photography) The North Wales International Music Festival this year celebrated its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, commissioned a new opera from composer Paul Mealor and librettist Grahame Davies. Together they decided to base their opera on the tale of King Llewelyn’s faithful hound, Gelert, a legend known to even the youngest of Welsh schoolchildren. The subject {…}
On Oct. 21, 2022, Wilmington Concert Opera will present a new opera, “Girondines,” composed by Sarah Van Sciver, to a libretto by WCO’s Co-founder and Artistic Director, Kirsten C. Kunkle. Van Sciver will music direct and perform as the presentation’s pianist. “Girondines” is a story of a society of six women, all living during the time of the French Revolution. {…}
(Photo: Armati Bacciardi) It is that time of year again when the temperatures start to drop and the nights start to draw in, which also means it is time to head off to Wexford for its annual opera festival, which will run from October 21st to November 6th. After two years of disruption caused by the measures aimed at controlling {…}
Arizona Opera’s upcoming production of “The Falling and the Rising” is an operatic story of the unique service of those in the military who face danger, often paying the price of a great sacrifice. Staff Sergeant Ben Hilgert, serving in the Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, is the visionary of the piece. His passion to tell this {…}
New York City has a rich operatic scene, teeming with innovative companies on the creative forefront of the genre’s development as an artistic form. Led by General Director Matt Gray, the itinerant opera company American Opera Project, is a seminal player, pushing the creative hand of opera ever forwards. In this ongoing series dedicated to the artists, composers, and companies {…}
Look at most books about opera legend Maria Callas and you’ll recognize some iconic representation of the famed diva. But glance at the cover for “Cast a Diva: The Hidden Life of Maria Callas” by Lyndsy Spence and you’ll find something else. Instead of seeing the soprano look back at the reader, what we get is a black and white {…}
Paola Prestini’s first grand opera, “Edward Tulane,” makes its world premiere on October 8th as the first work by a woman to be commissioned by Minnesota Opera as part of the company’s New Works Initiative. Based on the novel, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” by Minnesota author and two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, Paola Prestini collaborates with librettist Mark Campbell to honor {…}
Once considered lost since its premiere in 1924 Warsaw but miraculously rediscovered in 2017 by German Musicologist Dr. Diana Matut while digging through the archives of Yale University Library, the Yiddish-language opera “Bas Sheve” (the first known opera in the Yiddish language) finally received its North American premiere at the 2022 Ashkenaz Festival. Dubbed one of the “largest and most {…}
Photo: Jamie Jung American composer Lembit Beecher has collaborated with librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell to write “A Year to the Day,” a new song cycle rooted in, but not about, the pandemic. The concept was Campbell’s, and it was he who approached the composer. Together, they wrote six songs, along with five instrumental interludes for tenor Nicholas Phan, violinist Augustin Hadelich, {…}
Rosetta Cucchi is a successful international stage director and the artistic director of Wexford Opera Festival. OperaWire: What was the first opera you attended? Rosetta Cucchi: “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” by Rossini OW: What was the first opera you directed? RC: “La Scala di Seta” by Rossini OW: What is the next opera you are scheduled to direct? RC: “Adriana {…}