Q & A : Ashkenaz Festival Artistic Director Eric Stein on Reviving ‘Bas Sheve’ & the Importance of Jewish Representation

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 {…}

Oct 3, 2022

Q & A: Composer Lembit Beecher Talks About His New Song Cycle ‘A Year to the Day’

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, {…}

Sep 28, 2022

In Less Than Five Minutes, Get To Know Rosetta Cucchi

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 {…}

Sep 25, 2022

Q & A: Andrea Castello on Festival Vicenza in Lirica & His Work With Unknwon Works

Andrea Castello is the Artistic Director of the Vincenza in Lirica Festival. But he is a very different type of Artistic Director. For him a festival is about discovering young artists, discovering new works, and trying to challenge the norms. He is not interested in bringing the biggest names for the sake of the box office but in bringing them {…}

Sep 24, 2022

Q&A: Experiments in Opera’s Jason Cady on the Creation of ‘Everything for Dawn’

“What is opera, and what does ‘operatic’ and ‘opera’ mean to you?” It is a question that has the potential to uproot tradition. No longer bound by antiquated edicts, artists can now use ‘opera’ to make a statement: a profession of some emotion and inner feeling that lies deep within their core. It is my goal, through interviews with all {…}

Sep 15, 2022

Singing Penguins – Composer Allen Shearer & Librettist Claudia Stevens on the Inspiration for ‘Prospero’s Island’

“O brave new world that has such creativity in’t!’ “Prospero’s Island,” the forthcoming chamber opera by composer Allen Shearer and librettist Claudia Stevens, tells the tale. Ninth Planet, in co-production with InTandem, will present the world premiere at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater on March 25, 2023. It is to be performed by a cadre of young and exceptionally talented musical {…}

Sep 11, 2022

Q & A: Peter Mark Reflects on his Career & New Project ‘Opera Voice and Body Work’

When he was 12-years-old, Peter Mark received a recording of “Aida” starring Renata Tebaldi. He was hooked. One year later, he got what he called “the chance of a lifetime.” He got to sing at the Old Met and was able to witness a number of singers from the golden age that would be major influences for the rest of {…}

Sep 4, 2022

Prityazh_Opera: Composer Nikita Sorokin on Music’s ‘Dimensionality’ & ‘Digital Opera’

“What is opera, and what does ‘operatic’ mean to you?” I lead with this inquiry in every interview. No longer bound by antiquated regulations, artists can now use the “opera” to make a statement. It is my goal, through interviews with all manner of people involved in the multifaceted world of “opera,” to examine projects and works through the lens {…}

Aug 30, 2022

Q & A: Conductor P on Remaining Anonymous, ‘2H32,’ & What Opera Means in Today’s World

Can an artistically-inclined YouTube channel be considered an ‘opera?’ More fundamentally, is operatic theater limited to what happens on the stage, or can it reside within the digital spaces of the internet? In the days where technology has liberated art, and where virtual art as well as artificially-generated art have become hot topics of discussion, it is quickly becoming apparent {…}

Aug 15, 2022

Q & A: Berkshire Opera Festival’s Co-Founders Jonathon Loy, Brian Garman & Executive Director Abigail Rollins On the Festival Making Waves in New England

Fresh off a successful run of Heggie and Scheer’s “Three Decembers,” the Berkshire Opera Fest is set to open the main stage production of “Don Giovanni” at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA, on August 20th. 2022. The show will have additional performances on August 23 and 26. In this round table-style interview, OperaWire spoke with Co-founders Jonathon Loy and Brian {…}