In Benjamin Britten and Ronald Duncan’s “The Rape of Lucretia,” a young Roman soldier is goaded into testing the chastity of Lucretia, who was the only woman not to betray her husband Collatinus. This roman soldier, Tarquinius, proceeds to show up at Lucretia’s home, awaken her from bed, and, despite being repeatedly rejected, he rapes her. Lucretia winds up killing {…}
On May 3, 2019, Australian soprano Yvette Keong will perform her graduation recital at the Manhattan School of Music’s Greenfield Hall. While still a member of the school’s Senior Opera Theater, Keong has quickly begun to make a name for herself with recent appearances in the role of Pamina in the Berlin Opera Academy’s 2018 production of “Die Zauberflöte,” which {…}
“We want to make this music—these composers—part of the standard repertoire. Events like this shouldn’t be rare,” stated soprano Nicole Leone in a recent interview with OperaWire. Leone’s simple statement refers to the challenge of increasing the prominence of female composers in music programming, and she is doing her part. Together with Randi Marrazzo, her voice teacher from Temple University, {…}
In 1995, a young Rosetta Cucchi first walked through the door of the Theatre Royal in Wexford, home of the Wexford Festival Opera, beginning an association, which almost 25 years later, is still going strong, having just been been appointed as the company’s Artistic Director. Cucchi will take over the running of the festival from 2020, replacing David Agler, who {…}
On May 3, 2019 the Tulsa Opera will host an American first. According to a carefully worded press release, it will be “the first time a trans woman has performed a principal role on the operatic stage in the US.” Baritone Lucia Lucas will make her American main-stage debut in the title role of Mozart and da Ponte’s “Don Giovanni.” {…}
Earlier this season, Spanish tenor Airam Hernández took on the role of legendary tenor Enrico Caruso in the world premiere of Dutch composer Micha Hamel’s new opera “Caruso a Cuba.” Following his success in Amsterdam, the tenor will make his highly anticipated U.S. debut and role debut with the Dallas Opera as Fenton in Lee Blakely’s production of Verdi’s beloved comedy “Falstaff.” Hernández recently spoke with OperaWire about his {…}
During early June, tucked away in the Blackwater Valley in Ireland’s southeast, the small town of Lismore plays host to Ireland’s other opera festival. Not nearly as famous as the Wexford Festival, the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival has been slowly developing its profile, and attracting the attention of a wider public, although it still remains relatively unknown outside Ireland. This {…}
Soprano Ailyn Perez is coming off two successful productions at the Metropolitan Opera in some of her signature roles and winning the prestigious Opera news award. Her star has risen and she has become more and more in demand around the world. Now the soprano returns to the Houston Grand Opera where she has debuted numerous roles and has had {…}
Over the last 15 years, bass-baritone Paolo Bordogna has become one of the most esteemed specialists in the buffo/comic repertoire. His appearances have garnered him rave reviews and a huge following all over the world. He has performed at many of the leading theaters, including the Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Opéra National de Paris, Vienna State Opera, Teatro Real {…}