Q & A: Prof. Mark Tucker & Prof. Isolde Kittel-Zerer on Reviving Hasse’s ‘Artaserse’ at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg

Prof. Mark Tucker is a distinguished interpreter of the Baroque repertoire with a prestigious career performing and recording under conductors such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and René Jacobs. For over 20 years, he has taught at Hochschule für Musik und Theater (HfMT) Hamburg, specializing in Italian vocal repertoire from 1600 to 1800 within the Historical Performance Practice {…}

Jan 30, 2026

Q & A: Ana María Martínez on the Oscar Nominated Song ‘Sweet Dreams of Joy’ from ‘Viva Verdi’

(Credit: Ashkan Roayaee) In early January, “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” the song in the documentary “Viva Verdi,” was shortlisted in the 15 finalists. However, no one gave it a chance as the field included such stars as Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Billy Idol, Stephen Schwartz and Nine Inch Nails. But on Jan. 22, 2026, when the Academy announced the nominees {…}

Jan 28, 2026

Q & A: Alvise Casellati on Leading Teatro Massimo di Palermo & Opera’s Social Power

Alvise Casellati was born in Padua, Italy, to a Venetian musical family with important ties to the top classical music composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Rossini, Wagner, and Boito, among others. He is the founder and Music Director of Opera Italiana is in the Air (OIA), created in 2017 to bring opera concerts with with superstar singers {…}

Jan 27, 2026

Q & A: First Countertenor Patrick Dunachie & Baritone Chris Bruerton on The King’s Singers

(Photo: The King’s Singers press) The King’s Singers, a beloved ensemble, will be performing at NYC’s St. Bartholomew’s Church on February 4th at 7:30pm, and the Washington National Cathedral in DC on February 6th and 7th, 2026 at 7 p.m. These will also be some of the last performances with first countertenor Patrick Dunachie (after 10 years in the group) {…}

Jan 23, 2026

Q & A: Patricia Illera on Interpreting Ástor Piazzolla’s Iconic ‘María de Buenos Aires’

The choice of the young Spanish mezzo Patricia Illera for the roles of María and her shadow in Ástor Piazzolla and Horracio Ferrer’s opera “María de Buenos Aires” was a wise one. After studying medicine at the UAM and singing at the Madrid School of Singing (ESCM), she has been able to alternate between oratorios such as Saint Saëns and {…}

Jan 22, 2026

Q & A: Conductor Gregory D. McDaniel on His Own Path of Professional Discovery

“It takes a village to raise a child” is a proverb that has served conductor Gregory D. McDaniel well. Thanks to musical educators and mentors, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in conducting music at an early age. A Houston native, McDaniel has about five months left with the New Jersey Symphony (NJS) as a Colton Conducting Fellow, where {…}

Jan 22, 2026

Bringing Her Home – Composer Leonard Lehrman on the Decades-Long Journey to Get ‘Sima’ its NYC Premiere

(Photo by Jonathan Slaff) In the 1970s, Leonard Lehrman, a Kansas-born but Long Island-raised composer of 12 operas and seven musicals whose major mentors include Elie Siegmeister, Lenore Anhalt, and Olga Heifetz, wrote “Sima,” an opera about a Jewish girl orphaned by a pogrom in 1905 in Ukraine. For decades, the composer attempted to bring the opera to a New {…}

Jan 21, 2026

Q & A: Marina Rebeka & Ludovic Tézier on Recording ‘Simon Boccanegra’ & Debuting ‘Nabucco’

Marina Rebeka and Ludovic Tézier need little introduction. Simply put, they are two of the most important Verdi singers of our time. The two have sung several of the composer’s works, with Rebeka becoming the go-to soprano of the composer’s early works requiring Bel Canto agility, while Tézier has dominated many of the composer’s most dramatic operas. Recently they made {…}