Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Susan Graham On Schumann’s ‘Frauenliebe un -leben: Variations,’ The Power of Love & Malcolm Martineau’s Genius

(Photo: Dario Acosta) Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham has had an enviable career, winning such prestigious awards as a Grammy, an Opera News Award, and Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year. As a champion of the French repertoire, the French government honored her with the title of “Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.” Her roles span four centuries, singing in operas from Monteverdi’s {…}

Feb 1, 2020

Q & A: LA Opera CEO & President Christopher Koelsch on the Company’s 2020-21 Season, Renée Fleming & ‘Breaking the Waves’

The LA Opera announced its 2020-21 season featuring five main stage production, four new productions and a number of second stage productions through its Connects and LA Opera Grand sections. Among the composers featured in the programming are Missy Mazzoli, Verdi, Mozart, Handel, and Rossini. In light of the new season announcement, CEO and president of the house Christopher Koelsch {…}

Jan 29, 2020

Q & A: Kate Lindsey On Her Second Album ‘Arianna’ & ‘Agrippina’ At The Metropolitan Opera

(Credit: Rosetta Greek ) In 2017, Kate Lindsey released her first album “Thousands of Miles.” The album was comprised of songs by Kurt Weill and was a cross between classical music and Broadway. It was an experience that helped explore her voice and her technique in ways that she had never expected to and which posed new challenges that made {…}

Jan 26, 2020

Returning Home – How Khori Dastoor Went From Resident Artist to General Manager at Opera San José

(Credit: John Hardy) Back in early April 2019, the Opera San José Board of Directors announced that Khori Dastoor would be taking over as General Manager. The announcement was the culmination of a unique relationship that saw Dastoor rise from performer to manager in just a little over a decade. Irene Dalis’ Call Back in 2007, Dastoor was a soprano {…}

Jan 19, 2020

The Baritonal Crown – Baritone Željko Lučić On His Beginnings, Favorite Roles & Keys to Success

Baritone Željko Lučić was born in Serbia, in a small town of Zrenjanin, northeast of the capital Belgrade. For anyone familiar with the looks of historical small towns in the countries of the Western Balkan, this is a significant fact. “Yes, my hometown is indeed a small one, but also an absolutely wonderful place,” Lučić, smiling, told OperaWire in a recent {…}

Jan 11, 2020

Both Hands – Conductor Thomas Conlin on His Passion for Mozart, Opera vs. Symphonic Concerts, & Modern Composers

Young Thomas Conlin was very exciting about his first contact with the classical music. His parents bought a piano for him, and he wasn’t able to resist the temptation. “When I was five-years-old my father won a piano in a contest,” Conlin reminisced in a recent interview with OperaWire. “From the day the piano was delivered I couldn’t keep my {…}

Jan 8, 2020

Q & A: Valentina Nafornița On Her New Album & Her Development In Vienna

(Credit: Dragosh Cojocaru) In 2011, Moldovian soprano Valentina Nafornița won the first prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and quickly became an ensemble member of the Wiener Staatsoper. From that moment on, she obtained a number of important assignments around the world, making debuts at the Salzburg Festival, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Opéra de Lausanne, and Opéra {…}

Jan 4, 2020

Q & A: Opera on the James General Director Marco Nisticò On His Multi-Faceted Career

Opera on the James, located in Lynchburg, Virginia named singer, director, and teacher, Marco Nisticò General Director this past June. Nisticò summed up his mission on the company’s website, saying, “[Opera] has the capacity to move, inspire, provoke thought, and entertain. It helps us to understand who we are and how we relate to each other. As director of Opera {…}

Dec 29, 2019

Q & A: Conductor Riccardo Frizza On the Transformation of the Donizetti Opera Festival

(Credit: © Joan Tomás – Fidelio Artist) In 2019 the Donizetti Opera Festival celebrated its fifth anniversary after winning the prestigious Best Festival at the Oper! Magazine Awards. The festival showcased three works by the famed composer that brought an international audience and a number of rising stars and international singers. It was also the second year for famed conductor {…}

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