Q & A: Arianna Vendittelli On The Importance & Challenges Of Singing ‘Ermione,’ Interpretation & Career Development

Arianna Vendittelli’s career is one that most singers would dream of. She has an established reputation in the Mozart, Rossini and baroque repertoire, singing at the highest level in such roles as roles such as Fiordiligi, Zerlina, Cleopatra, Serse, Eurydice and many more. Moreover, she has been guided by such venerated artists as Ottavio Dantone, Riccardo Muti and Alessandro De {…}

Dec 10, 2019

Q & A: Catherine Foster On Vocal Stamina, Taking on Dramatic Roles By Wagner, Strauss, Puccini

Catherine Foster is known as one of the great of Brünnhildes of our time. She has performed the role six consecutive times at the Bayreuth Festival and continues to be in-demand for her interpretation. And while there is no denying that this might be her signature role, it is impossible to discount three other operas that she is also dominating {…}

Dec 8, 2019

Q & A: Baritone Simon Mechlinski on Growing Up With Opera-Singing Parents, the Wexford Festival Opera & Working With Giorgio Zancanaro

At last year’s Wexford Festival Opera I caught a recital by the largely unknown Polish baritone, Simon Mechlinski, and he made quite an impression. At the end of festival he received the Gerard Arnhold Bursary, an award made to a singer who is considered to have outstanding potential. This year he returned to Wexford and gave another recital, in addition {…}

Dec 7, 2019

Cantor-Tenor – Countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen on His Burgeoning Career & Important Jewish Tradition

(Credit: Dario Acosta) Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen’s family fully expected him to pursue a career in Public Policy when he went to Princeton University. But that wasn’t the path he would take. Instead he got his B.A. in History and studied Voice as well, when he realized just how deep music and he were deeply intertwined. The music bug that had {…}

Dec 5, 2019

The Unexpected Heroine – How Alice Mong, Candace Chong, Eli Marshall & Chu Hei Chan Created ‘Mila’

Alice Mong, the Executive Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center never realized how much operatic talent there was in Hong Kong and Asia. That is, until she saw them work in a masterclass with soprano Renée Fleming in 2013. Watching these artists work alongside the famed diva made Mong realize that Hong Kong and Asia was full of {…}

Dec 1, 2019

Q & A: Director Damiano Michieletto on Searching For Truth, Wagner, Janácek, & Putting Drugs into ‘L’Elisir D’Amore’

(Credit: Yasuko Kageyama) Damiano Michieletto is one of the most sought after directors today. Born in Venice, he graduated in modern literature at the Venice University and then went on to study theatre and opera production at the Paolo Grassi School of Dramatic Art in Milan. Success would follow him soon after when he debuted in 2003 at the Wexford {…}

Nov 30, 2019

Q & A: Baritone Tomaš Kral on Why Baroque Music is His Greatest Passion

(Credit: Barbara Dietl) Czech-born vocalist Tomaš Kral has a virtuosic baritone with a warm timbre which he uses to remind the modern-day audiences of the charm of early music, its purity of spirit, and the peace it brings. Audiences have had the opportunity to experience these aspects of Kral’s artistry through his performances with such as Collegium 1704, Collegium Marianum, {…}

Nov 29, 2019

Q & A: Director Emilio Sagi on ‘Il Pirata’ & His Passion For Bel Canto

(Credit: Javier del Real) Few opera directors have had as much influence as Emilio Sagi. After nearly 40 years, he is not just any other opera director – he is a brand and an icon, his work easily identifiable. He debuted in his native Oviedo with “La Traviata” in 1980 before triumphing in Madrid with “Don Pasquale” in 1982. Since {…}

Nov 28, 2019

Q & A: Soprano Nina Stemme on the Privilege of Singing Wagner & Being a Vocal Storyteller

Swedish soprano Nina Maria Stemme has been broadly regarded as one of the greatest living dramatic sopranos. What’s fascinating when you look at her career trajectory is seeing that the repertory for which she is best known seemed like a far cry during those early stage. She made her onstage debut in the mezzo-soprano role of Cherubino in Mozart’s opera {…}

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