Those following the opera world and its biggest news items know what happened on Sept. 28, 2019. In the midst of a tumultous week in which the Met Opera’s “Macbeth” featured major cast turnover, there was still one big twist set to take place without much audience anticipation – a new baritone was to make a surprising debut in the {…}
One day, as a 16-year-old, tenor Piero Pretti, was invited by Fabrizio Ruiu to audition for a polyphonic choir. That moment would have tremendous implications for the Sardinian tenor. Not only would Ruiu, a close friend from childhood, become the best man at his wedding, but this audition would change Pretti’s life forever. “I fell in love with it,” he {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) The Metropolitan Opera House, the Royal Opera House Muscat, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Vienna State Opera, the Opernhaus Zürich, the Opéra National de Paris, the San Francisco Opera, and the Teatro Real de Madrid. These are just a few of the many theaters where 36-year-old Romanian soprano Anita Hartig has performed over the last three {…}
(Credit: Opera Online) The Maryland Lyric Opera began with the mission of enabling the next generations of singers to have the opportunity to learn and perform alongside experienced opera professionals who have spent years developing their craft in front of the public on the world’s stages. Now in its fifth year, the company has performed fully staged as well as {…}
Recently named General Director of Center of Contemporary Opera (CCO), Francesca Campagna represents a positive shift towards greater international and personal awareness within the opera community. She is the first female in CCO’s history of 37 years to be selected for this role and also the first immigrant. Her career’s journey spans over more than a decade and has been {…}
(Credit: Maxine Robertson) Young Spanish soprano Serena Sáenz is currently a member of International Opera Studio in Berlin at the Staatsoper unter der Linden where she is currently performing roles of Pamina and Papagena in Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” she has debuted in “Siegfried”as Der Waldvogel. She is also preparing roles of Zerlina in “Don Giovanni,” Frasquita in “Carmen,” {…}
(Credit: Shirley Suarez) British soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn is currently preparing for a career milestone: her Metropolitan Opera debut, in James Robinson’s new production of “Porgy and Bess.” She will take to the stage for the Oct. 13, 2019 performance, opposite Eric Owens. An increasingly sought-after specialist in the Italian repertoire, a few of her recent roles include the title roles of “Manon {…}
(Credit: © KHALID ALBUSAIDI / Provided by Royal Opera House Muscat) He was artistic director all over Italy with such organizations as the Teatro Licirco Di Caligari, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro Lirico di Trieste, and Teatro Comunale Odea di Lumezzane. But now Umberto Fanni is thousands of miles away leading as the General Director of the Royal Opera {…}
(Opera Memphis/ Ziggy Mack) Committed to bringing opera to modern audiences in a meaningful and accessible manner, Opera Memphis is underway with a number of artistic initiatives which bring together matters of race, equity, and music. Currently halfway through its 30 Days of Opera program, the company has taken its passion to local venues and markets throughout the city of {…}