(Credit: Fay Fox) Few works of American literature have had quite the impact of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” Published in 1939, the seminal Pulitzer Prize-winning novel focuses on a poor family of tenant farmers, the Joads, as they are driven from their homes and forces to face the difficult world of the Great Depression. The film received an {…}
With the growth of opera’s online presence, companies and houses around the world are embracing the power of social media to their advantage. Making opera more accessible one post at a time, houses like the Royal Opera House in England, their Instagram having the largest amount of followers in the world, rendering the process of putting together an opera has {…}
No stranger to the rapidly changing world of classical music, composer and musicologist Raphael Fusco has found a novel way to blend his skills as a music researcher and a composer. Previously he was interviewed about his first chamber opera, “inSOMNIA,” a fairytale opera which blended his ear for different musical genres. This time, in his new cantata for countertenor {…}
For the past 20 years, Luke McEndarfer has been the Artistic Director, President, and CEO of the National Children’s Chorus. Under his leadership, the organization has become one of the fastest-growing and most successful youth arts organizations in the United States. It has performed at Royce Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and the {…}
Later this month, audiences in Riyadh will bear witness to “Zarqa Al Yamama,” “the first Grand Opera produced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” The opera will star Dame Sarah Connolly. She is joined by Khayran Al Zahrani, Sawsan Albahiti, Reemaz Oqbi, Aleksandar Stefanowski, Amelia Wawrzon, Serena Farnocchia, Paride Cataldo, and George von Bergen. The libretto by Saleh Zamanan tells {…}
Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura is in the prime of her career. The soprano, who has become a go-to interpreter of Cio-Cio San around the world, first came into prominence as a member of Jette Parker Young Artist Program. During that time, she stepped in for Anna Netrebko in “I Capuleti e i Montecchi,” a moment that she describes as one {…}
Photo:Henrich Mišovič It is the morning of the premiere of The Slovak National Theater Opera’s new production of Smetana’s opera “The Kiss,” a rarely performed work in western Europe but one that receives regular presentations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. To find out more about the opera and the production, we met up for an interview with soprano Mária {…}
Photo credit: Cory Weaver Opera Parallèle was founded in 2007 by conductor Nicole Paiement to develop and produce contemporary opera. It continues to pioneer the commissioning of new works and exploring underperformed musical creations and landscapes. Coming up in April 2024, Opera Parallèle (OP) joins with SFJAZZ to present “Birds & Balls,” a program of multimedia opera, pairing two short {…}
“Sometimes the worst behavior has the best soundtrack” says the title for Episode 21 of “Classics Explained,” an animated video series by Ben Levy that you can watch right now on YouTube. In fact, before we continue with the interview, check out the video right here. Much like Levy’s other videos in the series, this one gives viewers an enjoyable {…}