Q & A: Artistic Director & Conductor George Petrou on This Season’s International Händel Festival in Göttingen

(Photo: FreddieF) This year’s International Händel Festival in Göttingen kicks off on May 16th and will run until May 25th. The festival will present a range of events dedicated to the composer, including lectures, concerts, recitals, and readings, along with the eighth edition of its Händel competition. The centerpiece of the festival will be five staged performances of the composer’s {…}

Q & A: Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi on This Year’s Wexford Festival & Productions for the Händel Festival in Göttingen & the Rossini Festival in Pesaro

(Photo: Armati Bacciardi) Over the next few months, OperaWire will be reviewing a number of productions at a variety of festivals across the globe. One name that keeps cropping up, at least in Europe, is that of Rosetta Cucchi. Blessed with a never-ending supply of energy and ideas, she always has one project on the go with others in the {…}

Q & A: Scott Guzielek on AVA’s 90th Anniversary & the Resilience of Opera

(Photo credit: AVA) In preparation for the “BrAVA Philadelphia! 90th Anniversary Celebration and Gala,” Scott Guzielek, President and Artistic Director of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA), talked with OperaWire about the institution’s dedication to the arts for close to a century and its upcoming celebratory events. Guzielek started with the Academy in 2019 as Vice President and General Manager. {…}

In Less Than Five Minutes, Get To Know Mezzo-soprano Valeria Girardello

(Photo: Felix Grünschloß) OperaWire was fortunate to be present at The International Händel Festspiele in Karlsruhe earlier this month in which we caught a splendid production of the composer’s 1731 opera, “Rinaldo.” Fortunately, we managed a very quick interview with one of its star performers, mezzosoprano Valeria Girardello. OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw? Valeria Girardello: “L’Italiana in {…}

Q & A: HAUI™ Discusses Shedding Light on Underrepresented Figures Through Art

(Photo credit: Michael Cooper) Canadian-based mixed media artist, director, and librettist HAUI™ (he/they) uses his platforms to explore the intersections of race, gender, identity, and sexual orientation and to amplify underrepresented themes, myths, and histories. HAUI™ is published by Playwrights Canada Press and has collaborated with leading arts organizations such as Canadian Opera Company, CBC, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Stratford {…}

Q & A: Michael Fabiano on Being Self-Driven & His Responsibility as an Artist to Serve His Craft

(Photo: Diego Bendezu) Acclaimed American tenor Michael Fabiano, of Italian descent, has performed in leading opera houses throughout the world, including extensively at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Teatro Real of Madrid, Berlin Staatsoper, Teatro Liceu, Vienna Staatsoper, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera House in London, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, and Paris {…}

Q & A: Kristin Hoff On Being a Producer With an Artist’s Perspective & an Artist With a Producer’s Perspective

(Photo by Kevin Calixte) On February 11th, the Fondation Mécénat Musica for cultural philanthropy awarded the Prix Goyer for Collaborative Emerging Artists to the mezzo-soprano Kristin Hoff. The prize is valued at $125,000 CAD—the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the largest for artists in the world. Receiving an award for collaboration may seem unusual for an {…}