(Credit: Janine Guldener) The Berlin-based mezzo-soprano Bettina Ranch dreamed about a career as a singer since childhood. And while she started off her musical path as a violinist, she eventually made the switch, which has led her to a major vocal career greater than even her dreams could handle. She has been an ensemble member of the Aalto Musiktheater Essen {…}
(Credit: Matt Madison-Clark) Be careful around Zachary James. In his role as the cook in Prokofiev’s madcap “Love for Three Oranges” with Opera Philadelphia, he wielded a lethal ladle. If you were a fan of ESPN’s show, “Great Outdoor Games” you may have seen him handling an ax as a lumberjack, promoting the show in a television commercial. The New {…}
(Credit: Brittney Werner) If you visit New Orleans today, you can pop into the Napoleon House, the supposed location in which the former emperor would live out his days in North America. The music that you’ll hear while sipping your Pimm’s Cup in the 200-year-old house-turned-bar is classical. Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony is on repeat, after all, the maestro wrote it {…}
For five years, the Dallas Opera’s Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors has done something that few other major companies have done – champion women conductors. The program, the first ever designed to meet the needs of women opera conductors, has allowed participants an opportunity to engage in a wide-range of musical opportunities alongside some of the most {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) Sarah Mesko is walking a straight path toward an important career. The Arkansas native has built her success on solid academic training and noteworthy apprenticeships, and has received bundles of prestigious awards in return. She has performed with scores of professional companies in the United States, including the Met where she has paid her dues as a {…}
(Credit: Alexey Kostromin) When you think of Verdi mezzo, there are few singers that fit that bill as well as Russian artist Ekaterina Semenchuk. For years now, she has been the go-to mezzo-soprano in Verdi’s major roles, finding major triumphs at such venues as the Opéra National de Paris, the Teatro Real de Madrid, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the {…}
Sherezade Panthaki is one of today’s most recognized Baroque singers. An acknowledged star in the early-music field, she has performed with some of the most prestigious Baroque and early period orchestras, as well as with such prominent conductors as Nicholas McGegan, Masaaki Suzuki, Mark Morris, Nicholas Kraemer, Matthew Halls, Paul Agnew, and Lawrence Cummings. This weekend, Sherezade Panthaki returns to {…}
(Credit: Rokas Baltakys) In just a little over a year or so, Soprano Asmik Grigorian has jumped into the spotlight and remained at the forefront of the opera world. The big reason for the soprano’s rise to the forefront is her now iconic interpretation of “Salome” at the Salzburg Festival. “The Lithuanian soprano captivates the audience as much as she {…}
“This is the greatest miracle of science and technology,” said lyric soprano Dr. Anne Walker in a recent chat with OperaWire. “I’m not sure where it’s going, but I know it’s not for nothing.” Though her destination may be uncertain, she has come from a place of feeling isolated and ashamed. Artistically Compromised Over 15 years ago, before she turned {…}