Legendary soprano Montserrat Caballe once said, “Saioa Hernández is the diva of our century and the theaters are sleeping because she should be in every single one.” Up until this year, Hernandez had been performing in the smaller European theaters to great acclaim and slowly moving up the ranks. But she was far from a household name in the opera {…}
(Production photo: Duane Tinkey/Des Moines Metro Opera’s “Billy Goats Gruff”) Father of six, retired bass-baritone John Davies first attempted to write a children’s opera for an unusual reason. “Around 1978,” he remembered in an interview with OperaWire, “it seemed to me that the tobacco industry was advertising to my young children, with the Marlboro Man, Joe Camel, and Virginia Slims {…}
(Photo: Jonas Lampens) The great castrato, Carlo Maria Michelangelo Broschi, better known as Farinelli, had such impact on 18th century opera-seria that his fame has lasted down the centuries, so that even today his name remains well-known amongst opera-goers. His older brother, Riccardo Broschi, however is less well-known, few will recognize his name. Yet, during his lifetime he was a {…}
(Credit: Steven Pisano) In 2018 the Teatro Nuovo was created to continue the legacy of Bel Canto at Caramoor and to propagate the exploration of neglected Bel canto and Italiana operas. At the head of the new company is Will Crutchfield, the artistic and general director. A conductor, musicologist, and educator, Crutchfield has been dedicated to exploring and conducting over {…}
(Photo: Arielle Doneson) Soprano Jennifer Zetlan is a singer known for her enthusiasm for contemporary opera. She has been featured in at least nine premieres of American operas, and created roles in two world premieres, the Messenger in Matthew Aucoin’s “Crossing,” and Fanny in Ricky Ian Gordon’s “Morning Star.” Alongside Zetlan’s passion for new opera, her vocal agility enables her {…}
(Credit: Theresa Pewal) When audiences check out Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” on July 5 and 7, 2019 at the York Early Music Festival and LOS St. Luke’s London, they will see the iconic opera utilizing puppetry and ancient Greek theatrical techniques. Developed under director Thomas Guthrie, with the cooperation of students at Princeton University, these techniques will showcase one of the Guthrie’s {…}
(Credit: Natalia Munro) New York opera audiences will have another opportunity to encounter one of Francis Poulenc’s works after “Dialogues des Carmélites” finished off the Met Opera season to the acclaim of audiences and critics alike. The U.S. debut of the Spanish production of “La voix humaine (“The Human Voice”),” directed by Antón Armendariz Diaz, and starring soprano Ashley Bell and {…}
It was March of 2018 and New York City Opera General Manager Michael Capasso wanted to make a big statement with his 2019 season. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots would take place in 2019 and it was the perfect opportunity for New York City Opera, which has championed operas about the LGBTQ+ community over the last few years, {…}
Two years ago, Benjamin Bernheim was a young artist performing light tenor roles and preparing to make the jump to some of the most important lyric operas in the repertory. He was an unknown and was still a member of the Opernhaus Zurich. But he had a perspective of where he wanted to be. “I knew I wanted to sing {…}