On Nov. 9, 2018, Michelle Bradley will perform in the last of four Verdi Requiem performances at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. And then in January the soprano, who adores Verdi’s music above all else, will make her role debut as Leonora in “La Forza del Destino.” It’s been a tremendous 2018 overall for Bradley, who made her role debut as {…}
Encompass New Opera Theatre’s 2018-2019 season began with the world premiere of “Anna Christie,” with music by Edward Thomas and libretto by the late Joe Masteroff. Artistic Director Nancy Rhodes hosted opening night on Oct. 9, 2018, at Baruch Performing Arts Center to celebrate the debut and honor of Thomas and Masteroff. Masteroff, who died Sept. 28 made a {…}
INT. METROPOLITAN OPERA, NEW YORK. JANUARY 2012. The opera onstage is Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda” starring Joyce DiDonato in a production by David McVicar. The run of performances of this production are set to be a major artistic success for all involved, earning strong reviews and eventually, a DVD release. Seated in the audience is a young man, his name Tom {…}
Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges’ first love was basketball. “It was something I was quite great at, and could see myself going far in,” the Lakewood, Washington native revealed to OperaWire in a recent interview. But eventually, something else took over her life as she grew older and she knew that she had to leave her first love behind to pursue her {…}
Back in 2016, Zou Shuang joined the Beijing Music Festival as Associate Program Director, initiating the New Wave Program that introduced new works to Chinese audiences, including “Winterreise,” “La Voix Humaine,” “Giovanni and Vixen” and “The Fugitive.” Her work with the music festival led her to become the Artistic Director of the festival. She has only continued to push the {…}
“Maria de Buenos Aires” is virtually synonymous in the modern day with Colombian soprano Catalina Cuervo. She has performed the Astor Piazzolla and Horacio Ferrer work more than any other singer in its history, appearing in 16 productions to date and over 60 performances. From her formative years in Colombia, Cuervo knew that she wanted to be on an opera {…}
What is it like to crossover from opera to rock music? Better yet,what it is like to fuse both genres into one score? That was the challenge mezzo-soprano Yajie Zhang had to face for the new opera “Orfeo” by Fay Kueen Wang and Zou Shuang. A classically trained performer, Zhang has steadily risen the ranks of the opera world performing {…}
When conductor Jorge Parodi was a young man growing up in Argentina, he often heard a melody played as an introduction to a television series. “I never imagined it was from an opera,” he told OperaWire in a recent interview. Everyone knew that the tango melody was by Piazzolla, but it never occurred to him that the tango melody might {…}
Elīna Garanča is, for many, THE mezzo-soprano of this generation. With her movie star looks and acting chops to match. she has performed at all the major theaters, showcased an extensive array of repertoire and recorded award-winning albums. She has made a specialty of lyric mezzo roles such as Octavian in “Der Rosenkavalier” or the title role in “Carmen,” but {…}