For many, Kathryn Lewek IS the Queen of the Night. She holds the record for most performances of the role at the Metropolitan Opera and has taken her interpretation of the famed villain to opera houses such as the Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, among many, many others. This summer, she will {…}
(Photo © Rikimaru Hotta) When he was 10-years-old, Kazushi Ōno went to the opera for the first time. What opera did he witness? “La Traviata.” He was hooked. This led him to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before he headed off to Germany to study as a scholar of the Japanese Ministry of Culture {…}
(Mise en scène Christophe Gayral, Décors Christophe Ouvrard, Costume Tiziano Musetti) On July 14, the Puccini Festival opened with a new production of “La Bohème” directed by Christophe Gayral. The production updated the opera to 1968 during the student protests in France. It was a concept that was presented at the festival in November of 2022 and one that was {…}
With less than a month to go before the start of Pesaro’s Rossini Opera Festival, OperaWire met up with one of this season’s stars, mezzo-soprano Raffaella Lupinacci, who will be playing the role of Arsace in Rossini’s opera seria “Aureliano in Palmira,” which premiered at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala in 1813. Although it is not one of Rossini’s better-known operas, {…}
(Photo © Aline Paley) Thirty years ago, Martin Engstroem found himself in a place he had always dreamed of. During his formative years in music management, he dreamt of helping build the careers of up-and-coming artists and creating a unique experience. He is full of ideas and works alongside the biggest names in the classical music business, mainly conductors and {…}
Photo Credit: Kristen Loken Merola Opera Program presents Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” on July 13th and 15th at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, with director Jan Essinger, conductor Judith Yan, and a creative team including intimacy coordinator Maya Herbsman. Merola will also host a special conversational forum, post-performance on Saturday, July 15th with the creative team and {…}
Back in April, Searchlight Pictures released the film “Chevalier” about Joseph Bologne, one of the most acclaimed black composers of his generation. The film premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto Film Festival and was distributed theatrically throughout the USA. A few months ago, the company released it on Hulu for streaming. With the film now widely available, OperaWire had {…}
It all started in high school for mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon. Since her father was in the military, Dixon was constantly on the move with her family. Eventually, they settled in Georgia, where Dixon “begged” her parents to put her in the choir so that she could spend some time with friends she had just made. “Little did we know it {…}
(Credit: ©MarcoBorrelli) For conductor Vincenzo Milletarì, it’s all about Puccini at the moment. In April, he conducted “La Bohème” at the Göteborg Opera and this summer he will take on “Tosca” at the Den Jyske Opera in Aarhus. Known for his work on Italian repertoire and as one of the rising stars of his generation, Milletarì spoke to OperaWire about {…}