Q & A: Tenor Paul Appleby on Contemporary Operas & Run AMOC* Festival, Politics in the Arts, & His 2025-26 Slate

(Photo Credit : Jonathan-Tichler) “La Damnation de Faust.” “La Rondine.” “Die Schöpfung.” “In a Grove.” “St. Matthew Passion.” “Antony and Cleopatra.” These are just a few of the many projects that tenor Paul Appleby took on this past season. What stands out in this list is how wide-ranging it is in its artistic exploration. There are several contemporary works, sacred {…}

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Indyana Schneider on Her Second Novel: Since the World is Ending

The first draft didn’t work. Australian mezzo-soprano and novelist Indyana Schneider says that plainly, without flinching. By the time Schneider’s debut novel, “28 Questions,” hit shelves in January 2022, she’d already completed a full draft of her follow-up, “Since the World is Ending,” and it wasn’t good. But what followed was, in her words, “a really fun journey.” That journey {…}

Q & A: Carolina López Moreno on Her Royal Opera House Debut, Origins & Living in the Moment

(Photo credit : Nadeesha Rathnayake)   Carolina López Moreno, Bolivian-Albanian Soprano, born and raised in Germany, is a versatile, award-winning artist, and is regarded as one of the most promising sopranos of her generation. On the brink of an international career, she has already collaborated with renowned orchestras and conductors, including the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Antonio Pappano and {…}

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Helen Charlston On Her Career & Award-Winning Recordings

(Photo: Julien Gazeau) Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston is rapidly making a name for herself in the world of classical music, especially for her expressive renditions of works from the baroque period. She already has a substantial discography, including the award-winning 2022 release, “Battle Cry,” and the fascinating disc of contemporary music, entitled “Isolation Songbook,” which was created in response to the {…}

Q & A: Soprano Federico Fiorio On Performing Monteverdi’s ‘I Grotteschi’ And On His Work With Karalis Antiqua

(Photo: Federico Melis) Federico Fiorio is a male soprano, specializing in the baroque. I first came across him on his professional debut in 2018 when he was performing at Venice’s Teatro Malibran, in which he impressed with his “high degree of vocal control and versatility.” Since then, and almost by chance, I have had the opportunity of reviewing many of {…}

Q & A: Soprano Benedetta Torre on Singing Mozart, Studying Voice With Barbara Frittoli & Her Upcoming Performances in Beijing

(Photo: Mattia di Pasquale) Genoese Soprano Benedetta commenced her international career at the age of just twenty. After pursuing piano and vocal studies in her home city, she is now continuing her training and specialization with esteemed soprano Barbara Frittoli.
A recipient of several awards, and described as a “rising star,” she has achieved much critical acclaim, especially for her Mozart {…}

Q & A: Stuart Skelton on ‘Tristan un Isolde,’ Longevity as a Heldentenor & his Philadelphia Orchestra Debut

On June 1 and 8, the Philadelphia Orchestra will present Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” with Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting the opera for the first time. The conductor has lined up an all-star cast of Wagner titans who have performed the work on numerous occasions. Among them is Stuart Skelton, who is recognized as one of the great Heldentenors of his generation. {…}