On May 18, the Staatstheater Wiesbaden opened its doors after a nearly two month lockdown in Germany. The theater re-imagined its May Festival and programmed recitals and semi-staged selections of operas. For the concerts, the theater was able to engage some of the world’s greatest soloists including real-life couple, Michael Volle and Gabriela Scherer. Originally scheduled to perform in the {…}
(credit: Junseob Yoon) Last week, Hera Hyesang Park virtually performed at Berlin’s Meistersaal with pianist Sarah Tysman to announce the signing of an exclusive agreement with Deutsche Grammophon. The Yellow Label’s “Moment Musical” includes songs by Purcell, Handel, Hahn, Duparc, and Schubert. Park also performs Jin Choi’s “Leaning on Time,” arranged by Seulki Chungi, “Like the Wind that Met With {…}
(Credit: Erik Berg) Over the last 20 years Maestro Keri-Lynn Wilson has developed one of the most distinguished careers as a conductor. She has led some of the greatest orchestras and opera companies and has worked with some of the world’s most renowned soloists and singers. Her repertoire is vast and ever-expanding as her curiosity to explore new works can {…}
(Credit: Mat Ninat Studio) Mezzo-soprano Marie Karall has gained recognition throughout the past years for her “distinguishable dark colors” and for her “highly dramatic tone and emotional involvement.” The French mezzo has steadily raised her profile throughout the world performing at major theaters as the Chorégies d’Orange, Bordeaux National Opera, Montpellier National Opera, Avignon Opera, and the Théâtre des Champs {…}
In 2016, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman announced Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an initiative to diversify the economy of the Kingdom and implement across-the-board reforms, including creating pathways and supporting those seeking a career in the arts. For the first time, the government put its weight behind bringing the arts to the Saudi public, and as part of Vision 2030, {…}
(Credit: Gillian Riesen) ***Editorial Note – This interview was conducted as part of series of interviews dedicated to previewing the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ring Cycle. Unfortunately, that performance was canceled, but out of respect to the time put into this project by the artists and organizations, we will endeavor to publish the over coming days and weeks.(Given the context, {…}
A growing number of participants are joining an online Zoom performance of Pauline Oliveros’s “The World Wide Tuning Meditation” each Saturday. Together, Raquel Klein of Music on the Rebound, Ione, Claire Chase, International Contemporary Ensemble, and other passionate co-coordinators invite anyone curious to embark on the art of virtually discovering a special connection during the COVID-19 crisis. Composer Pauline Oliveros, {…}
Opera is forbidden in Iran. For years, Opera has been banned in the country despite palpable progress that saw the opera house open in 2013 for a production of “Gianni Schicchi” and the reopening of the opera house in 2015. There was even an all-women’s production of “Carmen.” But for opera singers who continue to pursue this artform in Iran, {…}
(Credit: Gerard Collett) On the eastern side of the Cape of Good Hope, at the very tip of South Africa, sits Port Elizabeth, a city with a population just shy of one million people. The population size matters because it makes soprano Vuvu Mpofu one in a million, a ratio perhaps not unlike the shot she had at making it {…}
Over the last few years, Sarah Vautour has been slowly but surely making herself a major force in the Los Angeles Opera scene. The soprano has been a young artist at the Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program since 2018 making her debut with the LA Opera under the baton of James Conlon and taking on the role of Papagena in “The {…}
Russian soprano Maria Maksakova has led a storied life in the performing arts. Coming from a family of prominent artists, Maksakova performed with leading Russian theaters such as the Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Helikon Opera; internationally, she has sung on stages in Tokyo, Vienna, London, Helsinki, and Baden-Baden. On the screen, Maksakova has served as a TV presenter and co-host {…}