There’s no doubt what video productions have meant for the opera world over the last year. With COVID-19 continuing to rage, live performance is simply not an option at this moment and will struggle to become the norm once again for some time. In its stead, companies have turned to the magic of cinema and streaming options available for distribution. {…}
Aerialist noun : one who performs feats in the air or above the ground, especially on the trapeze. Does singing “Der Hölle Rache,” the famous Queen of the Night aria, upside down while suspended by yards of silk count as a “feat?” If not, it should because that’s exactly what soprano Rainelle Krause does. Whether in the air or on the {…}
(Credit: Colbert Artists Management) “My what?” James Morris, studying at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, has received a phone call from his newly acquired agent at Sol Hurok management, an agent who had seen him perform elsewhere in the country and offered to represent him. Now, the agent has news: a date for Morris’ Met audition. The {…}
On Dec. 4, Paola Prestini and Magos Herrera released “Con Alma,” an album recorded remotely between March and October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new release features classic songs from the Mexican and Jazz songbook and over 30 musicians across three continents including the all-women German-based Ensemble Sjaella, Constellation Chor, the Young People’s Chorus of NYC, Mexico’s Orquesta Sinfónica {…}
(Credit: Adam Markowski) On Dec. 12, Andrea Bocelli performed a Christmas concert at the Teatro Regio di Parma entitled “Believe in Christmas.” It was an event that allowed people to watch the famed tenor’s artistry through a streamed performance. Bocelli invited special guests including Clara Barbier Serrano, a current student at the Royal College of Music. Serrano was named the {…}
(Credit: Tyler Golden) In October, countertenor John Holiday surprised the opera world in a big way. The Texas native who has performed with such companies as the Glimmerglass Festival, Los Angeles Opera, Dutch National Opera, Cincinnati Opera (and will make his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2021), performed in the blind auditions for hit TV show “The Voice.” Performing “Misty” by {…}
American singer Brian Giebler impresses with his light high-placed tenor and has established a career singing virtuosic and eclectic repertoire, focusing on Baroque and contemporary music, musical theatre, and new opera at once. An active crossover artist, dedicated to the changing landscape of new music, Giebler has performed with The English Concert, The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Baroque, Boston Early Music Festival, Grand Rapids {…}
(Credit: Gianfranco Rota) For years, audiences who wanted to get a taste of Donizetti’s rarest works presented in a manner of utmost care at the Donizetti Opera Festival had to make the pilgrimage to Bergamo, the composer’s birthplace. But COVID-19 has forced the event to take place via virtual means in 2020. As a result, audiences worldwide will get a {…}
On Nov. 13, 2020, renowned tenors Lawrence Brownlee and Michael Spyres are set to release their new album “Amici e Rivali” on Erato. The selections draw from seven of Rossini’s operas, with an approach that not only celebrates his music but pays homage to the artists of the composer’s time who interpreted these works, such as Andrea Nozzi, Giovanni David, {…}
(Credit: Frances Marshall) “At Home With… ” is a brand new series collaboration between OperaWire and photographer Frances Marshall of Marshall Light Studio, combining original photography with insightful interviews. In this first edition, OperaWire spoke with singer, recording artist, television host, and ambassador of the arts, Danielle de Niese. De Niese lives in the main house at Glyndebourne—home of the {…}
(Credit: Matilde Fasso) ***Note – this interview was conducted many weeks prior to the recent regulations imposed throughout Spain that have effectively forced many theaters, including the Ópera de Oviedo, to alter their schedules. Over the course of his 27-year career, American Tenor John Osborn has been distinguished as one of the top bel canto tenors in the world. With {…}