James Conlon has spent more than five decades at the center of the operatic and symphonic worlds, building one of the most expansive conducting careers of his generation. A New Yorker by birth and formation, he rose quickly through the ranks of major opera houses and orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic, logging some 20 years of full-time residence {…}
Cooper Bott is heading to Northwestern University this fall, and he is arriving with some hardware in tow. The baritone from Marengo, Iowa recently took First Place at the Fifth Annual Schmidt Vocal Arts National Vocal Competition, held May 30 and 31 at the Sarasota Opera House in Sarasota, Florida. Bott earned the top prize of $10,000 after performing a {…}
(Credit: Juan Carlos Blanco Olea) Barno Ismatullaeva is a rising star in the opera world. Born in Andijan, Uzbekistan, she studied at the State Conservatory in Tashkent and went on to join the Alisher Navoi Opera House in Tashkent as a permanent ensemble member shortly after graduation. In 2017, she participated in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition {…}
Today’s guest is soprano Julia Muzychenko-Greenhalgh, a representative of a new generation of opera artists and the winner of numerous prestigious international competitions, including First Prize and the Audience Award at Ópera de Tenerife in Spain, as well as the Grand Prix at the Jacques Offenbach International Competition and the Verdi Voices Competition. She is currently appearing as Juliette at {…}
(Photo Credit: Olivia Kahler) What does it take to turn a gifted young musician into a first-rate opera singer? Not just a talented performer, but one who knows her craft and can sustain the life that comes with it? To find out, I spoke with Carrie-Ann Matheson, Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center, a performing pianist, leadership coach, {…}
American mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts is in the midst of becoming one of the most in-demand Wagnerian singers of her generation. Over the past seasons, Roberts has performed the roles of Kundry, Sieglinde and Brangäne. While there are some Strauss, Bizet, Verdi and Mascagni works that she continues to perform, the mezzo’s next role is none other than Isolde at the {…}
Italian Soprano Selene Zanetti is a rising star in the opera world having conquered many of the worlds opera houses including the Teatro La Fenice, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro San Carlo, Hamburg State Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Wiener Staatsoper. This season, she continued her ascension making her debut at the crown jewel of all Italian theaters, the Teatro alla Scala. {…}
Long before the curtain rises on “The Song of Sakuntala,” a new opera set to premiere at INSERIES, the sitar has already been telling stories. For thousands of years, its shimmering, many-stringed voice has carried the weight of Indian classical music: its ragas, its spiritual longing, its intricate rhythmic cycles. Now that ancient voice will be at the center of {…}
Winner of the first prize “Carlo Bergonzi” and the special prize “Renata Tebaldi” for the best female voice at the 58th Voci Verdiane International Singing Competition in Busseto in 2022, Italian soprano Sara Cortolezzis’ star is on the rise. Since taking that top prize, her career has expanded rapidly, with high-profile role debuts as Leonora in “Il Trovatore” at the {…}
(Photo: Theo Williams) In July, Paxton House will host the 2026 edition of its festival dedicated to chamber music in all its forms, including solo recitals and small ensembles of instrumental and vocal music from the classical repertoire spanning across the centuries. Yet it is far more than a specialist classical music festival; there are also many cross-over events, including {…}
(Photos: courtesy of the artists) Chamber opera is growing in appeal. Not only with composers, such as Missy Mizzoli and Nico Muhly, but also with producers such as Pocket Opera and West Edge Opera looking for small and untraditional venues in which to present their work. Minimalist opera in small halls invariably attracts new, young, inquiring audiences and companies such {…}