Soprano Abiodun Koya is about as multifaceted as a person can get: opera singer, poet, fashion designer, model, activist, and humanitarian, to name a few. But the title she’s most proud of? Humanitarian. The soprano is living out that purpose, singing in front of and meeting people who can effect positive change and help forward her foundation’s goals. The Abiodun {…}
Jennifer Johnson Cano has garnered critical acclaim for committed performances of both new and standard repertoire. For her performance as Offred in Poul Ruders’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” she was lauded as “towering…restless, powerful, profound, she is as formidable as this astonishingly demanding role deserves.” With more than 100 performances on the stage at The Metropolitan Opera, her most recent roles {…}
On Feb. 26, ROCO will present the world premiere of “Earth” by Aaron Jay Kernis. The new opus is a reflection upon the fundamental environmental crisis of our time and was created in collaboration with poet and agricultural researcher Kai Hoffman-Krull. “Earth” tells the story of a farmer’s life through vignettes exploring the incremental changes of the seasons and how {…}
Elsa Dreisig credits Mozart with being the composer who first inspired her to become a professional singer. And over the past years, the soprano has dominated his works singing his operas around the world. After two successful albums, Dreisig decided to pay tribute to the famed creator with an album devoted entirely to arias from his operas particularly the three {…}
Photographer credit: Dario Acosta Mezzo-soprano Krysty Swann is currently performing the role of Mayme in “Intimate Apparel” at Lincoln Center Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. The opera is one of Ricky Ian Gordon’s latest works and features a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage that is based on her play. The production officially opens on January 31st, after a two-year pause {…}
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Royal Opera House Muscat recently opened its 2022 season with a historical production of “Rigoletto.” The version of the Verdi opera marks the final production that legendary director Franco Zeffirelli created for the opera stage before his death in 2019. It’s also a historical occasion because it marks the first time that audiences in {…}
(Photo: Nicola Dal Maso, RibaltaLuce Studio) Back in 2018 OperaWire interviewed Italian soprano and baroque specialist Francesca Aspromonte to talk to her about her newly released CD “Maria & Maddalena,” her love for the baroque repertoire and her desire to expand her repertoire into other areas. Since then she has gone on to cement her reputation with a string of {…}
(Credit: Gregor Hohenberg) This past fall soprano Aleksandra Kurzak released a new album, “Mozart Concertante.” It was a departure from the work that she had recently done for Sony Classical, which was dedicated to the Romantic repertoire and which was in line with the repertoire she is currently performing all over the world. In many ways, this album represents a {…}
(Photo credit: Tatiana Mazzola) For Iván Ayón-Rivas, 2021 was a breakout party. Selected by OperaWire as one of the 10 rising stars of 2021, the Peruvian tenor also took home top honors at Operalia before finishing out the year with his opera debut at the Teatro alla Scala. That ascension to opera’s peak was years in the making. Ayón-Rivas began {…}
(Credit: ©Barbara Anmüller) “Comedy today, tragedy tomorrow.” American soprano Sydney Mancasola uttered these words before going to the stage at the Adelaide Festival on March 13 2020, in the role of Bess in opera “Breaking the Waves.” The opera had a second performance on March 15, and at that time the coronavirus pandemic already begun its deadly march across Europe {…}
Photos: Frances Marshall “At Home With… ” is a collaboration between OperaWire and photographer Frances Marshall of Marshall Light Studio, combining original photography with insightful interviews that reveal the human side of those we see on stage. Star Scottish tenor Nicky Spence and his fiancé, accompanist Dylan Perez, have a big day ahead of them. The two will marry on {…}