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 {…}
One of the successes of this year’s Wexford Festival Opera was undoubtedly the Wexford Factory, a program of masterclasses introduced by the festival’s artistic director Rosetta Cucchi aimed at developing young talent. The participants are also given the opportunity to sing in an opera on the main stage during the afternoon, replacing the 60 to 90 minute opera short productions, {…}
For over a year and a half, Jason Duika has not appeared on stage due to the pandemic. During that time, he found ways of performing and even founded his own company PorchOpera to create opportunities to reach audiences around his home. But the time has now come for the baritone to return to the stage to open West Bay {…}
In 2019, Matilda Sterby graduated from the University College of Opera in Stockholm ready to begin her professional career. But 2020 was hit with a pandemic and Sterby’s operatic engagements were canceled including house and role debuts. As a result, the soprano was forced to take a job as a teacher and shift her career path in order to make {…}
(Credit: Sim Canetty Clarke/ Christina Raphaelle) Gerald Finley and Susan Bullock are two world-class artists who have performed at all the major opera stages the world over. Collectively, they have appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, the English National Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Canadian Opera Company, Carnegie Hall, Opera North, La Scala, Sydney Opera, La Monnaie, {…}
On Oct. 16, Michelle DeYoung will make her San Diego Symphony debut singing Mahler’s “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen.” But the debut will be extra special because the concert will take place at the Rady Shell, a new bayside venue at Jacobs Park which has seen more than 88,000 visitors since its inauguration on August 8, 2021. OperaWire recently spoke to {…}