Bel Canto, Verismo, Verdi, baroque and French are all the variety of repertoire that Daniela Barcellona has performed throughout her legendary career. It is with Rossini where she began and which has led her to become one of the great interpreters of the Verdi works such as “Falstaff.” The mezzo recently finished a production of “Falstaff” in the role of {…}
Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja is considered one of the great voices of his generation. Sometimes noted as the “Golden Voice,” he has gone on to perform diverse repertoire around the world, while recording five solo recital albums, and appearing several HD performances. Over the past years, he has started to move in the dramatic repertoire and is currently making his {…}
(Photo: Josef Fischnaller) Fatma Said has had a remarkable career. She was the first Egyptian vocalist to perform at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where she sang the role of Pamina in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” She has performed in both opera and concert settings in some of the leading opera houses throughout Europe and is an artistic representative for her {…}
(Photo: Alexander Thompson) Sonya Yoncheva has always played by her own rules. She’s never allowed anyone to box her in and has never followed a specific route. She has championed rarely performed like “Il Pirata,” “Siberia,” and “Medea” among others throughout her career, experimenting with all kinds of directors and often arriving at some truly immersive and original interpretations of {…}
(Credit: Michael Cooper ) This summer Sondra Radvanovsky returns to the Teatro Real to close out the season in “Tosca” after opening it to great acclaim in “Un Ballo in Maschera.” The season has seen the soprano in Spain performing at La Coruna and giving highly acclaimed performances at the Liceu in a gala with Piotr Beczala and Donizetti’s Three {…}
(Credit: Elena Cherkashyna) On June 21, Pretty Yende was detained at the French airport on her way to the Théâtre des Champs Elysées for the fourth performance of a new critically acclaimed production of “La Sonnambula.” She was returning from Milan where she been processing documents and when she arrived back in France, police officers took her to a cell {…}
(Photos: Gillian Riesen; Intermountain Opera Bozeman; Jason Dick) Montana, where Grizzly Bear wade in chilly rivers fed by snowmelt from mountaintops and gobble up Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout. Fly-fishers do much the same but with gentle whips of line. It’s “The Treasure State,” whose motto is “Oro y Plata (Gold and Silver).” The treasure nowadays is the grandeur of the Rocky {…}
In 2017 Cecilia Violetta López took audiences by storm when she performed Desdemona with LoftOpera. She was an artist on the rise who had so much to offer with her artistry, and has since become a leading soloist with such companies as Opera Idaho, Austin Opera, Madison Opera, and Opera Orlando. López has also become a huge advocate for Latin {…}
(Credit: Zen Grisdale) The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) is actively creating new life in the digital realm of opera by evolving the genre’s traditional standards and exploring alternate creative interpretations to share with audience members at a broader level through a new series called “music video remake” films. The aesthetic concept underlying OAE’s recent film which features bass-baritone {…}
A few months back, I spoke with members of the MET Orchestra Musicians about their concert series and the state of affairs within the organization. But what of the 80-member world-renowned Met Chorus that delivers show-stopping performances and put the grand in grand opera? Members of this elite group of musicians are dedicated professionals who sing in 15-20 productions per season, {…}
Baritone Keith Phares, renowned as a master of a wide repertoire ranging from Mozart through to today’s most prominent composers, has been recognised as “an authentic contemporary-American-opera divo” in the media. Recently, in this year’s Grammy Awards, he shined as nominee for Best Opera Recording for his soloist role in Carlisle Floyd’s “Prince of Players.” This was a recording of {…}