Since her debut in 2002, Michèle Losier has become one of the most in-demand mezzo-sopranos in the world. She has garnered acclaim in numerous roles and has performed on some of the world’s greatest stages including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Opera, Salzburg Festival and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, among others. This month Losier sings at the Edinburgh Festival {…}
Often attention is focused on the stars of the opera world, but below the stellasphere there exist thousands of other singers, directors, conductors, and musicians pursuing their careers. Some are fairly well established and make comfortable livings on the stage and in the concert halls, some struggle to maintain a full calendar, while others are winding down as retirement approaches, {…}
The calendar year of 2018 is only half-way done, but for Steven LaBrie, it has been quite the ride. A survey of his year has included a plethora of major achievements. He debuted a new album, stepped into new roles for the first time, shared the stage with major stars, and debuted at new theaters as well. And he still {…}
There was a time when opera was little more than an European art form. That is not longer our time. Today opera is truly a global art, with some of the world’s most famed artists not only coming from Europe and North America, but also South America Asia, Australia, and Africa. Africa is of particular note, boasting a number of artists {…}
Joyce El-Khoury is quickly rising the ranks of the opera world for her versatility and artistry. She has also gained a reputation for bringing newly discovered and rarely performed works to life, collaborating with Opera Rara, and performing them with numerous important companies. She has also performed in many of the great theaters in the world bringing an immense repertoire. {…}
Each summer, Innsbruck hosts its Festival for Early Music. Established in 1976, it specializes in presenting historically informed performances of early music, including operas, many of which have not been heard for hundreds of years. Currently it is under the artistic direction of the early music specialist, Alessandro De Marchi, who has been in the post since 2010. Over the {…}
Soprano Nadine Sierra is having a 2018 to remember. The Florida-born artist, who turned 30 this past May, recently announced her first-ever solo album, is performing at the top theaters on the planet, has been garnering a plethora of accolades, and is set to perform in the opening night gala of the Festival Napa Valley, a leading performing arts organization that {…}
For the past few years soprano Suzanne Vinnik has taken the opera world by stormwith Shoperatic, a peer-to-peer platform that allows singers around the industry to buy and sell vestments for performances. Coupled with her work as a photographer, she has become more selective with her performance schedule. She performed concerts throughout the last few months, though, per her website and will join Dallas Opera {…}
Over the past years, Yusif Eyvazov has skyrocketed onto the opera scene. He has made important debuts in London, New York, Milan, Los Angeles and Berlin and has been part of HD performances, galas, and tours. “I am happy. I never expected it when I started because you never have any guarantee and this is a dream come true for {…}
Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” is legendary. The work is widely regarded as Russia’s greatest opera, even despite its labyrinthine history of revisions. This week, the work opens at the Opéra de Paris in a production by Ivo van Hove with Ildar Abdrazakov and Alexander Tsymbalyuk sharing the title role. Alongside them will be conductors Vladimir Jurowski and Damian Iorio. While Jurowski {…}
Scarlatti, Purcell, Monteverdi, Dowland, Vivaldi, and Caldara, were popular in early music, but without traditionally played instruments and vocals, could music from the 17th century resonate in the same way today? “HUSH,” an album that is pushing boundaries in the classical music world, was just released by Deutsche Grammophon and is sparking new ideas surrounding innovation and creativity in early {…}