(Credit: Ken Howard / Santa Fe Opera) “Cold Mountain” is a groundbreaking retelling of the popular 1997 Charles Frazier novel of the same name. American composer Jennifer Higdon wrote the opera to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. It premiered at the Santa Fe Opera on August 1, 2015, with subsequent showings at the Opera Philadelphia and {…}
Terence Blanchard is one of the most versatile musicians in the world. Born on March 13, 1962, in New Orleans, Louisiana as an only child, his father Joseph Oliver Blanchard was a part-time opera singer. The young Terence began playing piano at five and then started on trump at age eight. He was a close friend of Wynton Marsalis from {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) “The Exterminating Angel,” one of British composer Thomas Adès’ most popular operas, premiered on July 28, 2016, at the Salzburg Festival followed by premieres at the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera a year later. Known for its large ensemble cast and a particularly challenging soprano role, Adès’ third opera is based on {…}
Anthony Davis’ “Amistad” didn’t have the greatest of premieres. The opera, which first appeared at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1997, received middling reviews. The opera, which featured a libretto by Thulani Davis, then underwent a major revision and was then presented at the Spoleto Festival USA in 2008. Of this newer version, Opera Today noted that the work {…}
Thulani Davis is best known as the librettist for two of the most acclaimed operas of the late-twentieth century—“X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” and “Amistad.” Both projects were in collaboration with her composer, the composer Anthony Davis. Davis was born July 19, 1949 to parents from Virginia, but moved to New York City to attend Barnard College, {…}
(Credit: Josh Huskin) Tobias Picker is known as one of the most famous American composers still working. His operas, such as “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Dolores Claiborne,” have become popular at opera houses across the country and the world. Picker was born July 18th, 1954 in New York City and showed an early penchant for composing. His first work was {…}
(Credit: Carol Friedman) July 14 is Bastille Day, a celebration to commemorate the French Revolution. In 1989, France invited one of the world’s greatest sopranos, Jessye Norman, to sing the national anthem in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789. Norman, who began her career in Europe, maintained a close association with France. That {…}
(Image Source: Official website) “Patience and Sarah” is a landmark work for the LGBTQIA+ community. The opera, which had its world premiere on July 8, 1998 at the Lincoln Center Festival, is widely considered the first lesbian opera and the first mainstream gay-themed opera. The work, which was created by composer Paula M. Kimper and librettist Wende Persons, was based {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) One of the leading American bass-baritones, Eric Owens, is famous for his wide array of operatic interpretations—ranging from Saariaho to Mozart to Dvorak to Adams. Owens was born July 11th, 1970 in Philadelphia. From a young age, Owens was inspired by music and began playing the piano at age six. By the time he reached high school, {…}
On July 8, 2014, American tenor George Shirley was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Teachers of Singing. It was just one of the many accolades received by the trailblazing musician, who is best remembered as the first Black musician to sing a leading tenor role at the Metropolitan Opera. Shirley was born on {…}
(Credit: Dominic Mercier/Opera Philadelphia) Few American operas have garnered the same level of popularity over the past few years as “Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.” The opera, written by composer Daniel Schnyder and librettist Bridgette A. Wimberly had its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia on June 5, 2015 in a production directed by Ron Daniels. Eventually, the opera would garner performances throughout {…}