Listeners can refer to her however they wish, but Stephanie Blythe has always resisted categorizing herself as a mezzo-soprano, an alto, a contralto, or any other voice type. In her mind, she is a “vocalist.” Considering her upcoming appearances at San Diego Opera, her second foray into a role outside her gender, any attempt to categorize her voice will be {…}
On Jan. 28, Ukrainian-Canadian dramatic soprano Antonina Ermolenko will perform music by Mussorgsky in Ottawa. The soprano was originally hesitant to perform the works due to Russian’s ongoing assault on Ukraine and the her subsequent repulsion at the idea of performing Russian music. However, after discussions with her family, she realized that the power of music is that it speaks {…}
Swiss soprano Marie Lys has had a busy past few months. Among other numerous engagements, she stood in at the last moment for the indisposed Cecilia Bartoli in the role of Alcina at Florence’s Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, receiving widespread acclaim for her performance from both audiences and critics. Having just finished a run of successful performances in houses across northern {…}
Back in 2019, Tom Volf, the director of the famed “Marias by Callas” set out to put on a play that, in a similar vein to his famed documentary, allowed the iconic soprano to tell her story through a trove of letters and memoirs she had written. His choice to bring the famed diva to life? Iconic film star Monica Bellucci. {…}
(Credit: John Matthew Myers) Over the few years, Alasdair Kent has garnered international attention singing at the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, among others. He has become a leading Bel Canto tenor of choice performing some of the most virtuosic tenor roles in the repertoire from Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini. A winner of the First {…}
(Credit: Diana Guledani) 2022 was a year of difficulty for Andrei Kymach. His family were in Ukraine when Russia invaded, beginning a war which has now lasted for over nine months. The baritone immediately spoke out against the war and has continued to use his voice to bring attention to it. In many ways, he has become an operatic hero {…}
(Photo:Robert Piwko ) Only a matter of weeks ago, OperaWire reviewed Wexford Festival Opera’s production of Félicien David’s neglected opera “Lalla-Roukh,” in which the Northern Irish baritone Ben McAteer caught the attention with a beautifully sung and brilliantly acted performance in the role of Baskir. The review noted that he had “a real flairfor the comic, with his timing invariably {…}
One of the delights from this year’s Janáček Festival was the Brno Conservatory’s production of a work entitled “The Weeping Fountain.” It was a short opera, lasting approximately one hour, which explored the relationship between the composer and his daughter Olga Janáčeková, focusing on the letters she sent to him whilst spending time away from home in St Petersburg. The {…}
Aleksandra Kurzak’s early singing career saw her perform as a specialist in lyric and coloratura soprano roles before moving into heavier roles in 19th-century Romantic and verismo operas. The 2004-05 season saw her have two hugely successful debuts, at the Metropolitan Opera House and the Royal Opera House. She has since sung many leading roles in opera houses throughout the {…}
Jiří Rajniš belongs to the youngest generation of operatic singers from the Czech Republic. From an early age, the baritone was exposed to music from his parents who were also opera singers. He then went on to study in the U.S. and became a member of the Junges Ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden. Over the last few years, he has {…}
(Photo: Patrick Redmond) Soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson continues to notch up wonderful reviews for her performances across Ireland with Irish National Opera, Opera Collective Ireland, Blackwater Valley Festival and Wexford Festival Opera. At present, she is on tour with Irish National Opera wowing audiences with her Norina in the company’s riotous “Don Pasquale” OperaWire: What was the first opera you saw? {…}