Q & A: Conductor Rebecca Tong & Mezzo-Soprano Tahanee Aluwihare on City Lyric Opera’s ‘La Tragédie de Carmen’

New York’s City Lyric Opera recently staged a gritty production of Peter Brook’s adaptation of Bizet’s “Carmen,” “La Tragédie de Carmen.” The opera, an 80-minute chamber piece, retains the musical highlights of Bizet’s original, and brings into sharp focus the tragic stories of the four principal characters: Micaëla, Don José, Carmen, and Escamillo as they collide with one another and {…}

May 8, 2019

Artist & Entrepreneur – Tenor Michael Fabiano On His Debut Album & How He Overcame Failure To Create ArtSmart

For the last decade, Michael Fabiano has emerged as one of the greatest tenors on the planet, performing at the major opera houses around the globe in a myriad of repertoire. Along the way, he’s won many prestigious awards and continually showcased an ability to push the boundaries of his artistic abilities. But in that same period that Fabiano has {…}

May 7, 2019

Q & A: Tenor Matthew Pearce on Interpreting Don José in ‘Carmen’ & ‘La Tragédie de Carmen’

“Carmen” is one of the most iconic operas ever written. It is performed everywhere around the world and in recent years, directors have tried to find new ways to reinterpret the story, sometimes even changing major components. This isn’t new for an opera like “Carmen,” which actually exists in another well-known version “La Tragédie de Carmen.” While not performed as often {…}

May 4, 2019

Q & A: Australian Soprano Janet Szepei Todd On ‘Madama Butterfly’ in Japanese & ‘Opera di Facebook’

Pacific Opera Project’s “Madama Butterfly,” presented recently in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo, was acclaimed for presenting Puccini’s opera in Japanese and English, the languages the characters would actually have spoken. But one of the other talking points around town was the “last-minute” assumption of the title role by Melbourne-born soprano, Janet Szepei Todd. OperaWire caught up with Janet at Cafe {…}

May 2, 2019

Q & A: Riccardo Frizza On ‘Falstaff’ & The Donizetti Opera Festival

Riccardo Frizza is one of today’s foremost Italian conductors specializing in the Italian repertoire. He has appeared at all the great opera houses in the world and has interpreted many of the great works by Verdi, Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini. Recently, he was appointed the music director of the Donizetti Opera Festival and for his first assignment, he took on {…}

May 1, 2019

A Vocal Student Perspective: Soprano Yvette Keong

On May 3, 2019, Australian soprano Yvette Keong will perform her graduation recital at the Manhattan School of Music’s Greenfield Hall. While still a member of the school’s Senior Opera Theater, Keong has quickly begun to make a name for herself with recent appearances in the role of Pamina in the Berlin Opera Academy’s 2018 production of “Die Zauberflöte,” which {…}

Apr 30, 2019

Interview: ‘Leading Ladies Liberated’ Puts Focus On Groundbreaking Women From Opera’s Golden Age

“We want to make this music—these composers—part of the standard repertoire. Events like this shouldn’t be rare,” stated soprano Nicole Leone in a recent interview with OperaWire. Leone’s simple statement refers to the challenge of increasing the prominence of female composers in music programming, and she is doing her part. Together with Randi Marrazzo, her voice teacher from Temple University, {…}

Apr 27, 2019

Interview: Baritone Lucia Lucas On Making Historic U.S. Debut In ‘Don Giovanni’

On May 3, 2019 the Tulsa Opera will host an American first. According to a carefully worded press release, it will be “the first time a trans woman has performed a principal role on the operatic stage in the US.” Baritone Lucia Lucas will make her American main-stage debut in the title role of Mozart and da Ponte’s “Don Giovanni.” {…}

Apr 26, 2019

Q & A: Tenor Airam Hernández On ‘Caruso a Cuba’ & His Upcoming Role Debut As Fenton In ‘Falstaff’

Earlier this season, Spanish tenor Airam Hernández took on the role of legendary tenor Enrico Caruso in the world premiere of Dutch composer Micha Hamel’s new opera “Caruso a Cuba.” Following his success in Amsterdam, the tenor will make his highly anticipated U.S. debut and role debut with the Dallas Opera as Fenton in Lee Blakely’s production of Verdi’s beloved comedy “Falstaff.” Hernández recently spoke with OperaWire about his {…}

Apr 21, 2019

Q & A: Soprano Ailyn Perez On Singing Donna Anna & ‘Don Giovanni’

Soprano Ailyn Perez is coming off two successful productions at the Metropolitan Opera in some of her signature roles and winning the prestigious Opera news award. Her star has risen and she has become more and more in demand around the world. Now the soprano returns to the Houston Grand Opera where she has debuted numerous roles and has had {…}