In a few weeks, the New York City Opera will continue its championing of bold, dramatic operas — both musically and thematically — with the jazz opera, “Dear Erich.” Premiering at the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene, at the Museum of Hewish Heritage in Battery Park, New York, the opera uses the idiom of jazz to deal with one of history’s {…}
“The last of the old great masters of song” has been a term used to describe the German baritone Benjamin Appl. Hailed for his “sensitive legato,” Appl has performed in both opera and recitals around the world in such stages as Ravinia, Rheingau, Schleswig Holstein, Edinburgh International, Life Victoria Barcelona, Leeds Lieder, Oxford Lieder festivals, and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, among others. {…}
Since tenor Levy Sekgapane won Operalia in 2017, he has been in great demand and with every subsequent performance he is quickly establishing himself as one of the best of his generation. It is no surprise that 2018 has been big year for Sekgapane as he has made major debuts in European stages from Baltic states to the U.K. and {…}
Coloratura Soprano Kathryn Lewek never set out to be opera’s reigning Queen of the Night, Mozart’s show-stealing villainess of “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”). But fate had other ideas. In this case, fate was personified by a casting director. Refusing the Call During a competition for the Opera Foundation in New York, the Deutsche Oper’s Casting Director, Christoph Seuferle asked {…}
Raffaele Pè is a singer very much in demand. Having been carefully building his reputation over the past few years, he now appears to have catapulted himself into the limelight with his latest CD of 18th century arias, written by a variety of composers, for the character of Giulio Cesare. Not only has it received excellent reviews from critics across {…}
Mark S. Doss is an artist recognized for his wide range, not just in his roles, but in his life experience. The singer has performed with the major orchestras of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, and Toronto. Additionally, he has sung 95 roles with more than 60 major opera companies around the world including Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna State Opera, London’s Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Canadian Opera Company.
The role of Gretel has always had a special significance for soprano Liv Redpath. When she was in the youth program at The Minnesota Opera, she got the chance to take on the role for the first time in the program’s yearly “Hansel and Gretel” and she immediately knew that opera would be an essential part of her career. These {…}
“Every artist needs to go through difficult times. It’s important because it lets us remember who we are and the things we can and cannot do,” soprano Kristine Opolais told OperaWire in a recent interview. Over the past few years, the Latvian artist has found herself questioning her own artistic identity and ending her marriage. She’s struggled with figuring out {…}
Earlier this year, mezzo-soprano Wallis Giunta took home the award for Young Singer of the Year at the International Opera Awards. To that point, she has been growing her career steadily as an ensemble member at the Oper Leipzig, among others endeavors. But the victory propelled her into the spotlight and since then, Giunta has made her BBC Proms debut {…}
Cristina Pasaroiu is one of today’s most celebrated Romanian sopranos and has performed in some of the most prestigious opera houses, concert halls, and festivals. The soprano’s repertoire has ranged from spinto to lyric roles like “Adriana Lecouvreur,” “Manon,” “La Traviata,” “La Juive,” Magda in “La Rondine,” Leila in “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” Mimì in “La Bohème,” Fiordiligi in “Così {…}
Megan Marino still hadn’t quite committed to a life as an opera singer after completing her Master Degree at the University of Colorado. “Some of my greatest artistic development happened once I was out of grad school for a couple years,” she told OperaWire in a recent interview. She recalled taking a loan out against her car to buy a piano while living {…}