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 {…}
It’s a Lisette Oropesa kind of Year! After her huge success in the title role of “Lucia di Lammermoor” at the Teatro Real, she made headlines in Pesaro, Italy making her role debut in the title role of “Adina” at the Rossini Opera Festival. Then she went to Paris for two successful runs. First, she stepped in for a new {…}
What’s a nice guy like the 2009 Richard Tucker Award-winner Stephen Costello to do when playing a character known for anger issues and a jealous streak a mile wide? Go for sympathy, make the audience empathize with “a lost person with a good heart.” That’s what Costello did for his role debut as Don José in the Dallas Opera production {…}
It’s not uncommon to see people take on diverse roles in the modern opera world. Many musicians are also composers and often singers become directors. But to have a composer, conductor, pianist, and director in one is not something you find too often. Yet, Judith Stillman has found a way to manage all these roles, and others (she’s also a filmmaker) {…}
This year, Wexford Festival Opera presented the European premiere of William Bolcom and Mark Campbell’s opera “Dinner at Eight,” an operatic version of the stage play and Hollywood film of the same name. At the center of the opera is Millicent Jordan, who was portrayed in this version by soprano Mary Dunleavy. The American soprano has sung all over the {…}
“The wheel is come full circle,” once wrote William Shakespeare. Baritone David Pershall could look on his recent starring role as Silvio in “Pagliacci” at the San Francisco Opera in much the same way. He’s come a long way from his early years when he was a prospect at the San Francisco Opera’s young artist training grounds, the Merola Opera {…}
It was 2014 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Clémentine Margaine, a graduate of the Paris Conservatory and winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Concours International de Marmande, was an ensemble member of the company who had just been handpicked by the casting director of the company to sing the title role of “Carmen.” “I was very lucky that {…}
At this moment, opera in Ireland is really on the up. Over the last couple of years, the country has seen a significant number of developments, which has started to lift its profile. This year, for example, saw the inauguration of the Irish National Opera company, which has an ambitious vision for delivering opera, showcasing Irish singers and increasing the {…}
It’s a big return for María José Montiel. The Spanish mezzo-soprano, who is recognized throughout Spain, has forged a career in opera, recitals, and concerts and has become one of the country’s most acclaimed classical singers of her generations. But rarely has she traversed the Atlantic to perform in the United States. Her last appearances in the States have been {…}
Soprano Deanna Breiwick has been around music and performance her entire life. She comes from a family of musicians and vocalists. She sang her first studio recital at age five, began as a classical harpist at age seven, and was let loose on Italian arias by age 14. Her first opera production was “Dialogues des Carmélites” at age 21 and {…}
The name Joyce DiDonato is synonymous with great music making, diverse repertoire, arts education, and advocacy. The mezzo is also one of the greatest living artists in the world and one of the busiest performers around. As she finishes her first staged production of “Les Troyens” at the Wiener Staatsoper, DiDonato is embarking on a tour with the Philadelphia Orchestra {…}