How Motherhood, Career Gaps & Stage IV Cancer Led Toni Marie Palmertree to Her Met Opera Debut

(Photo: A soprano known for her “tender and expressive voice” (SF Examiner) Toni Marie Palmertree is described as giving “riveting” performances of Tosca, Donna Elvira, and Nedda across America. She makes her principal role debut March 28th at the Metropolitan Opera as Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, Toni Marie Palmertree shares with OperaWire how {…}

Mar 20, 2026

Q & A: Alexander Marev on Performing at the Opéra de Liège, the Challenges of Being a Young Artists & Dream Roles

Bulgarian tenor Alexander Marev is one of the rising stars of the opera world who has won numerous national singing competitions in his native Poland. He has also been a young talent program of the Opera La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels and made his stage debut in March 2022 in a production of “Rigoletto.” Since then he has appeared at {…}

Mar 19, 2026

Q & A: Anna Skryleva on Making Her Debut at Opera Australia & ‘Eugene Onegin’

(Credit: Katharina Gebauer) Anna Skryleva is an award winning conductor, composer, pianist, and synesthete. She regularly appears as a guest conductor at prestigious opera houses including the Hamburg State Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and this season she made her Teatro alla Scala debut. She is also making {…}

Mar 17, 2026

Q & A: Joshua Conyers on His Life Story & ‘IN PLAIN SIGHT: The Black Anthology’

Joshua Conyers is recognized as one of the leading dramatic baritones of today. Described by the New York Times as having a “sonorous baritone that wheedled and seduced” and by the Washington Post as having a “show stealing performance;” his is a remarkable story that starts in abject poverty, from the shelters, drug abuse, and violence of his childhood home {…}

Mar 5, 2026

Q & A: Swedish Mezzo-Soprano Alexandra Olsson Andersen on Building a Versatile Career

(Photo: Tomas Kullström) Swedish mezzo-soprano Alexandra Olsson Andersen’s work spans opera, concert, theater, and film, with a growing reputation for physically demanding roles and a strong presence in the trouser repertoire. She studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, the Norwegian National Academy of Opera in Oslo, and the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she {…}

Feb 25, 2026

Q & A: Francesca Pia Vitale on ‘The Pearl Fishers,’ U.S. Debut & Dream Roles

(Photo: Press Image) Included in the TOP TEN rising stars of opera by OperaWire in 2022, soprano Francesca Pia Vitale has won numerous international awards after graduating in 2020 from the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan. She is renowned for her eclectic repertoire that in recent months ranges from “Tancredi” to “Rigoletto” and “Orfeo ed Euridice.” She is currently {…}

Feb 25, 2026

Q & A: Soprano Ruth Iniesta on ‘Jugar con Fuego,’ Zarzuela, ‘Rigoletto’ & ‘La Bohème’

(Credit: Gemma Escribano) This month Ruth Iniesta is set to return to the Teatro de la Zarzuela, where she will sing the role of La duquesa de Medina in “Jugar con Fuego.” The zarzuela by Francisco Asenjo Barbieri, which premiered in 1851, is relatively unknown and for this production, the Madrid theater will present a new production. Throughout the past {…}

Feb 24, 2026

Q & A: Valeria Sepe on her Role Debut as Maddalena in ‘Andrea Chénier’ & Working with Jonas Kaufmann

Valeria Sepe is one most sought-after Italian sopranos of her generation. A graduate of the Conservatory “G. F. Ghedini” in Cuneo, she has performed at leading house in Firenze, Naples, Palermo, Parma and Verona, growing her reputation as a major Verdi, Puccini, and verismo interpreter. This season, Sepe will make her debut as Maddalena in “Andrea Chénier” and will sing {…}

Feb 19, 2026

Q & A: Tenor Allan Clayton on Revisiting Musica Viva Production of Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’

(Photo: David Cox) In 2022, a small artistic team took a tour around six Australian cities to present a unique take on Schubert’s renowned “Winterreise.” Lindy Hume directed the staging with David Bergman as video designer, Matthew Marshall as lighting designer, and Kate Golla as the pianist. At the core of the performance was British tenor Allan Clayton, who has {…}

Feb 11, 2026

Q & A: Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero on Performing With Bad Bunny During the Super Bowl Halftime Show

On Feb. 8, Bad Bunny gave his long awaited Super Bowl Half Time Show filled with dance, theater, different musical styles and surprises. Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin were the surprises with the highest profile that made huge impressions as were were cameos from the likes of Karol G, Cardi B and Pedro Pascal. But even classical music got a {…}

Feb 7, 2026

Q & A: Soprano Vivica Genaux on Mentoring Hasse Artaserse at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg

(Credit: RibaltaLuce-Studio) Celebrated as one of the preeminent mezzo-sopranos of her generation, Vivica Genaux is a definitive champion of the baroque and bel canto repertoires. Renowned for her instrumental role in the modern revival of Johann Adolf Hasse, she was honored with the Hasse-Preis by the Hasse-Stiftung Hamburg in 2025. She is actively collaborating with HfMT Hamburg as a mentor {…}

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