(Credit: Thomas Ziegler) The true gauge of a festival’s artistic mettle is probably how it tackles a crisis. Faced with the sudden morning-of illness of star countertenor Max Emanuel Cenčić, the Halle Handel Festival managed to rescue a non-standard Handel opera like “Radamisto.” With a mere four hours to prepare, conductor Benjamin Bayl and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra worked tightly {…}
(Photo Credit: Thomas Rabsch) Antonello Manacorda has been appointed artistic and music director of Les Siècles. Born in Turin and based in Berlin, Manacorda served as artistic and music director of the Kammerakademie Potsdam from 2010 to 2025. His career was significantly shaped by his close collaboration with conductor Claudio Abbado, who appointed him concertmaster of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester {…}
Cooper Bott is heading to Northwestern University this fall, and he is arriving with some hardware in tow. The baritone from Marengo, Iowa recently took First Place at the Fifth Annual Schmidt Vocal Arts National Vocal Competition, held May 30 and 31 at the Sarasota Opera House in Sarasota, Florida. Bott earned the top prize of $10,000 after performing a {…}
(Photo: Latvian National Opera press) After a month-long closure for renovation works, the Latvian National Opera reopened its doors shortly before the end of the summer season with Puccini’s “La Bohème.” For this return to the stage, the National Opera presented Laura Groza’s production, which reimagines the opera in a dystopian future through a visual language that may recall Blade {…}
At the heart of “Romeo and Juliet” lies an archetypal story rooted in antiquity, Ovid’s tale of Pyramus and Thisbe from the “Metamorphoses.” A fatal misunderstanding, a false report of death, and a double suicide beside a tomb: Shakespeare transferred this ancient mechanism of tragedy onto the stage, making youth itself hostage to the feuds of an older world. When {…}
(Photo Credit: © Anna Kolata) Arguably the most heavyweight highlight of the entire festival, this performance of Händel’s “Ariodante” assembled a stellar cast that uniquely included two laureates of the prestigious Halle Handel Prize, Magdalena Kožená and Andrea Marcon. Adding to the evening’s historical significance was the rare opportunity to hear the 1735 London version ending. However, the acoustic condition {…}
On Monday, June 15, the Presidential Hall of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma hosted the presentation ceremony for the #veronacallas100 commemorative medals, an initiative promoted by the Maria Callas International Festival in Verona. The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma was among the 24 Italian theaters that were honored for their historic ties to the great artist and received the award alongside {…}
Olymar Salinas has joined the roster of Tact Artists Management. He will be represented by Alex Grigorev. Originally from Tepic in the Mexican state of Nayarit, Salinas initially pursued a career as a violinist before discovering his voice at the age of fifteen while studying with his mother, the soprano Rosa Salinas. Since 2017, he has worked closely with his {…}
ChoralSpace will present a full day of choral music at the Chamber Music Hall Berlin on June 27, 2026. The day begins at 3 p.m. with a performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah,” Op. 70, bringing together nearly 200 voices for the work. Among the participating ensembles is the University of Louisville Cardinal Singers, whose conductor Kent Hatteberg will lead {…}
The Harmonium Choral Society will present a free send-off concert ahead of its upcoming France tour on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Grace Church in Madison, New Jersey. The 42-voice touring ensemble will perform a program spanning Anton Bruckner, William Billings, Leonard Bernstein, Rosephanye Powell, Elizabeth Alexander, Lucy Cook, Mark Miller, and additional works. The ensemble then {…}
Ensemble Exposé and Roger Redgate will present the world premiere of “Finnegans Wake: Here Comes Everybody” at the London Irish Centre on Sept. 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. The concert is the first installment of a project created by composer and author Alastair White, conceived to run through 2039, the centenary of Joyce’s book. This opening work is described as {…}