Opera San José Names Seven Artists-in-Residence for 2023-24 Season

Opera San José has unveiled its 2023-24 Artists-in-Residence. The resident company, which includes Melisa Bonetti (Mezzo-soprano), Michelle Ainna Cuizon (Director), Vartan Gabrielian (Bass-baritone), Johannes Löhner (Conductor), Courtney Miller (Mezzo-soprano), Joshua Sanders (Tenor), and Melissa Sondhi (Soprano), will be introduced in a virtual showcase scheduled for August 13, 2023. Of these artists, the company spotlighted Sondhi as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Wadhwani Chair for South Asia Artists; this new initiative focuses on “incubating the incredible {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2023 Review: Pretty Yende in Recital

(Photo credit: Festival d’Aix-en-Provence © Vincent Beaume) In an arbored patio, Pretty Yende, ethereally sings the final terzett of the last Petrarch sonnet by Liszt, “ed era il cielo a l’armonia sí intento,” “che non se vedea in ramo mover foglia,” “tanta dolcezza avea pien l’aere e ’l vento.” (“and heaven so intent upon the harmony, no leaf was seen {…}

Jul 21, 2023

White Snake Projects Presents World Premiere of ‘MONKEY’

(Photo credit: Yvette Marie Dostatni/Chicago Puppet Studio) Activist opera company, White Snake Projects, is set to the world premiere of “MONKEY: A Kung Fu Puppet Parable” on Sep. 22-24, 2023. Per an official press statement issued by the company, composer Jorge Sosa and creator/librettist Cerise Lim Jacobs‘ “Monkey” is a family-friendly transmedia show featuring life-scaled Bunraku puppetry, Kung Fu, computer {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Florida Grand Opera to Present ‘Staff Sing’ This August

This August, Florida Grand Opera is set to shine the spotlight on its administrative staff in “Staff Sing.” Per an official press release, the company will feature soprano/Director of Finance Susana Diaz, mezzo-soprano/Artistic Administration and Finance Associate Lauren Frick, contralto/Marketing and Communications Manager Cindy Sadler, tenor/Development Associate Peter Rivera, baritone/Director of Artistic Operations Matt Cooksey, and bass-baritone/Samuel M. Townsend Studio {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Latonia Moore, J’Nai Bridges, Corinne Winters & Germán Enrique Alcántara Lead San Diego Opera’s 2023-24 Season

The San Diego Opera has announced its 2023-24 season. Productions The season opens with Javier Martinez and Leonard Foglia’s “El Milagro del Recuerdo.” The production will star Sishel Claverie, Vanessa Alonzo, Claudia Chapa, Héctor Vásquez, and Guadalupe Paz. Leonard Foglia directs. Performance Dates: Dec. 1 & 3, 2023 Germán Enrique Alcántara, Alexander McKissick, Ethan Vincent, Tasha Koontz, and Megan Moore star in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Yves Abel conducts. {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Grange Festival Names Interim Chair of the Board

Richard Mantle has been appointed to the position of interim chair of the board of the UK’s ⁦Grange Festival. Mantle is set to step down from his current position as General Director of Opera North in December and will succeed Tim Parker, who joined the board of the Grange Festival in March 2017 and has held the role of chair {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Glimmerglass Festival Announces 2024 Season

(Credit: Karli Cadel) The Glimmerglass Festival has announced its 2024 season. The season, which will run from July 22 to August 20 in Cooperstown, NY, will see productions “The Pirates of Penzance,” “La Calisto,” “Pagliacci,” and “Elizabeth Cree.” The festival will also feature the world premiere of the youth opera “Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children,” and a new initiative called {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Janai Brugger & Elīna Garanča Headline Great Performances Lineup for August 2023

(Photo Credit: Dario Acosta) Great Performances on PBS has announced two essential presentations. First up, the organization will broadcast a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish Symphony. The showcase will feature Uniting Voices, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under conductor and Bernstein protégé Marin Alsop. Janai Brugger appears as the soprano soloist. The performance, which was recorded {…}

Jul 21, 2023

Timo Mustakallio Singing Competition Announces 2023 Winners

The winners of the 32nd Timo Mustakallio Singing Competition have been announced. The competition, which is held at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, saw soprano Iirisilona Segerstam take home the top prize. Meanwhile, baritone Gabriel Kivivuori Sereno received the award of the Eero Rantala Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. After winning the top honors, both Segerstam and Kivivuori performed on {…}

Jul 20, 2023

Obituary: Polish Tenor Lesław Pawluk Passes Away at 95

The Polish tenor Lesław Pawluk passed away at the age of 95. In 1963, Pawluk began his long career at Teatr Wielki (Polish National Opera) where he performed in “The Tales of Hoffman,” “Othello,” “Carmen,” and “La bohème,” among others. He was a regularly scheduled singer at Teatr Wielki through 1987. Pawluk also made many recordings in his career. His {…}

Jul 20, 2023

Bryn Terfel, Asmik Grigorian & Mark S. Doss Lead New CD/DVD Releases

This week audiences cannot miss debut albums, a world premiere recording, and two acclaim DVD releases A Phoenix Rising Navona Records releases tenor Brian Smith Walters’ first album. The CD is a cross-section of chansons and Lieder spanning five centuries, and Walters navigates them with stunning bravado. Audiences will hear selections from Purcell, Copland, Schubert, Saint Saens, Tchaikovsky, Barber, Wagner, {…}