The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Mason Bates’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” in its live in HD series. The performance, which was recorded live earlier this season, will be presented in cinemas on Jan. 24 in 800 theaters around the world. It will also be screened in Jan. 28 in the United States and in Canada {…}
The Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has announced a cast change for its production of “Silent Night.” The company said that tenor Miles Mykkanen will perform the lead role of Nikolaus Sprink, replacing tenor Duke Kim, who has withdrawn from the production due to illness. Mykkanen will make his HGO debut in this production following his critically acclaimed turn as Sam {…}
(Photo: Sakari Viika/Finnish Music Quarterly) Throughout operatic history, family difficulties are among the most widely utilized themes by composers, with the more recognizable feuds seemingly being children and their (step) mothers. From Pamina and her mother (“Die Zauberflöte”), Hansel, Gretel, and their stepmother (“Hansel and Gretel”), Lucette/Cinderella and her stepmother (“Cendrillon”), and Elektra and her stepmother (“Elektra”), there is something {…}
Pittsburgh Opera has announced that General Director Christopher Hahn will retire at the conclusion of the company’s 2025–26 season. Hahn, a native of South Africa, has held the position of General Director since 2008 and as Artistic Director since 2000. During his tenure, Pittsburgh Opera expanded its repertoire to include Baroque and contemporary works and produced its first three world {…}
Portland Opera has announced the appointment of Tracy Wenckus as Interim General Director, effective Jan. 1, 2026. She takes over for Sue Dixon, who retired after serving as General Director for six years. Wenckus, who has been with the company since 1999, will hold the position until a new General Director is appointed. During her tenure with Portland Opera, Wenckus {…}
Undead Arts, in collaboration with the New Jersey Symphony, will present a reimagined production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” on May 2 and 3, 2026, at the Harborside Atrium in Jersey City, New Jersey. The family-friendly, 90-minute production relocates Mozart’s opera to the New Jersey Pine Barrens and is told through the perspective of Jersey City youth. Performances take place {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced that sopranos Nikan Ingabire Kanate and Sarah Caulfield will join its Ensemble Studio beginning with the 2026–27 season. Both sopranos were finalists in the Canadian Opera Company’s 12th annual Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition following a national audition tour. Kanate received First Prize and the Hatch Audience Choice Prize for her performance of “Depuis {…}
(Photo credit: Kevin Libal) The Cleveland Orchestra has announced the fourth edition of its annual Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival, running May 15–24, 2026. The 2026 festival explores the theme of “Courage,” with trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard serving as Festival Curator. Here are the opera and vocal performances on offer. The festival opens with “The {…}
Austin Opera’s 40th Birthday Season continues in February with the company premiere of “Fiddler on the Roof.” The work will be presented from Feb. 6 – 8, 2026 in a production by Crystal Manich with choreography by Michael Pappalardo. The work will star Grammy Award-winning soprano Mela Dailey, Sharon Robinson (Tzeitel), Rachel Blaustein (Hodel), Audrey Ballish (Chava), Ryan Everett Wood, {…}
The National Symphony Orchestra is being affected by the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Performer Béla Fleck announced that he is withdrawing from his Feb. 19, 21, and 22 performances due to the name change. He took to social media and said, “I have withdrawn from my upcoming performance with the NSO at The {…}
(Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera) Less is more! That was what Sandro Sequi did well in his traditional 1976 production of “I Puritani” at the Metropolitan Opera. Originally staged for Joan Sutherland, the production was a vehicle for the great divas of the Bel Canto repertoire. And while it was admittedly a product of its time, the last three {…}
