Opera Meets Film: Strained Relations and Non-Endings in Sebastian Fagerlund’s ‘Autumn Sonata’

(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 {…}

Nikan Ingabire Kanate & Sarah Caulfield Join Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio

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 {…}

Terrence Blanchard, Malin Byström, David Butt Philip, Tomasz Konieczny Among Headliners of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2026 Mandel Opera & Humanities Festival

(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 {…}