Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) has announced that conductor Jonathon Heyward will assume the role of Renée and Robert Belfer Music Director of the Lincoln Center Summer Orchestra. He will take over for Louis Langrée, who served as the Renée and Robert Belfer Music Director of the Mostly Mozart Festival and conductor of the Orchestra since 2003. Heyward {…}
The Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway may not be a particularly architecturally stunning building, and the 1500-seat hall inside is rather functional. But all of these factors are forgotten once the music starts, and you are immersed in the wonderful acoustics of the hall. This was also the case at the premiere of the 71st Festival with a concert performance of {…}
This past weekend the Blackwater Valley Opera opened its season with a new production of “Macbeth” celebrating its 13th anniversary. In the cast, Leonardo Galeazzi is making his role debut with the title character. It marks his third Verdi role after performing Germont in “La Traviata” and Iago in “Otello.” Throughout his career, the baritone has performed in Lyon, Naples, {…}
Following an investigation regarding a complaint filed against Iván López Reynoso, the Ethics Committee of INBAL concluded that the conductor did not violate any principle, value, or rule of integrity. The Ethics committee noted that “the complaint did not refer to any type of conduct related to harassment or sexual abuse and was rather related to a disagreement (or disapproval) {…}
Andrés Orozco-Estrada has been named the new Music Director of the Orchestra Rai. The Colombian-Austrian conductor will take the position in October 2023 and will hold it for an initial three years. The conductor debuted with the Orchestra Rai in May 2022 in a concert that included music by Richard Strauss. According to a press release “That concert started a {…}
(Credit: Royal Opera House) Soprano and Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Harries has died at the age of 72. The English singer was born at Hampton Court on Feb. 15, 1951 and went on to study with Constance Shacklock at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She made her concert debut at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 1977 and her operatic debut {…}
Kentucky Opera has announced the lineup for its 2023-24 season. “This season has something for everyone,” said General Director/CEO Barbara Lynne Jamison in an official press statement. “Kentucky Opera has a history of blending new works with the classical canon. Producing an all-English season allows us to invite even more audiences in as we continue the work to break down {…}
Jazz opera is not a new phenomenon when it comes to American opera and the “American” opera tradition. Rather, jazz has thoroughly permeated the fabric of opera since the tradition’s very beginning. By all accounts, George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” an opera rife with controversy and iconic music, is the most famous. Yet, others like Scott Joplin’s well-received opera “Treemonisha,” {…}
On May 30, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera revived François Girard’s production of “Der Fliegende Holländer” for the first time since March 2020 when… we all know what happened. While a lot has changed since then, one thing that has remained is that this production still doesn’t match up to Girard’s best work (“Parsifal”) and even less now that he recently {…}
Puerto Rican mezzo-soprano Laura Virella and the cast of the Spanish operetta “Revoltosa” took home several honors at the Helen Hayes Awards. The cast of “Revoltsoa” which was led by Virella won Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical. Virella was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical Outstanding. She said in a press release, “It was my greatest honor to {…}
The Leeds Lieder Festival has announced a cast change for the closing Gala. The company said that Dame Sarah Connolly has had to withdraw from the Closing Gala recital at the 2023 Leeds Lieder Festival. As a result, renowned baritone Sir Simon Keenlyside will step in to close the nine-day Festival on June 17. Keenlyside will perform Schubert’s “Winterreise” accompanied by {…}