The Rossini in Wildbad festival has extended its contract for another four years. The contract, which will see the festival run between 2023 and 2027, was signed by the Mayor of Bad Wildbad Marco Gauger and intendant Jochen Schoenleber. The festival is held in Schwarzwald, Germany, and is set to present “Il Signor Bruschino” and “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” during {…}
The English National Opera has announced that it will present the UK premiere of “7 Deaths of Maria Callas.” The work, which was conceived by Marina Abramović, showcases Willem Dafoe alongside Abramović in seven films, while seven sopranos perform opera classics from Bellini and Bizet to Puccini and Verdi. For the ENO production, Sarah Tynan, Nadine Benjamin, and Eri Nakamura will {…}
The Shriver Hall Concert Series, Baltimore’s premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists, has announced its 2023-24 (its 58th) concert season. For the purposes of this article, we will highlight the vocal performances only. Soprano Julia Bullock makes her Baltimore recital debut alongside pianist Bretton Brown. The two will perform a wide-ranging program featuring works by Schubert, Schumann, {…}
(Credit: Natalie Powers) The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 2023 Laffont Competition National Finalists. The 10 finalists are baritone Eleomar Cuello, tenor Yuntong Han, tenor Anthony León, mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis, soprano Teresa Perrotta, tenor Sahel Salam, mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, bass-baritone Christian Simmons, soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth, and baritone David Wolfe. The finals are set to be held on April 23 and {…}
The Association for Opera in Canada has announced the finalists for the 2023 New Works Pitch Program. Finalists include “Jewish Space Lasers,” a cabaret-style theater piece that spotlights Jewish composers from the Holocaust. The showcase is presented by the Likht Ensemble. Another finalist is “The HAFU??? Project,” “an art-song autobiographical exploration of identity and disconnection from culture.” The work is {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to present 17 company premieres of contemporary works over the next five seasons. In a recent interview with Peter Gelb and Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the two said that the company was committed to bringing new works to the public and finding the right balance between the classics and the new operas. The article noted that the {…}
Canadian-based Opéra Queens has released a unique film entitled “Drama Queens.” The film, which was released on April 14, 2023, features the reimagining of four operas including Händel’s “Agrippina,” Saint-Saëns’ “Samson et Dalila,” Purcell’s “Dido,” and Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur.” It also features new music by multi-disciplinary artists Morgan-Paige Melbourne. The work was funded by the Canada Council for the Arts {…}
On April 13, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera opened its April run of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” Bartlett Sher’s 2012 production was met with new life thanks to a number of stunning debuts from the cast. The staging itself presents a view of Italy during unification which neither rebukes nor flatters the historical context of the work, leaving an authentic, if understated, {…}
Savannah Philharmonic announced Keitaro Harada will remain in his role as Music & Artistic Director through the 2026-27 season. In 2020 Harada’s tenure began with the Savannah Philharmonic. He was also named the Associate Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra the same year. He continues to conduct internationally at the Sofia National Opera, Tokyo Nikikai Opera Theatre, North Carolina Opera, {…}
Boston Baroque has announced a cast change for its production of Gluck’s “Iphigénie en Tauride.” The company announced that Wendy Bryn Harmer has withdrawn from the production due to injury. In her stead, Soula Parassidis, who is the CEO of Living Opera, will take on the title role, marking her debut with Boston Baroque. She previously sang the role in {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center will present a special Great Stages Gala on May 16, 2023. The event, which kicks off at 8 p.m., will be led by conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He will be joined by soprano Renée Fleming and singer Angélique Kidjo. Former 6abc Action News anchor Jim Gardner is set to host the performance. There will {…}