Tenor Giuseppe Morino has died at the age of 74. Born on August 18, 1950, Morino made his debut in Gounod’s “Faust” at the Festival des Deux Mondes in Spoleto in 1981. Six years later the tenor broke out at the Rossini Opera Festival as Pilade in “Ermione.” He went on to be recognized for his work in the Bel {…}
(Photo: Pádraig Grant) In 1907, J.M. Synge’s play “The Playboy of the Western World” caused rioting when it premiered at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre. It was not so much the portrayal of its central character, Christy Mahon, who turns up in a Mayo town, claiming to be on the run for killing his father, but the reaction of the local women, {…}
The 2025 Buxton International Festival has announced “Shorts,” a collection of four new opera commissions. “Shorts” consists of four 20-minutes opera composed by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, Jasper Dommett, Martin Green, Carmel Smickersgill and Yshani Perinpanayagam, with librettos by Zodwa Nyoni, Josh Overton and Jessica Walker. Directors include Marcus Desando and Rebecca Meltzer, with designer Elliott Squire and repetiteur Paul McKenzie. “Shorts” {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera) “After 18 years running the Met, and a lifetime of experience in classical music and opera, it’s clear to me that the solution to sustaining opera is through artistic reinvention, both with new operas by living composers, and reimagined productions of classics that can resonate with audiences of today.” So writes Met Opera General {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s Nov. 17 “Il Trovatore” performance saw two major debuts in the second part of the opera. Mexican tenor Arturo Chacón-Cruz made an unexpected house debut as Manrico while Leah Hawkins made her role debut as Leonora. Chacón-Cruz replaced Michael Fabiano, while Hawkins replaced Angela Meade. Both Meade and Fabiano took to social media to announce that they could {…}
(Credit: Konrad Cwik) South Africa’s Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra is set for its “Rhythms of Hope” National tour. The concert will be conducted by Kirill Karabits and features soprano Ana Masina and vocalist Mbuso Khozza. Audiences will hear the world premiere of the uShaka iLembe Suite by South African composer Philip Miller. Also on the program will be the Rhapsody {…}
Santa Fe Opera is set to present the free digital premiere of “The Pueblo Opera Program: And What Could Be Next” on Nov 25, 2024. The documentary, which chronicles the 50-year history between the Santa Fe Opera and the Pueblo and Tribal Nationals of New Mexico, will be available to stream for free via the company’s official website and YouTube {…}
San Francisco Opera Center has announced its Adler Fellows for 2025. The fellows include sopranos Georgiana Adams (Chicago, Illinois), Caroline Corrales (St. Louis, Missouri), Mary Hoskins (Saratoga Springs, Utah), and Olivia Smith (Penticton, British Columbia, Canada); tenors Thomas Kinch (Cardiff, Wales) and Samuel White (Columbia, South Carolina); baritones Samuel Kidd (Ann Arbor, Michigan) and Olivier Zerouali (Middletown, Delaware); bass-baritone Jongwon Han (Seoul, South Korea) and coaches/pianists Julian Grabarek (Acton, Massachusetts) and Ji Youn Lee (Seoul, South Korea). {…}
The Teatro Municipal de Santiago has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the opera and vocal performances. Opera Erika Grimaldi and Oksana Sekerina star in Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” with José Simerilla, Anthony Ciaramitaro, Kai Rüütel, Evelyn Ramírez, Eleomar Cuello, and Javier Weibel. Paolo Bortolameolli conducts the production by Verónica Villarroel. Performance Dates: July 3-12, 2025 Yaritza Véliz and {…}
Denmark’s Den Jyske Opera has announced its 2025-26 season The season opens with Verdi’s “La Traviata” starring Frederikke Kampmann, Sofie Lund, Thorbjørn Gulbrandsøy, Anders Kampmann, Hrólfur Sæmundsson, and Teit Kanstrup. Christopher Lichtenstein and James Sherlock conduct. Performance Dates: August 19-Nov. 29, 2025 Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” will star Andreas Landin, Lars Møller, Simon Duus, Signe Sneh Durholm, Laura Helene Hansen, Petter Moen, {…}
The Madison Lyric Stage is set to present Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” The professional non-profit theater company is set to present the work on Dec. 14 and 15, 2024 at Madison’s First Congregational Church. In a statement, Marc Deaton, artistic director of Madison Lyric Stage said, “Amahl and the Night Visitors quickly became and has remained {…}