In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, artists are taking to the internet to fill the void left by the lack of performances. Soprano Angel Blue is the latest to come up with a means of communicate with fans and other artists around the world during these challenging times. On Friday, March 20, 2020, Blue is set to launch a {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera has announced that it will be canceling the remainder of the 2019-20 season in an effort to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Productions that are affected by this decision include “Maria Stuarda,” “Simon Boccanegra,” “Tosca,” “La Cenerentola,” “Katya Kabanova,” “Manon Lescaut,” “La Bohème,” “Werther,” and “Madama Butterfly.” The company noted that full-time {…}
The Teatro Regio di Parma is launching a Verdi streaming festival. The company announced that in collaboration with Unitel and Dynamic, it will present 11 operas from the acclaimed Verdi Festival from the past 15 years with Italian subtitles. It all begins with “La Traviata” starring Svetla Vassileva on March 20 and 21, followed by “Nabucco” with Leo Nucci on March {…}
The Wagner Society of New York has revealed that the Met Opera’s next schedule of nightly streams will center on the operas of Wagner. A Wagner Festival, if you will. The schedule is set to kick off on March 23 with “Tristan und Isolde,” followed by the Ring Cycle, “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,” and “Tannhäuser.” Here is the full slate {…}
Musicians of the Lyric Opera of Chicago have voted to cut their pay in order for Ring Cycle extras to get paid. In a press release, the orchestra said, “As COVID-19 began sweeping across the United States, the Lyric Opera of Chicago management made the heartbreaking but necessary decision to cancel Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle, scheduled to be performed three {…}
UPDATE: The remainder of the 2019-20 season has been canceled. The Metropolitan Opera has laid off all of its union employees. According to NPR’s Anastasia Tsioulcas, this includes musicians and chorus members. According to VAN Magazine, the” musicians are not laid off, but furloughed starting from March 31. Health benefits will continue.” This comes on the heels of another report {…}
(Credit: Monika Ritterhaus) Audience members were already en route to Unter den Linden when the news began to spread on social media: the evening’s performance of “Carmen,” the second in a much-anticipated run of performances, would be the final night of Berlin opera before the city’s concert halls and opera houses were forced to close their doors for at least {…}
The Teatro Regio di Torino has rescheduled and canceled its March, April, and May performances. The theater announced that Puccini’s “La Bohème,” originally scheduled for March 11 through 22 has been rescheduled for April 8 through 19. Meanwhile, Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust,” originally scheduled for April 8 through 19, has been canceled. Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion will be rescheduled {…}
The Deustche Oper Berlin has begun streaming performances from its archives on the companies website deutscheoperberlin.de. The company announced that it will begin with Janacek’s “Jenufa” in a production by Christof Loy and conducted by Donald Runnicles on March 19 through 21. It will be followed by Wagner’s “Rienzi” on March 21 through 23 in a production by Philipp Stölzl {…}
(Image Source: Against the Grain Theatre Official Website) As with many other companies around the world, Against the Grain Theatre is excited to share video performances from the past. In this case, the company is showcasing its famed production of “La Bohème” via CBC Arts. The showcase was toured throughout Canada back in the fall between Sept. 27 through Nov. {…}
(Credit Javier del Real / Gramercy Pictures) “Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “Dead Man Walking.” Over the last few years, Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s “Dead Man Walking” has become a major staple of the international opera repertory, one of the few 21st century operas to really own such a valuable distinction. And it isn’t hard to see why. Based on a true story, the {…}
