The Teatro alla Scala has announced the gala concert for Dec. 7, 2020. The concert will be streamed online and TV and without an audience and will feature soloists Lisette Oropesa and Juan Diego Florez, who were originally scheduled to open the theater in a new production of “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The concert will also see Vittorio Grigolo, Francesco Meli, {…}
On Dec. 19, 2020, the Academy of Ancient Music will perform Handel’s “Messiah,” as part of the Live from the Barbican concert series in London. Richard Egarr will play the harpsichord and direct British soloists such as soprano Rowan Pierce, countertenor Iestyn Davies, tenor Ben Johnson, and bass Ashley Riches in the iconic work. The concert will mark the AAM’s {…}
Musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra have created the “Music Medicine Initiative” series. The video series of seven to 10 videos features several musicians from the ensemble as they share music with healthcare workers, patients, and community members affected by COVID-19. The project was led by assistant concertmaster Jessica Lee and will be released weekly. “As the pandemic hit us, I {…}
(Credit: Sean Davis Courtesy) Opera Philadelphia is set to stream a production of “BON APPÉTIT!” on Jan. 8, 2021. The online fundraising event, which is presented in partnership with the Houston Grand Opera, stars mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Julia Child alongside pianist Jonathan Easter. The video and audio were produced by Keep the Music Going Productions with Ryan McKinny and {…}
The Opera Philadelphia Chorus is set to present “Love in the Park,” a five-episode series of performances starting on Dec. 11, 2020. The showcase, which was filmed on Sept. 30, 2020 at a socially-distanced concert in Dilworth Park. will focus on 16 members of the ensemble under the musical direction of Chorus Master Elizabeth Braden and pianist Grant Loehnig as {…}
(Photo: Gianfranco Rota) If I close my eyes and concentrate, even today, locked in cold, rainy Vilnius, I can easily recall Bergamo in November. Warm, yellow, and red lights make their way through the morning fog in Città Alta. Città Bassa is still dark and sleepy. It’s only 7 a.m., and right from the airport, I take a walk in {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society has announced that it will be partnering with broadcasting and production company GBH to stream “Handel’s ‘Messiah’ for Our Time.” Premiering on GBH 2 on December 20, 2020, the performance will be available on YouTube, Facebook, Classical WCRB, and H+H’s website. The work is a holiday tradition for the company running 167 years since it {…}
The Royal Opera House is set to present “Current, Rising,” described as a hyper-reality opera which comes in collaboration between ROH’s Audience Labs, Figment Productions, and Royal Holloway, University of London. The work, developed by a female-led team and funded by UK Research and Innovation, is a 15-minute opera experience that blends virtual reality with a multisensory set. “Current, Rising” {…}
Soprano Eugenia Ratti died in her hometown of Piacenza on November 16, 2020 at the age of 87. Ratti was a contemporary of Maria Callas, singing opposite the famed soprano in 1957 at Teatro alla Scala as Lisa in the Visconti production of “La sonnambula,” conducted by Leonard Bernstein. She also replaced Callas as Rosina in The Dallas Opera’s 1959 {…}
(Credit: David Allen) Opera San José has announced that it will offer its virtual production of Jake Heggie’s chamber opera, “Three Decembers,” with Spanish and Vietnamese subtitles. The company noted that the Latin and Vietnamese communities are among the largest in San Jose. In a statement, Opera San José said, “the company is dedicated to producing accessible, affordable, world-class performance, {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 2020-21 season encore radio broadcast. The company will broadcast encore recordings starting Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. with Mary Jo Heath hosting and Ira Siff as a commentator for the broadcasts. The broadcasts will also include dynamic intermission features, live backstage interviews with artists, and the ever-popular Opera Quiz. The broadcasts begin with Prokofiev’s “War {…}