(Credit: Patrick Allen) The Birmingham Opera Company has named Alpesh Chauhan its new Music Director effective July 1, 2020. Chauhan will work alongside Artistic Director Graham Vick leading the Company on its mission to “make great opera.” Chauhan was Principal Cello with the CBSO Youth Orchestra and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. He went on to perform alongside {…}
Norwegian actress and opera singer Edith Thallaug has passed away on June 7, 2020. Born on June 16, 1929, Thallaug began her career with the Studioteatret, one of the first arts organizations to open in Norway after World War II. In 1948, she joined the Nationaltheateret, staying with them for the next 12 years. After marking her singing debut in {…}
The Oregon Bach Festival has announced a radio festival set to take place between June 26-July 10, 2020. The event will be broadcast live on KWAX-FM with Peter van de Graaff hosting. The showcase will feature a number of historical recordings with such renowned artists as Thomas Quasthoff (who will be featured in five recordings throughout the festival) and Tamara {…}
The Wexford Festival has announced that it will be rescheduling its 2020 season to October 2021. However, the company will move forward with plans to present a reimagined event that takes place solely online. This showcase will be called “Waiting for Shakespeare… The Festival in the Air” and will take place over the course of eight days between Oct. 11-18. {…}
In keeping with last week’s themes of dialogue regarding racial equality in the opera world, we highly recommend checking out the several online shows such as Karen Slack’s “KikiKonversations,” Kenneth Overton’s “Black Opera Live,” and The Sitdown with LB,” hosted by Lawrence Brownlee. There is also a new conversation from Long Beach Opera regarding “Equity & Diversity in the Arts” that is {…}
(Credit: Eric Woolsey) On June 15, 2019, Terence Blanchard’s opera “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” premiered in full at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Described by the composer as “opera in jazz,” the work will be the first opera by a Black composer ever staged at the Metropolitan Opera. The libretto by Kasi Lemmons is based on the memoir {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) Terrence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer’s “Champion” is termed an “opera in jazz,” a unique choice of words. There are a lot of operas in the history of the artform that have gone under the designation of “jazz opera,” but the choice here speaks to Blanchard’s decision to use the full range of jazz expression in the context {…}
The Festival Valle d’itria Martina Franca has announced its revised 2020 edition. Opera The first work of the season will be “Il borghese gentiluomo” with music by Richard Strauss. The work based on a comedy by Moliere will star Stefano Massini and Davide Gasparro sharing the title role alongside Vittorio Prato, Ana Victoria Pitts, Barbara Massaro, Manuel Amati, Nico Franchini, {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) Sonya Yoncheva has announced a gala concert at the Roman Theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The soprano revealed the event on social media stating “I am very happy to come back to Plovdiv, my home town, and sing for my audience and friends after more than 7 years. I will be presenting an Opera Gala in the majestic {…}
(© Decca / Simon Fowler) Superstar soprano Aida Garifullina has announced her new documentary “My Argentinian Dream.” The soprano revealed the project via social media stating, “Finally I can announce that on June 28th Arte TV will broadcast a 60’ documentary movie about my trip to Buenos Aires, my concert at the Teatro Colon but besides this, you’ll see all {…}
Chandos Records announced the August 7th release of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison.” The recording features such soloists as soprano Sarah Brailey and baritone Dashon Burton backed by the Experiential Orchestra and Chorus under the baton of James Blachly. The release date coincides with the 100th anniversary of the enfranchisement of women after the passage of the 19th {…}