The San Francisco Symphony has canceled the fall portion of its 2020-21 season. The company announced that due to COVID-19, the orchestra “has been guided by a belief that we must ‘plan for the worst while hoping for the better.’ However, in accordance with guidelines from the State of California and City of San Francisco, we have made the difficult {…}
Scott Joplin was one of America’s most renowned black composers, garnering the title of “King of Ragtime.” Born in 1868 as the second of six children to an ex-slave from North Carolina and a freeborn woman from Kentucky, his birthday and place of birth remain points of contention to this day. He grew up in Arkansas and learned basic music {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago has released a video of the chorus performing “Va, pensiero” from “Nabucco.” In a statement, the company said, “We’d like to thank the wonderful members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago Chorus for sharing their talents with us during these difficult times. Here, they perform “Va, pensiero” (also known as the “Chorus of the Hebrew {…}
The Sofia National Opera is set to reopen on June 19 with a Tutto Verdi mini-festival. The Bulgarian company will open with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” in a full production with sets and costumes, a full cast and chorus, and orchestra. However, the audience will be socially distanced. It will be followed by “Rigoletto” on June 21 and “La Traviata” on {…}
The Princeton Festival has updated the scheduling for its “Virtually Yours” streaming service adding in several concerts and opera performances to the mix. The company will present a production of Rachmonioff’s “Francesca da Rimini” from 2012. There will also be a performance of “A Million Dreams” by sopranos Sylvia McNair and Paloma Friedhoff Bello. Streaming Date: June 23, 2020 Soprano {…}
Bass-baritone Mark S. Doss is presenting “Heart And Soul Series” a weekly concert series every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. EDT. In each concert, Doss performs a series of secular and sacred pieces with a discussion of the background of each piece and some comments on technical, musical, and spiritual aspects of each piece. “I find myself now trying to reach out {…}
Following the New York Philharmonic’s recent decision to cancel the organization’s fall season of performances, Music Director Jaap van Zweden has donated $500k to the NY Phil Plays On Emergency Fund. The donation is the single largest one received by the fund, which has currently raised around $3 million in support of the orchestra’s musicians as David Geffen Hall remains {…}
(Credit: Robert Workman) The Aldeburgh Festival is set to present a 2013 production of Britten’s “Peter Grimes” on BBC iPlayer. The production stars Alan Oke in the title role with Giselle Allen as Ellen Orford. The work was conducted by Steuart Bedford. The performance also featured the Britten-Pears Orchestra and the choruses of Opera North and Guildhall School of Music {…}
Carnegie Hall has canceled the fall season. The theater announced that it will cancel all events in its three performance venues until January 7, 2021, due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19. Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall said, “This was a very difficult decision for us to make, however, the safety of Carnegie Hall’s artists, audiences, {…}
As theaters across the country remain closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has announced that they will be canceling all fall events in its 2020-21 Great Performers Series, as well as this year’s David Rubenstein Atrium Season and White Light Festival. Currently, the Great Performers Series is canceled through January 26. The series {…}
The New York City Opera has announced that it will broadcast an excerpt from William Grant Still’s “Troubled Island” to celebrate June 19. The excerpt will feature bass Kevin Thompson performing “I Dream of a World” and will be streamed on the company’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. “Black Lives have mattered to the New York City Opera since its inception {…}