The Portland Opera will open its 2019-20 season with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The production will feature the U.S. debut of acclaimed soprano Hiromi Omura in the title role. Ombre is one of today’s great interpreters as she has performed the work at the Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House, the Latvian National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and The New National {…}
The Royal Opera, Covent Garden has announced that Sir Mark Elder has canceled his forthcoming engagement with the company. The ROH announced that due to surgery in the middle of August to release a trapped nerve in his neck, and under medical advice, the conductor will no long conduct the new production of “Death in Venice.” As a result, English {…}
The Fort Worth Opera has announced the auditions for the 2020 McCammon Voice Competition. The company announced that the competition will take place on April 3 and 4, 2020. The Semi-finals for the nineteenth biennial contest will be held at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on April 3, followed by the finals concert and awards ceremony on April {…}
(Credit: Johannes Ifkovits) Piotr Beczala has canceled the final performance of Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Beczala is currently on vocal rest after vocal chord issues caused by a burst blood vessel. While the tenor returned to the stage in Hamburg for a concert with Angela Gheorghiu, he previously announced that he would not be able to {…}
UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance is set to present Maya Beiser/Wendy Whelan/Lucinda Childs/David Lang’s “THE DAY.” ‘THE DAY,”which was conceived by famed cellist Maya Beiser, will be an evening-length multisensory exploration danced by Wendy Whelan, choreographed by Lucinda Childs, with music by David Lang and recorded vocals, text and live cello performed by Maya Beiser. In a press {…}
(Credit: Chris Lee) September 27, 2019, saw the second performance of the New York Philharmonic’s cerebral double bill, comprised of Bartok’s “Bluebeard’s Castle,” and Schoenberg’s “Erwartung.” Both works delve deeply into the psyche to explore themes of love, loss, trust, betrayal, and more. Joined by some truly magnetic soloists, Jaap van Zweden and the Philharmonic succeeded in bringing the music, {…}
WorldKrystal Presents will showcase “Visions of the Modern Muse II: Contemporary Vocal Music” on Oct. 3, 2019 at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The concert will feature such artists as Kirsten Chambers, Matthew Curran, Barbara Martinez, Olga Zhuravel Maselli, Micaela Oeste, John Bellemer, and Joyce Bing Xiu Wang. Kathleen Tagg and Alexander Chaplinsky will accompany on the piano. Violinist {…}
(Credit: Carol Friedman) International star soprano Jessye Norman has died at the age of 74. The news was reported on Monday, Sept. 30, 2019. The legendary soprano reportedly died from septic shock and multi-organ failure after complications with a spinal cord injury that she sustained in 2015. “We are so proud of Jessye’s musical achievements and the inspiration that she {…}
(Credit: Anna Barbera) Tenor René Barbera is set to take on the role of Alfredo at the Teatro alla Scala next July 2020. The tenor is stepping in for Francesco Meli, who was originally announced in the opera opposite soprano Marina Rebeka. The tenor joins a cast that includes Luca Salsi as Giorgio Germont and Zubin Mehta at the podium. {…}
(Credit: Gerhard Ringhofer) Günther Groissböck has confirmed a new production of Verdi’s “Don Carlo” at the Metropolitan Opera. In a recent interview with Online Merker, the bass confirmed that he will sing the role of King Philip in a new interpretation of the famed Verdi work in 2022. Moreover, he revealed that he will first sing the French version of {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) On Thursday, the Metropolitan Opera will open its fourth production of the season – Puccini’s “Turandot.” This run of performances is unique because they represent the first time that the Met Opera’s music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts an opera by Puccini at the famed house. To this point, he has tackled works by Bizet, {…}