The San Francisco Opera is set to continue its Opera is On initiative with Puccini’s “Il Trittico.” The company will stream Puccini’s triptych on June 13 in a production from 2009. The historical production features Patricia Racette in all three operas in a staging by James Robinson with sets designed by Allen Moyer, costumes by Bruno Schwengl, and lighting by {…}
(Credit: Marty Sohl / Ken Howard) The Metropolitan Opera has announced new casts for its added performances in February. In the company’s production of Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia,” Michele Angelini will sing the role of Almaviva and James Morris will take over the role of Basilio. They will join a cast that includes Brenda Rae and Joshua Hopkins for {…}
“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 Masahiro Shinoda’s “Pale {…}
(Credit: Carl Van Vechten) Born on May 11, 1895, William Grant Still would go on to become one of the most iconic African-American composers of all time. Still was born in Woodville Mississippi. His father William Grant Still Sr. was a teacher, partner in a grocery store, and performed as a local bandleader; unfortunately, he would pass away when his {…}
In the 1940s and 1950s, Risë Stevens was one of the Metropolitan Opera’s brightest stars. The mezzo-soprano was born Risë Gus Steenberg on June 11, 1913, in New York City. She studied at Juilliard and made her debut in Thomas’ “Mignon” in Prague. After singing at the Vienna State Opera, Teatro Colón, and Glyndebourne, Stevens returned to the United States {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society has announced that it has been awarded a $19k grant from the League of American Orchestras, which it intends to use to further efforts toward equity, diversity, and inclusion in the arts. The grant comes as part of the second round of The Catalyst Fund, a grant-making program by the League, made possible by grants {…}
The Bergen National Opera will present “This Evening’s Performance Has Not Been Canceled” on June 12, 2020. The showcase, conceived by Sound Artist Zoë Irvine, will give audiences an opportunity to call in and speak to a singer, director, costume designer, make-up person, and other participants of an opera production across Europe that has been canceled or postponed due to {…}
(Credit: Rupert Larl) The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music has confirmed that it will move forward with its 2020 edition featuring the three opera productions it had originally scheduled, albeit in “adapted form.” “Leonora” will be showcased in a concert version at the Tiroler Landestheater while “La Pellegrina” will be showcased in a concertante performance at the Haus der Musik {…}
The New York Philharmonic has canceled the fall of the 2020-21 season. In a statement, the orchestra noted it will not resume performances until Jan. 5, 2021 “to protect our audience, musicians, and employees from COVID-19. The Philharmonic plans to resume live performances after that time, although the dates and programming for concerts in 2021 are subject to change.” President {…}
The Atlanta Opera has created a new virtual “Hansel and Gretel” expressly for distance learning, replacing its originally planned studio tour. Adapted by director Brenna Corner, this reimagining of Humperdink’s opera will be for the Zoom age. The adaptation, “Story Time with Hansel and Gretel” finds the siblings isolating at home, but apart from one another. Gretel has been stuck {…}
Back in the second half of the 1700s, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was the talk of Paris. These days, the composer, born in the French colony of Guadeloupe to a wealthy planter and an African slave on Dec. 25, 1745, remains relatively unknown. Saint-Georges’ rise started in the military school where he was said to be among the greatest {…}