The Dallas Opera has altered its 2020-21 season in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Due to social distancing requirements, the season will no longer be able to commence in the fall of 2020. It was originally scheduled to begin on Oct. 9, but will now open with the world premiere of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” on March 5, {…}
(Image Source: LA OPera) Los Angeles Opera has announced that it will be altering its LAO At Home schedule this week to make way for an important conversation on racial injustice in the opera world. On Friday, June 5, 2020, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Lawrence Brownlee, tenor Russell Thomas, soprano Karen Slack, soprano Julia Bullock, and bass Morris Robinson will {…}
The Academy of Ancient Music has announced that John McMunn has been appointed as its new Chief Executive. McMunn is set to assume the role starting on Sept. 1, 2020, taking over for Alexander Van Ingen. McMunn started off his career as an opera singer, having trained as a musicologist at Harvard and Cambridge Universities followed by some studies at {…}
(Images provided by Schumann Associates Inc) Tulsa Opera has unveiled its streaming program for the week starting on June 8, 2020. It all kicks off with tenor Aaron Blake performing as part of the “Staying Alive” series. He will showcase Rachmaninoff’s “Spring Waters.” Blake will be accompanied by pianist Lydon Meyer. Streaming Date: June 8, 2020 at 2 p.m. CT {…}
The National Student Opera Society is set to expand its online offerings this month with three new streams. On June 4, the organization, which is comprised of 800 young opera-lovers, will present a program with movement director Dennie Sayers. On Monday, June 8, there will be a workshop session with WNO Orchestra Manager Matthew Downes, followed by another Thursday, June {…}
Tulsa Opera announced that it would be canceling its 2020 production of “Rigoletto” due to lingering uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19. The Verdi opera was set to open on Oct. 9, 2020 with a cast including Sarah Coburn and Allegra De Vita. Per a press release, the company is exploring potential outdoor venues for a semi-staged socially distanced version {…}
Opera Futura, a new initiative for Italian Opera, has been founded. The new non-profit platform will study opera in numerous ways across different businesses and will look at ways to innovate the artform and its own models. Through the initiative top industry musicians and artists will hold panels and discussions to obtain new ideas, models, and strategies for the growth {…}
On June 4, 2020 the Seville Cathedral will honor the victims of COVID-19 in a funeral performing Mozart’s Requiem. José Carlos Carmona will conduct the Orquesta Sinfónica Hispalense and Chorus of the Universidad de Sevilla with soloists Rocío de Frutos, José Carrión, Vicente Bujalance, and Luciano Miotti. Entrance will be free but there will be a limit of 600 people with {…}
Jochen Breiholz, the Theater an der Wien’s Director of Artistic Administration and Casting, is set to take the position of Artistic Director at the Opéra de Lyon. Breiholz, who worked has been with the Vienna theater since April 2016, will takeover the Lyon position in February 2021. The Opéra de Lyon’s General Director Serge Dorny said in a press statement, {…}
The Grafenegg Festival has announced its 2020 festival, which is set to open in Mid-August. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the vocal performances. Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch perform a recital. Performance Date: August 16, 2020 Piotr Beczala teams up with the Tonkünstler-Orchester and conductor Sascha Goetzel in a concert of music by Mascagni, Giordano, {…}
(Credit: Martyna Gallaweb/Jean Baptiste Millot) The Polish National Opera has announced its 2020-21 season featuring four new productions and a number of international stars. For the purposes of this article, we are only focusing on opera and vocal performances. Premieres Ho-Yoon Chung stars in the title role of Massenet’s “Werther.” The new production will be directed by Willy Decker and {…}