Patricia Racette has withdrawn from the Metropolitan Opera’s upcoming revival of Alfano’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” The Met announced that Racette had an abdominal hernia that would also cause her to cancel her scheduled Singer’s Studio Masterclass and conversation at the Bruno Walter Auditorium. As a result, Jennifer Rowley will replace Racette in the role of Roxanne. Rowley made her Met {…}
A year ago, the name Ryan Speedo Green might not be quite the household name that it has become. The bass, born on April 1, 1986, has had a whirlwind of a year. From his high-profile turn at the Metropolitan Opera in “La Bohème” to the release of “Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music and Family,” a {…}
LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program will have a new shining Artistic Advisor, internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. Graham will be in residence for 10 full weeks, and possibly longer, providing leadership counseling and guidance for the younger rising stars in the LA Opera. She will specifically help out with their skills, methodologies and philosophy departments of having a long-lasting {…}
Sergei Rachmaninoff’s claim to fame is the piano. His virtuosic ability as a performer was always admired, but his piano concertos are the legacy that keeps on giving. Today, his second and third piano concertos are fixtures of the instrument’s repertoire and have been for the past century. But Rachmaninoff was also a composer of other works, including several orchestral {…}
Dmitri Hvorostovsky has confirmed that he will return to the stage in April for a joint concert with Anna Netrebko. The baritone, who is fighting a brain tumor plans to appear on stage twice on April 25 and April 29. The first concert will take place in Toronto with Netrebko and her husband Yusif Eyvazov at the Four Seasons featuring arias, {…}
Anna Netrebko will perform Strauss’ “Salome” at the Metropolitan Opera in a future season. The news was revealed in an interview with Music Director Designate Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The New York Times also revealed that for Nezet-Seguin’s first season the company will open with Verdi’s “Aida,” starring Netrebko in a new production. The interview also revealed that Nezet-Seguin wants to perform {…}
Sonya Yoncheva has canceled two concerts from her “Baroque Heroines tour.” The soprano announced on Facebook that due to contractual issues she would not perform in Munich nor Vienna. She stated, “I am very sorry that after a year of preparations and rehearsals two of my four ‘Baroque Heroines’ concerts had to be canceled. Unfortunately, the promoter ‘München Musik’ and {…}
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2017-18 season with Jonas Kaufmann headlining. The German tenor will perform the second act of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” with Camilla Nylund as his Isolde. The concert will be performed once in Boston with Andris Nelsons conducting and will later be repeated in Carnegie Hall. The season will also feature Frederica von Stade as {…}
The weekend comes with a number of great works, including three tour de force Donizetti queens. Among the artists performing are Mariella Devia, Jonas Kaufmann, Rene Pape and Javier Camarena. Austria The Vienna State Opera kicks off its weekend with Massenet’s “Werther” starring Ludovic Tézier, Adrian Eröd and Sophie Koch. The opera will be showcased on the company’s live stream {…}
Dvorak’s “Rusalka,” which premiered back on March 31, 1901, is among the most popular Czech operas in the standard repertoire. Unbeknownst to many, the work was not actually an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid or “Undine” by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué. In fact, librettist Jaroslav Kvapil based his libretto on the work of Karel Jaromir Erben {…}
It’s the beginning of Spring and that means the stars are out and about preparing new roles, sporting new fashion and enjoying the weather. David Portillo enjoyed an evening at the LoftOpera watching the company’s acclaimed production of Rossini’s “Otello.” Inspiring performance today of Rossini’s Otello in Brooklyn. #loftopera #tenors #desdemona @loftopera A post shared by David Portillo (@porttenor) on {…}