Charles Castronovo saved a performance of “La Bohème” at the Royal Opera House after he replaced tenor Atalla Ayan’s on Friday, July 20, 2018. The tenor, who was in the audience watching his wife Ekaterina Siurina portray Mimì, stepped in mid-show to sing the role of Rodolfo. When Ayan’s voice failed, Castronovo sang the role at the side of the {…}
The Ancient Academy of Music has announced the final performance of the three-year Purcell opera cycle, which will feature the composer’s masterwork “Dido and Aeneas” at the Barbican. The performance is set for Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018, and will feature a sem-staged production of the opera starring Christine Rice as Dido, Ashley Riches as Aeneas, Rowan Pierce as Belina, and {…}
The Teatro Verdi Trieste has announced its 2018-19 season. The season opens with Bellini’s “I Puritani” starring Elena Moşuc, Antonino Siragusa, and Alexey Birkus. Fabrizio Maria Carminati conducts Emilio Sagi’s acclaimed production from the Teatro Real de Madrid. Performance Dates: Nov. 16-24, 2018 Christopher Franklin conducts Verdi’s “Nabucco” starring Giovanni Meoni, Giuseppe Infantino, Nicola Ulivieri, and Aya Wakizono. Performance Dates: Jan 18-26, 2019 {…}
Renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato has announced a new album sure to delight not only listeners of opera, but listeners of jazz and tango as well. Her new album, titled “Songplay,” will bring together musicians from numerous genres, hand-picked by DiDonato in a band led by pianist and arranger Craig Terry. Among them are bassist Chuck Isreals, drummer Jimmy Madison, Lautaro {…}
Piotr Beczala is one of today’s biggest stars in the world. He has performed in arguably every major theater and has given historical performances in numerous signature roles. And this week he becomes the first Polish tenor to perform the role of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” at the Bayreuth Festival in his company debut. Jumping in a month before opening, Beczala will {…}
PBS will showcase “Così Fan Tutte” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Sunday, July 29, 2018. The broadcast will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and will star Kelli O’Hara, Amanda Majeski, Adam Plachetka, Ben Bliss, Christopher Maltman, and Serena Malfi under the musical direction of David Robertson. The production, set on Coney Island {…}
Of the major American singers to appear onstage in the late 20th century, Susan Graham is one that has stood out among the crowd. Born in Roswell, New Mexico, she was a graduate of the Texas Tech University and Manhattan School of Music. Her early career was filled with major success as she took home the top prizes in the {…}
Francesco Cilea, born on July 23, 1866, is yet another Italian composer of the Verismo era that is known today for one major work. He was born in Palmi and was destined for a musical career from the moment he heard “Norma” at the age of four. He studied at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella, earning a gold {…}
There are only a few artists that have starred throughout the 21st century that could truly find themselves critic-proof. Anja Harteros is one of them. The German soprano, born on July 23, 1972, started voice training at age 14 in Gummersbach while still in school. Even before she had graduated high school, she was already performing concerts and by the {…}
The Cincinnati Opera has announced its 99th season featuring five productions including a world premiere and numerous top stars for the opera world. The season will also include numerous a number of concerts and programs. Here is a look at what to expect. Productions The season opens with Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in a production by Stephen Lawless. Soprano Susanna Phillips will {…}
Jennifer Williams started off her own artistic career as a composer. But soon enough she found that her voice could only come to full fruition as a director. With a Ph. D. from Cornell University, as well as degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the University of Chicago, she quickly built up a career in both {…}