The Florida Grand Opera has announced a “Sunday Matinee” program. In a press release, Susan T. Danis, FGO General Director and CEO said, “We are excited to be in our third month of our FGO GO initiative; delivering opera to our audiences at home. We hope that everyone has enjoyed coming together virtually during the time we cannot be together {…}
(Credit: Image from Scherzo) Italian pianist and composer Marcello Abbado passed away on June 4, 2020. Born in Milan on October 7, 1926, Abbado was raised in a family of famous musicians; his father was violinist Michelangelo Abbado, and his brother Claudio was music director of the Teatro alla Scala and the Vienna State Opera. He studied piano at the {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera) For this week’s edition of the word search will focus on the interpreters of Richard Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier,” specifically those who have performed the role of Octavian to great renown. Your goal is to find the first name of each of these mezzo-sopranos. Instructions: You are free to solve the word search directly on your mobile {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago will present several performances on local radio station 98.7 WFMT starting on June 6, 2020. All the broadcasts will kick off at 12 p.m. CDT on Saturdays. Below is a breakdown of the operas and the dates they will be broadcast. June 6: Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” June 13: Puccini’s “Turandot” June 20: Verdi’s {…}
(Credit: Victor Xie) The Voices of Silicon Valley is set to present a concert featuring Palestrina’s “Missa Papae Marcelli.” The concert, which will take place on June 7, 2020, honors the victims of racial injustice. “As we sing this work of peace and beauty, we remember the lives tragically lost very recently to injustice and violence in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Charlottesville, {…}
The Opéra de Toulon in France has announced its 2020-21 season featuring seven productions. Karine Deshayes sings the title role of Rossini’s “Semiramide” alongside Teresa Iervolino, Philippe Talbot, and Mirco Palazzi. George Petrou conducts the concert performances. Performance Dates: Oct. 9 & 11, 2020 Ketevan Kemoklidze sings the title role of Bizet’s “Carmen” with Adriana González, Amadi Lagha, and Andrei {…}
Opera Saratoga has announced a new digital initiative that will feature several online programs that provide education, entertainment, and professional training. The program, called “OPERA SARATOGA: CONNECT” will kick off on Sunday, June 7 with its “Daily” series. Every morning at 9 a.m., the company will feature performances by festival artists on the company’s website and Facebook page. Each month {…}
(Credit: Metropolitan Opera) This week’s quiz is going to take a dramatic left turn. If you’ve been following this special feature since we started in late 2017, you’ll know that we seldom use images for quizzes. But we’re going to try something different this week. We’re going to present you with the image from a famous opera score and ask {…}
“Die ägyptische Helena,” premiered at the Dresden Semperoper on June 6, 1928. In English, “The Egyptian Helen” was adapted by librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal based on the works of Euripides concerning the Trojan War. A less successful work of Strauss, the opera was revised in 1933. The dynamic role of Helena was written for Maria Jeritza, a larger-than-life soprano in {…}
This week three new recordings are set to debut. Two are complete operas while one features rarely performed masses. Bruckner & Stravinsky Masses The Rundfunkchor Berlin, led by its chief conductor Gijs Leenaars and accompanied by wind players from the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, presents masses by Bruckner and Stravinsky. Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor and Stravinsky’s Mass share in their unusual {…}
NEMPAC Opera Project has announced that it will present its 9th season “Pop-Up Opera: In the Streets of Boston’s Little Italy” on Saturday, June 6, 2020. The event will start at 1 p.m. and end at 4:45 p.m. with the company moving around the area, performing highlights from Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” at such venues as Lovejoy Wharf, the {…}