The San Francisco Opera has canceled its 2020 Summer Season due to the continued practice of social distancing around the world. The festival, which was slated for June 7-July 3, was set to feature 18 total performances of operas such as Verdi’s “Ernani,” Handel’s “Partenope,” and the Bay Area premiere of Mason Bates and Mark Campbell’s “The (R)evolution of Steve {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced the upcoming two weeks of streaming. The week begins with Verdi’s “Les vêpres siciliennes” in its original French version. The production, which opened the 2019-20 season, is conducted by Daniele Gatti and directed by Valentina Carrasco. For those who are interested to learn more about the work can check out the company’s podcast {…}
The Palau de les Arts in Valencia continues streaming platform for the third straight week with a new set of operas. The week begins on April 14 with Manuel de Falla’s “La vida breve“ conducted by Lorin Maazel, the company’s first music director. The recording marks the only video recording with Maazel and showcases a production by Giancarlo del Monaco {…}
On April 17, 2020, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain will be staging a nationwide effort to bring music to communities kept inside their home during the coronavirus epidemic. The NYO is inviting every interested musician in the UK for a mass performance of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” as a gesture of solidarity in a time of distancing. As per {…}
The New York City Opera is launching a video series spoofing opera arias with lyrics about the coronavirus. In a press release Michael Capasso noted that the idea was to create “A lighthearted look at the current reality. We hope to have one per week while the Quarantine lasts.” The first video released is a spoof on the famous “O {…}
On Monday April 13, 2020, France’s president Emmanuel Macron announced that it was extending its lockdown until May 11. The president announced that progress had been made but the battle was not yet over. He added that after the end of the lockdown business would slowly be opening but that no festivals or events drawing large crowds would be allowed {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) The Metropolitan Opera has unveiled week 6 of its streaming service which features an all-star gala and six operas with such stars as Sonya Yoncheva, Anna Netrebko, Nina Stemme, Renée Fleming, Natalie Dessay, Joyce DiDonato, and Juan Diego Flórez, among others. Here is a breakdown. Monday, April 20 – Strauss’s Elektra Starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier, {…}
Soprano Nicole Car has launched Freelance Artist Relief Fund Australia to help provide financial aid to artists who have been hurt financially by the COVID-19 crisis. The organization was founded in March 2020 and offers grants to Australian classical singers. An amount of $150,000 has already been raised, but the organization has its sights set on over $1 million. All {…}
(Credit: Dasha Dore) Soprano Yvette Keong is one of the 2020 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows and the only musician from among 30 honorees. The fellowship, established by Hungarian Immigrants and American Philanthropists, was created in 1997 to support immigrants and children of immigrants in the U.S. during critical moments of their education. Keong is a student at The Juilliard {…}
The Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Italy has released the first star-studded opera gala from home. The gala, entitled “Gala: Artisti uniti in tempi di isolamento,” aligned a number of international stars including Enea Scala, Nicola Alaimo, Arturo Chacón Cruz, Ruth Iniesta, Roberta Mantegna, and Ian Bostridge, among many others. The performance features music by Bellini, Puccini, Lara, Lehar, Verdi, and {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that it will be aligning the stars of the opera world for a live stream of an At Home Gala on April 25, 2020 at 1 p.m. EDT. The gala can be viewed via the company’s official website with major artists performing from their homes all around the world. The artists include, but are not {…}