Legendary soprano Jessye Norman will be recognized by the National Sawdust on Dec. 17. In an event entitled, “An Evening Honoring Jessye Norman,” audiences will get to learn more about the legendary artist’s latest project “Sissieretta Jones: Call Her By Her Name!” This work-in-progress follows singer Sissieretta Jones whose 150th anniversary happens to fall this year and features performances from {…}
The San Francisco Opera Center has announced its 2019 Adler Fellows. The 12 recipients this coming year include sopranos Mary Evelyn Hangley and Natalie Image; mezzo-sopranos Ashley Dixon and Simone McIntosh; countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen; tenors Zhengyi Bai, Christopher Colmenero, and Christopher Oglesby; baritone SeokJong Baek; and bass-baritone Christian Pursell. Hangley, McIntosh, Bai, Colmenero, Oglesby, and Baek are entering their first year as Adler fellows while Image, Ashley Dixon, Cohen, {…}
Rosa Feola is set to star in Franco Zeffirelli’s upcoming production of “Rigoletto.” According to the Giornale della Musica, the Italian soprano will be Gilda in the production, which is slated to open at the Royal Opera Muscat in 2020. The news comes a day after it was announced that at the age of 97, the legendary director would direct his first {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Queen’s {…}
The first thing that comes to mind when seeing that a “double bill” has been scheduled is often, “not another ‘Cav/Pag,’ not another example of lazy programming.” Luckily, however, this is the Wexford Festival and there is no chance of such a combination taking to the stage here, where innovative programming is the company’s raison d’etre. Deciding on a pair {…}
In just a few weeks, the San Francisco Opera will showcase Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In anticipation of the production’s opening, the company held an event on Nov. 1, 2018, to showcase music, story and theme genesis designed for educators and the press. Both Heggie and Scheer were in attendance alongside Dramaturg Kip Cranna, soprano Kearstin {…}
Lamberto Gardelli, born on Nov. 8, 1915, became one of the great conductors of the Italian repertory during the “Golden Age” of opera. He was born in Venice and studied at the Liceo Musicale Rossini and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He started off as a pianist before eventually turning into a conductor. He was an assistant to Tulio Serafin {…}
At this moment, opera in Ireland is really on the up. Over the last couple of years, the country has seen a significant number of developments, which has started to lift its profile. This year, for example, saw the inauguration of the Irish National Opera company, which has an ambitious vision for delivering opera, showcasing Irish singers and increasing the {…}
Friday night of the Hungarian State Opera’s New York tour saw the performance of Karl Goldmark’s opera “The Queen of Sheba.” This under-performed work is firmly entrenched in the spirit of Romanticism, as Goldmark was a contemporary of figures such as Wagner, Berlioz, Rossini, Chopin, Verdi, and more. Many aspects of the opera, such as the plot, and structure of {…}
The Portland Opera is set to give audiences a new experience of Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” in a 50-minute version in both English and Spanish. The performances are part of the company’s Portland Opera to Go program that takes opera to schools and community centers across Portland and Southern Washington state. This year, the company will showcase close to {…}
Franco Zeffirelli is set to direct a production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at the Royal Opera Muscat. The new production, scheduled for 2020, will be in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Oman and the 10th anniversary of the opera house. The production will mark Zeffirelli’s return to a Verdi opera that he has not directed since 1961 at Trieste and in {…}