The Cincinnati Opera and Liz Kathman Grubow, president of the Cincinnati Opera’s board of trustees, have announced that Christopher Milligan has been named the next Harry Fath General Director & CEO of the company. The company announced that Milligan’s tenure will begin on March 2, 2020. Milligan is currently Managing Director of Cincinnati Opera and has been a respected arts {…}
(Source: Heartbeat Opera Facebook) In the canon of German Romantic opera, Weber’s “Der Freischütz” is about as conventional as they come. The opera, which is loosely based on a traditional German folktale, features hardy woodsmen, drinking songs, enchanted bullets, demonic incantations, a melancholic male hero, a pure virtuous maiden, and a mysterious hermit. Thus, it was ripe for the kind {…}
(Credit: Steven Laxton) The Getty Villa Museum will present “Play to Libretto: Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Eurydice’ on Feb. 2, 2020. The reading of the stage place by Sarah Ruhl is part of the LA Opera’s “Eurydice Found,” an LA Festival dedicated to contextualizing the many aspects of the famed Greek myth of Orpheus and his wife Euridice. In addition to a {…}
Anna Netrebko has canceled her final two performances of Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Teatro alla Scala. The company announced that “due to a sudden illness, Anna Netrebko has to withdraw from Tosca’s performances on Dec. 19 and 22.” As a result, Saioa Hernández will replace Netrebko. Hernández was already scheduled for three performances of “Tosca” on Jan. 2, 5, and {…}
On Site Opera is set to present “Das Barbecü” this January at the Hill Country Barbecue Market in New York City. The work, which will be performed nine times between Jan. 26-Feb. 11, 2020 will be a re-imagining of Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Texas by way of Chelsea’s most renowned Barbecue pit. “Das Barbecü” had its world premiered in 1991 {…}
(source: San Francisco Symphony Official Website) San Francisco once again hosted Handel’s “Messiah,” in time for the holidays. Conducted by Ragnar Bohlin, by the San Francisco Chorus, the San Francisco chamber ensemble, and four excellent soloists, Theshowcase was musically vibrant, satisfying and festive. If you ever thought the “Halleiuah Chorus” was “all the Messiah,” all you had to do was {…}
(Credit: The Verdi Chorus) The Verdi Chorus is set to present “Songs of Fantasy” on Feb. 1, 2020 at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica, California. The performance will feature music from “The Magic Flute,” “L’Elisir d’Amore,” “Peter Pan,” and “Candide” with the Chorus’ Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum leading the performance. The Fox Singers, the professional {…}
(Credit: Keith Necaise) Director Jennifer Williams is set to lead a new production of Strauss’ “Four Last Songs” at The Alchemical on Jan. 15, 2020. The production will feature soprano Cristina Bakhoum Sanchez with Sara Chiesa performing a piano arrangement of the work by Bakhoum Sanchez. The set will be designed by Jungah Han with Asa Benally designing the costumes. {…}
On Dec. 15, 2019, The Metropolitan Opera raised the curtain on this season’s run of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” Julie Taymor’s family-friendly production continues to be a visual and musical delight that, while abridged, makes for a strong concentration of the work. Under the baton of Lothar Koenigs, Sunday’s cast of artists was comprised of a fine mix of new {…}
Vallejo Community Arts Foundation will present “Three Tenors! – The Next Generation,” on February 1, 2020, spotlighting tenors Pene Pati, Alex Boyer, and Christopher Oglesby. The event will take place at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo, California. The event will feature a rich program consisting of popular arias, from “Aida,” “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata,” “Tosca,” “Turandot,” “La Bohème,” “Cavalleria Rusticana,” “L’Elisir {…}
(Image Provided American Opera Projects) The American Opera Project has been awarded five grants intent on helping shape its vision under the leadership of General Director Matt Gray and Artistic Director Mila Henry. In sum, the grants total over $500,000. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is a $300,000 multi-year grant to develop American Opera Project’s training and workshop programs such {…}