The Erkel Theatre has announced a number of star-studded concerts as the Opera House in Budapest continues its ongoing construction. Here is a look at what is upcoming. Hungarian soprano Eszter Sümegi returns to the company and will celebrate her 25th anniversary; she will appear alongside guest star Rafael Rojas. The concert will include music by Verdi, Bellini, Goldmark, and {…}
Composer Lisa Bielawa, librettist Erik Ehn, and video director Charles Otte’s “Vireo” will receive a DVD and CD release. The episodic opera, which was ready-made for the binging habits of modern audiences, will be released via Orange Mountain Music on Feb. 28, 2019; however, those with interest in getting a headstart on the experience can go to Apple Music and {…}
The Los Angeles Opera has announced that Nicolas Hamatake has been elected to the LA Opera board of directors. Hamatake works at Google’s “Natural Language Infrastructure” and is also a noted collector and supporter of Japanese art through his Nick Hamatake Foundation, which makes Japanese works available for public enjoyment and education. “I became passionate about opera very recently, after {…}
Last week, soprano Jessica Nuccio was removed from a production of “La Traviata” by the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma during a dress rehearsal for the Verdi opera. According to original reports, the soprano opted to cover throughout the rehearsal because it was only 36 hours before the first performance on Jan. 16. However, that was not pleasant for the artistic director Alessio {…}
Long Beach Opera will be hosting a set of five free community programs in a series called “Community Conversations,” inspired by LBO’s 40th anniversary season theme of Justice. The series compliments two current LBO productions: Philip Glass’s “In the Penal Colony,” and Anthony Davis’s “The Central Park Five.” The program “will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, live performances…and audience engagement opportunities {…}
The San Francisco Opera has announced its 2019-20 season featuring a wide array of repertory from Mozart and Verdi to Britten and Mason Bates. It’s a season that also includes company debuts, role debuts, and U.S. debuts. OperaWire had a chance to speak with General Director Matthew Shilvock on the new season and what excites him about many returning {…}
The San Francisco Opera has announced its 2019-20 season featuring seven new productions and two new revivals. There will also be a notable company premiere with many rising and established stars taking the stage. Main Stage The 2019–20 season opens with Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” in a new production by Jean-Louis Grinda. The opera returns after a 31-year absence with {…}
Russian baritone Ilya Kutyukhin has been announced the winner of the 2019 Paris Opera Competition. He is this year’s recipient of both the “Claude Dassault” First Prize and the Audience Prize. Facing off against nine other finalists, Kutyukhin performed Yeletsky’s aria “Ya vas lublyu” from “Pique Dame,” and “Ebben, cosi si narra! – Quando le soglie paterne” from Donizetti’s “La {…}
Erin Wall has announced that she has beat her battle with cancer. The soprano, who canceled numerous engagements last year due to chemotherapy announced that she was clear of the disease. The soprano was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and said, “I’m singing previously booked concerts as I am able while undergoing chemo. I will be resuming opera performances in {…}
Polish bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny was granted the honorary title of Kammersänger, or “chamber singer,” on stage following his Jan. 16 performance as The Wanderer in Wagner’s “Siegfried.” The performance also featured KS Stephen Gould as Siegfried, Iréne Theorin as Brünnhilde, Jochen Schmeckenbecher as Alberich, KS Herwig Pecoraro as Mime, Monika Bohinec as Erda, and Sorin Coliban as Fafner. The ensemble {…}
Rosa Ponselle, born on Jan. 22, 1897, is widely considered one of the greatest American sopranos of all time. The Meriden, Connecticut native was born Rosa Ponzillo and showed natural music gifts from her earliest years. She seemed more inclined toward a career in instrumental music, but eventually shifted toward a career in cabaret. She started off as a silent-movie {…}