Every singer’s path is laden with expectations. Often, these are not established by the artist themselves, but by the world around them. Karen Slack knows all about having to manage those expectations. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2005 and was singing the major Verdi roles at the start of her career. But the soprano in a recent interview {…}
When the the Gran Teatre del Liceu announced that legendary octogenarian Italian regista Pier Luigi Pizzi would be directing a new production of “La Gioconda” with Iréne Theorin making her title role debut, it was on paper at least, a must-see event. Unfortunately the parchment tended to perforate even before the prima when the celebrated Swedish diva canceled and second-cast {…}
Of Rossini’s many comedies, “L’Italiana in Algeri” is among his most renowned. The work, which had its world premiere on May 22, 1813, was written by Angelo Anelli and was composed in less than a month. It has remained a fixture in the repertory since its world premiere, noted as a major vehicle for mezzo-sopranos such as Marilyn Horne, Teresa {…}
The Princeton Festival has received a $13,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for its upcoming production of “Nixon in China.” “Nixon in China” will be performed on June 23 and 30 at the Matthews Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton. Sean Anderson will take on the title role while Rainelle Krause will be Pat Nixon. Cameron Schutza {…}
Royal Swedish Opera had a highly successful year in 2018, investing major resources to become an “Opera for All,” according to CEO and Artistic Director Birgitta Svendén. “What we do at the Royal Swedish Opera is important for growth, for creative development, for culture workers, and for free expression.” It was revealed at the company’s Annual General Meeting that “breadth {…}
The Grange Festival International Singing Competition is set to return in Autumn 2019 for its second edition. The second edition is set to be open to singers of any nationality up to 32-years-old and the repertoire for the 2019 Competition must be from music composed before 1830. Contestants will performance alongside The Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Peter Robinson. {…}
The Garsington Opera will be working together with The Lord Mayor’s Appeal on a work inspired by Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” that will include 250 students between the ages of 11-18. Per a press release, the students will use their own words, compose songs, and even sing repertory from the famed opera. They will also design the set and costumes for {…}
The Portland Opera is set to host a special community recital featuring mezzo-soprano Camille Sherman in her first year as a resident artist with the company. Sherman is set to give a recital accompanied by Portland Opera’s Chorus Master & Assistant Conductor Nicholas Fox. Sherman made her Portland Opera debut this fall as Flora in Verdi’s “La Traviata” and will sing {…}
Les Théâtres De la Ville De Luxembourg has announced 2019-20 season, featuring eight productions. The season opens with Weber’s “Der Freishutz” with Laurence Equilbey conducting a production by Clément Debailleul & Raphaël Navarro. Tuomas Katajala sings the role of Max alongside Johanni van Oostrum, Chiara Skerath, Vladimir Baykov, and Christian Immler. Performance Dates: Oct. 6-8, 2019 Gustavo Gimeno conducts Michael Thalheimer’s production of Verdi’s “Macbeth” {…}
The Semperoper Dresden has announced two cast changes for the May 22 performance of ‘Don Giovanni.” First, the company announced that Iulia Maria Dan will sing Donna Elvira in the performance replacing Hrachuhí Bassénz, who is ill. The company also announced that Evan Hughes will sing Leporello in the performance replacing Markus Marquardt, who is also ill. Hughes recently performed George {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has withdrawn from two more performances of “Tosca” at the Opéra de Paris. The Paris Opera revealed that due to medical reasons, the tenor will not sing the May 25 and 29 performances. The company stated, “Jonas Kaufmann has not yet been given the clearance from his medical team to resume his professional activities. Unfortunately, he must, therefore, {…}