On July 20, the Puccini Opera Festival is set to open “La Bohème” in a production by Alfonso Signorini. The production will see Hui He star in the lead role, making her highly anticipated role debut as Mimì. The role comes after Hui He made her first appearance in the demanding title role of ‘Turandot.” In a press statement, she {…}
On July 6, the Teatro Real is set to present Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” on Facebook Live. The cast will star Francesco Meli in the title role, Maria Agresta, Ekaterina Semenchuk in her signature role of Azucena, and star baritone Ludovic Tézier. Roberto Tagliavini rounds out the cast as Ferrando in Francisco Negrin’s new production. Maurizio Benini conducts the Verdi work. The {…}
Virtually Opera is set to present “The Perfect Opera” at the 2019 upcoming Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival. The work is written by Peter Davis and Leo Doulton and will be presented on August 3 and 10 at the Edinburgh Fringe at Paradise in the Vaults. The work will be a sketch comedy opera featuring Macbeth and a pantomime {…}
The Salzburg Festival has announced that Jens Harzer will take on the role of the narrator in “Il Canto Sospeso” by Luigi Nono. The role was originally assigned to Bruno Ganz, but the legendary actor passed away in February of 2019. The performance of “Il Canto Sospeso” will be dedicated to Ganz. Harzer has been around the Salzburg Festival since {…}
Mercury Opera is set to showcase Bizet’s “Carmen” in five different locations across Alberta, Canada this August. The opera will star Puerto Rican mezzo Laura Virella with Boris Derow and Jeffrey Strand alternating as Don José and El Dancairo. Jorge Luis Trabanco will be Escamillo. Other cast members include Elise Noyes, Dacia Gramlick, Sandra Flores Strand, Martin Galba, Alia Amad, {…}
(Credit: SF/Anne Zeuner) The Salzburg Festival has revealed the participants of the Young Singers Project 2019. In sum, there will be 13 participants from 11 different countries, including Canada, Spain, the UK, France, Russia, Poland, the U.S., Ukraine, Ireland, Mexico, and New Zealand; this is the first time that the program features young singers from Mexico and New Zealand. The {…}
“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 “Fatal Attraction.” What {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) American Symphony Orchestra has announced its expanded 2019-20 season, which includes concerts at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Symphony Space. For the purposes of this article, we will focus only on vocal performances. The season will kick off with Edward Elgar’s oratorio “The Kingdom” at Carnegie Hall, which will feature soprano Janai Brugger, mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani, tenor {…}
The Glimmerglass Festival has announced its 2020 festival featuring four mainstage works and two brand new ones. The Festival will also welcome Isabel Leonard and William Burden as Artists in Residence for the 2020 season. The 2020 Festival opens with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” in a new production directed by Francesca Zambello with associate director and choreographer Eric {…}
The Rossini Opera Festival announced the three operas for the 2020 Festival during the press conference presenting this year’s festival. The 2020 season will showcase three productions, including “Moïse et Pharaon” directed by Pier Luigi Pizzi and conducted by Daniele Rustioni. The second opera that will be showcased will be “Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra” directed by David Livermore. Evelino Pidò will {…}
San Diego Opera has been awarded three California Arts Council Grants, totaling $50,400. The first grant of $18,000 will support the Words and Music program, the second grant of $16,200 will support WAM at the La Maestra Center for Youth Advancement, and the third grant of $16,200 will support the Student Night at the Opera program. The Words and Music {…}