“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 takes a look at {…}
The Winner of the Song Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition 2019 will be announced on Thursday, June 20, 2019. The five contestants are tenor Mingjie Lei, soprano Sooyeon Lee, baritone Andrei Kymach, mezzo-soprano Angharad Lyddon and tenor Roman Arndt. Lee’s set will include Mahler’s “Ich atmet einen linden Duft” and “Hans und Grete; Schubert’s “Du {…}
It was March of 2018 and New York City Opera General Manager Michael Capasso wanted to make a big statement with his 2019 season. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots would take place in 2019 and it was the perfect opportunity for New York City Opera, which has championed operas about the LGBTQ+ community over the last few years, {…}
Opera Atelier has announced that Founding Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski C.M. and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg C.M. will stage and choreograph Grétry’s opera “Richard Coeur-de-lion.” The production will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Royal Opera House at Versailles at Château de Versailles. The event marks an immense recognition for Pynkoski and Lajeunesse Zingg who were selected as the only non-French artists {…}
The Dallas Opera has announced that American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe has won its 2019 Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year Award. The Maria Callas Award, established during the 1991-92 season, is “given to a single performer each season in recognition of a particularly memorable and outstanding company debut” – in this case, Blythe’s “saucy, scene-stealing portrayal of Mistress Quickly in {…}
Pittsburgh Opera has announced that Sharon Enos Sclabassi, Ph.D., and Saad Aslam have joined as Board of Directors. In a press statement Pittsburgh Opera Board Chair Michele Fabrizi. said, “We are thrilled to welcome Sharon and Saad. These two wonderful additions to our Board have impeccable credentials and continue to demonstrate a strong commitment to the community. We are fortunate {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced its 2019-20 season featuring numerous new productions and two special concerts. Daniele Gatti conducts a new production of Verdi’s “Les Vêpres Siciliennes” by Valentina Carrasco. The production stars Roberto Frontali, John Osborn, Michele Pertusi, and Roberta Mantegna. Performance Dates: Dec. 10-22, 2019 Lyudmila Monastyrska and Monica Zanettin share the title role in Puccini’s “Tosca” with Giorgio Berrugi {…}
Soprano Sooyeon Lee and Argentine mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Barrientos are the final two finalists of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2019. Lee was selected as the winner of the fourth round while Barrientos was picked as the wildcard contestant. Both will appear in the grand finale alongside baritone Andrei Kymach, tenor Mingjie Lei, and bass Patrick Guetti. Lee, who {…}
(Credit: Michael Pohn/Wiener Staatsoper) Polish tenor Piotr Beczała, currently starring as Cavaradossi in Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Wiener Staatsoper, will receive the title of Kammersänger. According to Salzburger Nachrichten, the ceremony will take place on Jun. 23, 2019 following the final performance of “Tosca,” which will be broadcast live on Herbert von Karajan-Platz as part of “Oper live am Platz.” {…}
El Teatro Villamarta de Jerez has announced its 2019-20 season. The season opens with a Jazz “Le Nozze di Figaro,” in a production by Paco Mir with an adaptation by Jaume Vilaseca. Axier Sánchez, Montserrat Seró, José Julián Frontal, Lola Casariego, Mar Esteve, Xavi Fernández, and Francisco J. Sánchez star. Performance Dates: Oct. 5 , 2019 Carmen Jiménez, María Ogueta, José Angel Florido, and David Lagares {…}
The Auditorio de Zaragoza has announced its 2019-20 season. For this article, we will only focus on vocal performances. Piotr Beczala and Sarah Tyman showcase a recital featuring music by Leoncavallo, Dvorak, Curtis, Massenet, Rimsky-Korsakov, Bizet, and Verdi, among others. Performance Date: Oct. 29, 2019 Luis Antonio González conducts Duron’s “Coronis,” starring Olalla Alemán, Eugenia Boix, Estefanía Perdomo, Marta Infante, Aurora Peña, Diego Blázquez, {…}