Famed actress Monica Bellucci is set to bring Maria Callas to life this November at the Studio Marigny in Paris. The event, which is slated for Nov. 27, 2019, will feature the movie star reading excerpts of Tom Volf’s “Lettres et Mémoire” by the superstar soprano. Volf, of course, is the famed director of “Maria by Callas” who has dedicated {…}
Ruth Iniesta has been awarded the “El Ojo Crítico” award for 2019. The jury awarded the soprano the accolade for her voice, technique and versatility in opera. The jury was made up of Joan Matabosch, Artistic director of the Teatro Real; composer Fernando Velázquez; composer Raquel García-Tomás; Félix Palomero, technical director of the la Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España; Ricardo {…}
The Teatro Digital will showcase Joyce DiDonato’s “In War and Peace: Harmony Through Music” tour from the Teatro Mayor in Bogotá, Colombia. The recording comes from the concert that DiDonato held on Oct. 18, 2019 in Bogota alongside Il Pomo d’Oro and Maxim Emelyanychev. The concert included music by Händel, Leo, De Cavalieri, Purcell, Gesualdo and Pärt as part of {…}
It is a big week for CDs and DVD releases in the opera world. As companies get ready for the holiday season, numerous artists have new releases that are must buys. Here are our recommendations. Myrthen With “Myrthen,” baritone Christian Gerhaher embarks on the second chapter of his once-in-a-lifetime project: the complete recording of Robert Schumann’s lieder output. Lauded as {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that it will be hosting a celebration in honor of legendary soprano Jessye Norman on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019. Norman passed away on Sept. 30, 2019. The event, which will be open to the public, will feature perforamcnes from leading artists as including J’Nai Bridges, Lise Davidsen, Leah Hawkins, Latonia Moore, and Eric Owens. There {…}
The Cathedral St. John the Divine is set to showcase the U.S. premiere of “Alan Seeger: Instrument of Destiny” on Nov. 20, 2019 in New York City. The oratorio, composed by Patrick Zimmerli, will feature Kent Tritle conducting alongside tenor Alex Richardson and pianist Thomas Enhco. Finally, percussionist David Rozeblatt will round out the soloists on the concert. Alan Seeger {…}
Lincoln Center has announced its new American Songbook taking place from Jan. 22 to Feb. 29, 2020. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe will take the stage in the “Blythely ever after” musical voyage of her testosterone-filled alter ego, tenor Blythely Oratonio. The performance consists of several opera, rock and pop arias. Blythe has been a regular guest on major opera stages, including {…}
The Lyric Opera of Chicago, which marks its 90th anniversary this week, is set to undertake a number of major renovations and improvements to existing opera house. Over the summer of 2020, the Ardis Krainik Theatre is set to undergo structural changes that will result in replacements of all the theater’s chairs, improved sightlines on the main floor, and “greatly {…}
The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has announced its 2020 festival taking place from July 11 to August 30 2020. The for this article we will concentrate on the vocal performances. The vocal sextet The King’s Singers will take the stage to perform several works from Johann Sebastian Bach, William Byrd, and Harry Dixon Loes, among others. Performance Dates: July 12, 2020 Baritone {…}
The New York City Master Chorale is set to showcase its first concert of the 2019-20 season on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 at St. Peter’s Chelsea. The concert, entitled “A Procession Winding Around Me,” will feature works for chorale and guitar based on poetry by Walt Whitman and Federico Garcia Lorca. These works include “Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s “Romancero Gitano” and Jeffrey {…}
New Opera West is set to showcase five new mini-operas by five different composers and librettists on Nov. 16 and 17 at the Mimoda Studio in Los Angeles, California. The works include “Steve” by Rachel J. Peters. The work will feature soprano Maria Elena Altany and tenor Jon Lee Keenan as well as pianist Younghwa Ha. This opera centers on {…}