This spring, Handa Opera will present U.S. based director Francesca Zambello’s new production of ‘West Side Story,’ the very first musical to take place outside on Sydney Harbor. The production, according to the press release, will bring “a gritty, urban New York landscape to a floating stage on the picturesque shores of Sydney Harbor, complete with graffiti-covered streetcars, a subway {…}
Amore Opera will continue its 2018-19 season with a rare Meyerbeer opera and a classic Mozart opera at the Riverside Theatre in Riverside Church on Claremont Ave in New York, NY. The company will present four performances, directed by Nathan Hull, of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s long-forgotten comedy “Dinorah,” with the original French libretto. The opera was last fully-staged at the Metropolitan Opera {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper is set to broadcast Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” on Orf 2. The production by Laurent Pelly, which premiered last week, is set to star Olga Peretyatko and Juan Diego Flórez in the leading roles. George Petean and Jongmin Park also star as Enrico and Raimondo. Evelino Pidò conducts the production, which features a critical edition and a new cadenza {…}
The Festival Napa Valley has revealed its 2019 slate. For the purposes of this article, we will highlight the vocal showcases. Things get started with a concert that features Francesco Demuro and Nino Machaidze, both performing operatic favorites with the Festival’s Blackburn Music Academy Orchestra. Performance Dates: July 12, 2019 Audiences will get a chance to witness a performance of {…}
Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato is a true American superstar. Born on Feb. 13, 1969 in Prairie Village, Kansas, the mezzo initially headed to Wichita State University to study vocal education. However, she became more interested in singing and performing and upon graduating in 1992, she headed the Academy of Vocal Arts which she followed up with enrollment in the Santa Fe {…}
The Utopia Opera has announced its cast for its upcoming performances of Benjamin Britten and Eric Crozier’s “Albert Herring.” Cory Gross will take on the title role with Marie Masters Webb as Lady Billows. Caroline Tye will interpret Florence Pike, while Rebecca Richardson will be Miss Wordsworth. Glenn Friedman will appear as Mr. Gedge with Ethan Fran as Mr. Upfold. {…}
The New Amsterdam Opera has announced that it will host a surprise salon event to preview its upcoming concert performance of Massenet’s “Hériodade.” The event is set for March 30, 2019 at a surprise Manhattan location and will be guest hosted by Ken Benson. The showcase will feature performances from the opera’s cover artists, which include Rachelle Pike, Sara Pearson, {…}
The Kurt Weill Foundation has announced the 28 semifinalists for the 2019 Lotte Lenya Competition. Among the semifinalists were a whopping 24 Americans, one Canadian, two Germans, and one Russian. Nine of the semifinalists were over the age of 30 and 19 were under 30; of those 19, six were under the age of 25. The semifinalists are Lily Arbisser {…}
On February 10, 2019, celebrated tenor Andrea Bocelli returned to the Metropolitan Opera for the first performance of his concert, titled “Three Centuries of Love.” This encompassing program featured selections from composers such as Massenet, Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Delibes, Gounod, and Puccini; joining Bocelli were sopranos Nadine Sierra and Aida Garifullina, along with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. This sold-out concert had {…}
It takes years for an artist to reach his or her “peak.” Years of constant work, precision, and experience are some of the keys to finding yourself fulfilling the dreams that you initially set out to conquer. And in some cases, that might not be enough. Soprano Ermonela Jaho has been performing around the opera world for over 25 years {…}
The 2018–2019 Renée Fleming VOICES series will continue with a recital by Jamie Barton. Accompanied by pianist Kathleen Kelly, the recital will include music by Haydn, Strauss, and Ravel, as well as works by female composers Nadia and Lili Boulanger and Americans Elinor Remick Warren and Amy Beach. Barton will also perform “Love After 1950,” a contemporary song cycle by Libby {…}