Jonas Kaufmann has canceled performances of Puccini’s ‘”Tosca.” The Opera de Paris announced that Kaufmann had to “withdraw from the first three performances of ‘Tosca’ due to a violent coughing attack which makes it necessary for him to temporarily refrain from singing. The irritation was found very quickly and therefore the convalescence is expected to be very rapid. He looks {…}
Anett Fritsch has canceled another performance of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The Opéra de Paris announced that due to health reasons, the soprano was forced to cancel the performance on May 11. As a result, the role of Micaëla will be performed by Maria Agresta. This is the second performance Fritsch cancels. She previously withdrew from the May 8th performance and was {…}
The production of sound in opera has always been acoustic in nature, with the exception of a handful of contemporary operas which have specific instructions from the composer, Natural sounds produced by voices and instruments are untouched and vocal technique accounts for the ability to project in a concert hall. In modern times, new technology has introduced the possibility of {…}
In 2018-19, the Metropolitan Opera arguably saved the best for last. After opening the season with seeming inconsistency in terms of overall quality, the company seemed to get into the rhythm of things, producing a solid second half to the season that seemingly got better as we approached the end. And the company arguably reached the creative apex of its {…}
Plácido Domingo, General Director of LA Opera, has chosen six singers to join LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program for the 2019-20 season. The six artists chosen for the program are tenor Anthony Ciaramitaro, soprano Sylvia D’Eramo, mezzo-soprano Gabriela Flores, soprano Alaysha Fox, tenor Robert Stahley, and soprano Tiffany Townsend. “For many years, I have been passionate about discovering and {…}
Wigmore has announced the selected singers and pianists for the 2019 Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera International Song Competition. The competitors are set to represent a number of nations including the U.K., New Zealand, the U.S, France, Spain, Romania, Austria, Korea, and Germany among others. Of the announced competitors only four singers were not announced with a pianist. The Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera {…}
The Bolshoi Theatre has announced its 2019-20 season celebrating its 244th anniversary. For this article, we will only concentrate on the opera being presented in new productions and in concert. New Productions Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” will be conducted by Tugan Sokhiev in a new production by Alexei Frandetti. Premiere Date: Sept. 26, 2019 Vasily Pashkevich’s chamber opera “The {…}
K. James McDowell, President and Artistic Director of the Academy fo Vocal Arts, has announced that Scott Guzielek has been appointed the Vice President and General Manager of the institution, effective July 1, 2019. The newly created role will have Guzielek responsible for the overall administrative management of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) and will collaborate with President and Artistic {…}
Joseph Calleja has canceled performances of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at the Wiener Staatsoper. The tenor announced via social media that due to illness he would not be able to perform. He said, “Absolutely gutted to have to cancel my performances of the duke in my beloved Vienna. I expect to make a full recovery and resume with my performance in London {…}
The Connecticut Lyric Opera is set to present Verdi’s ”Don Carlo.” The company will present the epic work in a production by Jan Mason and will star Daniel Juarez in the title role. He will be joined by Jurate Svedaite as Elisabetta de Valois, Galina Ivannikova as Eboli, Andrew Costello as Posa, and Steve Frederiks as King Philip. The role of the Grand Inquisitor {…}
“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 “Tolkien.” Tolkien’s “Lord {…}