Austin’s four premiere nonprofit performing arts organizations Austin Opera, Ballet Austin, The Paramount Theatre, and ZACH Theatre have partnered to create the ATX Arts Pass. The 2018–19 ATX Arts Pass gives a taste of Austin’s performing arts organizations at one low price with four hand-picked performances: “Shinyribs (The Paramount Theatre),” “The Nutcracker (Ballet Austin),” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch (ZACH Theatre),” {…}
It’s Pride month, so to celebrate we return to the series we began last year. This time we celebrate some of the great singers of today who have been advocates to the LGBT community or who simply enjoy a life being out and proud. David Daniels David Daniels has been one of the biggest proponents of the baroque repertoire and {…}
New Zealand Opera has appointed Thomas de Mallet Burgess as its General Director. Burgess joins the company after five years with Perth-based company Lost & Found, whose mission is to present unusual operas in found spaces that speak to the resonance of the work. Throughout the years he has established an international reputation for directing award-winning opera and leading ground-breaking {…}
The word “Bohemian” – much like the popular terms “retro,” “Goth,” or “vintage” – is yet another label that has offered countless inferences over a plethora of different times. The “Bohème” clique of Puccini, undercut by the whimsy and exuberance of Italian verismo, would contrast with a play rendition of its source, Henri Murger’s “Scènes de la Vie de Bohème.” {…}
Over the past years, Javier Camarena has become one of the most in-demand tenors in the world. His charisma, blazing high notes, and expressive qualities have allowed him to create history. For example, he is just the second singer in Metropolitan Opera history to sing encores in multiple productions. He is also the second singer in the history of the Teatro Real to {…}
Iréne Theorin, born on June 18, 1963, is one of Sweden’s most renowned artists, known for her interpretations of the dramatic repertoire. She studied at the Academy of Music and Drama of the University of Gothenburg, which led to a contract with The Göteborg Opera. Then she studied in Copenhagen, where she made her professional debut. From there, her career {…}
Eva Marton, born on June 18, 1943, is arguably the most famous Hungarian soprano of the last few decades. She studied at the Franz Liszt Academy and made her professional debut at Hungary’s Margaret Island Summer Festival. Then at the Hungarian State Opera, she appeared for the first time in “The Golden Cockerel” in 1968. From there she made her {…}
This Tuesday, June 26, 2018, the Vienna State Opera streams a live performance of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” The showcase is part of the company’s season-long service straight from its website. Per the official website, the Wagner work will feature Jongmin Park, Christopher Ventris, Annette Dasch, Jukka Rasilainen, Elena Zhidkova, and Adrian Eröd. Sebastian Weigle leads the massive score in a production {…}
Igor Stravinsky is one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, born on June 17, 1882. Stravinsky grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia and was taken with music from an early age. He studied piano and music theory as a child, though he received a great deal of discouragement from the likes of famed composer Alexander Glazunov. He was {…}
Charles Gounod is one of the great composers of French opera. Born on June 17, 1818, in Paris, he learned the piano with his mother, a pianist, from a young age. He then entered the Paris Conservatoire and won a prize for his cantata “Fernand” in 1839. Despite attempts of becoming a priest, he resumed composition, his first opera “Sapho” premiering {…}
Mezzo-soprano Mignon Dunn enjoyed a celebrated vocal career that she has now transformed into a legendary one as a teacher. Born on June 17, 1928, in Tennessee, she studied under Karen Branzell and Beverley Peck Johnson. On Sept. 8, 1955, she made her official debut with the Experimental Opera Theatre of America / New Orleans Opera Association. The opera in {…}