Paul Plishka is one of the Met’s historic performers, performing over 1600 times throughout his career. Born on August 28, 1941, the bass studied at Montclair State College and made his opera debut with the Paterson Lyric Opera in 1961. His Met debut would come six years later at the age of 26 when he appeared in “La Gioconda.” He {…}
Richard Tucker is one of America’s great operatic gems. The tenor, born on August 28, 1913, in Brooklyn was actually born Rivn Ticker, though his parents adopted “Tucker” as their official last name by the time their son was of school age. He was a musical natural from an early age and throughout his teenage years, he was singing in {…}
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born on August 28, 1749, is one of the great German writers in history. Unsurprisingly, his literary prowess has inspired a wide range of operatic works, many of which are staples of the canon. Here is a survey of operas based on the works of Goethe. Faust Goethe’s masterwork is undeniably the source of many operas. {…}
There aren’t all that many famous Dutch opera singers around the world. But Cristina Deutekom was undeniably one of the finest to come from the Netherlands. Born on August 28, 1931, in Amsterdam, she would get her first shot at an opera career in the role of the Queen of the Night at the Netherlands Opera in 1963. But it {…}
Born on August 28 1867 in Foggia, Umberto Giordano would go on to become one of the most renowned Italian composers of the verismo era. He wrote his first opera “Marina” for a competition that would mark the beginning of the Verismo era. For years the composer experimented with differing works, including “Mala Vita” and “Regina Diaz,” though he found {…}
A capsule with part of late baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s ashes was buried in the foundations of what will be a future monument for the iconic singer in Krasnoyarsk. The ceremony, performed on Friday, August 24, 2018, was part of the baritone’s own will. He asked that his ashes be divided into two parts, with the first part to be buried {…}
The New York City Opera has announced its 2018-19 season which will feature two world premieres and the New York Premiere of a major American opera of the 21st century. The company also announced that “The Crucible,” which it had previously announced for 2018-19, will be postponed until 2019-2020. The season kicks off with Piazzolla’s “Maria de Buenos Aires” on {…}
Fort Worth Opera has announced that its FWO-TCU Lesley Artist Program will be expanding its roster from four to eight artists for the 2018-19 season. The artists will get a chance to perform in the company’s productions of “Hansel and Gretel” and “Three Pigs Remix.” The eight singers chosen, after a nationwide audition process, include sopranos Anne Wright and Janani {…}
Its a big week for Colombian audiences. Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” will make its Colombian premiere at the Teatro Mayor and not only is it being performed with some of the biggest European names in the world, it’s also be fully staged in a lavish traditional production. Among the many performers that will align for the premiere is Angela Brower, an American mezzo who {…}
One of the highlights of the Innsbruck Early Music Festival is the “Cesti Competion,” for singers specialising in the baroque repertoire. Now in its ninth year, one of the prizes on offer for the contestants who qualify for the final round is the opportunity to sing in an opera at the following year’s festival. It is presented as “Barockoper: Jung,” {…}
The Kühne Foundation will become the main sponsor of the Salzburg Festival until 2021. The contract was signed on Friday, August 24, 2018, and is set to run through Dec. 31, 2021. It marks the strengthening of the relationship between the two organizations which had already been working together since 2013 when the Kühne Foundation supported the “Young Singers Project.” {…}