Four singers have recently joined the voice faculty at San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). Baritone Matthew Worth has been appointed to SFCM’s voice faculty, and is set to lead a full studio. According to the press release, both SFCM President David H. Stull and Voice Department Chair César Ulloa are thrilled to welcome Worth to the team. “His artistic {…}
Young Concert Artists has announced that Daniel Kellogg will become the organization’s new President, effective July 1, 2019. He will follow in the footsteps of Founder and current Director Susan Wadsworth, who held the position for 58 years. She will stay on as Creative Consultant through the 2020-21 season in order to help prepare for the YCA’s 60th Anniversary. According {…}
Verdi and Piave’s “La Traviata” is easily a “top five opera” on the planet when it comes to performances. It premiered on March 6, 1853 and was based on a play adapted from “La Dame aux Camélias’ by Alexandre Dumas fils. Given that the subject matter was so contemporary, the work turned out to be a major flop at its {…}
Kiri Te Kanawa is arguably the most renowned artist to come out of New Zealand in the opera world. Born on March 6, 1944, the soprano was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron but was adopted as an infant by Thomas Te Kanawa and his wife Nell. In her teens and early 20s, she worked as a pop star and entertainer {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced its 2019-20 season with Yannick Nézet-Séguin celebrating his eighth season as music director. Here is a look at the vocal highlights for the orchestra next season. Nézet-Séguin and the Fabulous Philadelphians launch the 120th season with an Opening Night Concert and Gala featuring legendary opera singer Plácido Domingo. The evening, which marks the start of Nézet-Séguin’s {…}
Leo Nucci has canceled his participation in the upcoming revival of “Luisa Miller” at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. The theater announced that due to personal reasons the legendary baritone would not be able to perform the role. As a result, Michael Chioldi and Juan Jesús Rodríguez will replace the baritone. Chioldi is currently covering “Rigoletto” and “Tosca’ at the Metropolitan {…}
The Olivier Awards have announced their annual nominations. For the purpose of this article, we will only focus on the opera categories. In the category of Best New Opera Production the Royal Opera House received two nominations for its productions of “Kat’ya Kabanova” and “Lessons of Love and Violence.” Also nominated in the category was “The Turn of the Screw” {…}
Opera Naples is set to present Bizet’s “Carmen” next month. The premier company in Naples will feature an international cast that will include rising star French mezzo-soprano Gaëlle Arquez in the title role and Rafael Davila as Don José. Soprano Heather Phillips will sing Micaëla while Baritone Anatoli Sivko will portray the bullfighter Escamillo. The Naples Philharmonic will perform alongside Maestro Ramón {…}
Opera is quivering, twisting, and turning. Could it be that we are in an opera renaissance? There is a new blood pulsing through its veins. Opera and theater makers are pulling at its heart, resuscitating our interest and taking us to diverse locations with as yet unclassifiable languages and forms. The Xen of Opera looks at the protagonists and projects {…}
The Chelsea Opera Group is preparing to mount a rare performance of Boito’s “Mefistofele” at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre on Sunday, March 24. The concert performance will be lead by Matthew Scott Rogers and will feature Vazgen Gazaryan as the devil himself. Pablo Bemsch will take on the role of Faust while Elizabeth Llewellyn will interpret the {…}
The Longborough Festival Opera has announced its 2019 slate. Everything kicks off with “Das Rheingold,” which will kick off the company’s four-year plan to mount the Ring. The production will feature Mark Stone, Darren Jeffery, Mark Le Brocq, Madeleine Shaw, and Simon Wilding among others. Amy Lane directors and Anthony Negus conducts. Performance Dates: June 5-11, 2019 Wagner’s epic will {…}