It has been a difficult week for the Houston community and the Houston Grand Opera as it was pummeled by Hurricane Harvey. On Tuesday the Houston Grand Opera released a statement about the damages noting that all the costumes from its upcoming productions were safe but that some of the theater was still flooded. After the release, numerous opera companies {…}
As part of the celebration of its 95th season, San Francisco Opera is showcasing “Opera in the Park,” presented by the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, Sept 10 at 1: 30 p.m. PT. The concert will be free to all and will showcase a number of major artists performing arias from upcoming shows of the 2017-18 season. Among the artists {…}
Superstar bass Ferruccio Furlanetto is set to showcase his talents in Sydney, Australia in a rare concert performance this fall. The bass will appear at the City Recital Hall on Sept. 27 and 29 alongside pianist Igor Tchetuev. The first of these concerts will feature Furlanetto in Schubert’s “Winterreise,” while the latter performance will see the famed Verdi interpreter perform {…}
Regina Resnik is often cited as one of the great American mezzos of the 20th century. Born on August 30, she managed an international career that spanned a whopping five decades and became a house favorite with such companies as La Scala, the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera, the Vienna State Opera, and of course, the Metropolitan Opera, where she {…}
We saw Jonas Kaufmann sing for a sick Piotr Beczala while the latter mimed onstage. We saw a stage director sub in for a sick tenor even more recently. But we’d never seen an assistant director don a wig and play Brünhilde while another singer took on the vocal challenges. Until now. As the famed “Götterdämmerung” at the Bayreuth Festival {…}
The Metropolitan Opera Guild is doing its best to set up the next generation of opera administrators by creating DaCapo (Developing Artistic and Creative Administrative Professionals) Arts Administration Program. The program is set to be a two-day intensive on Oct. 14 and 15 that will teach students about a wide array of topics including Advanced Planning & Production, Crisis Management, {…}
Javier Camarena has pulled out of two Vienna State Opera productions. According to reports the Mexican tenor pulled out of his January performances of Tonio in Donizetti’s “La Fille du régiment” because he’s saving his voice to record a new album. He has also pulled out of “Don Pasquale” in May. John Tessier will now sing the role of Tonio in {…}
Renowned soprano Irene Salemka McGillivray has passed away at 86. The Canadian soprano died earlier on Sunday, August 27, 2017, in her home in Collingwood, Ontario. According to baritone Peter McGillivray, his aunt had been battling illness and dementia for many years. Born in small-town Manitoba, Salemka spent her formative years in Weyburn, Saskatchewan and Regina before becoming an international opera {…}
On September 23, 2017, On Site Opera will present the World Premiere of John Musto’s “Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt” at the American Museum of Natural History. Known for staging performances in unusual venues that serve to bring out the best of both the opera and environment, On Site Opera hopes to bring life and sound to the Hall of {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera will open the 2017-18 season with Leah Crocetto in the title role of “Tosca.” The opera opens on Oct. 7 and marks Crocetto’s role debut as well her return to the company for the first time since 2014. Crocetto will be joined a cast of all-stars including company favorite Mark Delavan in the role of Scarpia and tenor Thiago Arancam, who {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has issued a statement about Hurricane Harvey after its website went down due to flooding. The statement by Houston Grand Opera Managing Director Perryn Leech and Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers states: “Our great city and region are continuing to suffer from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and we know that we are facing a {…}
