Kathryn Bowden will make her Metropolitan Opera debut in the role of Queen of the Night on Thursday Oct. 5. The soprano will replace Kathryn Lewek in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Die Zauberflote.” Bowden made her 2015 San Francisco Opera debut as the Queen of the Night and made her entry onto the Metropolitan Opera roster as a cover for the {…}
Pretty Yende has pulled out of “Fra Diavolo” at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. The soprano announced on social media that due to “artistic reasons” she was forced to pull out of the anticipated production which is set to star John Osborn and Sonia Ganassi. The soprano apologized to her fans and wished best of luck to the cast and {…}
A number of major opera stars are slated to make appearances at the newly-formed Campus Grafenegg, which launches in 2018. The new initiative from the famed Grafenegg Festival will be led by Leon Botstein and is slated to help nurture young musical talent. Per a press release, “the mission of this new initiative is to foster an in-depth education program {…}
For years, tenor Russell Thomas has developed into one of the rising stars of the opera world, his incredible lyricism and potent dramatic voice making him a fixture for some of the greatest operas. He has dominated in Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini alike at the greatest opera houses around the world including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Deutsche Oper {…}
Francisco Araiza, born on Oct. 4, 1950, is one of the greatest Mexican tenors of all time. He pioneered a path for many singers from Latin America, including such stars as Ramón Vargas and Javier Camarena. He had a tremendously diverse repertoire, stretching from Mozart and Rossini, all the way to Wagner, from whom he took on lead roles in {…}
French tenor Andre Mallabrera has died recently, according to a report from ForumOpera. Born in Oran, France, in the year 1934, Mallabrera studied under his father, tenor Jose Mallabrera, before going on to study at the Algiers Conservatory. He made his professional debut in December of 1958, in the role of Count Almaviva in ‘The Barber of Seville’ with famed {…}
WholeTone Opera will present “The Werewolf,” a “fiercely queer opera” later this month. Per a press release, the plot of the opera centers on “a cursed loup-garou terrorizing a quiet village full of secrets while seducing young brides.” The opera is an adaptation of Louise Bertin’s melodrama “Le Loup-garou” with an emphasis on representing the LGBTQIA community. “Lycanthropy is such {…}
Opera Santa Barbara kicks off its 2017-18 season with Massenet’s “Manon” on Nov. 3, 2017, with an additional showcase two days later on Nov. 5. Acclaimed soprano Sarah Coburn will star in the title role while tenor Harold Meers will appear as her lover Des Grieux. The cast will also include baritone Alex DeSocio as Lescaut, bass-baritone Colin Ramsey as {…}
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden has announced US and Canadian dates for its cinema transmissions of the 2017-18 season. Things kick off on Oct. 17, 2017, with a production of “The Magic Flute.” Janai Brugger, Tuomas Katajala, Florian Sempey, In Sung Sim, and Christina Poulitsi. Next up is a Nov. 1, 2017, transmission of Puccini’s “La Bohème” with Michael {…}
Romanian-born British soprano Simona Mihai has cancelled the Oct. 3 performance of Musetta in “La bohème” due to illness. As a result, the role will be sung by Lebanese-Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury, who is scheduled to perform the role on Oct. 6, 7 and 10. However, Mihai will sing the role of Mimì on Oct. 6 and 10. She is {…}
The Fresh Squeezed Opera has announced its first production of the 2017-18 season. The company will present its annual “Showcase” of new chamber-vocal music at the Cell Theatre, featuring Paola Prestini’s Body Maps, on Thursday Nov. 2, 2017, 8:00pm. Selected from a call for scores yielding over 200 submissions, the “Showcase” will be an evening presentation of new vocal works {…}