As the title might indicate, we are doing things a bit differently this week with the social media showcase. Here is a rundown of what some of the world’s greatest sopranos are up to! To kick things off we take a look at Angela Meade, who paid hommage to the legendary Maria Callas with a new photograph. In honor of {…}
Andrea Bocelli, born on Sept. 22, 1958, is one of the most famous tenors in the world, his fan base rivaling and quite possibly surpassing that of some of opera’s greatest artists. To put it succinctly, he has known how to balance the fine line between classical and popular music. Because of Bocelli’s blindness, a challenge that he has had {…}
More opera companies open their doors this weekend starting with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The LOC’s first performance of the year on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, will be Gluck’s “Orpheus and Eurydice.” The opera stars Andriana Chuchmann, Dmitry Korchak, Lauren Snouffer, and Harry Bicket conducting. Meanwhile, Opera Philadelphia continues its festival with performances of “The Magic Flute” on Friday {…}
The American Symphony Orchestra will open its 57th season of its Vanguard series at Carnegie Hall with a program titled “The Sounds of Democracy.” The concert will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017, at 8 p.m. beginning a four-concert series comprising of three at Carnegie Hall and one at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. The series about American Democracy was shaped {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera will present Mozart’s beloved masterpiece “The Marriage of Figaro,” at the Benedum Center this upcoming November. The production will include a quartet of talented American singers making their Pittsburgh Opera debuts. The debutantes will include bass-baritone Tyler Simpson, a mainstay at the Metropolitan Opera, as Figaro, star soprano Joélle Harvey as Susannam, baritone Christian Bowers, who recently sang in Bordeaux and {…}
Alessandro Corbelli is one of the great baritones of the modern era, his refined bass style ideal for many of the comic roles that he has been so well-known for. Born on Sept. 21, 1952, the bass has become one of the great “Don Pasquale,” Dulcamara, and “Gianni Schicchi” interpreters of recent times. But what makes his an incredible artist {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Francis Ford Coppola’s {…}
Mussorgsky’s epic masterpiece, “Khovanshchina,” like its predecessor “Boris Godunov,” is an exploration into a significant period of Russian history. However, whereas “Boris Godunov” focuses primarily on the individual tragedy of Boris, of a Tsar destroyed from within by his own personal demons, “Khovanshchina” is conceived on a far grander scale, one in which Mussorgsky seeks to lay bare the momentous {…}
“Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” or “The Tales of Hoffmann,” has always been a Metropolitan Opera favorite, receiving performances in every single decade since it 1913 debut at the big house. The opera returns this season, opening on Sept. 26 for nine performances featuring star tenor Vittorio Grigolo in the lead role and one which he has performed previously at the house {…}
German soprano Anett Fritsch has withdrawn from singing the role of Micaëla in The Royal Opera’s “Carmen” due to pregnancy. As a result the role will be sung on Feb. 6, 10, 14, 20, 23 and March 3 and 6 by Russian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan, who will make her Royal Opera debut in the role. She recently sung the role {…}
Performances of Washington National Opera’s (WNO) production of Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘Aida’ are well underway. While the production finishes its run on September 23rd, there remains great interest, and for good reason. With set and costume designs drawing inspiration from Los Angeles-based artist RETNA, audiences will no doubt find much novelty in this classic work set within the ancient world of {…}