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 {…}
The name Richard Tucker most likely makes one think of the prestigious music foundation which fosters the new and upcoming talent, culminating with its elaborate end-of-year gala honoring the newest recipients of awards and grants. However, Richard Tucker was also a virtuoso tenor whose Metropolitan Opera career spanned three decades, both on the Met stage and on-tour. Born on this {…}
Anna Netrebko has recently confirmed a plethora of major productions she will be taking on over the next few years. In an interview with the magazine Classica, the Russian diva announced that she will take on the role of Lisa in “The Queen of Spades” in Salzburg in either 2018 or 2019 with Mariss Jansons at the podium. She also {…}
As Texas grapples with its fourth day of Hurricane Harvey, Houston Grand Opera has reported via twitter that the basement of the building is completely flooded, causing power outages and taking down their website until further notice. Harvey first landed in Texas on Friday, after quickly escalating into a category 4 hurricane, and forcing Houston Grand Opera to cancel their {…}
On August 26, 2017, the Tanglewood Music Festival continued with an opera gala featuring Kristine Opolais and Bryn Terfel. Andris Nelsons conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a performance that featured the second act of Puccini’s “Tosca” and a number of arias from “Porgy and Bess” and other opera classics. The results were delightful and they showcased two artists at {…}
The Metropolitan Opera and New York Film Festival are teaming up to showcase a new documentary about the company’s history at the middle of the 20th century. Directed by Susan Froemke, “The Opera House,” per a press release, “surveys a remarkable period of the company’s rich history and a time of great change for New York.” It draws on rarely {…}
Raquel Gonzalez will replace Joyce El-Khoury at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City announced that Gonzalez will make her house debut in the role of Tatiana filling in for El-Khoury who was originally scheduled. The switch was due to the fact that El-Khoury will replace Nadine Sierra in some of the performances at the {…}
Marcelo Alvarez has canceled Opening Night at the Vienna State Opera. The Vienna State Opera announced that Alvarez had to cancel the Sept. 4 performance of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” which is slated to open the 2017-18 season. As a result, Yusif Eyvazov will sing the title role. He will join his wife Anna Netrebko, Luciana D’Intino and George Petean in Daniele Abbado’s production which {…}