The Wexford Opera has announced its ShortWorks Daytime Opera slate for 2017. The festival offers a unique way to experience opera from the Clayton Whites Hotel. The daytime productions showcase shortened versions of works, running in at around one hour in length. This year’s festival will feature one repertory staple, an Italian rarity and a world premiere. First up is {…}
Opera Naples has announced its 2017-18 season showcasing numerous stars and productions. The season begins on Nov. 3, 2017, with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” It will be followed by recital concerts by Maria José Montiel on Jan. 31, 2018, and Luca Salsi on Feb. 18, 2018. The season will also include Opera in the Garden on Feb. 20, 2018. Two performances of {…}
From dramaturg to Artistic Director. That is what the future holds for Jan Vandenhouwe as he moves from the Ruhr Triennale to the Kunsthuis Opera Vlaanderen Royal Ballet Flanders. The 38-year-old will kick off his new position in 2019-20 and will succeed Aviel Kahn, who is headed to Geneva. “I look forward to making the heart pound full of passion with {…}
At the end of this week, audiences in the US will get the operatic event of the summer. That, of course, is the world premiere of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” an opera written by Mark Campbell with music by Mason Bates. The work kicks off its run on July 22 at the Santa Fe Opera and runs through August {…}
Sondra Radvanovsky has canceled her upcoming performances of Verdi’s “Aida” at Orange. The soprano was forced to cancel due to physical fatigue and will no longer portray the title role on August 2 and 5, 2017. The theater has yet to announce a replacement. The starry cast will still include Anita Rachvelishvili as Amneris, Marcelo Álvarez as Radamès, Quinn Kelsey {…}
Steve Jobs is one of the most revered and enigmatic personalities in recent history. He created one of the biggest companies and is responsible for some of the most popular products in modern society. After numerous film adaptations with different actors, Edward Parks will have the task of portraying the figure in Mason Bates’ first opera, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.” {…}
Dawn Upshaw is one of the most respected American sopranos of her generation, having sung at many of the major houses including the Metropolitan Opera. She also performed for the President of the United States. Currently, Upshaw, born on July 17, 1960, is an educator serving as the Artistic Director of the Graduate Program in Vocal Arts at the Bard College Conservatory {…}
Three high profile releases are coming out this week. The first comes from one of the biggest mezzo-sopranos in a role debut while the other comes from one of the most revered summer festivals while the third comes from Salzburg in a rare Strauss work. Both releases will come from the yellow label Deutsche Grammophon. La Favorite Elina Garanca has {…}
Camille du Locle is not a particularly recognizable name in the world of opera. Born on July 16, 1932, only the greatest opera connoisseurs may have a clue as to who he was. And even then, there’s a chance you might not have heard of him even then. And yet he is an important performance in the history of opera, {…}
There are only a select few of Mozart’s operas that get the same buzz as the Da Ponte trio of works. Among them is his 1782 opera, “Die Entführung aus dem Serail.” The work, which premiered on July 16, 1782, is one of two singspiel operas by the legendary composer that still gets continually performed in opera houses around the {…}
The Zürich Opera has a new head of opera. According to reports, Michael Fichtenholz will take over the role during the 2018-19 season. He has previously worked as the opera director at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. Fichtenholz kicked of his career at the Moscow Philharmonic, the Russian National Orchestra and the Moscow Easter Festivals before joining the Moscow Bolshoi Theater {…}