Even though the Metropolitan Opera’s 2016-17 season ends in mid-May, the Company is not completely closed for business this summer. In fact, the Met will continue its 2017 Summer Recital Series, now in its ninth year, with six free concerts all across the five boroughs featuring some of the world’s greatest singers. First up are two recitals on June 12 {…}
The Metropolitan Opera Guild is currently set to auction off some notable pieces of its collection on two separate days in June. According to Christie’s the Guild will shop 90 lots of rare musical manuscripts, composer’s letters and other memorabilia on June 15. It will be an opportunity for potential buyers to get direct access to such famous pieces as {…}
“A lot of the time it’s just like jumping off a cliff because you don’t know how it’s going to go,” said Kimberly Feltkamp, the general manager of OperaRox Productions in a recent conversation with OperaWire. “I didn’t conceive of it as a company when I started it,” Feltkamp added. But strong reception to her initial project with OperaRox in 2015 {…}
Elina Garanča has been hailed as one of the great mezzos of her time and one can see why the moment she steps on stage. She is an imposing actress who personifies each of her characters to perfection and has a luscious and expressive voice. This week she returns to the Metropolitan Opera to end one phase of her career. The talk {…}
The battle against racism is growing these days and it seems that any action against inequality is drawing out no-tolerance responses from offended communities. Just look at what happened at the Calgary Opera this past week regarding its production of “South Pacific.” The company opted for casting a Tonkinese character with a white woman, leading to a massive overhaul of {…}
Two CDs headline the week ahead. One comes from a well-regarded mezzo, while the other comes from an instrumentalist experimenting with operatic music. Each release should have something appealing to opera lovers. Julia Lezhneva Julia Lezhneva experiments in her latest album as she continues to explore her operatic repertoire. The young mezzo has a new CD out for Decca that includes {…}
The prestigious Olivier Awards were handed out on April 9 and while “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” dominated the awards, the opera community had something to celebrate. Mark Wigglesworth, who conducted “Don Giovanni” and “Lulu” at London Coliseum, won the outstanding achievement in opera award beating out Stuart Skelton and Renée Fleming. Meanwhile, the New Opera Production was awarded to Phillip {…}
The 12th annual OPERA NEWS Awards were handed out on April 9 at the Plaza Hotel. The operatic community gathered together to honor Robert Carsen, Matthew Polenzani, Christine Goerke, Yannick Nézet-Seguin and Frederica Von Stade. Several expected guests including Anna Netrebko, Patricia Racette, James Conlon and Nézet-Seguin however, were not in attendance. However, there was a surprise guest, Renée Fleming, {…}
As part of Claudio Monteverdi’s 450th birthday anniversary, Sir John Eliot Gardiner is going on tour to recognize the father of opera. The tour is slated to last a whopping seven months, taking place around the globe in such countries as the UK, Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain and the USA. The tour will essentially feature performances of {…}
Opera Grand Rapids’ production of “The Barber of Seville” will feature the Met’s very own mezzo, Ginger Costa-Jackson. Costa-Jackson has previously performed in several productions at the Metropolitan Opera, including Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” and Bizet’s “Carmen.” For the May 12th and 13th performances of “The Barber of Seville” the Sicilian-born mezzo-soprano will hit the Devos Performance Hall as Rosina, the {…}
Before Juan Diego Flórez stormed on the scene, Peru’s most famous tenor was none other than Luigi Alva. The lyric tenor actually sang a number of the same roles that his compatriot would take on decades later, but his legacy is ultimately far different. Alva, born in Paita on April 10, 1927, served in the Peruvian Navy for some time {…}
