Every year has a share of rising and breakout stars as well as opera singers who solidify or take their careers in new directions. Others make important debuts or create roles that audiences would have never expected and conquer. This is what makes a performer stick in an audience’s mind for the whole year. For this year OperaWire has put {…}
LoftOpera’s “Macbeth” has garnered tremendous reviews for its fantastic casting, nuanced production and brilliant music-making. “The crisp orchestral playing of the orchestra under the baton of Sean Kelly was highlighted by an atmospheric account of the first act prelude, with portentous horn fanfares seeming to “hang” forever in the vast space’s cavernous acoustic,” wrote the New York Observer. Despite being {…}
Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild awards for her turn as “Florence Foster Jenkins.” The Academy Award winner surprised audiences this morning as many believed she would not be in the Oscar race this year. However, Streep’s popularity and her incredible track record proved they should never be underestimated. The actress is now one step closer {…}
On Dec. 13, Anna Netrebko held a gala evening in Vienna where she presented her author’s tea set “Aida” in collaboration with Imperial Porcelain. During the evening, a charity auction took place with a unique pre-series sample of the tea set as a lot. Featuring alternative colors, it is the only copy, completely hand-made, which sequence number is 0000. The money raised {…}
For any artist making his or her first solo album is a daunting task. Aside from the technical challenges of going into a studio and repeatedly re-recording tracks that will be spliced together in a manner far different from the spontaneity of live performance, but the repertoire selection can be a point of contention. It would not be surprising to {…}
Ukrainian baritone Vitaliy Bilyy is set to replace Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the Royal Opera House’s revival of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” Bilyy will make his Royal Opera debut as Count di Luna, having previously triumphed in the role at the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra National de Paris and Bavarian State Opera. Bilyy is slowly becoming one of the most in demand baritones as he has {…}
Not many people get the chance to see an opera singer up close and personal. Even in a recital hall or opera house, there is a distance created by the stage. The connection comes from the music and the artistic involvement on both ends of the spectrum. But on Tuesday, New York students were able to get an experience few {…}
Opera star Deborah Voigt has always been one to dabble with unique projects throughout her career. She published an autobiography and was also one of the top hosts on the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD season. Now she will return to the screen, albeit a smaller one, for a made for TV-and-Online opera. The soprano is slated to perform in {…}
Kirsten Chambers will make her Met debut in the title role of this evening’s performance of Strauss’s “Salome,” replacing Patricia Racette, who is ill. Th Met press office announced the news this morning. Chambers is a rising star in the opera world and recently covered the role of Isolde in Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at the Metropolitan Opera. Last season the soprano {…}
On Dec. 12 Verdi’s “Nabucco” opened at the Metropolitan Opera with a star studded cast and an unexpected encore by the chorus in “Va, Pensiero.” Placido Domingo made his Met role debut in the title role with James Levine conducting. The duo has performed at the Met since 1971 in over 300 performances. The occasion also saw Luidmyla Monastryska reteam {…}
On Dec. 14 Mexican tenor Arturo Chacon-Cruz and Spanish soprano Davinia Rodríguez will inaugurate the Teatro Ingenio de los Mochis in Sinaloa. The new theater will be dedicated to promoting the best of theater, opera and the arts in Sinaloa. According to Chacon-Cruz, the program will include music from Puccini and Verdi. However, he did add that the program will also {…}