Opera San José has announced its offering for the 2017-18 season. The company will start the proceedings with a run of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” on Sept. 9, 2017. Subsequent performances will be held on the Sept. 10, 14, 17, 22 and 24. Peter Grunberg conducts a production directed by Brad Dalton. Puccini’s “La Rondine” gets some time on the {…}
Most opera singers can’t wait to rush in and sing their dream roles. In fact, in today’s world, with the high demand for singers to mature at an earlier age, a lot of young singers start young and end young, the pressure simply too great to sustain a lasting and healthy career. Iwona Sobotka was privy to this scenario early {…}
The Hartford Opera Theatre presents a new opera “The Faith Operas.” Debuting to the world on April 8, 2017, at the Charter Oak Cultural Center, the work is split into four performances, revolving around four central issues: faith, religion, love, and family. The composer, David Wolfson, developed the idea about four short operas revolving around faith and ran with the {…}
It’s the weekend and every major house is in full swing. The biggest stars like Jonas Kaufmann, Anja Harteros, Edita Gruberova and Maria Guleghina are all performing this weekend. Here’s a rundown of what you have a chance to see. Argentina The Teatro Colón continues its acclaimed run of Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur” with Virginia Tola and Sabrina Cirera sharing the title role. {…}
This year marks the 50th year in business for Opera Grand Rapids. They just released their 2017-18 schedule and it’s packed with such a variety of opera events! “Balance is our programming mantra for the season,” Maestro James Meena, Opera Grand Rapids artistic director said. “We strive to create season schedules that include the familiar as well as the new.” {…}
Diana Damrau, Vittorio Grigolo, and Plácido Domingo will take the opera world by storm this weekend when they join forces for Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” at the Los Angeles Opera. The first performance of the six-show run takes place this Saturday evening. Damrau was originally scheduled to sing all four heroines but has since rescinded this commitment, opting for only {…}
With much anticipation, the New Amsterdam Opera is bringing “La Forza del Destino” back to the stage in New York City after a long absence. “We believe that this work has not been performed in New York City in at least ten years,” said Keith Chambers, artistic director. This rare concert performance will happen on Friday, March 24th in Manhattan {…}
A lot of opera stars have dogs. From Franco Zeffirelli to Ailyn Pérez to Elza Von den Heever, the canine is a great companion for the opera star as they travel around the world. Here is a look at some of the most famous dogs in the history of opera, both past, and present as we celebrate National Puppy day. {…}
The Opera Royal de Wallonie will live stream Verdi’s “Jérusalem,” a rarely staged work, on March 23. The opera is conducted by the young and talented conductor Speranza Scappucci and stars Marc Laho, Elaine Alvarez, Roberto Scandiuzzi, Ivan Thirion, Pietro Picone, Natacha Kowalski and Patrick Delcour. This is the first time that the company is performing the Verdi opera in its history, and since its premiere on March {…}
David Portillo’s career at the Metropolitan Opera got off to an expected start. As a lyric tenor, he sang the lead role in Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” an opera that he and most tenors of his FACH are quite familiar with. His debut was a huge success, the tenor earning rave reviews for his lush vocal quality and fearless {…}
Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick is synonymous with Verdi. She’s been the leading Azucena at the Metropolitan Opera house over the last few years, singing the role a whopping 58 times since her debut on October 8, 1988, also in that very role. In Verdi’s “Aida,” she has performed the role of Amneris 80 times at the house. Throw in 17 performances {…}