On Jan.3, 1843 Donizetti’s comic masterpiece “Don Pasquale” made its premiere with immediate success. It immediately became part of the standard repertoire and a piece that was translated into French, and performed all over the world. Since its premiere the opera has been performed more than 700 times and has been recorded by many great artists. To celebrate the works {…}
On Jan. 2 Legendary Conductor Arturo Toscanini was inducted into the Carnegie Hall Digital Hall of Fame. The conductor made his Carnegie Hall debut with the La Scala Orchestra on January 3, 1921 and went on to conduct at Carnegie Hall more than 400 times over 33 year . He performed regularly with the New York Philharmonic after 1926 when he excited audiences {…}
Have you ever dreamed of joining Anna Netrebko on stage? The Salzburg Festival could make that a reality as it is currently casting supers for its new production of Verdi’s “Aida.” The festival is looking for athletic men from ages 20 to 60 and is holding auditions on Jan. 12 at 6 pm at the Karl Bohm auditorium. The supers are {…}
Joyce DiDonato is redefining what it means to be an opera singer as she is taking her love for music to Sing Sing, one of the most notorious prisons in the world. On the Today show the Mezzo Soprano was interviewed about her work with the inmates to help them find their voice through music. In the story DiDonato revealed {…}
The first week of New Years will be busy for opera lovers who are excited to discover new artists or look back at some of the legendary prima donnas. Anett Fritsch and Mozart Orfeo will release Frisch’s debut album. The album features works from Mozart’s popular operas including “Don Giovanni,” “Cosi Fan Tutte” and “Le Nozze di Figaro.” A specialist {…}
Knoxville residents will have the opportunity to witness the future of opera this weekend as the public will be invited to the Middle/East Tennessee District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions hosted by Knoxville Opera Guild on Jan. 7. The auditions, which begin at 10 am, are being held at the the Powell Recital Hall of the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center at the {…}
Jonas Kaufmann has announced his return to the stage after months on vocal rest. In an interview with Corriere della Sera in Italy the German tenor stated, “It was really tough. I love to sing and never before have I been forced to [take] such a long break. It was not easy, but what else could I do? I tried {…}
Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” is one of the most popular Bel Canto works in the repertoire and one of the touchstones in the coloratura soprano repertoire. The work features the famous sleepwalking scene and the daunting finale cavatina “Ah Non Giunge.” This week Daniela Fally takes on the role for the first time in her career at the Vienna State Opera. {…}
Rising opera star Pretty Yende will be performing on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday evening. She will be the live performance segment of the show, which will also feature Oprah Winfrey. Colbert has invited prominent opera stars before to be on his show. In 2012, he featured Placido Domingo in a memorable episode that saw the two {…}
The Island City Opera in San Francisco will host an open rehearsal of its upcoming production of Gaetano Donizetti’s exuberant comedy Don Pasquale. The rehearsal will take place on Jan. 7 and showcase the company as it prepares to open its third season. But for opera goers expecting to see a fully staged production, audiences should be prepared to hear {…}
New Years Eve galas are always some of the most exciting events of the year. The stars come out to sing some of the favorites from operettas and operas and they are always greeted with cheers from the emotional audiences. In some cases there are some surprises that audiences do not expect and that was the case with Vienna State {…}