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 {…}
Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel is a knight. The opera superstar was given the title in the New Year Honours by Queen Elizabeth II. “This is monumental for people to receive such an accolade,” he stated according to BBC News. “I’m immensely proud to accept this and I think of my family, I think of my sons, I think of my {…}
This week many singers ended the year singing their last performances or in the rehearsal room while others went back home to take a break from the stage. After spending Christmas in Vienna with her family, the soprano returned to the stage for her final performance of the year. Netrebko performed Macbeth at the Bayerische Staatsoper where she announced that {…}
He has described his work as a conductor to that of “football” manager. He hates the label “eliticism” when referring to the world of opera, instead seeing it as an art for everyone. He loves all kinds of music and was once a lounge-bar pianist. If there is one thing that you can admire about Antonio Pappano, who was born {…}