Opera Philadelphia has announced that Lawrence Brownlee, whose lead performance in the 2015 world premiere of Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird” kick-started the company’s “big commitment to new repertoire” has joined the company as an Artistic Advisor. The company announced in a press release that Brownlee will work with General Director & President David B. Devan and Corrado Rovaris, the Jack Mulroney {…}
The New York City Opera will be showcasing Ottorino Respighi’s “La campana sommersa” on March 31. The company will have subsequent performances on April 1, 4 and 5. As is the case with the composer’s operatic output, this opera is rarely performed these days, giving it great intrigue. Here are a few fun facts to fill you in before you {…}
Opera Orlando is opening its new 2017-2018 season in the park! The company’s first production will open on August 21, 2017, at 2 P.M., featuring Mezzo-soprano Amanda Crider. The next weekend “The Three Baritones,” Nathan Stark, Brain Myer, and Gabriel Pressier, will perform. Finally, Tenor Marco Panuccio will end the summer series for Opera Orlando. All of the concerts will {…}
On March 31, the Teatro Real and Medici.tv will present Handel’s “Rodelinda” on the live stream platform. The performance will feature the new production by Claus Guth, which the director noted was inspired by a house in London in which Mike Jagger lived in. Guth also noted that he didn’t want to use a specific time period because the story of the opera {…}
When she was a young girl, mezzo-soprano Annalisa Stroppa would come home from school to a healthy diet of “The Three Tenors” and Mario del Monaco. Her grandparents idolized these artists and quickly impregnated their granddaughter with an unshakeable passion for opera. “That’s when I discovered I had a special voice and from then on, there was no one stopping {…}
The Opera de Lausanne has announced its 2017-18 Season with multiple new productions and many of opera’s biggest stars. The season opens with Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” starring Lenneke Ruiten in the title role alongside Benjamin Bernheim in a new production by Stefano Poda. Jesus Lopez Cobos conducts the opening night. In November Hervé Klopfenstein leads Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” in a {…}
Tchaikosvky’s “Eugene Onegin” is considered one of the composer’s greatest operas as it features some of his richest melodies and is based on Pushkin’s famous poem. The work has been performed extensively around the world and this year it makes a return to the Metropolitan Opera. While the title role has been a vehicle for many renowned baritones it is {…}
On March 16, 2017, President Donald Trump formally released his outline for the 2018 Federal Budget, officially making clear his intent to defund numerous agencies and projects while investing billions into the already well-funded military complex. Among the agencies getting the boot was the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which provides tremendous support for numerous arts organizations. As noted {…}
American soprano Roberta Knie passed away on March 16, 2017, at the age of 79. Knie was born on March 13, 1968, and was best known for her work in Wagner’s operas. She made her professional debut in 1964 as Elizabeth in “Tannhäuser” at the Hagen Theater. Her next major career milestone took place in 1974 when she was asked {…}
Imagine a major singer suddenly cancel an opera that is just two days away from opening? Most opera houses have a cover ready to step in and in other cases, there are top singers that come in as quick replacements. But when do you go from a high-profile star to arguably the man most famous for the role you are {…}
Eugene Opera General Director Mark Beudert will not renew his contract with the company. Beudert said on Monday that he would remain until June 30 but after the tumultuous year, ending in more than $200,000 in debt, he would no longer continue. The company had to cancel two full productions that it had remaining for this current season. Opera board chair {…}