Details of the 2025 Innsbruck Festival of Early Music have been made public. For the purposes of this article only vocal performances are featured. Concerts First Prize winner of the 2020 Cesti International Singing Competition Margherita Maria Sala performs works by Galuppi, Marcello, Vivaldi, Ristori, and Handel. Sala is accompanied by the Ensemble Locatelli led by Thomas Chigioni. Performance Date: {…}
Gabriela Lara has been appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first violin section effective Jan. 27, 2025. Lara participated in preliminary auditions for a violin-section opening and won the final audition in October. She is the first CSO musician appointed by Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä. She is also the first CSO Fellow to become a member of the {…}
Nearly 200 high-profile cultural organizations including opera companies, theatres, festivals, and galleries from 39 countries have signed an open letter to demand the European Parliament protect the autonomy of cultural organizations. In the open letter titled, “RESISTANCE NOW: FREE CULTURE,” concerns are expressed about the “attacks, bans, layoffs and cutbacks” to cultural institutions in Hungary and Slovakia, which are believed {…}
Rai Cultura has announced that 1.6 million spectators watched the opening of “La Forza del Destino.” The audience was 10.2 percent of the shares on Dec. 7, 2024. In a statement Rai CEO Giampaolo Rossi said, “The success of “La Forza del Destino” which was staged last night for the premiere at La Scala – with over 1 million 600 {…}
(Credit: Grand Théâtre de Genève) This week the Grand Théâtre de Genève is set to open a new production of Giordano’s “Fedora,” a rarely performed work that has become a showcase for a star soprano in recent years. This week Aleksandra Kurzak will sing her first Fedora, adding yet another demanding role to her growing diverse repertoire. Over the past {…}
Boosey & Hawkes is teaming up with Videmus Inc. to publish the previously unavailable catalog of music by Julia Perry. The composer, who died in 1979, was born in Kentucky and raised in Ohio. Her “Study for Orchestra’ was performed at the New York Philharmonic in 1965 and she was also the winner of Prix Fontainebleau and two Guggenheim Fellowships. {…}
REDCAT has unveiled its 2025 season. Here is a rundown of the classical vocal performances on offer. First up is Faye Driscoll’s “Weathering,” during which “10 performers move on a raft-like stage surrounded by the audience, creating a dynamic, multi-sensory “flesh sculpture” that reflects the chaos of the Anthropocene.” Performance Date: Feb. 6 – 8, 2025 Next is Mary Kouyoumdjian and {…}
Yuval Sharon has announced he is stepping down from his position as Artistic Director at the Industry Opera Company. Sharon said that his decision was made because he will need to spend more time in New York as he is set to debut at the Metropolitan Opera next season with a new production of “Tristan un Isolde” and he is {…}
Angelina Jolie has scored a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama. The actress scored the nomination for her portrayal of Maria Callas in the film “Maria.” She will compete against Pamela Anderson for “The Last Showgirl,” Nicole Kidman in “Babygirl,” Tilda Swinton in “The Room Next Door,” Fernanda Torres in “I’m Still Here” {…}
Philzuid has announced that it is extending its collaboration with Chief Conductor Duncan Ward through the 2027-28 season. Ward took the position in the autumn of 2021, with his initial contract set to run until the orchestra’s 10th anniversary season in 2023-24. It was extended last April until the summer of 2026 with an option for further renewal. In a {…}
The Canadian Opera Company is set to present the company premiere of Julien Bilodeau and Michel Marc Bouchard’s “La Reine-garçon.” The work is the first commission by the Canadian Opera Company in collaboration with the Opéra de Montréal and it will be presented at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on January 31, February 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, and 15, {…}