(Photo Credit: Bettina Stöß / Photo courtesy of Deutsche Oper Berlin) Voices that move your heart and acting that moves your heart – this is Opera. With a tux in Vienna or a smart-casual look in Covent Garden. Champagne or water. Sustained attention or simply laying back and enjoying the night. Pleasing surprises and unbelievable disappointments. From the Met to {…}
The musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra have announced they will exercise their legal right to engage in labor activity by distributing informational leaflets to the public before the Sept. 25 performance tonight. The musicians have been in negotiations for a new contract with their employer, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, since May but the two {…}
The San Antonio Philharmonic has been sued by two former board members of the San Antonio Symphony. According to David Wood and Colette Holt, the former board member and his wife sued the Philharmonic over what they characterized as $180,000 in defaulted loans. According to the lawsuit which was filed in Bexar County District, the couple is demanding repayment, including {…}
Following proposed budget cuts on Sept. 19, 2024, due to a budget emergency of the State of Berlin and the necessary and drastic savings requirements in 2025 and 2026, including for the cultural budget, numerous cultural figures in Berlin have released statements appealing to the senate. Joana Mallwitz, chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester said, “We should all realise {…}
The Denyce Graves Foundation announced the 2024 Classical Vocal Arts Symposium “Shared Voices.” This year’s symposium features collaborations with 14 music schools, conservatories, and HBCUs. Participants are offered an immersive experience to engage with classical vocal arts, gain an understanding of the industry, and receive foundational music training including aspects of vocal health, mental health, and physical fitness. In the {…}
The Guangzhou Opera House will present Bizet’s “Le Docteur Miracle” starting on Sept. 30, 2024. The production is produced by Jenny Liang and is supported by the French Consulate-General in Guangzhou. “In this third iteration of our immersive comic opera program, we also further explored how to make the opera popular with contemporary audiences and promote the modernization, popularization and {…}
Coro Allegro will present “Forged in Fire” on Nov. 17, 2024 at the Church of the Covenant in Boston. The showcase will feature Kodály’s “Missa Brevis” as well as works by Rich Campbell (“Borders”), Anton Bruckner (“Three Motets”), and Bosba (“i see others like me”). The ensemble will be joined by organist Jerrick Cavagarno. Artistic Director David Hodgkins conducts the {…}
The Clarion Choir has unveiled its 2024-25 season. First up is “Rachmaninoff @150: Spring Cantata and Folk Songs.” The showcase will feature baritone Aleksey Bogdanov taking on “Spring” as well as pianist Ilya Maximov playing the composer’s third piano concerto. Steven Fox conducts. Also on the program is NOVUS Amor Artist. Performance Date: Oct. 30, 2024 The New Year’s concert will {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) (This review was written in collaboration with Francisco Salazar) After a hyped but underwhelming opening night, the Met Opera’s second at-bat in the 2024-25 was the revival of a French classic that it hadn’t showcased since 2017. “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” is an incredible opera, rich in imagination, both in its musical and dramatic qualities. {…}
MasterVoices opens its 2024-25 season with a concert staging of “Strike Up the Band,” with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The work will be performed on Oct. 29 at Carnegie Hall. Ted Sperling leads the 120–member MasterVoices Chorus and the MasterVoices Orchestra with soloists Shereen Ahmed, Phillip Attmore, Victoria Clark, Lissa deGuzman, Claybourne Elder, Christopher Fitzgerald, {…}
On Sept. 9, 1924, Soprano Deborah Roberts died at the age of 72. Born on May 10, 1952, in London, England, Roberts studied at Lady Edridge Grammar School in Croydon and the University of Leicester. He also studied at Nottingham University and in 1981 she was a prize winner in the early music competition in Bruges. After her studies, Roberts {…}