(Credit: Askonas Holt) Marin Alsop has joined Askonas Holt for management in Europe, Asia, and Australasia. Alsop will be managed at Askonas Holt by Jo Fry and Dora Michael in collaboration with Tom Cunningham as General Manager at Opus 3 Artists. Alsop is one of the greatest conductors of her generation and is the first woman to head major orchestras {…}
(Credit: ARD Competition) The ARD Competition which was held in Munich has announced the 2024 vocal winners. The competition, which was held on Sept. 14, saw South Korean baritone Samueol Park win first prize. The second prize winner was soprano Aurora Marthens, who also took home the audience award. The third prize was awarded to Russian soprano Mira Alkhovik. The {…}
The Teatro Pergolesi Spontini has announced its 2024 operatic season. The season opens with Spontini’s “La Vestale“ conducted by Alessandro Benigni and directed by Gianluca Falaschi. Carmela Remigio sings the title role alongside Bruno Taddia, Joseph Dahdah, Daniela Pini, Adriano Gramigni, and Kilo Patrick Sullivan. Performance Dates: Oct. 18 & 20, 2024 Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia” will be conducted by Hossein Pishkar {…}
(Photo credit: Nile Scott Studios) What can one expect from an opera that the one and only Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed when he was a mere fourteen years young? It is impressive considering the age of its composer and disappointing if we bear in mind what came next—like listening to Wagner’s “Die Feen,” Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” or even Puccini’s {…}
Met audiences will cheerfully remember last season’s run of “Un Ballo in Maschera” when Charles Castronovo’s signature chiaroscuro repeatedly proved the very backbone of his vocal physiognomy. “Noble Renegades,” for Delos Productions, purportedly builds on established strengths; but by dwelling mostly on (quasi-)stock characters from Verdi’s early to mid-career, the New York tenor outfits the recording’s 19 tracks with {…}
(Photo credit: Lennart Sjöberg) Göteborg Opera is celebrating its 30th season with an exciting lineup of favorites, beginning with Sir David McVicar’s production of Bizet’s “Carmen,” with libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a novella by Proper Mérimée. This production was originally presented at Glyndebourne in 2002, and like most McVicar productions, it gets to the point {…}
The Operalia Competition has announced the 2024 finalists. The finalists are: Eliza Boom, soprano, New Zealand Le Bu, bass-baritone, China Vladislav Chizhov, baritone, Russia Elmina Hasan, mezzo-soprano, Azerbaijan Liam James Karai, bass-baritone, UK/India Jack Lee, baritone, UK Kathleen O’Mara, soprano, USA Sun-Ly Pierce, mezzo-soprano, USA Meridian Prall, mezzo-soprano, USA Angel Romero, tenor, USA Polina Shabunina, soprano, Russia The Zarzuela Finalists: {…}
Vesselina Kasarova has been appointed professor of the Vocal Music Department at the Seoul National University. The mezzo-soprano announced the news via social media stating, “A new era in my professional life. Vesselina Kasarova professor Seoul National University College of music.” The Bulgarian mezzo-soprano is one of the most recognized Bel Canto and Mozart interpreters of her generation having performed at the Wiener {…}
Opera Holland Park has announced its 2025 season. The season will open with a new production of The “Flying Dutchman,” the company’s first staging of a work by Richard Wagner. Directed by Julia Burbach and conducted by Peter Selwyn, the production will star Paul Carey Jones, and Eleanor Dennis as the Dutchman and Senta with Neal Cooper as Erik. Premiere {…}
The 2024 Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition has announced its winners. The first prize of £10,000 went to mezzo-soprano Anja Mittermüller and the second prize of £5,000 was awarded to tenor Santiago Sánchez. The third prize of £2,500 went to baritone Jonathan Eyers, while the special prize went to mezzo-soprano Mathilde Ortscheidt. Jong Sun Woo won the pianist prize of £5,000 and {…}
Opera Australia has announced its 2025 season. Sydney The season opens with Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” Evan Rogister and Tahu Matheson conduct. Laurent Pelly directs a cast starring Emily Edmonds, Margaret Plummer, Sian Sharp, and Emma Matthews. Performance Dates: Dec. 31, 2024 – March 28, 2025 “The Barber of Seville,” in a production by Elijah Moshinsky, stars Samuel Dale Johnson, Samuel Dundas, {…}