Verdi’s “Macbeth” is a pillar of the standard repertory, beloved for the composer’s ability to capture the spirit of one of the bard’s great plays. If “Macbeth” never captures the raw power of “Otello” or the immaculate precision and robustness of “Falstaff,” it is merely because of his three Shakespeare adaptations, this is the earliest in his oeuvre. And yet, {…}
Groupmuse, a worker- and musician-owned cooperative has reached a major milestone by hosting its 10,000th concert. The majority of Groupmuse’s events take place in non-traditional concert spaces, like living rooms, cafes, distilleries, and backyards. The 10,000th concert was titled, “”Warm your winter with A House Concert.” The concert took place in Portland, Oregon and featured star classical guitarist David Elan {…}
As usual, the 2024 Innsbruck Early Music Festival brought a rare work to the stage: Francesco Bartolomeo Conti’s “Il trionfo della Fama,” a one-act serenata composed in 1723 for the coronation of Emperor Charles VI and Empress Elisabeth Christine in Prague. Conceived as court propaganda, the serenata was commissioned to glorify imperial virtues and Habsburgs’ claims to the divine favor {…}
The Cincinnati Opera has announced its 2026 season. Strauss’ “Salome” will star Kathryn Lewek, Alfred Walker, Chad Shelton, Michelle DeYoung, and Zach Borichevsky. José María Condemi directs the production, with Robert Spano conducting. Performance Dates: June 18 & 20, 2026 Kevin Day’s and Tifara Brown’s “Lalovavi” will be directed by Kimille Howard and conducted by Kevin Miller. Brittany Olivia Logan, {…}
The Bayreuth Festival has announced its 2026 season. Nathalie Stutzmann conducts “Rienzi” with Andreas Schager, Gabriela Scherer, Jennifer Holloway, Michael Nagy, and Matthias Stier. Magdolna Parditka and Alexandra Szemeredy direct the rarely performed work. Performance Dates: July 26-August 26, 2026 Christian Thielemann will conduct The Ring Cycle, which Marcus Lobbes will curate. Michael Volle, Alexander Grassauer, Klaus Florian Vogt, Anna Kissjudit, Evelin Novak, Christa {…}
On Sept. 21, Marc Blitzstein’s “Parabola and Circula” will get its world premiere in a concert performance at the Berlin Philharmonie. The showcase will be presented by the Bauhaus-Archiv / Museum für Gestaltung and the Berliner Festspiele / Musikfest Berlin. Karl-Heinz Steffens, Artistic Director of the “Bauhaus Music” project and Chief Conductor of the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, will lead the {…}
Carl Heinrich Graun’s “Adriano in Siria”—set to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio—is a compelling example of mid-18th-century opera seria, a genre that once dominated the European stage. First performed in Berlin in 1746, Graun’s setting was one of more than seventy opera settings of Metastasio’s libretto between 1732 and 1828, attesting to its immense popularity. This new live recording from {…}
Conductor Michaele Sparacino has died. Sparacino studied at CUA and went on to sing with the Kennedy Center, singing the title role of Handel’s Judas Maccabeus. He also performed with Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Boston Opera, and Wolf Trap Company. Sparacino was the founder of Opera Bel Canto Washington and specialized in Italian Bel {…}
(Photo credit: Mark Short) Singer-songwriter and countertenor Jamie Hannah has captivated the internet with his “Italian Aria series.” In only eight months, the series has earned over 10M views and brought Hannah more than 200K new followers. Hannah’s Italian aria-style renditions of pop songs such as, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (2.7M views on Instagram, 1.6M on TikTok), “Like a {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real / Teatro Real) Twenty years after its triumphant—and undeniably provocative—debut at the Salzburg Festival, Willy Decker’s “La Traviata” stormed the stage of Madrid’s Teatro Real. It is striking how a production that once shocked audiences has become a recognized classic, revealing its timeless, almost metaphysical essence. Premiered in 1853 at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, “La Traviata” {…}
On July 21, 2025, English tenor David Rendall died at the age of 76. Born on Oct. 11, 1948, Rendall sang in a skiffle group while in secondary school and was “discovered” while working at the BBC, sorting records for Desert Island Discs. A producer for the show heard him singing “Questa o quella” from “Rigoletto” and suggested he study. {…}