Trinity Church Wall Street has announced its 2024 spring season. This article only features vocal works. Downtown Voices presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Carol Barnett’s “The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass,” along with Benedict Sheehan’s “In the Wondrous Blending of Sounds” from “Akathist,” Arnold Schönberg’s “Friede auf Erden,” Op. 13, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Bogoroditse Devo” from {…}
Grand Teton Music Festival Music Director Sir Donald Runnicles and Executive Director Emma Kail have announced the programming for its 63rd season. The season will take place between June 27 and August 17, 2024. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Sir Donald Runnicles conducts Mozart’s “The Magic Flute“ with soloists Heidi Stober, Paul Appleby, Alexander Birch Elliott, Jeni Houser, {…}
(Photo: Kenny Eliason on Unsplash) Music education cultivates some beautiful advantages for students. Unfortunately, the arts are losing traction within the education industry, and the focus on how beneficial music education can be is getting lost for the next generation. Educators are working to stress the importance of music in the classroom and how it can help students across other {…}
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is set to present a double bill “Gianni Schicchi / L’heure espagnole.” The production will be directed by Ersan Mondtag and conducted by Michele Mariotti. “Gianni Schicchi” will star Carlo Lepore, Vuvu Mpofu, Sonia Ganassi, and Giovanni Sala. It will be rounded by Ya-Chung Huang (Gherardo), Roberto Accurso (Betto), Nicola Ulivieri (Simone), Daniele Terenzi (Marco), Domenico {…}
Soprano Riikka Hakola had died at the age of 61. According to reports, the soprano died on Feb. 5 of a brain tumor that was diagnosed last September. Born in 1962, Hakola went on to study and graduate from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and continued her studies in London, Berlin, New York, and Milan. She had a big break {…}
The Washington National Opera has announced the appointment of conductor Robert Spano as Music Director of the WNO, beginning in the 2025–2026 season. Spano will become the music director designate, effective immediately until his initial three-year term begins in September 2025. In the new position, Spano will provide musical leadership for the company, overseeing the Washington National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, {…}
Verdi’s “I Vespri Siciliani” was last on the stage in Naples back in 2011, featuring the original French version created by the composer for the Opera de Paris in 1855. This year, however, Teatro San Carlo is showcasing the Italian rendition, which is more commonly performed in Italy, without the ballet sequences. The narrative, crafted by Eugene Scribe’s libretto, revolves {…}
(Photo: Michael Brosilow) Fresh from a Metropolitan Opera premiere last spring (and its subsequent Grammy Award victory), Terence Blanchard’s first opera in jazz, “Champion,” enjoyed its Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere in James Robinson’s vivid and effective staging, a co-production on January 27th, 2024. A dazzling cast led by Justin Austin as Emile Griffith made a powerful case for repeated {…}
Soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez has died at the age of 75. Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Fernandez studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts and later at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. She went on to make her operatic debut in Porgy and Bess at the Houston Grand Opera and later toured the production in the {…}
The Teatro Cervantes in Malaga has announced a cast change for its production of Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites.” The company said that Maite Alberola will replace Ainhoa Arteta in the role of Blanche de la Force. According to a press release, Arteta was forced to “cancel due to health issues that could aggravate and provoke a vocal injury.” The production {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a cast change for its production of Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell.” The company said Roberto Frontali will sing the title role of Guillaume Tell replacing Carlos Álvarez who was originally scheduled. Frontali is well-known for work in the Italian repertoire including operas by Verdi, Donizetti, Puccini, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, and Cilea. He has performed at every major opera {…}