Around the world, opera has very different forms. Although the artform has touched almost every continent on the planet, that does not mean that it looks the same. Whether that means an Italian opera that is translated into a different language, or a domestic artform resembling opera that evolved endogenously, the fabric of opera is multi-dimensional! In Part One of {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) Soprano Anastasia Bartoli is a rising star on the Italian and European opera scene. Over the course of this year alone, she has received a string of glowing reviews including her performance as Cristina in “Eduardo e Cristina” at the Rossini Opera Festival. In October she will be performing Lucrezia in Verdi’s “I Due Foscari” at Venice’s {…}
The Ravenna Festival is set to present “a trilogy according to Riccardo Muti.” From Dec. 16 to 22, Muti will lead his Cherubini Orchestra in the semi-staged performances of “Norma” and “Nabucco” and in an all-Verdi gala at the 19th-century Alighieri Theatre. On Dec. 16 and 19, Muti will conduct Bellini’s “Norma” with Klodjan Kaçani, Vittorio De Campo, Monica Conesa, {…}
Soprano María Bayo has received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. Bayo has worked in France for many years and has performed numerous French roles throughout her career. The recognition is given to an artist for their contributions in France. Bayo is a Spanish soprano who has performed at the Salzburg Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Berlin Staatsoper, {…}
Wisconsin’s Madison Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director John DeMain has stepped down from his post. Demain will remain with the company until the 2025-26 season which will mark the Madison Orchestra’s 100th anniversary. DeMain noted, “The word ‘retirement’ implies that I’m quitting conducting. I’m stepping down from the position of music director with the orchestra.” DeMain is only the fourth music {…}
In 1930, Spanish painter Elías García Martínez created a fresco of Jesus crowned with thorns in the Santuary of Mercy Church in Borja. It was called “Ecce Homo” or “Behold the Man.” Eighty-two years later, Cecilia Giménez, an 81-year-old amateur artist with minimal training, revealed to the media that she had attempted to restore the painting which had been affected {…}
The Cultural Exchange Foundation is set to present “Celebrating 150 Years of Rachmaninoff” on Oct. 21, 2023 at the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. The showcase will feature a number of artists including sopranos Sarah Coburn, Elizaveta Ulakhovitch, Diana Skavronskaya, and Maia Gonzalez; baritone Navasard Hakobyan; bass-baritones Joseph Parrish and Ben Strong,; mezzo-soprano Ani Kushyan; tenor Victor {…}
Brooklyn Art Song Society will continue its season on Nov 3, 2023 at the First Unitarian Church of Brooklyn with “Circles II: The Wagnerians.” The concert, which is curated by Artistic Director Michael Brofman, will pair Wagner’s only song cycle, Wesendonck-Lieder, with works by Ernest Chausson, Henri Duparc, and Hugo Wolf. The concert will include Duparc’s “La Vague et la {…}
Photo credit: Kristina Kalinina Opera Hong Kong is set to present “Tosca” on Oct. 11 – 15 at the Grand Theatre of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Performances are shared by two casts. Cast A (Oct. 11, 13, and 15) stars Ukrainian soprano Oksana Dyka as Floria Tosca, with tenor Roberto Aronica in the role of Mario Cavaradossi, and baritone Claudio {…}
(Credit: Tony Allen Photography) The New Choral Society is set to present “An Evening Among the Stars” on Sept. 28, 2023 at the Scarsdale Golf Club in New York. The showcase will honor the organization’s long-running partnership with the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. To that effect, the performance will feature performances by current and former Lindemann artists including. soprano {…}
On Sept. 10, Ramon Vargas celebrated his 40th anniversary as a singer in a gala at the theater where he first debuted, the Palacio de las Bellas Artes. Since that debut in 1983, Vargas has gone on to sing at every major theater in the world including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, and many {…}