Apple has announced Apple Music Classical, a new app specifically for classical music. Launching later this month, the app will allow listeners to access recordings from the largest classical music catalog and in the highest audio quality reaching up to 192 kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Lossless. The app will also feature thousands of albums, curated playlists, composer biographies, guides for prominent works, {…}
The Hamburg State Opera has postponed the Mar. 12, 2023, B premiere of Puccini’s “Il Trittico” because of a strike by the public service workers’ union ver.di. The strike means there may not be enough staff to clean up after the show. The strikes announced by ver.di have affected the premiere of “Il Trittico” on Sunday, March 12, 2023. After {…}
Photo: Keith Saunders Stephen Layton, MBE, a renowned choral specialist and conductor, is leaving Trinity College Cambridge at the end of the 2023 academic year after 17 years at the institution to focus on his international conducting career. During his tenure, Trinity’s choir won the Gramophone Award for Choral Music in 2012 and was nominated for a Grammy for Best {…}
Opera North has announced its 2023-24 season, which will be split into autumn and spring. Henry Waddington, Helen Évora, Isabelle Peters, Egor Zhuravskii, Richard Burkhard, and Tichina Vaughn lead Verdi’s “Falstaff.” Garry Walker and Martin Pickard conduct the production by Jo Davies. Performance Dates: Sept. 28-Nov. 18, 2023 Andri Björn Róbertsson, Anna Dennis, James Laing, Patrick Terry, Callum Thorpe, Xavier Hetherington, and {…}
Felix Jarrar’s program of new works titled “Forever In A Dream” will be performed at Josephine’s Composer Showcase. The concert consisting solely of Jarrar’s compositions will feature sopranos Caroline Spaeth, and Cynthia López Pérez. On the program are Jarrar’s song cycles “Mermaids Who Sing” and “Eclipse” with text by Bea Goodwin and “Mad Song” with text based on a poem {…}
The National Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performance for the season. Gianandrea Noseda conducts soloists Denis Kozhukhin, Elena Stikhina, Sergey Skorokhodov, and Alexey Markov in Rachmaninoff’s “The Rock,” Piano Concerto No. 4, and “The Bells.” Performance Dates: Sept. 28-30, 2023 Kevin John Edusei and Katerina Burton lead a program that includes {…}
Lisette Oropesa has been awarded the Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres. The soprano received the honor after a youth premiere of Thomas’ “Hamlet” which she is currently performing at the Opera de Paris. In a statement, the soprano took to social media and said, “Last night I had the great honor of being decorated by the French {…}
J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” the mischievous, free-spirited child who never grows up, has exerted a hold over children and even many adults for well over 100 years. His adventures set in Neverland, with its array of comic book characters such as Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, the crocodile, the Lost Boys, and Wendy, have fascinated and entertained over the generations. Peter {…}
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance has announced the cast for Dayton Opera’s production of “Das Rheingold.” The opera, which will be performed between April 14 and 16, in a brand-new production will feature baritone Lester Lynch as Wotan, the ruler of the gods. He will be joined by tenor Christian Sanders, Aubrey Allicock, and Catherine Martin. The cast will be rounded {…}
Pacific Opera Project has announced a new, permanent residence at Highland Park called POP HQ, a.k.a. “The POPera Shop.” The venue will serve as a multi-purpose performance, rehearsal, and office space, with plans for after-school programming, summer kids camps, and more. It is located next to and owned by, The Highland Park Ebell Club, where the company has staged previous {…}
Photo: Antone Patterson An opera company’s highest calling is to commission new work—to contribute to the history of opera, to leave a legacy. Seattle Opera has done so, memorably, with “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” The piece, which opened February 25 in Seattle’s McCaw Hall and ends March 11, is Seattle Opera’s first mainstage world premiere since Daron Hagen’s “Amelia” from {…}