The Phoenix Symphony has announced the appointment of Boson Mo as its concertmaster. Mo will take the position during the 2023-24 season and will open his tenure with Carmina Burana in September. Mo has been a member of the Houston Symphony and has served as Acting Assistant Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Guest Principal Second at the Minnesota Orchestra, {…}
The English National Opera will receive an extra grant of £24m from April 2024 to March 2026 and more time to leave London. The ACE announced that the ENO will develop an artistic program in the new city and will also work on a new business model which will see the company deliver a substantial opera season every year in {…}
Political authorities in Prague are considering banning a concert by Anna Netrebko set to take place in the city in October. In a statement, Jiří Pospíšil, deputy mayor of Prague, said, “We will look for a way to end the concert.” He added that Netrebko’s concert was discussed with colleagues on Monday at the coalition council, and according to him, {…}
Photo credit: Steve Pisano Teatro Nuovo is an opera company solely dedicated to the discovery and rediscovery of Italian music specifically from the Bel Canto period. In fact, they are the only opera company in the world dedicated to doing this right now. And, they are doing it exceedingly well. The Naples brothers Federico and Luigi Ricci’s “Crispino e la {…}
Liszt’s unfinished one-act opera “Sardanapalo” is set to have its Hungarian premiere on Oct. 22, 2023. The performance will take place at the LisztFest and will star Joyce El Khoury in the role of Mirra alongside tenor Airam Hernandez in the title role of Sardanapalo and Bass-baritone Olecsandr Pushniak as Beleso. Kirill Karabits conducts the Staatskapelle Weimar and the Hungarian {…}
(Photo credit: Andrew Eccles) The Cleveland Orchestra will present “Renée Fleming and Friends” on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at its Mandel Concert Hall. The one-night-only event audiences will hear André Previn and librettist Tom Stoppard’s concert work “Penelope,” which was written specifically for Fleming. Alongside the soprano is actress Merle Dandridge (from “The Last of Us”), pianist Simone Dinnerstein {…}
Glyndebourne and Pegasus Opera Company have announced the names of eight singers who will be part of the organizations’ joint mentoring program. The artists who will be working directing with Glyndebourne include soprano Jasmine Flicker, soprano Moloko Letsoalo, baritone Carlos Felipe Cerchiaro, and bass Masimba Ushe. Meanwhile, the Pegasus Opera Company’s own Mentorship Programme 2023 will feature soprano Neeharika Gollapalli, {…}
Multi-award-winning label, Hyperion Records brings its catalog to all streaming platforms. The label recently acquired by Universal Music Group (UMG), released the first drop featuring 200 albums on July 28. Available now are many of Hyperion’s roster of artists, including Marc-André Hamelin and Howard Shelley, as well as recordings of countertenor Iestyn Davies, and Stephen Layton conducting the Trinity College {…}
Sergey Smbatyan, Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, and his father have been arrested for large-scale fraud in Armenia. Smatyna’s father is the former ambassador of Armenia to Israel and had previously been accused of abuse of power and money laundering. According to reports, the General Prosecutor’s Office alleges that Smbatyan’s actions led to a loss of one billion {…}
(Photo: Opera Holland Park 2023 © Craig Fuller) Part of “La bohème’s” appeal is surely in its cinematic quality. Puccini’s score does so much meticulous work that directors sometimes feel that they have little to do other than show the singers to the stage – and ensure they take the right cues from the orchestra. There are sudden close-ups and {…}
The Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago is thrilled to announce the appointment of Eric Ferring as its new Executive Director. Ferring will lead the organization, which seeks to make Chicago a world-class home for the study and performance of art song and vocal chamber music repertoire by curating performances and providing educational opportunities. Regarding his appointment, Ferring said, “The power {…}
