(Photo © Rikimaru Hotta) When he was 10-years-old, Kazushi Ōno went to the opera for the first time. What opera did he witness? “La Traviata.” He was hooked. This led him to study at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music before he headed off to Germany to study as a scholar of the Japanese Ministry of Culture {…}
(Credit: Fabrizio Sansoni-Opera Roma) Linea Opera, which was started last year by the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma with the help of the Assessorato alla Cultura, Assessorato alla Mobilità di Roma Capitale, ATAC, and in collaboration with “La Città Ideale,” will be extended throughout the capital. The program will take place on August 1 with buses departing from 15 municipals in {…}
New York City Opera’s Bryant Park summer series is set to continue with Tenor Alessandro Lora in Concert on August 19. Tenor Alessandro Lora will perform a concert of diverse Italian repertoire including folk, popular, and traditional Neapolitan songs alongside operatic favorites. The concert will feature the New York City Opera Orchestra led by two conductors, Maurizio Barbacini and Diego {…}
(Credit: Martin Cohen) The San Francisco Orchestra has named Evan Kahn the Principal Cellist. Kahn will be the first new principal cellist in nearly five decades. In a statement Kahn said, “SF Opera is one of the best companies in the world with a whole lot of legacy, coming off its 100th anniversary season. I’m so, so excited to be {…}
The film “Days of Happiness,” which featured the collaboration of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, is set to make its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The Metropolitan Opera Music Director took to social media and said, “I am extremely proud to announce that Québec talent will shine in September at TIFF in the award category for Special Presentation, dedicated to great {…}
San Francisco Opera’s award-winning In Song video portrait series continues with its eighth episode, “In Song: Daniela Mack.” The latest episode was filmed on location in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and features mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack tracing memories of her childhood, In the episode she reunites with her family and loved ones and shares music by tango master Astor Piazzolla and 19th-century {…}
(Credit: M. Rittershaus) Claus Guth’s production of “Semele” is set to premiere at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2024-25 season. Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński confirmed the news via social media in a post regarding the production which recently closed at the Bayerische Staatsoper. He said, “I have spent two months in Munich to sing five shows of that great new {…}
Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro” is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. The film tells the complex love of Leonard and Felicia, from the time they met in 1946 at a party and continuing through two engagements, a 25-year marriage, and three children. “Maestro” is set to star Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Matt Bomer, {…}
Photo: © Monika Rittershaus “Così Fan Tutte” has become the most uncomfortable of the three Mozart-Da Ponte operas. “Le Nozze di Figaro” has secured itself as a revolutionary and anti-establishment opera. “Don Giovanni” is unavoidable and unforgettable. “Così,” on the other hand, struggled to find its public for most of the nineteenth century. Its plot is often seen as both {…}
Los Angeles-based MUSE/IQUE is set to present “Bernstein At Heart: Learning is Living” as part of its “MUSIC = POWER” concert series. The showcase, which is set to take place on August 3 at The Huntington Library and August 6 at The Skirball Cultural Center, will feature soprano Anna Schubert, tenor Ashley Faatoalia, and violinist James Birch. The program will {…}
Savannah VOICE Festival has unveiled its upcoming slate for the final week of its August 2023 festival. “The events truly showcase the legacy of Sherrill Milnes by highlighting his accomplishments as a singer and mentor to many aspiring young artists,” said the festival’s Artistic Director Jorge Parodi in an official press statement. “We are so thankful to Charles H. Morris {…}
