https://operawire.com/kiri-te-kanawa-announces-retirement/
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has announced her retirement from the stage. The 73-year-old soprano announced the news on BBC after having stopped performing a year ago. Her final performance was a concert in the Australian city of Ballarat last October. She noted, “Before I’d gone on, I said, right, this it. And that was the end.” During the interview, Te {…}
https://operawire.com/operalia-competition-ailyn-perez-olga-peretyatko-the-superstars-of-the-early-2000s/
The Operalia Competition is just days away and in anticipation of the famed event, we will take a look back down memory lane at the opera singers who became stars after big performances at the competition. For today’s installment, we will look at the major stars to come out of the early 2000s. Here are the winners of that decade {…}
https://operawire.com/an-unconventional-path-angel-blue-on-becoming-cardiffs-host-and-making-her-metropolitan-opera-debut/
Every opera career has a different path. Not everyone wins competitions, not everyone starts at the top opera houses or young artist programs, and not everyone begins at the same age. And that is very clear for Angel Blue, who has taken unconventional paths to becoming one of the most promising young artists in opera. “I am definitely open and {…}
https://operawire.com/cddvd-releases-week-of-may-29-wagner-and-handel-dominate-releases/
This week opera lovers get a chance to discover new music from Robert Franz and Handel and relive a classic work from Wagner. They also get a chance to listen to some of the world’s foremost Baroque specialists and Wagner singers. Check it out! Parsifal A new recording of Wagner’s “Parsifal” is scheduled for release this week as part of Elder’s new {…}
https://operawire.com/non-stopped-action-baritone-john-chest-on-singing-two-different-operas-in-two-cities-simultaneously/
Imagine doing a rehearsal in one city until 10 p.m. and then having to fly to another city, to do another rehearsal for another opera, just 12 hours later. Well, that is what John Chest faces right now, as the baritone takes on Benjamin Britten’s “Billy Budd” in Berlin and John Harbison’s “The Great Gatsby” at the same time. The {…}
https://operawire.com/cddvd-releases-week-of-feb-27-discover-two-remastered-classics-from-great-divas/
Are you interested in listening to legendary singers or discovering a new work? This week, two recordings from legendary sopranos will be available while opera fans will have the chance to discover a new work by Bellini. Check it Out! Leontyne Price’s Tosca Price was one of the supreme dramatic sopranos of her time. She conveyed every character with her {…}
https://operawire.com/welsh-opera-star-bryn-terfel-is-a-knight-commander-of-the-british-empire/
Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel is a knight. The opera superstar was given the title in the New Year Honours by Queen Elizabeth II. “This is monumental for people to receive such an accolade,” he stated according to BBC News. “I’m immensely proud to accept this and I think of my family, I think of my sons, I think of my {…}
https://operawire.com/on-this-day-antonio-pappano-operatic-progress-at-the-royal-opera-house-and-beyond/
He has described his work as a conductor to that of “football” manager. He hates the label “eliticism” when referring to the world of opera, instead seeing it as an art for everyone. He loves all kinds of music and was once a lounge-bar pianist. If there is one thing that you can admire about Antonio Pappano, who was born {…}