Q &A: Lucy Caplan on Shirley Graham Du Bois’ ‘Tom-Tom’ & Importance of Black Composers

https://operawire.com/q-a-lucy-caplan-on-shirley-graham-du-bois-tom-tom-importance-of-black-composers/

(Credit: Harold Shapiro) On July 9, the Caramoor Festival will present a Livestream event entitled “Listening to Tom-Tom.” The event will be an in-depth exploration of Shirley Graham Du Bois’ opera, “Tom-Tom,” the first opera written and staged by an African American woman. The work has not been produced since its initial run in 1932 and all that survives of {…}

Opera Wiki

Artist Profile: Anna Bishop, World Famous 19th-Century Soprano & Shipwreck Survivor

https://operawire.com/artist-profile-anna-bishop-world-famous-19th-century-soprano-shipwreck-survivor/

During the nineteenth century, British soprano Anna Bishop stood out as one of the finest singers of her day – and her reputation truly reached all the corners of the globe. Born Ann Rivière in London in January 1810, she trained at the recently created Royal Academy of Music and was taught by composer Henry Bishop, the most popular English {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Raquel Acevedo Klein, Ione, & Claire Chase On the Virtual Performance of Pauline Oliveros’s ‘The World Wide Tuning Meditation’

https://operawire.com/q-a-raquel-acevedo-klein-ione-claire-chase-on-the-virtual-performance-of-pauline-oliveross-the-world-wide-tuning-meditation/

A growing number of participants are joining an online Zoom performance of Pauline Oliveros’s “The World Wide Tuning Meditation” each Saturday. Together, Raquel Klein of Music on the Rebound, Ione, Claire Chase, International Contemporary Ensemble, and other passionate co-coordinators invite anyone curious to embark on the art of virtually discovering a special connection during the COVID-19 crisis. Composer Pauline Oliveros, {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Mending Wall – How PRISM Saxophone Quartet Joined Forces with Soprano Tony Arnold for a Unique Musical Journey

https://operawire.com/mending-walls-how-prism-saxophone-quartet-joined-forces-with-soprano-tony-arnold-for-a-unique-musical-journey/

This article has been updated from the original published on Mar. 6, 2020. In February 2022, PRISM saxophone quartet will present the long-awaited world premiere of “Mending Wall,” a fully staged production that examines the meaning of walls and the questions surrounding identity, community, division, and freedom. The performances will be presented in Pennsylvania at the Bryn Mawr Performing Arts {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Susan Graham On Schumann’s ‘Frauenliebe un -leben: Variations,’ The Power of Love & Malcolm Martineau’s Genius

https://operawire.com/q-a-mezzo-soprano-susan-graham-on-schumanns-frauenliebe-un-leben-variations-the-power-of-love-malcolm-martineaus-genius/

(Photo: Dario Acosta) Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham has had an enviable career, winning such prestigious awards as a Grammy, an Opera News Award, and Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year. As a champion of the French repertoire, the French government honored her with the title of “Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.” Her roles span four centuries, singing in operas from Monteverdi’s {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Prototype Festival 2020 Review: Magdalene

https://operawire.com/prototype-festival-2020-review-magdalene/

This review is for the performance on Jan. 13, 2020. It all started with a breath. But it wasn’t a relaxed breath but an irritated, almost obstructed one. And there was a moan or a hum; a repeated one that built a unique tension and longing at the HERE Mainstage. This is how “Magdalene,” the latest opera created by Danielle {…}

IndieOpera

Spoleto Festival Announces 2020 Season

https://operawire.com/spoleto-festival-announces-2020-season/

(Credit: Courtesy of Spoleto Festival) General Director Nigel Redden has announced the details of the 44th season of Spoleto Festival USA. The festival will feature a wide array of music, performances, screenings, talks and opera. For this article we have only concentrated on the vocal performances. Opera The festival will show the world premiere of “Omar” based on the life {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

The Unexpected Heroine – How Alice Mong, Candace Chong, Eli Marshall & Chu Hei Chan Created ‘Mila’

https://operawire.com/the-unexpected-heroine-how-alice-mong-candace-chong-eli-marshall-chu-hei-chan-created-mila/

Alice Mong, the Executive Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center never realized how much operatic talent there was in Hong Kong and Asia. That is, until she saw them work in a masterclass with soprano Renée Fleming in 2013. Watching these artists work alongside the famed diva made Mong realize that Hong Kong and Asia was full of {…}