Deutsche Oper Berlin 2026-27 Review: Der fliegende Holländer

https://operawire.com/deutsche-oper-berlin-2026-27-review-der-fliegende-hollander/

(Photo: Matthias Horn) Richard Wagner’s Dutchman is condemned to sail the oceans until a woman’s unconditional fidelity releases him from his curse. At the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Swiss director Milo Rau has assigned the unfortunate mariner an altogether different framework: from the Holocaust to the founding of Israel, from the 1972 Munich Olympics to Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial, with the contemporary {…}

News

Obituary: Soprano Janice Dixon Dies at 70

https://operawire.com/obituary-soprano-janice-dixon-dies-at-70/

Soprano Janice Dixon has died at the age of 70. Born in New York, the soprano was a long-standing performer of major roles in leading German opera houses such as Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Saarlandisches staatstheater, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Staatsoper Hannover, and Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. She also performed at the Israeli Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. Among the {…}

News

Ana-Carmen Balestra Wins GrachtenfestivalPrijs 2026

https://operawire.com/ana-carmen-balestra-wins-grachtenfestivalprijs-2026/

Dutch-Argentine soprano Ana-Carmen Balestra has been awarded the GrachtenfestivalPrijs 2026 following a unanimous jury decision at Felix Meritis, appointing her Artist in Residence for the 2027 festival. The jury praised her commanding stage presence, vocal warmth, and energetic expressiveness across a finale program featuring works by Massenet, Velázquez, and Piazzolla. Balestra is a former Young Artist at London’s National Opera {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Birgit Nilsson Festival 2026 Review: Der fliegende Holländer

https://operawire.com/birgit-nilsson-festival-2026-review-der-fliegende-hollander/

(Photo: Gunilla Hovenäs) In keeping with this year’s theme, “The Sea,” the week-long Birgit Nilsson Festival concluded with a semi-staged open-air performance of Wagner’s “Der fliegende Holländer” at Båstad Tennis Stadium in south Sweden. Few settings could have been more apt. The sea lay nearby, very close to where Birgit Nilsson was born and raised, while Wagner’s score summoned its {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Brenden Gunnell on the Role of Tristan & New CD Release of ‘The Marshes of Glynn and Song of the Prairies’ by Andrew Downes

https://operawire.com/q-a-brenden-gunnell-on-the-role-of-tristan-new-cd-release-of-the-marshes-of-glynn-and-song-of-the-prairies-by-andrew-downes/

(Photo: Michael Cockerham) Brenden Gunnell is standing at the threshold of one of opera’s greatest challenges: Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde.” After building his career through the major heldentenor repertoire, he now sees Tristan not simply as the next role, but as the culmination of years of careful preparation. At the same time, he is championing lesser-known music with the release {…}

Artist of the Week, Special Features

Artist of the Week: Nina Bezu

https://operawire.com/artist-of-the-week-nina-bezu/

This week the Tiroler Festspiele Erl opens a production of “Der fliegende Holländer” with numerous rising stars including Nian Bezu, who will make her role debut as Senta. Bezu is a rising star who has performed at the Theater Baden, Finnish National Opera, Auditorio de Zaragoza, and Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, among many others. In anticipation for {…}

News

HAUI Named Among Britten Pears Arts Residency Artists for 2026–27

https://operawire.com/haui-named-among-britten-pears-arts-residency-artists-for-2026-27/

(Photo credit: Michael Cooper) Multidisciplinary artist and co-creator of “Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White,” HAUI™ has been named one of the 2026–27 Residency Artists for the Britten Pears Arts program. HAUI™ will develop new work alongside director Peter Hinton-Davis O.C. at the historic Snape Maltings and The Red House. The duo joins a select cohort of international {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Conductor James Gaffigan on Loving Wagner, His Musical Grounding & the Idiosyncrasies of Conducting

https://operawire.com/q-a-conductor-james-gaffigan-on-loving-wagner-his-musical-grounding-the-idiosyncrasies-of-conducting/

Recognised worldwide for his natural ease and extraordinary collaborative spirit, conductor James Gaffigan has attracted international attention for his prowess as a conductor of both symphony orchestras and opera. The mutual trust he builds with artists empowers them to cultivate the highest art possible. Gaffigan is uniquely positioned, with music directorships at two international opera houses. He is the General {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Soprano Laura Helene Hansen on What Interests Her Most in Life & Singing

https://operawire.com/q-a-soprano-laura-helene-hansen-on-what-interests-her-most-in-life-singing/

(Photo: Victoria Elmas) (Warning: this article contains explicit language) Danish soprano Laura Helene Hansen trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Copenhagen, and the Opera Academy of the Royal Danish Opera, where her roles included Cio-Cio-San, Contessa Almaviva, Manon Lescaut, Die Marschallin and Elisabetta. She was also a subject of the TV series The Next Diva in Denmark last year. {…}

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Deutsche Oper Berlin 2026-27 Review: Der fliegende Holländer

Obituary: Soprano Janice Dixon Dies at 70

Ana-Carmen Balestra Wins GrachtenfestivalPrijs 2026

Birgit Nilsson Festival 2026 Review: Der fliegende Holländer

Q & A: Brenden Gunnell on the Role of Tristan & New CD Release of ‘The Marshes of Glynn and Song of the Prairies’ by Andrew Downes

Artist of the Week: Nina Bezu

HAUI Named Among Britten Pears Arts Residency Artists for 2026–27

Q & A: Conductor James Gaffigan on Loving Wagner, His Musical Grounding & the Idiosyncrasies of Conducting

Q & A: Soprano Laura Helene Hansen on What Interests Her Most in Life & Singing