Opera Australia Appoints New Music Director

https://operawire.com/opera-australia-appoints-new-music-director/

Opera Australia has announced the appointment of in-demand Italian conductor and composer Maestro Andrea Battistoni as the company’s new Music Director, commencing in January 2026. In a statement, Outgoing OA Chair Rod Sims said, “Andrea’s combination of youth, artistry, and international experience has established him as a hugely respected conductor globally. His highly anticipated appointment will be invaluable to OA’s {…}

IndieOpera

Union Avenue Opera Announces Inaugural ‘One-Act Festival’

https://operawire.com/union-avenue-opera-announces-inaugural-one-act-festival/

Union Avenue Opera prepares for its inaugural “One-Act Festival: Exploring Identity and Injustice Through Opera.” The new fall initiative will bring two contemporary operas to the stage, “dwb” (“driving while black”) by Susan Kander and Roberta Gumbel, and “As One” by Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed. This year’s theme, “Exploring Identity and Injustice Through Opera,” invites audiences into {…}

News

Piotr Beczała Cancels Performances in Arena di Verona & Bayreuth Festival

https://operawire.com/piotr-beczala-cancels-performances-in-arena-di-verona-bayreuth-festival/

Piotr Beczała has canceled two of his upcoming performances. The tenor took to social media and said, “Unfortunately, I’ve been hit by a summer flu since yesterday, and I’ve been struggling with it. It’s forcing me to cancel the final performance of ‘Lohengrin’ in Bayreuth tomorrow as well as ‘Carmen’ in Verona. I will now take the time to fully {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Bayreuth Festival 2025 Review: Parsifal

https://operawire.com/bayreuth-festival-2025-review-parsifal/

(© Enrico Nawrath) First seen on the Green Hill in 2023, the director of “Parsifal,” 55-year-old Jay Scheib, professor of music and theatre arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an American of international standing in the hi-tech world, is a technological wizard like no other! A couple of his credits include Thomas Adès’ “Powder Her Face” (New York {…}

News

Riccardo Frizza & Pretty Yende to Open Festival Cap Rocat

https://operawire.com/riccardo-frizza-pretty-yende-to-open-festival-cap-rocat/

On August 1, 2025, conductor Riccardo Frizza will inaugurate the fifth edition of the Festival Cap Rocat in a gala concert with Pretty Yende. The concert, which will be held at the former fortress in Mallorca, will showcase Frizza conducting the Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands. In a statement, Frizza said, “In just a few years, the festival has {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Soprano Ana María Martínez on Performing at Ravinia Festival & the Importance of Masterclasses

https://operawire.com/q-a-soprano-ana-maria-martinez-on-performing-at-ravinia-festival-the-importance-of-masterclasses/

On July 30, 2025, soprano Ana María Martínez returns to Ravinia for a special program with pianist Kevin Murphy. The performance marks the soprano’s third appearance with the festival following two notable showcases, both headed by conductor James Conlon. In 2007, the soprano was featured in a gala alongside famed tenor Plácido Doming and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Three years {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Buxton International Festival 2025 Review: Opera Shorts

https://operawire.com/buxton-international-festival-2025-review-opera-shorts/

(Photo: Genevieve Girling) Buxton International Festival’s staging of four new one-act operas as one of its headline events, under the title “Opera Shorts,” was certainly a welcome, if a somewhat risky decision; contemporary opera can be difficult to sell, and artistic success is far from assured. However, for those who were willing to give it a chance, few can have {…}

DVD and CD Reviews, Reviews

CD Review: Innsbruck Early Music Festival’s ‘Il trionfo della Fama’

https://operawire.com/cd-review-innsbruck-early-music-festivals-il-trionfo-della-fama/

As usual, the 2024 Innsbruck Early Music Festival brought a rare work to the stage: Francesco Bartolomeo Conti’s “Il trionfo della Fama,” a one-act serenata composed in 1723 for the coronation of Emperor Charles VI and Empress Elisabeth Christine in Prague. Conceived as court propaganda, the serenata was commissioned to glorify imperial virtues and Habsburgs’ claims to the divine favor {…}