https://operawire.com/remembering-johan-bothas-greatest-roles/
One of the great tragedies of 2016 was losing tenor Johan Botha in the midst of his vocal prime. At just 51 years of age, he still had, at the very least, a few solid years of singing to impart on us. Those who heard Botha will rarely forget his beautiful tenor, a delicate instrument by nature capable of ripping {…}
https://operawire.com/ricarda-merbeth-steps-in-for-an-ill-petra-lang-under-unique-circumstances/
After Petra Lang lost her voice during a run of “Tristan Und Isolde” at the Bayreuth Festival, Ricarda Merbeth stepped in, singing at the wings. Because there was no time to prepare the production, Lang moved throughout the stage while Merbeth sang the challenging role. The current production by Katharina Wagner stars Stephen Gould as Tristan, Rene Pape as King Mark {…}
https://operawire.com/francesco-meli-replaces-roberto-alagna-at-gstaad/
Francesco Meli will replace Roberto Alagna as Radames at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. The concert performance of Verdi’s “Aida,” which is slated for Sept. 1, 2017, comes on the heels of his role debut as Radamès in Salzburg where he is slated to perform it alongside Anna Netrebko under the musical direction of Riccardo Muti. At Gstaad, Meli will join Gianandrea {…}
https://operawire.com/what-roles-do-licia-albanese-anja-harteros-share/
Licia Albanese was one of the leading Madama Butterflies of her time while Anja Harteros has become one of the go-to spinto Sopranos, performing a wide range roles from the Strauss, Verdi and Wagner repertoire. The two sopranos, while coming from different fachs and specializing in different repertoire, still had a number of roles in common. La Traviata This was one of {…}
https://operawire.com/qa-kristine-overman-on-singing-the-countess-in-le-nozze-di-figaro-and-returning-to-prague-summer-nights/
The Prague Summer Nights Festival, presented by Classical Movements, continues this weekend in Salzburg. One of the artists performing this week includes Kristine Overman, a 21-year-old soprano who is currently studying at the University of Michigan and who is singing her second major opera role. Having performed with the Michigan Opera Theater as a young child, Overman has always been {…}
https://operawire.com/qa-artistic-director-john-nardolillo-on-working-with-young-singers-mozart-at-prague-summer-nights/
The Prague Summer Nights is underway and OperaWire will be providing extensive coverage of the showcase. Produced by Classical Movements, the festival seeks to promote young artists with John Nardilillo as its artistic director and conductor. Nardolillo has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Seattle, San Francisco, Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, National, Utah, Columbus, Oregon, Fort Worth, Alabama, North Carolina, Toledo, Vermont {…}
https://operawire.com/pride-month-2017-a-look-at-the-lgbt-operas-in-history/
June marks the start of Pride Month, a month dedicated to commemorating the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events occur to honor the achievements of LGBT individuals. This month OperaWire will also dedicate a section to honoring LGBT individuals, operas, and achievements. It is our goal to bring visibility to works that {…}
https://operawire.com/obituary-remembering-wagner-expert-manfred-jung/
German tenor Manfred Jung has passed away at age 76. The tenor is perhaps best known for taking on the role of Siegfried in “Götterdämmerung” for Bayreuth’s centennial Ring cycle and also appeared at the 1975 Salzburg Easter Festival under the direction of Herbert Von Karajan. He was lauded for his work and even obtained a prize from Orpheus magazine. {…}
https://operawire.com/q-a-natasha-novitskaia-on-the-challenges-of-transitioning-from-soprano-to-mezzo/
Russian-born Natasha Novitskaia is a mezzo-soprano who has excelled in such roles such as Dalila, Santuzza, Amneris, Azucena, Lyubasha among others. From an early age, Novitskaia received early training in singing and classical piano and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance at the Marylhurst University and a Master’s degree in Russian Literature from St. Petersburg University. Although she began {…}