Jonas Kaufmann Cancels Final Concert At The Barbican In London

https://operawire.com/jonas-kaufmann-cancels-final-concert-at-the-barbican-in-london/

Jonas Kaufmann has cancelled his final performance at the Barbican. The tenor sent out a message on Facebook that stated, “Dear Friends, Jonas deeply regrets that because he has bronchitis his concert at the Barbican is cancelled. In due course they hope to reschedule this concert to a future date. Thomas Voigt.” The concert was to have included Strauss’ “Vier letzte {…}

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Social Media Beat: How Did Opera Stars Say Goodbye to 2016?

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This week many singers ended the year singing their last performances or in the rehearsal room while others went back home to take a break from the stage. After spending Christmas in Vienna with her family, the soprano returned to the stage for her final performance of the year. Netrebko performed Macbeth at the Bayerische Staatsoper where she announced that {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q&A: Sascha Goetzel on Creating Opera by the Fjord

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(Photo credit: Ozge Balkan) During the week-long program Opera by the Fjord in Bergen, Norway, co-creator and conductor Sascha Goetzel spoke with OperaWire about this unique young artist program. Not only does Opera by the Fjord take young opera singers, it brings together budding orchestra musicians, conductors, and répétiteurs. This year, the program featured performances of Mozart’s “Le nozze di {…}

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The Many Kinds of Labour in Operatic Past and Present

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(Photo Credit: WDR/Teatro Real/Javier del Real) From the earliest days of opera to the cutting edge of today, work was and remains at the heart of opera plots no matter how inventive they are. One of the earliest operas, essentially the one which spearheaded the start of opera itself, Jacopo Peri’s ‘Dafne‘ (1598), features the theme of labour as Apollo’s {…}

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Obituary: Legendary Contralto Ortrun Wenkel Passes at 83

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On Dec. 21, 2025, contralto Ortrun Wenkel died at the age of 83 after a short illness. Wenkel was born in Buttstädt, Thuringia on Oct. 25, 1942 and studied at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar. After immigrating from East Germany to West Germany, she continued at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. The contralto began her {…}

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Obituary: Austrian Soprano Monika Riedler Passes Away

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Austrian Soprano Monika Riedler has died. Riedler studied voice at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and attended Master classes with Marianne Schech, James King, Helmut Rilling and Sergiu Celibidache. The soprano went on to build a great reputation performing in Europe, the USA and Canada and went on to be known for opera and operetta. She {…}

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Diana Damrau Cancels Johann Strauss Concerts Due to Family Bereavement

https://operawire.com/diana-damrau-cancels-johann-strauss-concerts-due-to-family-bereavement/

(Credit: Jiyang Chen) Diana Damrau has canceled her Johann Strauss concerts “Wiener G’schichten” on May 4 and 7, 2025 due to a family bereavement. The soprano took to social media, “It is with deep regret that I must inform you that, due to a bereavement in the closest circle of my family, I have to cancel the Johann Strauss concerts {…}

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Malin Byström, Natalya Romaniw, Elena Stikhina, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Jakub Józef Orliński, Federica Lombardi & Joshua Guerrero Lead Dutch National Opera’s 2025-26 Season

https://operawire.com/malin-bystrom-natalya-romaniw-elena-stikhina-vasilisa-berzhanskaya-jakub-jozef-orlinski-federica-lombardi-joshua-guerrero-lead-dutch-national-operas-2025-26-season/

The Dutch National Opera has announce dits 2025-26 season. Elena Stikhina and Natalya Romaniw star in Puccini’s “Tosca” with Joshua Guerrero and Gevorg Hakobyan. Nathalie Stutzmann conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 3-25, 2025 “Operetta Land” will be performed featuring music by Johann Strauss II, Jacques Offenbach, and Arthur Sullivan. Steef de Jong, Raoul Stefani, Marc Pantus, Laetitia Gerards, Elenora Hu, Frederik {…}

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Obituary: Renowned Opera Director Otto Schenk Passes at 94

https://operawire.com/obituary-renowned-opera-director-otto-schenk-passes-at-94/

Renowned director Otto Schenk has passed away. He was 94. Born in Vienna, Schenk studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar and then commenced his career at the Theater in der Josefstadt and Wiener Volkstheater. He shifted into directing in 1953, his first projects taking place at the Burgtheater, Munich Kammerspiele, and Salzburg Festival. In 1957, he directed “The Magic {…}

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Jonas Kaufmann Cancels Final Concert At The Barbican In London

Social Media Beat: How Did Opera Stars Say Goodbye to 2016?

Q&A: Sascha Goetzel on Creating Opera by the Fjord

The Many Kinds of Labour in Operatic Past and Present

Obituary: Legendary Contralto Ortrun Wenkel Passes at 83

Obituary: Austrian Soprano Monika Riedler Passes Away

Diana Damrau Cancels Johann Strauss Concerts Due to Family Bereavement

Malin Byström, Natalya Romaniw, Elena Stikhina, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Jakub Józef Orliński, Federica Lombardi & Joshua Guerrero Lead Dutch National Opera’s 2025-26 Season

Obituary: Renowned Opera Director Otto Schenk Passes at 94