Iurii Samoilov, Ana María Martínez, Kristina Mkhitaryan, Nicole Car, Barbara Hannigan Lead new CD/DVD Releases

https://operawire.com/iurii-samoilov-ana-maria-martinez-kristina-mkhitaryan-nicole-car-barbara-hannigan-lead-new-cd-dvd-releases/

Welcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. This week audiences will get new opera recordings including one very famed contemporary Mexican work and two classic works. There are also some solo albums and choral works to look forward to. Eugene Onegin EuroArts releases a recording of the Teatro Real’s recent staging {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Cathedral Choral Society 2026 Review: Of Love & Spirit

https://operawire.com/cathedral-choral-society-2026-review-of-love-spirit/

(Photo: Cathedral Choral Society) For their final concert of the season, Cathedral Choral Society of Washington and their music director, Steven Fox, offered two concerts within a concert: “Of Love.” This refers to Johannes Brahms’ “Leibeslieder Waltzes,” and “Of Spirit,” including works of the spiritual tradition, belief, and promise of America, along with just fun in singing and in music. {…}

Season Announcement

Chatham Baroque Unveils 2026-27 Season

https://operawire.com/chatham-baroque-unveils-2026-27-season/

Chatham Baroque has announced its 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances on offer. Flute and pipe player Chris Norman and soprano Pascale Beaudin join Chatham Baroque in “Confluence: A Pittsburgh America 250 Concert,” a program of Baroque works and folk tunes from English, Irish, Scottish, and French sources exploring music from the era of the founding fathers. Performance Dates: {…}

News

Obituary: Former Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins Dies at 89

https://operawire.com/obituary-former-seattle-opera-general-director-speight-jenkins-dies-at-89/

Former Seattle Opera General Director, Speight Jenkins has passed away at the age of 89. Born on Jan. 31, 1937 in Dallas, Texas, Jenkins was taken to his first opera at the age of 7, and he fell immediately in love with the art form. He later went on to get his Bachelors at the University of Texas at Austin, {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb 2025–26 Review: Tannhäuser

https://operawire.com/the-croatian-national-theatre-in-zagreb-2025-26-review-tannhauser/

(Photo credit: Mara Bratoš / HNK Zagreb) According to a diary entry by Richard Wagner’s wife Cosima, in January 1883 – three weeks before his death – the composer thought he still owed his “Tannhäuser” to the world. To his mind, this “große romantische Oper,” first performed in Dresden in 1845, had never acquired a definitive form. The Croatian National {…}

News, Season Announcement

Philharmonie Luxembourg Announces 2026-27 Season Featuring Andrè Schuen, Magdalena Kožená, Christian Gerhaher, Julia Lezhneva, Franco Fagioli

https://operawire.com/philharmonie-luxembourg-announces-2026-27-season-featuring-andre-schuen-magdalena-kozena-christian-gerhaher-julia-lezhneva-franco-fagioli/

The Philharmonie Luxembourg has announced its 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances. The Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst perform works by Strauss with Golda Schultz as the soloist. Performance Sate: Oct. 5, 2026 Elionor Martínez and Josep Maria Martí Duran join forces for works by Caccini, Campmany, Dowland, Ferrabosco, Händel, Hidalgo, Monteverdi, Nicholson, Purcell, and Strozzi. Performance Sate: Oct. 27, {…}

News, Season Announcement

Jakub Józef Orliński, Malin Byström, Aigul Akhmetshina, Tomasz Konieczny, Monika Radecka, Evelyn Herlitzius, Ausrine Stundyte, Artur Ruciński Lead Polish National Opera’s 2026-27 Season

https://operawire.com/jakub-jozef-orlinski-malin-bystrom-aigul-akhmetshina-tomasz-konieczny-monika-radecka-evelyn-herlitzius-ausrine-stundyte-artur-rucinski-lead-polish-national-operas-2026-27-season/

The Polish National Opera has announced its 2026-27 season. New Productions Keri-Lynn Wilson conducts the world premiere of Maxim Kolomiiets’ “The Mothers of Kherson” in a production by Barbara Wysocka. The cast includes Izabela Matuła, Hanna Sosnowska-Bill, Weronika Wojtkowska, Elissa Pfaender, Małgorzata Walewska, Jadwiga Postrożna, Andrei Bondarenko, Katarzyna Wietrzny, Tomasz Rak, Ólafur Sigurdarson, Tadeusz Szlenkier, and Adrian Domarecki. Performance Dates: Oct. 16-27, 2026 Paweł Mykietyn’s {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Jordan Best & Lori Schulman on the Santa Cruz Opera Project

https://operawire.com/q-a-jordan-best-lori-schulman-on-the-santa-cruz-opera-project/

(Photos: courtesy of the artists) Chamber opera is growing in appeal. Not only with composers, such as Missy Mizzoli and Nico Muhly, but also with producers such as Pocket Opera and West Edge Opera looking for small and untraditional venues in which to present their work. Minimalist opera in small halls invariably attracts new, young, inquiring audiences and companies such {…}