(Credit: Arena di Verona) Oddly enough, the Arena di Verona was offering two different productions of “Aida” this summer: Franco Zeffirelli’s and Stefano Poda’s. Judging from Poda’s staging of “Nabucco” the previous evening, I was glad to have found myself at Zeffirelli’s classic production, which I had first seen in 2018. True, Zeffirelli had positively buried Verdi’s opera beneath gold. Yet, {…}
On Sept. 4 and 10, 2026, Maria José Siri will sing her 200th performance of the title role of “Aida.” The soprano will perform the role at the Arena di Verona, where she has sung for several years. Siri’s journey with “Aida” began in 2003 in Argentina, at the Teatro El Círculo in Rosario and later went on to perform {…}
Those accustomed to the grandeur of larger houses like the Metropolitan Opera might approach a performance at the Virginia Opera with moderated expectations, but the company proves such caution unnecessary. While the scale may be smaller and simpler, Virginia Opera consistently delivers excellent vocal talents and imaginative stagings that make the most of their admittedly limited budget. This season’s {…}
On March 15 and 17, the Latvian National Opera is set to host a star studded production of “Aida.” The production will star two of Latvia’s brightest opera stars, Marina Rebeka and Elīna Garanča as Aida and Amneris. They will be joined by baritone Ludovic Tézier as Amonasro in his first appearance in Latvia and tenor Irakli Kakhidze was Radames. {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Collans for Opera Idaho) Opera Southwest is set to present Verdi’s “Aida” in a new production followinng a 10-year absence. Michelle Johnson will sing the title role alongside Olivia Vote as Amneris, Matt Hanscom as Amonasro, and tenor Dane Suarez as Radames. Stefano Sarzani will conduct the production which will be directed by Octavio Cardenas. Forty-five minutes before {…}
The Adelaide Oval has confirmed that Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Verdi’s “Aida” will be performed during the 2027 Adelaide Festival. The opera, which will be brought the Arena di Verona, will be presented on Feb. 26 and 27, 2027. The production was originally set to be presented in February 2026 but was postponed due to global shipping challenges impacting the transport of {…}
The Fondazione Arena di Verona has postponed its upcoming “Aida” in Adelaide, Verona, which was being produced by TEG Live. Limelight is reporting that the production, which was scheduled for Feb. 5 and 6, was postponed “due to unforeseen challenges related to the international transport of artistic assets”, which have upended plans to ship the production’s vast inventory of sets, {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced a cast change for its final two performances of “Aida.” The company said, “Ewa Plonka will not be performing in the last two performances of ‘Aida.’” As a result, “the role of Aida will be played by Aleksandra Kurzak for the performances on Nov. 1 and 4, 2025.” Kurzak recently made her role debut {…}
(Credit: Bernd Uhlig) “Aida,” as we know, was supposed to be Giuseppe Verdi’s last opera. At least, he thought so. Along with his powerful “Requiem,” and all its operatic overtones, his very final work to come, the moving and gentle “Quattro Pezzi Sacri” – “Aida” was supposedly the prolific master’s operatic swan song. But, well, that is certainly not what {…}
(Image provided by Cape Town Opera) Cape Town Opera (CTO) has made history by releasing a filmed performance of Verdi’s “Aida” at Ster-Kinekor movie theaters nationwide. Released on Sept. 27, 2025, this is the first time a South African-produced opera has been released on the silver screen. The production was directed by Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar and reimagined Verdi’s epic {…}
The Adelaide Oval is set to present Verdi’s “Aida” in Franco Zeffirelli’s monumental Arena di Verona production. The production will be shown on Feb. 5 and 6 with two casts. The first night will see super star tenor Jonas Kaufmann and superstar mezzo Elīna Garanča alongside two time grammy winner Angel Blue in the title role. Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Morris Robinson {…}
