(Credit: Cassandra Kay) Tamara Wilson will become the first soprano in 106 years to perform at “Aida” in the Arena di Verona without blackface. The soprano took to Instagram stating that her first performance on July 21 was the first time she had been put in costume and that she had been painted in the traditional makeup that has been {…}
(Credit: Chris Singer) Anna Pirozzi has canceled her participation in “Aida” at the Gran Teatre del Liceu during the 2019-20 season. The soprano, who has been performing the role at the Arena di Verona, has noted that she will be retiring the role after the summer 2019 performances. Instead, Jennifer Rowley will be taking over the production as the titular {…}
The Vienna State Opera’s final live stream of the season will be a production of Verdi’s “Aida” on June 29, 2019. The epic opera will star Ekaterina Gubanova, Elena Guseva, Gregory Kunde, and Simone Piazzola. Marco Armiliato will conduct the production by Nicolas Joel. The stream kicks off at 7 p.m. local time and is slated to run until around {…}
Opera Australia and Opera Queensland have announced that they will co-present Davide Livermore’s critically acclaimed digital production of Verdi’s “Aida” alongside the Ring Cycle in 2020 at Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The celebrated production conveys the scale, depth, and magnificence demanded by this monumental opera using the same integrated digital technologies as the upcoming Ring Cycle. Opera Australia’s Artistic Director {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2019 Summer Encores series which will feature four total operas over the years. First up will be “Roméo et Juliette” which features Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo in the title roles. This was transmitted live on Jan. 21, 2017, but this summer will appear in the U.S. on June 19, 2019 and in Canada {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features “Breathe,” directed by {…}
Dolora Zajick is one of the famed Verdi mezzos of the late 20th and early 21st century. Born on March 24, 1952, Oregon, she actually started off as a pre-med student at the University of Nevada before switching over to voice. She wound up graduating from the University of Nevada with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s music. From there, she {…}
On March 7, 2019, the Metropolitan Opera was celebrating a historical evening. It was the final performance of Sonja Frisell’s legendary production of “Aida,” which has been around for 31 years. Yet for all the publicity that attracted a rapturous audience, the historical evening was business as usual and an anticlimax. The performance featured no tribute or any type of {…}
The Arena di Verona has announced its casting for its star-studded 97th annual festival. La Traviata Four sopranos will share the leading role of Violetta Valéry, including Aleksandra Kurzak, Irina Lungu, Lisette Oropesa, and Lana Kos, while four tenors will share the role of Alfredo Germont, including Pavel Petrov, Vittorio Grigolo, Raffaele Abete, and Stephen Costello. Leo Nucci, Simone Piazzola, {…}
Virginia Opera has announced its 45th-anniversary season, which will include four main stage productions spanning three centuries of operatic works. Artistic Director Adam Turner will preside over the musical direction for all four productions of the 2019-20 season. The season will start off with Lillian Groag’s production of Puccini’s “Tosca,” part of VO’s ongoing series, “The Puccini Cycle.” The production {…}
There has been a major cast upheaval for the Opéra Royal de Wallonie. Per the original season announcement, the production was set to feature Serena Farnocchia, Nino Surguladze, Marianne Cornetti, Lionel Lhote, and Gianluca Terranova with Speranza Scappucci in the podium. Lhote, Surguladze, Cornetti, and Scappucci remain scheduled, but there has been a plethora of changes across the board. The title role {…}