Leontyne Price is one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century. Born on Feb. 10, 1927 in Mississippi, she began piano lessons with a local teacher. She slowly built up some recognition in town for her musical skills, though she seemed destined for a teaching career early on. However, at the Wilberforce College, she was encouraged to study voice {…}
Martina Arroyo is one of the transcendent figures in opera history. Born on Feb. 2, 1936 in New York City, she would attend Hunter College where she obtained a B.A. in Romance Languages by the age of 19. She studied voice as a hobby at the time, though by the end of her studies it was clear that she needed {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2019-20 season which includes seven operas, including five new productions, one world premiere, and one company premiere. The season kicks off with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in a new production by Tomer Zvulun. The famed Italian work will feature Brian Mulligan in the title role and Mané Galoyan and Arturo Chacón-Cruz as Gilda and the {…}
This review is for the performance on Monday, January 14, 2019. This season’s revival of “Aida” is well underway after opening in September of 2018, boasting a compelling cast of artists such as Anita Rachvelishvili and Anna Netrebko. The second cast which reopened the opera’s run earlier this month has re-stoked the fires of excitement and offered audiences freshness to {…}
PBS will showcase the Live in HD broadcast of “Aida” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. The broadcast, the first to showcase a performance from the 2018-19 season, will kick off at 12 p.m. EDT and features Anna Netrebko in Verdi´s famed opera. The performance also featured Anita Rachvelishvili as {…}
Anita Rachvelshvili is set to star in Michael Mayer’s upcoming production of “Aida” at the Metropolitan Opera. The New York Times revealed in a new interview out this weekend that the mezzo soprano will star in the upcoming production set to for 2020. Rachvelshvili will once again join forces with Anna Netrebko, who is set for the title role. The {…}
As part of their ongoing mission of celebrating one of opera’s most beloved composers, the Festival Verdi has given a preview of its 2019 program. While more details will be announced in January, the four operas for the upcoming festival will be “I Due Foscari,” “Luisa Miller,” “Aida,” and “Nabucco.” The Festival Verdi is organized by the Teatro Regio di Parma, and general director Anna {…}
Lawrence Tibbett was one of the shining stars of the Metropolitan Opera in the pre-World War II era. The baritone, born on Nov. 16, 1896, would sing over 600 performances with the company between his debut on Nov. 24, 1923 and his final performance on March 24, 1950. Interestingly, he began his Met career as a bit role in “Boris {…}
Opera Naples has announced the cast for its upcoming production of Verdi’s “Aida.” The production will feature internationally renowned conductor Ramón Tebar, Stage Director Chuck Hudson, and an international cast that includes soprano Svetlana Aksenova in the title role, Marianne Cornetti as Amneris, and Gordon Hawkins as Amonasro. In a press statement, Tebar noted, “I’m so excited to present, for the first {…}
Opera Naples is set to introduce a new lecture series this year, highlighting works from its upcoming season. The company will open its “A Toast to Opera” series on Nov. 29, 2018, at the Wang Opera Center, taking a look at the company’s upcoming production of “Aida.” The presentation will be done in conjunction with Theatre Zone, which is set {…}
The Metropolitan Opera will be dedicating the Monday, Oct. 15, 2018 performance of Verdi’s “Aida” to the late soprano Montserrat Caballé. The soprano passed away on Oct. 6, 2018, at the age of 85. “Tonight’s performance of Verdi’s ‘Aida’ will be dedicated to late soprano Montserrat Caballé, who thrilled Met audiences in nearly 100 performances of 15 roles,” says the {…}