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 {…}
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 {…}