Aigul Akhmetshina has been forced to cancel her first performance of “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” at the Opéra de Paris on June 28, 2025. The mezzo took to social media and said, “Dear friends, I’m really sad to announce that I won’t be able to sing the first night of ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ at the Opera Bastille this Saturday {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced its annual Summer HD Festival, which will return to Lincoln Center Plaza. The festival will run between August 22 and September 1. THE 2025 MET SUMMER HD FESTIVAL SCHEDULE The festival opens with “Maestro” starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. The Academy Award–nominated biopic tells the story of the legendary American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein {…}
The Opus Klassik Awards have announced the 2025 winners. The Singer of the Year Awards went to Benjamin Bernheim for “Douce France” and Emily D’Angelo for “Freezing.” Joana Mallwitz was awarded the conductor of the year award for The Kurt Weill Album, while Aigul Akhmetshina won Young Artist of the Year for her album Aigul. Pene Pati’s “Nessun Dorma” and {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera) For the second time this season, the Metropolitan Opera is reviving “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” Unlike the first cast, which was showcasing several established Met Opera veterans, this second cast featured rising stars. In many ways, this second revival exemplified the Met’s future and artists who will most likely become established faces on the {…}
On June 3, 2025, Carnegie Hall will present “The Stage of Legends: A Gala Evening at Carnegie Hall.” The event kicks off at 6 p.m. local time and features dinner on the famed Stern Auditorium / Perelman stage as well as a musical interlude starring mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and pianist Jonathan Lakeland. Akhmetshina is set to appear at the Met {…}
The Tiroler Festspiele Erl has announced its 2025-26 season. Autumn Season Holger Falk will perform alongside Herbert Schuch, Vivi Vassileva, and Musicbanda Franui. Performance Date: Oct. 2, 2025 Julian Prégardien, Herbert Schuch, and Musicbanda Franui will perform in concert. Performance Date: Oct. 3, 2025 Winter Season Johann Sebastian Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium will be performed by Elisabeth Breuer, Ulrike Malotta, Gideon Poppe, {…}
(Photo: Beata Nykiel) Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina is universally hailed as one of the most exciting opera singers in a generation. Called “The New Netrebko” by renowned critic David Mellor, she is the “Carmen du Jour” and is in demand by opera houses around the world. She sings with a rare, coloratura mezzo voice. A luminary of the Jette Parker {…}
Arte.tv is set to present Donizetti’s “Maria Stuarda” from the Teatro Real. The production, which was filmed on Dec. 20, 2024, will be streamed on May 5, 2025. The production by Sir David McVicar stars Lisette Oropesa in the title role alongside Aigul Akhmetshina as Elisabetta. The cast also includes Ismael Jordi as the Earl of Leicester, Roberto Tagliavini as {…}
(Credit: Mark Brenner) For the second time in only a few months, I find myself reviewing a production I have seen before where I was initially very critical of what I perceived to be a weak production, creatively, but inexplicably having a change of heart the second time around. So as not to face accusations of hypocrisy or worse, senility; {…}
The Staatsoper Berlin has unveiled its 2025-26 season. Premieres Bertrand de Billy conducts Lydia Steier’s new production of Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” The cast includes Pene Pati, Nina Minasyan, Julia Kleiter, Clara Nadeshdin, Roberto Tagliavini, and Ema Nikolovska. A second cast will include Benjamin Bernheim, Regina Koncz, Siobhan Stagg, Clara Nadeshdin, Alex Esposito, and Samantha Hankey. Pierre Dumoussaud conducts. Performance {…}
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera Productions Jakob Lehmann conducts Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” in a production by Silvia Costa. Benjamin Bernheim, Viktoria Karkacheva, Christian Van Horn, and Thomas Dolié star. Performance Dates: Nov. 3-15, 2025 Offenbach’s “Robinson Crusoé” will be conducted by Marc Minkowski and directed by Laurent Pelly. Lawrence Brownlee, Julie Fuchs, Laurent {…}