The Arena di Verona has announced a cast change for the last two performances of “Aida.” The company noted that Liudmyla Monastyrska will no longer sing the title role and will be replaced by Maria José Siri on August 28 and by Monica Conesa on Sept. 4. Siri recently performed in the Arena di Verona’s Placido Domingo gala and in {…}
The Arena di Verona is offering audience members alternate performances following the cancelation of Bizet’s “Carmen” on August 11. The company noted that following inclement weather, it was forced to cancel in the middle of the performance. The company said that “all spectators with a 8/11 ticket can return this weekend on 13 August 2022 for “Turandot” or 14 August {…}
Jonas Kaufmann is set to sing Radamés in Arena di Verona’s controversial “Aida” production. The company said, “On an apparently ordinary day, here we are with some exciting news: Jonas Kaufmann will play Radamès at the Arena di Verona on August 28, 2022! After the success of the 2021’s gala (which ended with seven encores: does any of you remember?) {…}
The Arena di Verona is offering tickets for ticketholders who attended the canceled performance of “Nabucco” on July 29. The company said that “since only a few minutes of the performance were performed, all spectators with a 7/29 ticket can return for a show at the Arena di Verona Opera Festival 2022 or 2023 requesting a ticket at the symbolic {…}
The Arena di Verona has announced a replacement for Angel Blue in “La Traviata” on July 30, 2022. The company noted that Nina Minasyan will sing the role of Violetta. Blue canceled the production earlier this month because the Arena di Verona decided to use Blackface in a production of “Aida.” Blue called the practice “offensive, humiliating, and outright racist.” {…}
Zuzana Marková is set to replace Angel Blue at the Arena di Verona in a production of “La Traviata.” The Czech soprano took to Instagram to announce her performance on July 22. She said, “Guess where am I? Becoming Violetta tomorrow night!” She posted the photo with the hashtags #latraviata, #violetta, #unexpected, and #vivaverdi. The Arena di Verona did not make {…}
The Arena di Verona is set to present three performances on Italy’s Rai 3. The company announced that it will present “Carmen,” “La Traviata,” and “Nabucco” on TV and later on Rai Cultura, the streaming platform. The first opera will be “Carmen” on July 21 with Clémentine Margaine in the title role, Gilda Fiume as Micaela, Brian Jadge as Don {…}
Following Angel Blue’s high-profile cancelation at the Arena di Verona via social media, the soprano’s Instagram and Facebook pages have disappeared. Blue had posted a Faithful Friday post on July 15 following her July 14 post where she announced she would cancel her “La Traviata” due to the Arena di Verona’s use of blackface. The soprano said, “Dear Friends, Family, {…}
The Arena di Verona has released a statement regarding Angel Blue’s decision to cancel her performances of “La Traviata” due to the blackface controversy. The company said, “Fondazione Arena di Verona’s principal aim has always been to create peace through the spread and development of music and art. Culture creates bridges.” The company added, “the current production of ‘Aida’ was {…}
Following controversy over the use of Blackface at the Arena di Verona, OperaWire reached out to Arena di Verona for comment on the situation and why it continued to use the maligned practice. In response, a spokesperson for the company told OperaWire, “The point is that as long as we do a historical Aida in the Arena, it is very {…}
(Disclosure: Out of respect for the sensitivity of our audience we will only link to images of blackface instead of showing them here) Following a performance of “Aida” at the Arena di Verona on July 8, several opera singers are calling out Anna Netrebko for the use of blackface. Jamie Barton took to Twitter and said, “It’s been a long {…}