Jonas Kaufmann, Sonya Yoncheva, Diana Damrau, Rolando Villazon, Asmik Grigorian, Ludovic Tézier, Jonathan Tetelman, Serena Sáenz & Sondra Radvanovsky Lead Bayerische Staatsoper’s 2025-26 Season

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2025-26 season. Premieres Maurizio Benini conducts Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in a new production by Barbara Wysocka. Bekhzod Davronov, Igor Golovatenko, Ludovic Tézier, Serena Sáenz, Nadine Sierra, Riccardo Fassi, and Elmina Hasan star. Performance Dates: March 7-24, 2026 & July 28 & 31, 2026 Lotte de Beer directs a new production of Gounod’s “Faust” with Jonathan {…}

Mar 12, 2025

Asmik Grigorian, Sonya Yoncheva, Judit Kutasi, Maximilian Schmitt, & Soloman Howard Star in George Enescu International Festival 2025

(Photo credits: Vedinaș, Behrmann, & Adjahoe) The George Enescu International Festival 2025 announces its star-studded lineup. This article only features vocal works. The opening concert features the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. Iosef Ion Prunner and Cristian Măcelaru conduct. Performance Date: August 24, 2025 Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen performs with the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra under the direction of Keri-lynn Wilson. {…}

Dec 4, 2024

Benjamin Bernheim, Julie Fuchs, Pretty Yende, Nadine Sierra Among Headliners of Notre-Dame Reopening Concert

(Photo by Manon Leprevost) On Dec. 7, a concert will be held to commemorate the reopening of Notre Dame. The showcase commences at 9 p.m. local time and will feature numerous classical music stars, including several opera superstars. Among them are Pretty Yende, Nadine Sierra, Benjamin Bernheim, and Julie Fuchs, all regulars of the Opéra National de Paris. Also on {…}

Oct 2, 2024

Lisette Oropesa & Benjamin Bernheim Win Top Prizes at Opera Awards

The Opera Awards which took place at the Bayerische Staatsoper on Oct. 2 has announced its 2024 winners. The top prize of Opera Company went to the Komische Oper Berlin while Simone Young took home the coveted Conductor of the Year award. Lisette Oropesa won the Female Singer of the Year while Benjamin Bernheim was awarded the Male Singer of {…}

Sep 26, 2024

Benjamin Bernheim & Christian Van Horn Lead HD Performance of Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Les Contes d’Hoffmann’

(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-25 live in HD series is set to open with Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” The opera will be shown in HD on Oct. 5 with Benjamin Bernheim taking on the lead role. The HD will mark his second following his acclaimed run of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.” He will be joined by {…}

Sep 25, 2024

Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: Les Contes d’Hoffmann

(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) (This review was written in collaboration with Francisco Salazar) After a hyped but underwhelming opening night, the Met Opera’s second at-bat in the 2024-25 was the revival of a French classic that it hadn’t showcased since 2017. “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” is an incredible opera, rich in imagination, both in its musical and dramatic qualities. {…}

Sep 16, 2024

Top 5 Operas to See This Season at the Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera season is only one week away and with a new season comes anticipated new productions and revivals and will showcase some of the world’s best singers. So without further ado here are OperaWire’s most anticipated productions of the 2024-25 season. Ainadamar As listed in the 10 operas to see this fall, the Osvaldo Golijov is one of {…}

Sep 6, 2024

Benjamin Bernheim, Kaija Saariaho & Emily D’Angelo Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences cannot miss the new album by one of the world’s most renowned tenors and the world premiere of two contemporary operas composed by acclaimed female composers. Akathist Bright Shiny Things releases “Akathist,” a large-scale oratorio by composer Benedict Sheehan. Featuring {…}

Aug 24, 2024

Salzburg Festival 2024 Review: Les Contes d’Hoffmann

It is blatantly evident that there is a connection between the advent of cinema and the decline of Opera. Once the main form of entertainment, the operatic stage lost its prominence to the silver screen. There is something that opera used to give that cinema somehow gave, too—the question is what? Last year, the Salzburg Festival attempted to bridge the {…}

Aug 12, 2024

Benjamin Bernheim Performs at Closing of Paris Olympics

Benjamin Bernheim performed at the closing night of the Olympics on August 11, 2024. The French tenor Benjamin Bernheim, who is one of the world’s rising stars performed a new version of Gabriel Fauré’s “Hymne à Apollon.” The tenor performed alongside Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche on a suspended piano. According to Classic FM, Fauré’s composition was based on {…}

Jul 30, 2024

Paris Opera Play Announces Fall Slate

Paris Opera Play has announced streaming performances for September to November. For this article, here are the operatic productions that will be streamed. The first stream will be Bellini’s “I Capuleti e I Montecchi” from a September 2022 performance conducted by Speranza Scapucci. Robert Caresen productions stars Julie Fuchs and Anna Goryachova. The company will also stream Donizetti’s “La Fille du {…}