The Berkshire Opera Festival has canceled its summer 2020 production of “Don Giovanni.” The company announced that the decision was a necessary one due to the continued concerns over COVID-19 around the country. “Throughout the past few months, we have worked tirelessly to develop a number of alternative possibilities for safely producing ‘Don Giovanni,’ given that we did not know {…}
In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Berkshire Opera Festival has announced it is reimagining the original programming for its upcoming 2020 season. In a statement, the festival expressed its desire to create meaningful programming while keeping in accordance with the regulations currently set for by the State of Massachusetts. To this end, the festival has announced the cancellation of {…}
The Berkshire Opera Festival has announced that it will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a special gala scheduled for August 13, 2020 at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA. The event will feature music from major operas such as “The Marriage of Figaro, Die Fledermaus, and La Bohème.” Moreover, audiences will get a preview of the company’s {…}
The Berkshire Opera Festival has announced its 2020 season. The festival is set to present a new production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” directed by co-founder Jonathan Loy and conducted by artistic director Brian Garman. The production will include scenic designs by Stephen Dobay, costumes by Charles Caine, and lighting Alex Jainchill. The cast will be headed by André Courville in {…}
(Credit: Claudia d’Alessandro) The Board of Directors of Berkshire Opera Festival has announced the appointment of Abigail Rollins as Executive Director. Rollins will take the helm of the organization on Sept. 3, 2019 after the close of the Berkshire Opera Festival’s fourth season production of “Don Pasquale.” She will replace Interim Executive Director Claudia d’Alessandro, whose term has ended. In the new position Rollins {…}
As the summer winds down, opera companies start to regroup in anticipation of the 2019-20 season. While the Seattle Opera’s first production is well underway, only a few other companies are offering unique experiences for the summer season. Here are our top picks for this weekend. Berkshire Opera Festival – Don Pasquale On Saturday, the Berkshire Opera Festival will showcase {…}
I had never gone to the Berkshire Opera Festival. It had a strong reputation, built over a few seasons. And so, on my first visit to see its “Rigoletto,” I expected to enjoy it. Classics like “Rigoletto” — even when not every element is perfect, still, somehow are able to work. And what happened instead is that I was blown {…}
Over the past few years, the Berkshire Opera Festival has seen tremendous expansion at the hands of Artistic Director Brian Garman and General Director Jonathon Loy. “The festival has grown in several different ways even though we continue to produce one MainStage show,” Loy told OperaWire in a recent interview. “The growth is both internal and in the community. I {…}
The Berkshire Opera Festival has announced a new production of “Rigoletto.” The festival will present “Rigoletto” for its third season, with performances on August 25, 28, and 31 at the historic Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. The production will be directed by General Director Jonathan Loy and conducted by Artistic Director Brian Garman. It comes after the success of the company’s “Madama {…}
The Berkshire Opera Festival has announced its 2018 festival. After a successful second season, the company is kicking off with Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The new production will star Sebastian Catana in the title role, Maria Valdes in the role of Gilda and Jonathan Tetelman as the Duke. Joseph Barron is Sparafucile and Maya Lahyani is Maddalena. Jonathon Loy will once again direct with {…}
This is going to be rather brief considering that there aren’t really many opera offerings for Labor Day weekend in the US. As most companies gear up for the start of the fall season, the only one putting on a show is the Berkshire Opera Festival, which closes out its run of “Ariadne auf Naxos.” OperaWire recently talked to director {…}