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 {…}
The summer opera season is starting to wind down and, as you might expect, that means there aren’t a whole lot of offerings for those wanting opera on their weekend. The big fish still in the ocean is Sante Fe Opera’s “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” which gets its final performance of its first-ever run on Friday night. Santa Fe Opera {…}
This Thursday, August 24, 2017, Manhattan’s opera fanatics and “opera curious” are set to dine in the historic, renovated, 6-floor townhouse in New York City’s Upper West Side. This fundraising event for Berkshire Opera Festival, whose opening of “Ariadne auf Naxos” is this Saturday, is designed as a “culinary crash course” in Italian opera. Basil and Roses kitchen has conjured {…}
Is it still reasonable to establish an opera festival in the midst of the summer in the U.S.? It’s not a simple question to answer but for opera lovers and audiences thirsting for the art form during the hot and humid days of July and August, Jonathon Loy, General Director of the Berkshire Opera, has the answer. In just its second {…}
The Berkshire Opera Festival is hosting a dollar for dollar fundraising campaign. According to a press statement, BOF board member Barbara McCullough made a match gift challenge of $100,000 with a deadline of July 31, 2017. As a result, the company is launching a campaign where every dollar donated will be matched and hopes to raise the total of $100,000. {…}
Now that that most of the major opera companies in the U.S are about to finish their 2016-17 season, most opera lovers will be left searching for what to see. While most festivals take place in Europe, many companies and festivals will be active introducing new works, bringing old classics and discovering new talent. The following is a list of {…}