The Boston Lyric Opera has announced a casting update for its upcoming production of “Champion.” The company noted that American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe will join the cast while theater director Timothy Douglas will helm the work. Blythe will make her role debut as the welcoming and supportive bar owner Kathy Hagen in “Champion.” She is renowned opera singer and recitalist {…}
The Boston Lyric Opera has moved two upcoming live events in its “The Butterfly Process” project to online. The company noted that due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, it would no longer hold the evening live. “The Butterfly Process” is BLO’s ongoing exploration of how operas from the traditional canon such as “Madama Butterfly,” which portray Asian characters as stereotypes {…}
(Credit: Olivia Moon Photography-halfasianlens) The Opera Philadelphia has announced the upcoming online premiere of Ana Sokolović’s cinematic opera “Svadba.” The work will premiere on Jan. 28, 2022, on both Boston Lyric Opera’s operabox.tv and the Opera Philadelphia Channel. The film is a co-production by Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Philadelphia, and stars Chabrelle D. Williams singing the role of Milica {…}
Boston Lyric Opera has announced the public phase of “The Butterfly Process,” its comprehensive exploration of how historic operas like Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” can be presented more thoughtfully and inclusively in contemporary times. After having shelved the work, the company noted that the new project will bring together the cast of its planned 2021 production along with other artists, company {…}
Boston Lyric Opera opens its new season on Oct. 1 with Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana.” The company will showcase the production at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston’s Seaport District in order to ensure the safest possible performances for audience members, artists, staff, and backstage workers. The Pavilion’s open-air structure allows BLO to produce large-scale live performances, with a full live {…}
The Boston Lyric Opera has announced that it will move its 2021-22 Season opening performances of “Cavalleria Rusticana” to the Leader Bank Pavilion, a large, open-air venue in Boston’s Seaport District. The new venue will allow for a full, live-orchestra and chorus. As a result, the performances originally scheduled for Oct. 8 and 10, will now be performed on Oct. 1 {…}
Boston Lyric Opera will team up with Castle of Our Skins for a special performance of “Misodzi Yamarimba” on August 28, 2021. The showcase, which will be part of the company’s Street Stage mobile performance vehicle at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, features an original musical narrative by Zimbabwean composer Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa-Nzou Mambano, who will perform alongside Earlier in 2021, {…}
The Boston Lyric Opera has postponed plans for its new production of “Madama Butterfly.” The company announced that “after internal reflection, and discussions with company leadership and the original creative team, BLO has changed previously announced plans to mount a new production of Puccini’s ‘Madama Butterfly.’” Acting General & Artistic Director Bradley Vernatter said that the change is an affirmation {…}
Operabox.tv and the Boston Lyric Opera have unveiled a new teaser trailer for its upcoming eight-part opera series “Desert in.” The two-minute trailer presents a wide range of images featuring the series’ many stars, including Isabel Leonard, Talise Trevigne, Raviv Ullman, Anthony Michael Lopez, and Justin Vivian Bond. The work follows the story of a married female couple (played by Leonard and Trevigne) who {…}
Boston Lyric Opera’s “Street Stage” is set to return for outdoor performances through spring and into summer. Following a successful run last fall, the series showcases BLO artists on a mobile stage 26 feet long and 8.5 feet wide. The vehicle opens to provide a 270-degree view of the performers and was painted by student artists from Artists for Humanity, {…}
Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Public Library are set to present two new lectures in the “Opera Night at the BPL” series. The two lectures will spotlight connections between the historically Euro-centric artform and Black culture. On April 8, scholar and author Dr. Naomi André will present “Blackness and Identity in Opera,” which explores how themes of race and gender {…}