(Photo: The Royal Opera ©2026 Marc Brenner) The titular character arrives on stage chased by an unruly mob, carrying a convincingly designed and crafted dying swan—the spoils of his hunt. His pursuers are clearly bent on seeking retribution, yet under questioning, he appears to know very little of anything: neither his origins, the world around him, his past, nor even {…}
The Grange Festival has announced the appointment of Brindley Sherratt as its new Artistic Director. He will succeed Michael Chance, who led the company since its formation in 2016 and retired at the end of the 2026 Festival. Sherratt is one of the world’s most respected singers and theatre practitioners and is revered for his interpretations of Mozart’s Sarastro in {…}
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has announced its 2027 season. Opera Kristina Mkhitarian star in Verdi’s “La Traviata” with Anthony Ciaramitaro, Luca Salsi, and Min Kim. Performance Dates: Jan. 15-22, 2027 Baldassarre Galuppi’s “Il mondo alla roversa o sia le donne che comandano” will star finalists of the International Pietro Antonio Cesti Baroque Singing Competition in Innsbruck. Chiara Cattani conducts the {…}
The Edinburgh International Festival has announced its 2026 season. Here are the vocal performances. Opera Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s “The Galloping Cure” will make its world premiere with Stuart Stratford conducting the Scottish Opera and Tom Morris directing. Performance Dates: August 9-12, 2026 Konstantin Krimmel lead Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with Brindley Sherratt, Louise Alder, Giovanni Sala, Janai Brugger, Michael Sumuel, William Thomas, and Hera {…}
Barcelona’s venerable Teatro Liceu hasn’t experienced this level of anticipation in a decade. It may be surprising that Wagner would stimulate such activity in a Mediterranean city, but the city of Gaudí is the most Wagnerian of Spanish locales and it’s long had a connection to the composer’s works. But that aside, the likely reason for the excessive buzz was {…}
(Photo credits: Hole, Karpati&Zarewicz, Light) The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) announced the winners of the awards for the 2026 edition. This article only features winners in vocal categories. Conductor and music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Jakub Hrůša, was named the artist of the year. Composer of the year was given to Péter {…}
(Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025–26 Live in HD season is set to present Strauss’s “Arabella” on Nov. 22. The opera will star soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Arabella, opposite bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as Mandryka. Soprano Louise Alder sings the role of Zdenka while soprano Julie Roset takes on the role of Fiakermilli. The cast also includes {…}
The Norwegian Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera Puccini’s “Tosca” will be revived. Performance Dates: August 23-Sept. 4, 2025 Sara Jakubiak headlines Dvořák’s “Rusalka” alongside Dmytro Popov, Birgitte Christensen, Jerzy Butryn, Jennifer Johnston, and Magnus Ingemund Kjelstad. Edward Gardner conducts the production by Tatjana Gürbaca. Performance Dates: August 24-Oct. 9, 2025 Sir Wayne McGregor’s “Jocasta’s Line” will be performed. Performance {…}
The Tiroler Festspiel Erl Easter “Parsifal” was not, as some might have thought, Jonas Kaufmann’s “swan song,” either as Artistic Director or as Parsifal. Instead, the new production directed by Philipp M. Krenn, was replete with new directions, foci, trials and errors. A single lane swimming pool; a series of videos built around the landscape that housed the theater; a {…}
The Wiener Staatsoper has announced a slate of Livestreams for October through December. The first stream of the season will be “Fin de Partie” by György Kurtág. Simone Young conducts the cast which includes Georg Nigl, Charles Workman, Hilary Summers, and Philippe Sly. Livestream Date: Oct. 19, 2024 The second stream of the season will be Britten’s “Billy Budd” starring {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will experience numerous debut albums, a few complete operas, and some special choral works. Here is a look at the new releases. Orfeo ed Euridice Erato releases Jakub Józef Orliński’s interpretation of Gluck’s masterpiece. Recorded in Orliński’s native city, Warsaw, {…}