*** Written in collaboration with Francisco Salazar.*** The New York Opera Festival has announced its 2021 lineup, which will take place virtually in light of continued concerns over COVID-19. The New York Opera Fest will present a Kick-Off Event and NYOA Service Awards. The virtual event will feature both live and pre-recorded performances from New York City’s opera companies. In {…}
Saturday, May 4, 2019, saw the third performance of Bronx Opera’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado.” This cherished comedy featured a current-year setting, taking the fictitious city of Titipu and draping it in all the trappings and references of the Trump Administration. While initially uncertain as to how well the work’s themes, text, and music would translate to {…}
Arguably the biggest New York City opera event of the summer is the New York Opera Festival, which will be entering its fourth iteration this summer. The beauty of the festival is that it features a plethora of major companies coming together to express themselves through opera. This has not changed in 2019, which features performances throughout May and June. {…}
As we enter the second weekend of January the opera schedule starts to get busier around North America, especially with the Prototype Festival in full swing. Many of those works were in last week’s recommendations and they still stand. But there are other major productions worth considering for your opera enjoyment this weekend (in alphabetical order by company). Stinney – {…}
The New York Opera Fest will feature a launch party on May 1, led by the New York Opera Alliance. Every year, the event features a special guest who is honored. This year’s honoree will be music critic, Anne Midgette, “for her support and championship of independent opera companies and the art form as a whole.” “I’m very honored to {…}
The New York Opera Fest has been announced and it will feature a ton of new productions and performances to behold. The showcase kicks off on May 1, 2018, with an opening night launch at Opera America and runs all the way until June 26. So here is a breakdown of what’s in store for audiences. As has been the {…}
The Bronx Opera has announced its 51st season. The company revealed that in 2018 it will perform Mozart’s beloved comic gem, “The Abduction from the Seraglio” on Jan. 12, 13, 14 and 15 as well as Carl Maria von Weber’s “Der Freischütz,” on May 5, 6, 12 and 13. It will be BxO’s fifth presentation of “The Abduction from the Seraglio” and {…}
Opera season remains in full swing across North America as summer fast approaches. With so many companies in business this weekend, we have opted for a slight shift in structure. Instead of a series of paragraphs, we will go list form for this week’s edition and any with this massive amount of productions. Behold the opera events of the weekend {…}
The Houston Grand Opera makes a big return as opera companies slowly but surely get prepared for the spring. Houston’s opening comes on Friday Jan. 20 with a production of John Adams’ “Nixon in China.” Scott Hendricks, Andriana Chuchman and Chad Shelton lead the production which will also take the stage on Sunday, Jan. 22. The Metropolitan Opera continues its {…}
Running a family business is a tricky proposition. Running an opera company might be even harder. Combining the two into one requires some form of genius. That has been the accomplishment of Michael Spierman, who set out on a dream alongside other colleagues to salvage operatic culture in the Bronx. The fruit of that dream, the Bronx Opera flourished and {…}