(Credit: Alina Fejzo) In February, Cecilia Molinari will make her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut and her U.S. debut in a production of “Così fan tutte.” Over the years, the mezzo-soprano has become well known for her interpretations of bel canto, Mozart and baroque roles, notably in “Il barbiere di Siviglia,” “Le nozze di Figaro,” and “Ariodante.” She has performed {…}
(Photo: Michele Crosera) Venice’s Teatro La Fenice opened its 2025-26 season with a new production of “La Clemenza di Tito,” widely considered to be the least popular of Mozart’s mature operas. Its premiere in 1791 at the Estates Theatre in Prague received a lukewarm reception, with the Empress herself complaining that “nearly all of us fell asleep.” Albert Einstein’s assessment {…}
(Credit: ©Clarissa Lapolla) On Dec. 4, the Teatro Golden di Livorno, Italy is set to present Vivaldi’s “La costanza trionfante, RV 706-A.” The new rediscovered work by the Italian composer will be performed by Carlotta Colombo, Cecilia Molinari, and Valentino Buzza. They will be accompanied by Modo Antiquo under the direction of Federico Maria Sardelli. The work will be part of {…}
(Credit: Michele Crosera) The Teatro La Fenice is set to open its 2025-26 season with a production of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” on Nov. 20, 2025. The new production will be directed by Paul Curran and conducted by Ivor Bolton. The all-star cast will be led by Daniel Behle, who sings the role of Tito Vespasiano. He will be {…}
The Teatro La Fenice has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera The season opens with Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” with Ivor Bolton conducting a new production by Paul Curran. The cast includes Daniel Behle, Cecilia Molinari, Nicolò Balducci, and Francesca Aspromonte. Performance Dates: Nov. 20-30, 2025 Luca Micheletti directs Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” with Renato Palumbo conducting. Luca Salsi, Francesco Meli, {…}
The Teatro de la Maestranza has announced its 2025-26 season. Two casts will perform Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Alessio Arduini and Jan Antem star alongside Ekaterina Bakanova, Bryndís Guðjónsdóttir, Marco Ciaponi, Pablo Martínez, George Andguladze, Luis López, Julie Boulianne, Karen Gardeazabal, David Menéndez, Emmanuel Franco, Marina Monzó, Montserrat Seró, Ricardo Seguel, and Yoshihiko Miyashita. Iván López Reynoso and Mariano García Valladares {…}
Cecilia Molinari has joined the roster of Askonas Holt for worldwide general management. Molinari will be represented at Askonas Holt by Nicholas Moloney, Vincent Turp, and Jessica Buchanan-Barrow. This summer, Molinari is set to make her Glyndebourne Festival debut. She has performed at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Dutch National Opera, the Wiener Staatsoper, and Semperoper Dresden. Next season, the {…}
The 44th edition of the Premio della Critica Musicale “Franco Abbiati.” The award for Best Performance went to “Ermione” from the Rossini Opera Festival conducted by and directed by Johannes Erath. The award for Best Conductor went to Emmanuel Tjeknavorian while the Director award was awarded to Moshe Leiser e Patrice Caurier for their production of “Mefistofele” at the Teatro La Fenice. The {…}
The Dutch National Opera is set to present Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” The company will present a production by choreographer and director Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, who has choreographed for pop stars such as Beyoncé (at her 2017 Grammy Award performance) and Madonna (on her #CelebrationTour). The production will feature dancers from his own company Eastman and sets by the Japanese artist Chiharu {…}
(Photo: Gianfranco Rota) An early gem by Donizetti is reborn as part of the #donizetti200 project during the Donizetti Opera Festival’s tenth anniversary. This festival reaffirmed its commitment to recovering lesser-known works from the Bergamo composer’s catalogue, presenting this year the second version of “Zoraida di Granata.” Originally premiered in 1822 and revised by Donizetti himself in 1824, this opera {…}
(Photo: Clarissa Lapolla) As the last notes of Ariodante’s aria “Dopo notte atra e funestra” died away, the audience sounded its approval with enthusiastic applause and loud cheering; some people were even on their feet. They were joined by the orchestra and its conductor, Federico Maria Sardelli, who was also applauding. And it showed no signs of abating, at least {…}