(Credit: The River Troupe Gospel Sallent Facebook Page) At least 30 out of 41 members of a chorus in Spain have contracted COVID-19 following an indoor rehearsal, local authorities said. The River Troupe Gospel rehearsed on Sep. 11, 2020, two days before the performance at the local festival in Sallent, a town in the province of Barcelona. One member of {…}
(Credit: Michael Cooper) “People are craving music and all the healing, soothing, and bonding elements it provides.” American-Canadian soprano superstar Sondra Radvanovsky was in Rio de Janeiro on March 13, 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in full force. Radvanovsky was slated to perform at the Theatro Municipal, but the performance ended up being canceled. Faced with a {…}
Hungarian mezzo-soprano Ildiko Komlosi has tested positive for COVID-19. The mezzo tested positive for the virus on Monday, Sept. 14, and was immediately admitted into intensive care where she was hospitalized for a few days. She has since been discharged and avoided being put on a ventilator. The mezzo is the latest opera star to test positive following Anna Netrebko, {…}
(Credit: Berliner Philharmonie official website) The Berlin Philharmonic has announced that it will start its November program with a bigger audience. Per the company’s official statement, up to 1,000 spectators in the Great Concert Hall, and up to 567 spectators in the Chamber Music Hall will be allowed. Per the new hygiene concept, face masks will be compulsory during the {…}
(Credit: Dario Acosta) UPDATE: Netrebko has released an official statement: “Hello friends, I want to share with you that I have tested positive for COVID-19 and am currently in the hospital for medical treatment. I am doing well but also have COVID-related pneumonia, so I need medical supervision. I knew of course there was always going to be a risk {…}
(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper) A performance of Franz Lehár operetta “Die lustige Witwe” at the Theater in der Gumpendorfer Straße on Sept. 6, 2020 in Vienna has caused a series of COVID-19 infections. In all, 46 cases have been confirmed so far. As a result, the Wiener Staatsoper had to make two changes to the cast of Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” on {…}
(Credit: Deutsche Oper Berlin / Klaus Frahm) The Deutsche Oper Berlin has announced new plans for its big premieres during the incoming 2020-21 season. In an official statement, Berlin’s largest opera house said that productions of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” and Beethoven’s “Fidelio” had been postponed until the 2022-23 season, due to the far-reaching consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The {…}
(Credit: London Symphony Orchestra Facebook page) Company DnaNudge has announced today that it has struck a special partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra in order to deliver regular COVID-19 testing to the orchestra’s 120 musicians. In a press release, the organization noted that the entire orchestra completed testing prior to the first group rehearsal in anticipation of the 2020 BBC {…}
(Credit: Chris Singer) Only seven days before the COVID-19 pandemic fell on our heads, American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato was in New York portraying the role of Agrippina at the Metropolitan Opera House. Taking on the role of the cunning queen, DiDonato already had been in the eye of the storm. At that moment very few people really understood well what {…}
(Credit: L’Opéra de Nice Côte d’Azur) L’Opéra de Nice Côte d’Azur has canceled the opening of its 2020-21 season. Per the opera house’s official statement, health authorities have ordered the cancellation of events due to the soaring number of COVID-19 cases. Per the same statement, performances of “Réunion de famille” scheduled for Sept. 12 & 13, 2020 have been postponed {…}
(Credit: Boston Symphony Orchestra Facebook Page) The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced that its musicians ratified a new three-year labor agreement that went into effect on August 24, 2020. The musicians have agreed to cut their salaries in response to the major financial losses due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The terms of the agreement include compensation reduction averaging 37 {…}
