Lara Downes, Thomas Hampson, Angel Blue, Ailyn Pérez, Lawrence Brownlee Headline ‘Take Care of this House’ on National Voter Registration Day

Pianist and activist Lara Downes is making the stars align in a video of Leonard Bernstein’s song “Take Care of this House.” The video, which is being released on Sept. 22 in honor of National Voter Registration Day, features a wide range of major superstars from the opera and classical music world including Thomas Hampson, Anthony Orth Costanzo, Julia Bullock, {…}

Sep 6, 2020

Davóne Tines Upholds ‘Provocative Titles’ by Julius Eastman Despite Protests From Rockport Music

(Credit: Opéra National de Paris official website) Bass-baritone Davóne Tines refused to obscure the titles in the video that he created for the Rockport Music despite the company refusing to stream the creation without changes. Per the Boston Globe, Tines was hired by the company to craft a video for the annual Rockport Chamber Music Festival. The video spotlighted Tines {…}

Aug 17, 2020

Luciano Pavarotti, Julia Bullock, J’Nai Bridges, Ben Bliss Headline Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week

We are now entering the final weeks of summer, which means that opera companies in Europe will be in full swing while many opera companies in North America will start to test the waters with their brand new digital seasons. Nonetheless, the streaming has continued at a steady clip with another set of unique offerings coming your way this week. {…}

Mar 5, 2020

Davóne Tines & Jennifer Koh to Team Up for ‘Everything that Rises Must Converge’

The UCLA Center for the Art of Performance will feature violinist Jennifer Koh and bass-baritone Davóne Tines in “Everything That Rises Must Converge on April 17, 2020 at Royce Hall. The showcase will bring together the two artists’ family histories through music and the voices of their ancestors via projection, lighting, and movement directed by James Darrah. The program will {…}

Mar 5, 2020

Davóne Tines, Angela Gheorgiu & Renée Fleming to Headline Celebrity Series of Boston

Through April, 2020, Celebrity Series of Boston will be presenting three operatic stars in recital. Making his debut with the series on April 1 will be bass-baritone Davóne Tines, performing a new vocal project which blends together a number of musical influences. On this, Tines says, “What I have to say, the experience I have to share, has been comprised {…}

Jan 31, 2020

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale 2020 Review: Aci, Galatea e Polifemo

(Credit: Frank Wing) “Aci, Galatea e Polifemo” is probably not one of those Handel works that you remember prominently. But it can definitely be among the most memorable when produced with the passion on display in San Francisco recently. Under Nicholas McGegan’s expert baton, the Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players’ and producers Anthony Roth Costanzo and Cath Brittan and Brooklyn’s National {…}

Oct 21, 2019

Cincinnati Opera Announces Cast For ‘Castor & Patience’ World Premiere

The Cincinnati Opera has announced the casting of principal roles for composer Gregory Spears and librettist Tracy K. Smith’s new opera “Castor and Patience.” The company announced that the title roles will be sung by soprano Latonia Moore as Patience and bass-baritone Kevin Short as Castor. The opera will also feature tenor Frederick Ballentine as Judah, soprano Janai Brugger as {…}

Jul 28, 2019

Mostly Mozart Festival 2019 Review: The Black Clown

(Photo Credit: Richard Termine) July 24, 2019, saw the New York premiere of “The Black Clown,” a new work adapted from the Langston Hughes poem of the same name, with music by Michael Schachter and directed by Zack Winokur. Exploring the struggles of the African-American experience, this powerful work blends opera with the styles of gospel, vaudeville, and jazz, allowing {…}

Jun 14, 2019

Janai Brugger, Karen Slack, Ginger Costa-Jackson Star In Top 5 Operas To See This Weekend (North America)

(Credit: Suzanne Vinnik / Dario Acosta) This weekend’s recommendations are full of variety of repertory spread across the U.S. including two essential world premieres and the performance of a rare work. All of them feature tremendous star power. Here are the five operas that we recommend for your Father’s Day celebration (in alphabetical order by company). The Marriage of Figaro {…}

Apr 11, 2019

Angela Gheorghiu, Renée Fleming Headline Celebrity Series of Boston 2019-20 Season

The Celebrity Series of Boston has announced its 2019-20, the 81st for the organization. There is a wide range of performances that will take place throughout the season, but as always, our focus will be on vocal and operatic performances. Soprano Ying Fang will make her Boston Debut as part of the Debut Series. She will perform at Longy’s Pickman {…}

Mar 19, 2019

Opera Forward Festival Review 2019: Girls of the Golden West

The 1848 Californian gold rush has an almost mythical place in American cultural history, with its associations of lucky strikes and the pioneering spirit, as well as more negative connotations of lawlessness, hard toil and poverty for those who were not so lucky. It has spawned Hollywood films, documentaries, books and songs, while opera-goers are also likely to associate it {…}

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