Opera Colorado is set to present “Il Trovatore” in Concert on April 26 and May 4. The company will showcase the Verdi masterpiece in a ninety-minute adaptation and will be semi-staged concert with narration. The streamlined version will deliver all the intensity and musical richness of the original in a fast-paced, action-packed format. The cast will include Alexandra LoBianco as {…}
The Minnesota Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. Kylie Kreucher, Kara Morgan, Ángel Vargas, David Wolfe, John Mburu, and Lindsay Ohse star in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte.” Christopher Franklin conducts the production by Doug Scholz-Carlson. Performance Dates: Nov. 1-9, 2026 B.E. Boykin and Harrison David Rivers’ “My Name is Florence” is set to make its world premiere starring Renée Richardson, {…}
The world premiere of Mary D. Watkins and Cerise Lim Jacobs’ opera, “Is This America?” is presented by White Snake Projects on Sept. 20. This new 90-minute fully-staged opera celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. “Is This America?” features mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel in the lead role, alongside bass-baritone Eliam Ramos-Silva, and Voice Boston Children’s {…}
(Photo credit: Raftermen Photography) Of late, The Atlanta Opera (TAO) makes possible the nearly-impossible. In March, your reviewer summarized the robust health this company enjoys despite the current fiscal climate that shrinks arts organizations. With each gut punch to classical music lovers in the United States—the Metropolitan Opera Guild evaporating and Opera News taking the form of a brief supplement {…}
Opera Omaha will continue its 2022-2023 season with a production of “Suor Angelica.” The opera, which is set to be conducted by Judith Yan, will star soprano Elaine Alvarez in her Opera Omaha debut. The production will also feature Ronnita Miller, Deborah Nansteel, Kelly Guerra, Hilary Ginther, and Jennifer Cherest. Keturah Stickann will direct the production featuring scenic designs by Wally {…}
Photo: Arielle Doneson The Orchestra Now (TŌN), led by Leon Botstein, will close its Carnegie Hall season on May 12, 2022, with “New Voices from the 1930s,” a concert spotlighting seldom-heard works from the late 1930s and featuring mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel. Nansteel will perform in Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s Symphony No. 1, “Essay for a Requiem,” a work that speaks to conditions {…}
On Oct. 8, the Toledo Opera will open its 2021-22 season with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” The production will mark the Ohio company’s return to the Valentine Theater after nearly two years due to the pandemic. The performance will star Leah Crocetto as Leonora, Carl Tanner as Manrico, mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel as Azucena, and baritone Kyle Pfortmiller as Count di Luna. Adam Turner will conduct the production by {…}
Ohio’s Toledo Opera has announced its 2021-22 season featuring three productions. The season opens with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” with Jennifer Rowley as Leonora and Carl Tanner as Manrico. The cast is rounded out by Deborah Nansteel as Azucena and Kyle Pfortmiller as Count di Luna. Adam Turner conducts the production by Jeffrey Buchman. Performance Dates: Oct. 8 & 10, 2021 {…}
Opera Carolina has announced its 2021-22 season featuring four productions. Here is a look: The season opens with “I Dream” by Douglas Tappin and will star Derrick Davis, Victor Ryan Robertson, Alyson Cambridge, Lucia Bradford, Kenneth Overton, and Avalon Cutts-Jones. James Meena conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 16-19, 2021 Richard Ollarsaba sings the title role in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni“ with Melinda Whittington, Johnathan White, Gerardo de la Torre, Alex {…}
There’s no doubt that it hasn’t been an easy week in the opera world. With COVID-19 continuing to spread across the world at alarming rates, companies across Europe have entered a second lockdown, ending what many hoped would be a continuation of performances throughout the 2020-21 season. But it has not quite worked out that way. As such, online broadcasts {…}
Opera Saratoga has announced a brand new partnership with Caffè Lena to produce “America Sings,” a new online series that feature BIPOC artists. The series will launch on Nov. 19 with a concert performance featuring mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel alongside pianist Giovanni Reggioli as they take on music by George Gershwin, Billy Strayhorn, Richard Rogers, Erroll Garner, Richard Wagner, and William {…}