Michael Spyres, Benjamin Bernheim, Nina Stemme, Sonya Yoncheva, Ailyn Pérez & Ying Fang’s Festival Aix-En-Provence’s 2026 season

The Festival Aix-En-Provence has announced its 2026 season. Opera Leonardo García-Alarcón conducts Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” with Clément Cogitore directing. The production will star Ying Fang, Mauro Peter, Sabine Devieilhe, Sean Michael Plumb, Brindley Sherratt, and Edwin Crossley-Mercer. Performance Dates: July 2-21, 2026 Klaus Mäkelä conducts Strauss’ “Die Frau one Schatten” in Barrie Kosky’s production. The cast will include Michael Spyres, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Nina {…}

Sep 1, 2025

LA Opera to Simulcast ‘West Side Story’ at Loma Alta Park & Santa Monica Pier

On Sept. 27, 2025, LA Opera is set to present “West Side Story” live in high-definition video from nine cameras at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to large LED screens at Altadena’s Loma Alta Park and at the Santa Monica Pier. Music Director James Conlon will conduct a production staged by director Francesca Zambello. The cast will include soprano Gabriella Reyes {…}

Aug 20, 2025

Gabriella Reyes & Duke Kim Lead LA Opera’s ‘West Side Story’

(Credit: Todd Rosenberg / Lyric Opera of Chicago) LA Opera will launch its 40th Anniversary Season with the company premiere of “West Side Story.” The work will be performed between Sept. 20 and Oct. 12, 2025. In a statement Christopher Koelsch said, “We have wanted to present ‘West Side Story’ for well over a decade, and all of the elements—including {…}

Jul 17, 2025

Luca Salsi, Nino Machaidze, Dmitry Korchak, Ermonela Jaho, Nadine Sierra, Vittorio Grigolo & Carlo Vistoli Lead Teatro dell’Opera di Roma’s 2025-26 Season

The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has announced its 2025-26 Season. Opera The season opens with Wagner’s “Lohengrin” with Michele Mariotti conducting a production by Damiano Michieletto. The cast includes Dmitry Korchak, Clive Bayley, Tómas Tómasson, Ekaterina Gubanova, Andrei Bondarenko, and Jennifer Holloway. Performance Dates: Nov. 27-Dec. 7, 2025, 2025 Davide Livermore’s production of Puccini’s “La bohème” returns with Carolina López {…}

May 27, 2025

Aleksandra Kurzak, Konu Kim, Izabela Matuła, Sebastian Catana & Agnieszka Rehlis Lead Polish National Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The Polish National Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. New Productions Agata Zubel and Joanna Freszel star in “The Best City in the World: An Opera About Warsaw.” Bassem Akiki conducts the production by Barbara Wiśniewska. Premiere Date: Sept. 19, 2025 Damian Wilma and Danuta Stenka star in “Wòlô bòskô.” Grzegorz Brajner and Damian Wilma conduct. Performance Date: Nov. 5-29, 2025 Bassem Akiki {…}

May 19, 2025

Marina Rebeka, Cecilia Bartoli, Juan Diego Flórez, Ismael Jordi, Marigona Qerkezi & Marina Monzó Lead Teatro de la Maestranza’s 2025-26 Season

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 {…}

Nov 4, 2024

The Metropolitan Opera to Present ‘The Magic Flute’ for the Holiday Season

(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present the annual holiday presentation of Julie Taymor’s English-language adaptation of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” The opera will be performed 17 times from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4. The production is set to star tenor Duke Kim and soprano Aigul Khismatullina as well as Kathryn Lewek who has {…}

Oct 3, 2024

Handel and Haydn Society 2024 Review: Mozart & Michael Haydn’s ‘Requiem’

(Photo credit: Robert Torres) Sometimes we ought to live and let die twice in a night—or, perhaps, let die and then live twice? The Handel and Haydn Society’s (H+H) program is, in many ways, logical: Michael Haydn’s “Requiem” and then Mozart’s. There is much kinship between the pieces; however, even for the most skeptical of critics, it is hard to {…}

Sep 4, 2024

Berkshire Opera Festival 2024 Review: Faust

Let’s briefly address the elephant or rather demon in this particular review, as it were. Namely, what is it with the fascination of so many 19th century composers with this classic Romantic literature – often considered the greatest work of German literature – Goethe’s “Faust”? There is Hector Berlioz’s masterpiece, “La damnation de Faust”, which I recently reviewed in a {…}

Aug 6, 2024

Berkshire Opera Festival to Present ‘Faust’

The Berkshire Opera Festival is set to present a new production of Charles Gounod’s “Faust.” The production will star tenor Duke Kim, Raquel González, Justin Hopkins, Sun-Ly Pierce, and Abbegael Greene. In a statement, conductor and Berkshire Opera Festival Co-Founder Brian Garman said, “BOF enters the realm of French grand opera for the first time with these performances of Faust. {…}

May 11, 2024

David Portillo, Michael Chioldi, Claudia Boyle & Soraya Mafi Lead Irish National Opera’s 2024-25 Season

The Irish National Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. The company will open with a double bill featuring “Mary Motorhead” and “Trade.” Naomi Louisa O’Connell, Oisin O’Dalaigh, and John Molloy star in the production. Elaine Kelly conducts and Tom Creed directs. Performance Date: August 8–Oct. 23, 2024 Paula Murrihy and David Portillo lead Berlioz’s “Béatrice and Bénédict,” alongside Anna Devin, {…}