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, {…}

Mar 1, 2024

Vuvu Mpofu Leads Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘La Traviata’

Pittsburgh Opera is set to perform Verdi’s “La Traviata” for the first time in seven years. The opera is set to be performed by Vuvu Mpofu in her Pittsburgh debut, Duke Kim, also making his Pittsburgh Opera debut and Michael Chioldi. The cast also includes Julia Swan Laird, Fran Daniel Laucerica, Brandon Bell, Evan Lazdowski, Oren Gradus, and Leah Heater. Antony Walker will {…}

Feb 22, 2024

Berkshire Opera Festival Announces 2024 Season

The Berkshire Opera Festival has announced its 2024 season. BOF proudly presents the first workshop performance of a brand new opera from the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis. The opera in question is “The Reef” and the workshop will be held at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, New York City. The libretto is by Joan Ross Sorkin and adapted {…}

Feb 22, 2024

Des Moines Metro Opera Announces Casting Updates

The Des Moines Metro Opera has announced casting updates and an additional performance for the company’s 2024 Festival Season. The company noted that due to strong early ticket sales, there will be an additional performance of Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s world premiere opera, “American Apollo.” The added performance will occur on Friday, July 19 at the Blank Performing Arts {…}

Jan 10, 2024

J’Nai Bridges, Yonghoon Lee, Russell Thomas, Diego Torre, Vanessa Goikoetxea Headline Seattle Opera’s 2024-25 Season

Seattle Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. “The 2024-25 season really offers something for everybody,” said general director Christina Scheppelmann in an official press statement. “We’re bringing in some of our audiences’ all-time favorite operas, like ‘Tosca’ and ‘The Magic Flute,’ in addition to a pair of remarkable new pieces from some of today’s most acclaimed and imaginative creators. And {…}