(Photo Credit: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) I’ve seen “La Bohème” many times, which means I usually know within a few minutes how it’s going to go. Puccini doesn’t ask for permission to rip your heart out; an unrelenting sense of tragedy is the hallmark of his work. At some point, the opera either grabs you, or it doesn’t, and {…}
The Palm Beach Opera has announced its 2026 season. Anita Hartig and Yunuet Laguna lead Puccini’s “La Bohème“ with Liparit Avetisyan, Oreste Cosimo, Edward Parks, Sydney Mancasola, Solomon Howard, Mario Manzo, and Donald Maxwell. Vincenzo Milletarì conducts the production by Peter Kazaras. Performance Dates: Jan. 23-25, 2026 Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers“ will star Francesca Pia Vitale, Aigul Khismatullina, Long Long, {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences get a world premiere recording of a new opera, a legendary recording of Strauss’ work, and a rarely performed Tchaikovsky opera. The Shining Pentatone releases “The Shining,” the world-premiere recording from the Lyric Opera of Kansas City of the opera {…}
The Arizona Opera is set to perform the world premiere of Gregg Kallor’s “Frankenstein.” The opera will be part of the company’s McDougall RED Series and is based on the iconic novel by Mary Shelley. The production will star Edward Parks, Terrence Chin-Loy, Katherine Beck, Gordon Hawkins, Armand Delgado, Andrew Stuckey, Brad Bickhardt, Melissa Solomon, and Chelsea Rose Neiss. Clinton Smith {…}
The Arizona Opera is set to present the world premiere of Gregg Kallor’s new opera “Frankenstein.” The opera, which opens on Oct. 13, 2023, will run through Oct. 22 and will mark Arizona Opera’s third world premiere, following the successes of “Riders of the Purple Sage” and “The Copper Queen Film.” In a statement, Kallor said, “What drives my creation {…}
The Boston Lyric Opera is set to present a new time-flipped production of Puccini’s “La Bohème”by director Yuval Sharon. The production, which opens with the opera’s tragic ending and moves backward in time, is set to be performed at the Emerson Colonial Theatre from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2, 2022. The opera will feature stage design by BLO Artistic Advisor {…}
The Riverside Opera Ensemble is set to present “American Composers Concert: Matthews and Fornarola” at Merkin Hall at the Kaufman Music Center on May 16, 2022. Among the artists appearing in the concert will be Nathan R. Matthews, who will also be producing the showcase, Christiane Noll, Edward Parks, Detra Davis, Quentin Bruno, Jamie LaVerdiere, Grace Choi, Blythe Gaissert, Thomas {…}
The Boston Lyric Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring four productions. Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” will be performed in English with Ricardo Garcia in his company debut as Romeo and Vanessa Becerra making her company debut as Juliet. BLO Music Director David Angus will conduct and Steve Maler is the stage director. Performance Dates: August 11 & 13, 2022 {…}
Opera Colorado is set to present the regional premiere of “The Shining,” an opera by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The production is set to star Edward Parks as Jack Torrance, Kelly Kaduce as Wendy Torrance, Kevin Deas as Dick Hallorann, and Micah VonFeldt as Danny Torrance. David Radamés Toro directs the {…}
Opera Colorado has announced its 2021-22 season featuring three productions and a number of international stars. Puccini’s “Tosca” opens the season with Melissa Citro, Rafael Davila, and Luis Ledesma. Ari Pelto conducts the masterwork. Performance Dates: Nov. 6-14, 2021 Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell’s “The Shining” will be directed by Eric Simonson. Edward Parks, Kelly Kaduce, Kevin Deas, Vale Rideout, {…}
The Lyric Opera of Kansas City has announced its 2021-22 season featuring four productions. The season opens with “Lyric Opera Goes to Hollywood” which will feature famous arias and instrumental moments included in films like “Pretty Woman,” “Mission Impossible,” and “Up.” Talise Trevigne, Ginger Costa-Jackson, Limmie Pulliam, and Edward Parks will be the soloists with David Charles Abell conducting. Performance {…}