Sonya Yoncheva, Joyce DiDonato & Diana Damrau Highlight Festspielhaus Baden Baden 2020-21 Season

(Credit: Jiyang Chen/Javier del Real/ Simon Pauly) The Festspielhaus Baden Baden has announced its 2020-21 season. For this article we will only highlight vocal performances. The season opens with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and “Bluebeard’s Castle.” Rinat Shaham and Gerald Finley star in the later with Sir Simon Rattle conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. Performance Date: Sept. 20, 2020 Benjamin {…}

Mar 16, 2020

International Opera Awards 2020 Postponed

The International Opera Awards have been postponed. The event, which was set for May 4, 2020 at London’s Sadler’s Wells, will now take place on Sept. 21, 2020. While the event is canceled, voting is still open for those who wish to contribute their opinions on the Opera Magazine Readers’ Award, which includes such nominees as Ildar Abdrazakov, Cecilia Bartoli, {…}

Mar 12, 2020

Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau & Elīna Garanča Highlight Opéra de Paris’s 2020-21 Season

The Opéra National de Paris has announced its 2020-21 season featuring a number of new productions revivals. Here is a look. Domingo Hindoyan and Keri-Lynn Wilson lead performances of Bizet’s “Carmen” with Clémentine Margaine, Elīna Garanča, and Varduhi Abrahamyan sharing the title role and Vittorio Grigolo and Charles Castronovo as Don José. Adam Plachetka and Lucas Meachem alternate as Escamillo, {…}

Jan 28, 2020

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Christine Goerke & Joyce DiDonato Lead Carnegie Hall’s 2020-21 Season

Carnegie Hall has announced its 2020-21 season featuring some of the greatest soloists and conductors in the world. For this article we will highlight the vocal performances of the season. Orchestras The season opens with the LA Philharmonic performing John Adams’ Tromba Lontana and Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Selections from Peer Gynt. Gustavo Dudamel conducts with soloists Liv Redpath and {…}

Jan 25, 2020

Metropolitan Opera 2019-20 Review: La Damnation de Faust

***This review has been edited from its original form. A previous version stated that the presentation of the concert version was the result of a “break down of the machine” by Robert LePage, which was incorrect and irresponsibly misinterpreted information on the part of the writer. Last June, the Metropolitan Opera announced that its upcoming production of “La Damnation de {…}

Jan 25, 2020

Carnegie Hall 2019-20 Season Review: SongStudio

(Photo Credit: Jennifer Taylor) On Jan. 14, 2020, SongStudio opened its second year of masterclasses and performances at Carnegie Hall, continuing in the legacy of supporting and nurturing young artists started by revered mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne. Among the distinguished instructors of the program, led by Renée Fleming, were Elīna Garanča, Julia Bullock, Gabriel Kahane, and Hartmut Holl, Gabriel Kahane The {…}

Jan 24, 2020

Elīna Garanča, Jamie Barton, Jennifer Holloway Headline Top 5 Operas to See This Weekend – North America

(Credit / Source: Jamie Barton Official Website / Paul Schirnhofer) Full disclaimer – it has been quite a while since a weekend of opera has been packed with so many incredible opportunities around the continent. To whittle it down to five was a tall order and only almost impossible. So for this addition, we will not only include our top {…}

Jan 21, 2020

Metropolitan Opera 2019-20 Preview: Elīna Garanča To Headline Rare Performance of Berlioz’s ‘La Damnation de Faust’

(Credit: Julien Benhamou) Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2009. While recognized as one of the great works by its composer, it has not been a fixture at the Met by any stretch of the imagination. While it had its company premiere all the way back in 1896, it has only {…}

Dec 19, 2019

Renée Fleming’s Second Year of SongStudio To Showcase Elina Garanca, Julia Bullock, 20 Young Artists & Others

Famed soprano Renée Fleming is set lead the second year of her SongStudio at Carnegie Hall starting on Jan 13-18. Fleming will mentor 10 aspiring singers including Natalie Buickians, Meghan Kasanders, Anneliese Klenetsky, Kady Evanyshyn, Xenia Puskarz Thomas, Eric Finbarr Carey, Randy Ho, Dominik Belavy, Johnathan McCullough, and Laureano Quant. There will also be mentorship for 10 collaborative painists include {…}

Nov 22, 2019

Jonas Kaufmann, Elīna Garanča & Carmela Remigio Lead International Weekend – (11/22-24)

This weekend its all about star performances, repertory staples, new productions and a season opening. Check out what we believe you need to see. Eugene Onegin Wiener Staatsoper, Austria Marina Rebeka continues the run in her first Tatiana alongside a star cast that includes Boris Pinkhasovich in the title role, Pavol Breslik as Lenski and Ferruccio Furlanetto as Gremin. The {…}

Jun 19, 2019

Carnegie Hall 2018-19 Season Review: The MET Orchestra & Elina Garanca

On Friday, June 14, 2019, The MET Orchestra returned to Carnegie Hall for a highly gripping program of Gustav Mahler’s “Ruckert Lieder,” and Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7. On this evening, the orchestra was joined by mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, lending her interpretative passion to the cycle of songs. Brief and Beautiful The first lied, “Look not into my songs,” opened {…}