(Credit: Victoria Janashvilli) The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Grounded.” The company said that Ellie Dehn will sing the role of Also Jess instead of Kirsten MacKinnon, who was originally announced. Dehn took to social media and said, “It’s turned into a “Just say YES!” beginning of the year. I’m joining the cast of {…}
Opera Colorado has announced its 2023-24 Season featuring three productions. “Our 41st season offers something for opera lovers and the opera curious alike, including perennial favorites, epic tales, and evocative music,” said Greg Carpenter, The Ellie Caulkins General & Artistic Director. “I am thrilled to bring Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman to life for the first time since 1997 with a {…}
This week audiences will get a chance to hear complete opera recordings from Saint-Saëns, Monteverdi, Janáček, Olga Neuwirth, and Wagner. Here is a look at this week’s new releases. Henry VIII Odyssey Opera will release its fifth album Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Henry VIII.” Recorded on New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall stage in 2019, this four-CD set marks the debut recording of {…}
On May 22, 2021, Minneapolis Opera will close its Spring Season with Benjamin Britten’s springtime comedy, “Albert Herring.” The production will mark the first time in over a year that MNO has performed at the Ordway Music Theatre, with the last time being their production of “Flight” in February 2020. Acclaimed conductor and Britten interpreter Dame Jane Glover will lead {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced a new streaming program as part of its ongoing #OurHouseToYourHouse. The company will present Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in a production from 2015. The opera stars Erwin Schrott in the title role alongside Sophie Bevan as Susanna, Stéphane Degout as Count Almaviva, Ellie Dehn as Countess Almaviva, and Kate Lindsey as Cherubino. The {…}
(Photos Provided by San Francisco Opera) San Francisco Opera has announced a new slate of opera streams throughout the month of February. It all kicks off with Verdi’s “La Traviata” in a production from 2014. The opera featured Nicole Cabell, Stephen Costello, and Vladimir Stoyanov. Nicola Luisotti conducted. Streaming Dates: Jan. 30-31, 2021 Brandon Jovanovich stars in Wagner’s “Lohengrin” in {…}
Even as we get deeper into the summer and watch theaters reopen, it is important to keep our focus on the important dialogues of racial equality taking place. We continue to recommend checking out the several online shows such as Karen Slack’s “KikiKonversations,” Kenneth Overton’s “Black Opera Live,” and “The Sitdown with LB,” hosted by Lawrence Brownlee. You can also add {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver / Terrence McCarthy / San Francisco Opera) The San Francisco Opera has announced its upcoming slate of operas on its “Opera is ON” streaming service. First up, the company will present “Salome” in a production starring Nadja Michael, Greer Grimsley, Kim Begley, Irina Mishura, and Garrett Sorenson. Nicola Luisotti conducts the Strauss opera. Streaming Date: June 20, {…}
In Phoenix on January 24, 2020, Arizona Opera presented Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica, and Giuseppe Giacosa’s popular opera “La Bohème.” Illica and Giacosa wrote the opera’s libretto and I agree with modern writers that librettists deserve as much credit as composers. When the curtain opened, Stage Director Paul and Scenic Designer Peter Dean Beck gave us a two-level garret that would return for the last act. In it he did not use what I guess was merely a sleeping loft on the upper level. This construction is actually part of a most effective unit set that formed the second act hillside street, and the third act gate.
Boston’s Odyssey Opera is set to open its seventh season with a concert performance of Saint-Saëns’ “Henry VIII.” The work, based on “El cisma en Inglaterra” by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, will kick off the 2019-20 season featuring concert and staged operas about the great English dynasty of the Tudors. The production will star an all-star cast that includes {…}
The Odyssey Opera is set to open its 2019-20 season with a concert performance of “Henry VIII” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Michael Chioldi is set to star in the title role as King Henry, with soprano Ellie Dehn as Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and mezzo-soprano Hilary Ginther as Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. The company, which has been dedicated {…}