(Credit: Philip Vile) Britten Pears Arts has unveiled its Autumn 2023 season. Here is a rundown of the classical vocal performances. Mezzo Anna Huntley and pianist Lucy Colquhoun present a recital of songs by Schubert, and Britten, among others. Performance Date: Oct. 6, 2023 There will be two “Scratch Choir days.” The first features music by Emma Lou Diemer and Vaughan {…}
(Photo credit: Richard Hubert Smith) Robin Norton-Hale, the General Director of the English Touring Opera (ETO), has unveiled the company’s upcoming season and launched a multiple digital events, and educational initiatives. Beginning the position in January of this year, Notron-Hale introduced several fundamental changes to expand ETO’s work. These initiatives will feature multi-disciplinary programming, revamped repertoire, commissioned English translations of {…}
The origin of this opera, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous novel, “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” is based on a true story. The first half is based on Goethe himself, and the second half is based on his friend’s life. It was among the most popular books of the latter half of the 18th Century, almost 100 years before Massenet {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced that Marina Rebeka will not be performing in the June 16 showing of “Il Trovatore.” Per an official press release, the soprano has tested positive for COVID-19 and the role of Leonora will be performed by Rachel Willis-Sørensen. This is the second performance that Rebeka has canceled in the run. Willis-Sørensen will perform in {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2023 Engender Festival. First up will be the UK premiere of “Woman at Point Zero” by Bushra El-Turk with a libretto by Stacy Hardy. Laila Solman directs the opera, which stars Dima Orsho and Carla Nahadi Babelegoto. Kanako Abe conducts. “Woman at Point Zero” is a multimedia work tells a tale of abuse {…}
On June 15, 2023, Libero Canto will open their concert tour of Hungarian Folk songs honoring Béla Bartók. Titled “Ágról Ágra: from Branch to Branch,” the a capella program will see a number of folk songs in their traditional forms, with arrangements by contemporary composers such as Song Yi Jeon, Guillermo Klein, and LC’s Marisa Michelson and Sara Serpa. There {…}
Hailed as the “tenor that the whole opera world is talking about” (Marie Claire) and a “revelation” (Bachtrack), English tenor Adam Smith is known for his voice that “overflows with dramatic conviction and heroic impact” (Opera Now Magazine). Born in the North of England, he studied the violin from the age of four and having been accepted with a scholarship, {…}
Photo: Craig Fuller Opera Holland Park’s (OHP) 2023 season opened with Cecilia Stinton’s new production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” It leads a pack of new productions including “Hansel and Gretel,” the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s new opera “Itch,” and “Ruddigore,” another G&S collaboration with Charles Court Opera. Stinton’s handsome production (designed by Neil Irish) is “Rigoletto” by way of Evelyn {…}
(Credit: University of London official website) UPDATE: The UK government has indicated that the lockdown is likely to remain in place into March at least, with some measures lasting even longer. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a national lockdown on England, in order to combat the new COVID-19 variant that has been spreading exponentially throughout the country despite harsh {…}