(Photo credit: Matt Madison Clark) Evan LeRoy Johnson is an American tenor who received the Barbara and Stanley Richman Memorial Award from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where he was a Gerdine Young Artist. He has performed widely in his home country and has made acclaimed debuts for numerous European opera houses, including Bayerische, Oper Frankfurt, Opernhaus Zürich and {…}
(Photo: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photography by Richard Hubert Smith) “Carmen” is unquestionably one of the most popular works ever composed and has become an almost permanent fixture in the repertoire of opera houses. However, this presents something of a dilemma for those creative artists and directors who desire to produce the opera in a more contemporary setting and feel {…}
The BBC Proms has announced its 2024 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Elim Chan conducts the First Night at Proms with soloists Sophie Bevan and Isata Kanneh‐Mason. The program includes Handel, Ben Nobuto, Beethoven Bruckner, and Clara Schumann. Performance Date: July 19, 2024 British choral groups The King’s Singers and VOCES8 present a Prom that showcases {…}
The Minnesota Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Monét X Change, Jasmine Habersham, Ellie Dehn, Symone Harcum, Adriana Zabala, and Catherine Martin star “Glam Jam: A Star-Studded Benefit Concert.” Christopher Franklin conducts. Performance Date: Sept. 28, 2024 Christopher Franklin conducts Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet” with Evan Leroy Johnson, Jasmine Habersham, Adam Lau, Charles H. Eaton, John Mburu, Ángel Vargas, Kara Morgan, Victoria Vargas, and David Wolfe. Performance Dates: Nov. 2-10, 2024 {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with Verdi’s “Nabucco” starring Roland Wood, Tamara Wilson, Rihab Chaieb, Matthew Cairns, and Simon Lim. Paolo Carignani conducts the new production by Katherine M. Carter. Performance Dates: Oct. 4-25, 2024 Long Long sings the title role in Gounod’s “Faust” with Kyle Ketelsen, Kseniia Proshina, Simon Melchlinski, and Megan Latham. {…}
Photo credit: SF Bernd Uhlig In one of his literary excursions, the great Portuguese author Eça de Queiroz reviewed the premiere of Verdi’s “Macbeth” in Lisbon. He did not see the original Italian version of the opera, but the revised French one and quite likely with the same cast as in Paris. Eça insisted that Verdi was the greatest living {…}
The Royal Danish Opera has announced its 2023-24 season featuring opera productions and concerts. Opera Bassem Samir Akiki conducts “Don Juans Inferno” with Fanny Soyer, Palle Knudsen, Damian Pass, Fredrik Bjellsäter, and Geoffroy Buffière. Performance Dates: April 20-May 9, 2024 Paolo Carignani conducts Verdi’s “Aida” with Anna Nechaeva, Miriam Clark, Nora Sourouzian, Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Samuele Simoncini, Jens Søndergaard, Musa Ngqungwana, Kyungil Ko, and Daniel Giulianini. {…}
(Credit: Cory Weaver) San Francisco Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegin” took audiences back in time to the Russia of Alexander Pushkin’s classic poem. Robert Carsen’s scenic rendering gave us a cross-section of the world as it was, with peasants and privileged, the drama of duels, balls, and bedrooms. Spread before the audience, in blush pink and dark blue, peachy yellow {…}
(Credit: Theater an der Wien official website) Soprano Svetlana Aksenova will replace Angel Blue in the role of Mimì in Puccini’s “La bohème” at the Bayerische Staatsoper for the performances on Jan. 5, 7 & 9, 2022. Aksenova joins a cast that includes Emily Pogorelc in the role of Musetta, Evan LeRoy Johnson as Rodolfo, Roman Burdenko as Marcello, Andrei {…}
With the Dallas Opera canceling its 2020-21 season, the company has announced its 2021-22 season starting in February of 2022. The official grand opening of The Dallas Opera 2021-22 Season will feature Puccini’s “Madama Butterly” starring Latonia Moore as Cio Cio San and Evan LeRoy Johnson as Pinkerton. Emmanuel Villaume, TDO’s Mrs. Eugene McDermott music director, will conduct a cast {…}
This week, three world premiere recordings are being released while two classic operas are being made accessible on the market. Here is a look at the three albums you can stream this week and two DVDs that not to be missed. Voire Dire RedHouse Music will release the North American release of the original-cast album of composer Matthew Peterson and {…}