Caramoor has announced its 2023 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. Audra McDonald will open the festival with a Gala alongside the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Andy Einhorn. Performance Date: June 17, 2023 Boston Early Music Festival will present Francesca Caccini’s “La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina” with Paul O’Dette {…}
Haymarket Opera Company has unveiled its 2023 season. It all kicks off with Scarlatti’s 1693 oratorio “La Giuditta.” The work will star Emily Birsan, Sophie Michaux, Sarah Brailey, William Dwyer, and David Govertsen. Craig Trompeter leads a chamber ensemble. The performance will take place at Gannon Concert Hall at DePaul University’s Holtschneider Performance Center. Performance Date: March 24, 2023 That {…}
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine will celebrate the Christmas season with two concerts on December 9 and 10. The showcases, which will be conducted by Kent Tritle, Director of Music for The Cathedral and Bryan Zaros, Associate Director of Music and Choirmaster, will feature Vivaldi’s “Magnificat,: Yshani Perinpanayagam’s “In Bethlehem above,”and Sheena Philips’ “The Christmas Bird.” Additionally, the {…}
Photo: Michael Wheatley The Vache Baroque Festival has announced a new video series entitled “VB Showcase,” highlighting women composers of the baroque era. The Festival will release a video every two weeks from May 22 through July 31, 2022. Featured vocalists include sopranos Hilary Cronin, Angela Hicks, Jasmine Flicker, and mezzo-soprano Karima El Demerdasch. On the program are compositions by Lady {…}
Connecticut Lyric Opera has announced that it will present Francesca Caccini’s “La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’aisola d’Alcina” on Nov. 5 and 7. The opera will be conducted by Adrian Sylveen and will star Rebecca Batista de Almeida as Alcina, Madison Marie McIntosh as Melissa, Daniel Kamalic as Ruggero, Maria Margiolakou as First Lady, Heather O’Connor as Second Lady, Allison Waggener {…}
Francesca Caccini, also nicknamed “La Cecchina,” was a Florentine composer and music teacher who distinguished herself as an important figure of the early Baroque era in Italy. Though Caccini is credited with many compositions throughout her career, only one opera—a comedy called “La liberazione di Ruggerio,” or “The Liberation of Ruggiero from the island of Alcina”—survived to the present day. {…}
Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago is set to celebrate its tenth anniversary season with digital programming that includes recitals, workshops, and the company’s annual Collaborative Works Festival. This year’s Collaborative Works Festival will exclusively feature women composers, as they commemorate the 100th anniversary since the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to {…}
What is “La Liberazione di Ruggiero?” No doubt that this very opera profile might strike some curiosity from unknowing readers. Its importance is tantamount to the art form, especially in the 21st century. Simply put, “La Liberazione di Ruggiero” is the first opera composed by a woman. Moreover, it was also one of the first works to shift the narrative {…}