Sondra Radvanovsky, Leah Hawkins, Christian Van Horn, Gabriella Reyes, Federica Lombardi, Erin Morley Headline Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2026-27 Season

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2026-27 season. Christian Van Horn and Kyle Ketelsen lead Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with Mané Galoyan, Nina Solodovnikova, Lawrence Brownlee, Tommaso Barea, Anna El-Khashem, Christopher Humbert, Jr., and David Leigh. Enrique Mazzola conducts the production by Robert Falls. Performance Dates: Oct. 10-Nov. 1, 2026 Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’s “Omar” will star Issachah {…}

Jan 17, 2026

92nd Street Y to Present Freddie Ballentine & Kunal Lahiry in Concert

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is set to present a concert with Freddie Ballentine and Kunal Lahiry titled “Our People.” The evening will be held at the Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center on Feb. 3, 2026 and will be live-streamed. The concert will feature Aaron Copland, William Bolcom, Franz Schubert, Margaret Bonds, David Krakauer, Ricky Ian Gordon, George {…}

Nov 14, 2025

Alfred Walker, Brittany Renee, Denyce Graves, Latonia Moore & Leah Hawkins Lead Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ Revival

(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” for the first time since 2019 in James Robinson’s production. The opera will open on Dec. 2 and be performed 13 times. The production will feature conductor Kwamé Ryan in his company debut, leading a cast that includes bass-baritone Alfred Walker and soprano {…}

Apr 16, 2025

Dutch National Opera 2024-25 Review: We Are The Lucky Ones

(Photo credit: Koen Broos) Over the past twenty years or so, there have been plenty of programs on television, radio and the internet devoted to oral history, in which everyday people recall major and minor events along with the social and economic conditions from their own past to create an anecdotal montage that can be accessed by current and future {…}

Jan 25, 2025

Dutch National Opera to Present ‘We Are The Lucky Ones’

The Dutch National Opera is set to present the world premiere of Philip Venables’s latest opera “We Are The Lucky Ones.” The opera will be shown at the Opera Forward Festival 2025 and will mark the fourth collaboration between Philip Venables and Ted Huffman based on real-life interviews. “We Are The Lucky Ones” tells the story of a generation and {…}

May 2, 2024

Frederick Ballentine, Michael Mayes & Hiromi Omura Lead Utah Opera’s 2024-25 Season

The Utah Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. The season will open with Sondheim and Wheeler’s “Sweeney Todd.” Robert Tweten leads a cast that includes Michael Mayes as the demon barber himself, Audrey Babcock, Amy Owens, Megan Marino, and Christian Sanders. Doug Scholz-Carlson directs. Performance Dates: Oct. 12-20, 2024 Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel” will be conducted by Stephanie Rhodes Russell {…}

Aug 17, 2023

Seattle Opera 2023-24 Review: Das Rheingold

(Photo credit: Seattle Opera © Philip Newton) Why build an elaborate faux-underwater set for the Rhine scenes in Wagner’s “Ring” when you have an orchestra pit that can make a perfectly plausible stage river? It’s an idea so obvious, you think surely, it must have been tried already. This is the solution found by Brian Staufenbiel, tasked with staging “Das {…}

Mar 9, 2023

English National Opera 2022-23 Review: The Rhinegold

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner English National Opera has had a stay of execution from the swinging cuts imposed on them by Arts Council England before Christmas. At least another year of funding is guaranteed, though it has not come without casualties; the “Siegfried” planned as the next installment of their burgeoning “Ring” has reportedly been pulled. A pity, as Richard {…}

Jan 10, 2023

Denyce Graves, Kenneth Kellogg & Vanessa Goikoetxea Lead Seattle Opera’s 2023-24 Season

The Seattle Opera has announced the 2023-24 season featuring four productions. Productions Wagner’s “Das Rheingold“ is set to open the season with Greer Grimsley as Wotan, Frederick Ballentine, Michael Mayes, and the Seattle Opera debut of internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. The cast is rounded by Martin Bakari, Melody Wilson, Kenneth Kellogg, Peixin Chen, and Sarah Larsen. Performance Dates: August {…}

Dec 5, 2022

English National Opera 2022 Review: It’s a Wonderful Life

Photo: © Lloyd Winters Unlike ballet, which has “The Nutcracker” as a festive staple, there aren’t very many Christmas operas. “La bohème” opens on Christmas eve, and there is invariably snow, but yuletide is hardly the subject of the opera. ENO were scheduled to perform John Adams nativity oratorio “El Niño” during lockdown, but it sadly got canned. Along comes {…}

May 12, 2022

Laura Wilde, Brandie Sutton & Janai Brugger Lead Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ 2023 Season

The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has announced its 2023 season. The season opens with “Treemonisha,” Scott Joplin’s landmark opera. The work will see an expanded version, reimagined for the modern day with an added prologue and epilogue by composer Damien Sneed and librettist Karen Chilton. Charlotte Brathwaite directs the opera with George Manahan conducting. The cast includes Justin Austin, {…}

frederick ballentine