Music of Remembrance 2023-24 Season Features World Premiere of Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer’s ‘Before it All Goes Dark”

Seattle, Washington-based Music of Remembrance (MOR) has unveiled its 2023-24 season, which remembers the victims of the Holocaust, and explores cultural vandalism with Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s new opera “Before it All Goes Dark.” For this article, only vocal performances are listed. MOR brings together three community organizations: University of Washington Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Boychoir, and Seattle Girls Choir {…}

Jun 2, 2023

Presidio Theater 2023 Review: ‘Music of Remembrance’

Credit: Ben VanHouten The grass was pristine. The houses lined up along manicured lawns. The street signs sparkled, and the paths swept to perfection. Around each corner and through the trees, the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge stood. Inside the Presidio Theater, a performance titled “Music of Remembrance (MOR)” featured the works “Another Sunrise” and “For a Look or a Touch” {…}

Mar 16, 2023

Ewa Płonka, Lucas Meachem, Sasha Cooke, Lawrence Brownlee, Denyce Graves & Angela Meade Lead The Dallas Opera 2023-24 Season

The Dallas Opera (TDO) has announced its 2023-24 Season, featuring a world premiere production of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Kicking off the season, opening with Puccini’s “Tosca” starring Ewa Płonka in the title role, Joseph Calleja as Cavaradossi, Gihoon Kim as Scarpia, Andrew Potter as Angelotti, Thomas Cilluffo as Spoletta, and Darren Drone as Sacristan in this Andrew {…}

Dec 17, 2022

Presidio Theatre Unveils 2023 Spring Season

San Francisco’s Presidio Theatre has announced its 2023 spring season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal and operatic performances. The Lamplighters will present “By Georges! A Day in the Life of the Legendary Chevalier de St. Georges.” The showcase is the company’s first production from its operetta commission project. Performance Date: May 6, {…}

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 {…}

Jul 29, 2022

Berkshire Opera Festival 2022 Review: Three Decembers

Photos by Matt Madison-Clark This review is of the July 23, 2022, Berkshire Opera Fest Performance “At the heart of what we do is produce the greatest opera at the highest level. The Berkshires is a magical place. There was a void of opera, and so here we are,” Jonathon Loy, Berkshire Opera Fest’s (BOF) Co-founder and Director of Production, {…}

Jul 31, 2021

Chicago Fringe Opera Announces 2021-22 Season

Chicago Fringe Opera (CFO) has announced its 2021-22 season, featuring a mix of in-person and virtual productions. Here’s what audiences have to look forward to this coming season. First up is a hip-hop twist on Rossini’s comedic masterpiece, “The Barber of Seville.” For the third straight year, “The Rosina Project” will feature hip-hop and opera artists performing an original, female-driven {…}

Mar 7, 2021

Music of Remembrance to Spotlight Works by Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer

Music of Remembrance has announced that it will present special new productions of two works by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. First up will be “For a Look or a Touch,” a work that addresses the Nazi persecution of members of the gay community. The production will be directed by Erich Parce and will star Jarrett Ott and Curt Branom. {…}

Jan 22, 2021

Fort Worth Opera Announces Expansion of Spring 2021 Lineup Including Collaboration with Met Opera

Fort Worth Opera (FWO) has announced an expansion of its 2021 spring lineup that comprises a film festival in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera, a virtual celebration of Black History Month, a collaboration with Opera San José, drive-in events, and more. For the first time in FWO’s 74-year history, the company will collaborate with the Metropolitan Opera to create an {…}

Jul 19, 2020

‘You Get What You Put Out Into the Universe:’ Baritone Lucas Meachem On His Highs and Lows, Diversity in Opera, & COVID’s Impact on Young Artists

In late May, the COVID-19 pandemic relented for a spell, enticing parts of the United States to reopen after weeks of lockdown. Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer in the States, was in full swing. 2020 had a disastrous start, but big cities like New York had the virus somewhat contained. Worldwide, the insidious threat of sickness and {…}

Oct 29, 2018

Merola Opera Program Announces Conductor and Director for First Commissioned Work

On August 1, 2019, the Merola Opera Program of San Francisco will world premiere Jake Heggie’s new opera, “If I Were You.” This also marks the first work commissioned in the program’s long history of artistic development. The Merola Opera Program has announced that “If I Were You” will be conducted by Nicole Paiement, and directed by Keturah Stickann. The {…}

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