Thomas Hampson, Eleonora Buratto, Sasha Cooke & Louise Alder Lead Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-27 Season

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2026-27 season. Klaus Mäkelä conducts Thomas Hampson in a program of music by Gabrieli, Stravinsky, and Walton. Performance Dates: Oct. 8 & 9, 2026 Klaus Mäkelä conducts Thomas Hampson in a program of music by Stravinsky, and Walton. Performance Date: Oct. 10, 2026 Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conducts Brahms’ German Requiem with Louise Alder and Konstantin Krimmel. {…}

Feb 15, 2026

Ravenna Festival Unveils 2026 Season

The Ravenna Festival announces its 2026 season. This article only features vocal concerts. Riccardo Muti leads choir singers from all over Italy for the project Cantare amantis est. Performance Dates: June 1 & 2, 2026 Nicola Zambon and Ludovico Dal Pra sing in “Il Santo folle” by Marcello Fera and Guido Barbieri, with Conductus Ensemble and Gruppo Vocale Heinrich Schütz, {…}

Nov 22, 2025

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: Così fan tutte

(Photo: © Vito Lorusso / Teatro alla Scala) During the Classical period, audiences entertained themselves with theatrical farces, literary comedies and other artistic forms that, besides amusing, also served as social critique. “Così fan tutte,” premiered in Vienna in 1790, is a direct heir to that tradition. Mozart’s work explores seduction, fidelity and the illusion of love. Its characters take {…}

Jul 19, 2025

‘Don Giovanni’ Is One of the Greatest Works Ever Written. Why Is It So Hard for Directors to Get Right?

(Photo: © Monika Rittershaus) “Don Giovanni” is an opera of seductions and escapes, moral wreckage and divine retribution, a shimmering mosaic of comedy, tragedy, farce, and existential dread. Yet “the mother of all operas” is also a uniquely treacherous work—at once alluring and intractable, irresistibly open yet elusive. Music’s sublimity rarely fails to connect with audiences, even in a less-than-stellar {…}

Apr 23, 2025

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: L’opera seria

(Photo credit: Brescia and Amisano) “I should reproach myself even more if I were to allow myself to be credited with the initiative for the new genre of Italian opera … it is to my librettist Calzabigi that the main credit goes …” Gluck, letter of 1775 Let us speak directly of the opera at hand, recently brought to the {…}

Apr 16, 2025

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: L’opera seria

(Photo credit: Brescia and Amisano) One of the most common phenomena of the 18th century was the pilgrimage of European composers to Italy, seeking to immerse themselves in the “alla italiana” compositional technique and then return to their homelands to apply this revolutionary formula. Such was the case of Florian Leopold Gassmann (1729–1774), who left his native Bohemia to settle {…}

Apr 2, 2025

Royal Opera House Announces 2025-26 Cinema Season

The Royal Opera House has announced its cinema season for the 2025-26 season. Here are the opera offerings: The cinema season opens with Puccini’s “Tosca” starring Anna Netrebko, Freddie de Tommaso, and Gerald Finley. Jakub Hrůša conducts the new production by Oliver Mears. Cinema Date: Oct. 1 & 5, 2025 Antonello Manacorda conducts Verdi’s “La Traviata” and will star Ermonela {…}

Feb 4, 2025

Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Jamie Barton, Susan Graham, Kang Wang, Brandon Jovanovich & Levy Sekgapane Lead San Francisco Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The San Francisco Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The company is set to present its “Opera Ball,” co-presented with the San Francisco Opera Guild. Performance Date: Sept. 5, 2025 The season opens with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” with Eun Sun Kim conducting the work. Amartuvshin Enkhbat leads the cast in the title role alongside Adela Zaharia, Giovanni Sala, J’Nai Bridges, and {…}

Feb 2, 2025

Opéra de Monte-Carlo 2024 Review: Mozart in Monaco Festival

(Photos: Marco Borrelli) The Opéra de Monte-Carlo ushered in the new year with two standout productions as part of the “Mozart in Monaco” festival, organized by the resident Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. The festival’s first offering was a semi-staged “Don Giovanni,” presented by the Wiener Staatsoper on January 19th. Cecilia Bartoli, director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, continued her fruitful {…}

May 14, 2024

Thomas Hampson, Maria Teresa Leva, Juan Francisco Gatell & Slávka Zámečníková Lead Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano’s 2024-25 Season

The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Michele Gamba conducts Verdi’s Requiem with Maria Teresa Leva, Deniz Uzun, Giovanni Sala, and Adolfo Corrado. Performance Dates: Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2024 Huandel’s “Messiah” will star Anna Prohaska, Chiara Tirotta, Ilker Arcayürek, and Liviu Holender. Christoph Koncz conducts. Performance Dates: Dec. 13 & 15, 2024 {…}

Mar 16, 2024

Jonas Kaufmann, Elīna Garanča, Nicholas Brownlee, Lisette Oropesa, Pretty Yende & Christopher Maltman Lead Bayerische Staatsoper’s 2024-25 Season

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Tobias Krazter directs a new production of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” with Nicholas Brownlee, Milan Siljanov, Sean Panikkar, Markus Brück, Matthias Klink, Matthew Rose, Timo Riihonen, Ekaterina Gubanova, Mirjam Mesak, and Wiebke Lehmkuhl. Vladimir Jurowski conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. 27, 2024-July 31, 2025 Damiano Michieletto directs Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment” with {…}