Black Opera Productions has announced a virtual gala aimed at celebrating the career of Jessye Norman. Entitled “Jessye Norman at 75: A Celebration,” will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020 at 6 p.m. ET. The program will feature virtual dedication from around the country with performances filmed at the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. The program will be hosted {…}
(Credit: Shirley Suarez) Famed pianist Helmut Deutsch will be releasing a new memoir that focuses on his experiences as an accompanist. “Memoir of an Accompanist” will be released by Kahn & Averill in Autumn 2020 in an English-language translation Richard Stokes, a Professor of Lieder at the Royal Academy of Music. The book details Deutsch’s career, which has spanned over {…}
Back in 2018, baritone Jonathan Estabrooks received a call from Lynne Block, the daughter of pre-eminent bass-baritone Simon Estes. She wanted to see if Estabrooks would work with her on a short documentary about her father’s life. Estabrooks, an internationally renowned performer, was also actively involved in the recording industry, creating music-related documentaries, hybrid music videos, and directing a TV {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) Verdi’s “Macbeth” may be a major repertory staple, but its Met history is actually not as extensive as one might imagine. In sum, the Verdi opera has appeared just 105 times in the company’s history. When it returns on Wednesday, Sept. 25, the company will be reviving it for the first time in five {…}
(Photo by Paola Kudacki/Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera will open its 2019-20 season with a new production of “Porgy and Bess.” The showcase on Sept. 23, 2019 will be the 55th in the company’s history and by the end of the run, the company will be inching toward 70 total performances of the opera. As we prepare to go forward {…}
Few mezzo-sopranos have successfully made the transition to becoming top sopranos. Grace Bumbry managed that. She was also a major figure in helping black singers find their rightful place on the opera stage in an era where segregation ran rampant. Born on Jan. 4, 1937, the mezzo was born in St. Louis and won a local radio competition at age {…}
The Juilliard School announced that opera singer Grace Bumbry will be honored with an honorary doctorate in music on May 18, 2018. The school announced that alongside Bumbry, alumnus Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter, director of Juilliard Jazz Studies, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, will address the graduates at the school’s 113th commencement ceremony. The ceremony will also see Juilliard {…}
We know the performers. Now let’s find out a little about the people that will be charged with picking the winners. The 2017 edition of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World judging panel features a total of eight major figures, all of them of international renown. Here is a quick rundown of the eight judges. Grace Bumbry Bumbry is one {…}
For the past two weeks we have honored the black singers making strides in today’s diverse opera world. But unfortunately, as has been the case in many social situations, the opera world was not always that diverse and the black community was not always a lock for representation on the biggest stages. But throughout the years major operatic pioneers manage {…}
It’s Diva week as three of the most popular sopranos will be releasing new albums and DVDs. One will showcase her second album while another will be debuting her first CD. Sonya Yoncheva’s Handel It was only two years ago when Yoncheva impressed in her first album, an homage to Paris. After winning the prestigious Echo Award, it would have {…}
Rudolf Bing’s name towers in the world of opera. The Austrian-born impresario, born on January 9, 1902, has an enduring legacy, in many ways tainted by the scandals and feuds Bing was known to have with the opera’s greatest figures and lesser-known figures during many of the company’s most tumultuous years. But to see the general manager who wielded his {…}
