Maya Kherani, Amanda Forsythe & Aaron Sheehan Headline Baroque Streams For Holidays

(Credit: https://www.wgbh.org/music/baroque-christmas-bemf) Boston Baroque and Boston Early Music Festival will stream several baroque pieces for the holidays, including Händel’s celebrated “Messiah.” First up, soprano Maya Kherani, counter-tenor Christopher Lowrey, tenor Aaron Sheehan, and bass-baritone Kevin Deas perform “Messiah.” Boston Baroque Music Director Martin Pearlman conducts. The concert was recorded and streamed live on IDAGIO on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 in {…}

Dec 16, 2021

Rockwood Music Hall 2021-22 Review: Felix Jarrar’s ‘Too Hot to Handel’

Photo credit: 360 of Opera/Diego Valdez There are two certainties during the holiday season: Santa and countless performances of Händel’s “Messiah.” The two collided on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, when composer and pianist Felix Jarrar brought his subversive rendition of Part one of the baroque masterpiece to Rockwood Music Hall, this on the same day as the infamous bacchanal that {…}

Nov 21, 2021

Oratorio Society of New York Continues Holiday Tradition with Handel’s ‘Messiah’

On December 20, 2021, the Oratorio Society of New York will continue its longstanding holiday tradition with a performance of Händel’s “Messiah” at the Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. Led by conductor Kent Tritle, the performance will feature soloists soprano Leslie Fagan, contralto Heather Petrie, tenor Joshua Blue, and baritone Sidney Outlaw. The program will be comprised of Part {…}

Nov 17, 2021

Suntory Hall to Celebrate Holidays with ‘Messiah’

Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan is set to present Händel’s “Messiah” on Dec. 24, 2021. The showcase, which will feature the Bach Collegium Japan, will be directed by Masaaki Suzuki. Soloists in the performance will include soprano Rachel Nicholls, bass Benjamin Bevan, mezzo-soprano Ayako Yukawa, and tenor Satoshi Nishimura. The performance will be available exclusively via streaming. Audiences can either {…}

Nov 17, 2021

Concerts at Saint Thomas Announces 2021 Holiday Slate

Concerts at Saint Thomas in New York City has announced its 2021 Christmas Concerts slate. First up will be a rendition of Händel’s “Messiah” with New York Baroque Incorporated and the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. Soloists will include Sarah Brailey, Kirsten Solleck, Rufus Müller, and David John Pike. Jeremy Filsell will conduct. Performance Dates: Dec. 7 & {…}

Nov 10, 2021

L’Orchestre Classique de Montréal to Present ‘Messiah’

L’Orchestre Classique de Montréal is set to present Händel’ “Messiah” on Dec. 7, 2021. The showcase, which will take place at the basilica of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, will star soprano Jacqueline Woodley, mezzo-soprano Marie-Andrée Mathieu, tenor Antoine Bélanger, and baritone Neil Craighead. Conductors Boris Brott and Xavier Brossard-Ménard will lead the evening, which will also include the {…}

Oct 28, 2021

Opera Meets Film: How Haymarket Opera Creates a Unique Operatic Experience Through its ‘Orlando’ Film

(Credit: Anna Cillan) Following the halt on live performances due to COVID-19, opera houses and companies alike were forced to reform how they brought music to their traditionally in-person audiences. Via digital means, like prerecorded content, subscription-based videos, and online events, the traditional venues of opera were radically altered. But as lockdowns start to end, and restrictions begin to be {…}

Oct 9, 2021

PBS to Present ‘Da Ponte’s Oratorio: A Concert for New York’

PBS is set to premiere “The Oratorio” and “Da Ponte’s Oratorio: A Concert for New York” on Nov. 5, 2021. First up will be the documentary, which starts at 9 p.m., and will be headlined by famed film director Martín Scorsese as he reveals the story of the arrival of Italian opera to the New World during a performance in {…}

Oct 6, 2021

International Handel Festival Göttingen 2021 Review: Ariodante

(Photo: Theodore da Silva) Just behind Göttingen train station is the Lokhalle, a large industrial building built between 1917 and 1920, which until 1976 was used for repairing locomotives, when it was closed and sold for development. Fortunately, it was not demolished along with the other buildings on the site. Instead, it was converted into an events center which, among {…}

Sep 19, 2021

Against the Grain Theatre to Stream ‘Messiah / Complex’ This Holiday Season

Against the Grain Theatre has announced that it will be bringing back its famed recording of “Messiah/Complex” for the holiday season. The unique arrangement of the timeless masterpiece will start streaming on AtG TV on Dec. 12, 2021, and will be made available until Jan. 9, 2022. The work is co-directed by Joel Ivany and Reneltta Arluk and features 12 {…}

Sep 16, 2021

International Handel Festival Göttingen 2021 Review: Rodelinda

(Photo: Alciro Theodore da Silva) The relationship of art to society is a complex and ever-changing one. At times it is used to support the dominant values of the elite as was the case with the 17th and 18th century baroque, whilst during other periods, it sets itself up in opposition to society, underpinned by varying degrees of revolutionary intent. {…}

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