Music at Paxton announces its 2025 festival lineup. This article only features classical vocal performances. Denise Stout leads the Northumbria Chamber Choir in a program of works by Byrd and Debussy, as well as Northumbrian folk songs, and more. Performance Date: July 19, 2025 Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston pianist and Sholto Kynoch present “Notes of Old,” featuring music by Schubert, J.S. {…}
The Gran Teatre del Liceu will host the 2025 “Concert for Peace,” in collaboration with the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation. This initiative, which began in 2022 in response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, now returns in favor of peace, solidarity, and understanding between peoples, reaffirming the musical world’s commitment to universal rights. Given the increase in armed {…}
The Classical Music Series 2025-2026 at JW3 has been announced. This season there will be one vocal performance. Here is a look. Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston will sing alongside the sensitive archlutenist Segio Buchell and viola da gamba and cello player Jonathan Manson. The youthful trio will play a concert of early music including a complete Händel Cantata and works by {…}
(Photo credits: Borggreve, Fowler, & Reason) The Lied Festival Victoria de los Ángeles (LIFE Victoria) has announced its 2025 lineup. This article only features vocal works. Soprano Elsa Dreisig and pianist Romain Louveau perform Schumann’s “Dichterliebe,” along with works by Ravel, Pesson, Ströhl, and Fauré. Performance Date: February 11, 2025 A double bill of Poulenc’s “La voix humaine” and “La {…}
(Photo credits: Crowley, Cadisch, & Simpson) The Oxford International Song Festival has announced its 2024 season lineup. Baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Natalie Burch open the Festival with Schubert’s “Schwanengesang.” Performance Date: October 11, 2024 Soprano Carolyn Sampson and pianist Joseph Middleton present a works by Robert and Clara Schumann. Performance Date: October 12, 2024 Dame Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton {…}
(Photo credit: Marco Borggreve) The 2024 Music at Paxton festival has released its line up of events. This article features vocal works only. Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston joins the Consone Quartet to present the works of Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn, and Fanny Mendelssohn. Performance Date: July 20, 2024 Composer Gavin Bryars joins artistic director Angus Smith in a “meet {…}
Photo credit: Colin Miller Winners of the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2023 have been announced. This article only features winners of vocal-related works. Soprano Dame Felicity Lott took home the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her performance career and discography of more than 100 recordings. French soprano Véronique Gens was awarded Artist of the Year and the won the Voice and Ensemble {…}
Photo: Pablo Lorente Opéra Royal de Versailles’ “Dido and Aeneas” has, on paper, great musicians, a good stage director, good dancers, and even William Christie. But that was not enough to prevent leaving the theater frustrated. The principal point of frustration came from how poorly conceived the production itself was. This failure is exclusive to good and well-intentioned artists—those from {…}
The Handel and Haydn Society has announced its 2023-24 season, the first under new Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen. “This season we will make the old new again as our orchestra and chorus approach every piece of music with passion, vitality, and freshness on instruments from the period as the composers intended,” said Jonathan Cohen, Artistic Director of the Handel and {…}
The York Festival of Early Music has announced that critically acclaimed, award-winning mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston will join the organization as Artistic Adviser this May. Replacing harpsichordist Steven Devine, she will work alongside such advisers as John Bryan, Lindsay Kemp and Peter Seymour. Charlston, the winner of London’s Händel Competition, is a member of the Les Arts Florissants Young Artists Programme, {…}
San Francisco-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has announced its exciting 2022-23 season spotlighting rare works by Handel and featuring Anthony Roth Costanzo, along with 13 guest artist debuts. Here’s what’s in store for Bay Area audiences. For this article, only vocal performances are listed. First up is Händel’s oratorio “Theodora,” featuring mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston in her PBO and American debut, soprano {…}
