Ailyn Perez & James Morris To Be Honored By Martina Arroyo Foundation

The Martina Arroyo Foundation’s 13th Annual Gala, a celebration of Prelude to Performance, Role Class and Outreach Programs, has announced its honorees. This year, the gala will honor legendary bass-baritone James Morris, rising star soprano Ailyn Pérez and Tony Award winners Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune. Rivera is best known for her work in “The Visit” and has won two Tonys and eight additional nominations. {…}

Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review – Turandot: James Morris Tribute Takes Centerstage in Overall Uneven Performance of Puccini’s Final Masterpiece

Occasionally music history has strange coincidences where a famous composer is unable to finish his final work. This is particularly strange when the final work has something to do with death. Consider Mozart who died writing a requiem.  Likewise, Giacomo Puccini succumbed to lung cancer before completing “Turandot.”  The last piece he wrote was the funeral march for the slave {…}

Metropolitan Opera 2016-17 Preview: ‘Der Fliegende Holländer’s’ History Marked By 10-Year Breaks

Wagner’s first masterpiece “Der Fliegende Holländer” returns to the Metropolitan Opera on Tuesday, April 25 after a seven-year absence. Despite being well-known throughout the opera world, “The Flying Dutchman,” as translated in English, has had a rather interesting history at the Met marked by long hiatuses. The opera opened the 1889-1890 season in its first-ever performance. The cast that included {…}

Metropolitan Opera 2016-17 Review – Aida: Conductor Daniele Rustioni Dominates, Leads Riveting Cast In Memorable Performance

I preface this by stating that this review is for the performance on March 31, 2017. I would also like to recognize that this is just one, performance of a seven-performance run. In an ideal situation, I would attend every performance and write a detailed review of the overall work. As it stands, I can only go on my perspective of one performance. Despite being such a familiar opera, {…}