Another busy week for the world’s leading opera singers, but that has not stopped them from connecting with fans via social media. Nadine Sierra made everyone realize how much work went into getting her hair ready for a performance of “The Magic Flute.” Sending a big thank you to @_fab_official for coming backstage at @operadeparis for this awesome interview. I’ve {…}
All who wandered into the Kosciusko Foundation on Wednesday, Feb. 8 were greeted with an intimate celebration of mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton’s debut album “All Who Wander.” The event, which was hosted by the Gerda Lissner Foundation featured a performance in addition to a Q&A hosted by Ken Benson. Barton performed a total of seven selections from the album alongside pianist {…}
Jamie Barton is the 2017 winner of the Beverly Sills Artist Award, given to extraordinarily gifted singers between the ages of 25 and 40 who have already appeared in featured solo roles at the Met. Barton made her Met debut in 2009 as the Second Lady in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” She would return in 2013 to take on the role {…}
Dvorak’s “Rusalka” makes a much-anticipated return to the Metropolitan Opera this Thursday, Feb. 2 in a brand-new production by noted director Mary Zimmerman. The Director Zimmerman made a splash at the Met with her work on three operas from the Bel Canto three – Donizetti, Rossini and Bellini. Her work in “Lucia di Lammermoor” was universally hailed for gothic style. Her {…}
How did the superstars of the opera world spend the last full week of January? For Aida Garifulina it was a week of major milestones as the soprano not only got to sing alongside Juan Diego Flórez in “Roméo et Juliette” with Plácido Domingo in the pit, but she got to present her first solo album in Vienna. We’re getting {…}
Audiences will get the first taste of what Jonas Kaufmann’s “Tristan und Isolde” will sound like when he takes on the second act at Carnegie Hall next year. The esteemed concert venue’s 2017-18 season was announced on Wednesday, fans learning that opera’s greatest stars will be everywhere on the schedule. Kaufmann’s “Tristan” is the big one of course, a concert {…}
The Houston Grand Opera announced its 2017-18 season Thursday with opening night featuring Verdi’s “La Traviata.” In sum, there will be seven operas overall between October 20, 2017 and May 11, including one World Premiere. The 2017 Operas “La Traviata” opens the season for seven performances with Albina Shagimuratova. This will be the soprano’s fourth run of the work in {…}
Plácido Domingo heads to the cinemas on Saturday as he returns to the role of Verdi’s “Nabucco” as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series. The performance will feature Domingo in the title role, for which he has garnered rave reviews. OperaWire noted that the role “fits him like a glove… At 75, his voice, while possessing an {…}
New Years weekend will not be particularly active in the American opera scene. Only three major companies will make their respective presences felt as the calendar turns from 2016 to 2017. The Metropolitan Opera will continue its full slate of operas, showcasing three works to end the year. There will be two performances given on Friday, December 30. At 12 {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced the second half of its 2016-17 season, which kicks off in January with the 30th anniversary of John Adams’ “Nixon in China.” The opera originally made its world premiere with Houston Grand back in 1987, though this new production is slated to play up the media and technology themes of modern-day. The opera, which {…}
Russell Thomas will grace millions of viewers in the United States with his brilliant tenor during the midnight mass on Christmas Eve at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The tenor made the announcement via Twitter. He slated to sing “O Holy Night” during the mass. Thomas is currently performing a run of Verdi’s “Nabucco” at the Metropolitan Opera alongside Placido Domingo, {…}