The Grammy Awards were announced on Feb. 1, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Best Opera Recording winner was Heggie’s “Intelligence” which featured Kwamé Ryan, Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges and Janai Brugger. The recording was produced by Blanton Alspaugh. In the process, Ryan became the first Black conductor to win in the Best Opera Recording category. The {…}
(Photo credits: Acosta, Brown, Simpson, Adjahoe) Philadelphia Orchestra announces its 2026-27 season. This article only features vocal concerts. Opening night features soloists Leah Hawkins, J’Nai Bridges, Issachah Savage, and Ryan Speedo Green in Beethoven “Symphony” No. 9. They are joined by the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir led by Joe Miller. The U.S. premiere of Hisaishi’s “Orbis” is also slated. Yannick Nézet-Séguin {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) LA Opera is set to celebrate its 40th Anniversary Season in Herbert Ross’ production of “La Bohème.” Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads the opera for six performances between Nov. 22 and Dec. 14, 2025, and will star Janai Brugger, Erica Petrocelli, Oreste Cosimo, Gihoon Kim, William Guanbo Su, Emmett O’Hanlon, and Rod Gilfry. In a statement, Christopher {…}
(Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera) Metropolitan Opera’s season premiere of Ivo van Hove’s production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” took place on September 24, 2025. Van Hove’s production originally debuted at Ópera National de Paris in 2019 at the Palais Garnier and OperaWire reviewed the performance in detail, specifically highlighting the set design and overall aesthetic. It is also important {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, audiences will get to hear a world premiere recording of a modern masterpiece, a recording by a male soprano, and some modern works. There are also some Bel Canto gems to discover. Intelligence Houston Grand Opera releases a recording of composer {…}
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025 Summer Recital Series has announced its 16th season, which begins June 9. The six free outdoor recitals will take place in all five boroughs of New York City, presented in collaboration with Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage. The concerts at SummerStage in Central Park, which will be held on June 16 and in Brooklyn Bridge {…}
Seattle Symphony has announced its 2025-26 season, the first with Xian Zhang as its new music director. Here is a breakdown of the vocal performances on offer. Gemma New conducts works by Gabriella Smith and Vaughan Williams with Wendy Bryn Harmer and Jarrett Ott as the vocal soloists. The concert also features cellist Gabriel Cabezas and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. {…}
The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2025-26 season. Here are the vocal performances for the season. Thomas Søndergård and Joyce DiDonato open the season performing Strauss, Berlioz, Connesson, and Bernstein. Performance Dates: Sept. 18 & 19, 2025 Thomas Søndergård and Lauren Snouffer perform Sibelius Stenhammar, and Abrahamsen. Performance Dates: Jan. 16 & 17, 2026 Eun Sun Kim leads Beethoven’s Symphony {…}
The Ravinia Festival has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The festival will present Opera for the Young’s “The Magic Flute.” Performance Date: June 28, 2025 Marin Alsop conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara. Performance Date: July 13, 2025 The CSO & Chorus will be conducted by Marin Alsop {…}
LA Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the program. Opera Gabriella Reyes and Duke Kim star in the company premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.” James Conlon conducts the production by Francesca Zambello. Performance Dates: Sept. 20-Oct. 8, 2025 Puccini’s “La Bohème” will return Janai Brugger, Oreste Cosimo, Erica Petrocelli, Gihoon Kim, Emmett O’Hanlon, and {…}
(Photo credit: Norman Timonera) The Grant Park Music Festival has announced its 2025 season. For the purposes of this article only classical vocal concerts are included. The Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra and Chorus give the Illinois premiere of Jake Runestad’s “Earth Symphony.” Also programmed on this concert is Gustav Holst’s “The Planets, and Lili Boulanger’s “Psalm 24.” Christopher Bell {…}
