OPERA NEWS has announced that it must cancel its awards gala scheduled for April 5, 2020 due to regulations put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19. “The editors of OPERA NEWS and the staff and board of directors of the Metropolitan Opera Guild thank our supporters, our sponsors and our 2020 honorees — Thomas Allen, Javier Camarena, Anthony {…}
The Deutshce Oper Berlin has announced its 2020-21 season featuring six new productions and a new Ring Cycle. Premieres The season kicks off with “The 7 Deaths of Maria Callas,” which will be directed by Marina Abramovic. Marina Abramovic, Nadezhda Karyazina, Whitney Morrison, Leah Hawkins, Adela Zaharia, Selene Zanetti, Gabriella Reyes, and Mané Galoyan will lead the cast. Performance Dates: {…}
(Image Source: Metopera.org) The Metropolitan Opera has officially announced the names of nine singers that have advanced to the final round of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The singers that have made the final round include mezzo-sopranos Gabrielle Beteag and Lindsay Kate Brown; sopranos Chasiti Lashay, Jana McIntyre, Alexandria Shiner, and Denis Vélez; baritones Blake Denson and Xiaomeng {…}
Javier Camarena made history on Feb. 16, 2020 encoring in “La Fille du Régiment” after receiving a standing ovation. During the semi-staged performance at the Bella Artes in Mexico of Donizetti’s comic masterpiece, Camarena once again encored the aria “Ah! Mes amis,” making it his first encore in Mexico, his native country. Camarena was celebrating his 15th anniversary on stage {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) Famed Mexican tenor Javier Camarena ended a solo tour through Spain with a recital at the Auditorio Nacional de Música on Feb. 7, 2020. Accompanied by pianist Angel Rodriguez, the structure of the program was originally a presentation of future repertoire for the tenor, with a first part dedicated to French repertoire and the second half {…}
This weekend is Valentine’s Day so we tried to choose works with great love stories. Here are this weekend’s top five operas to see! Don Carlos – Opera Royal de Wallonie, Belgium Gregory Kunde sings the final performance of Verdi’s epic in the title role. He is joined by Ildebrando D’Arcangelo, Kate Aldrich, Lionel Lhote, and Roberto Scandiuzzi. Paolo Arrivabeni {…}
The International Opera Awards have announced the nominees for its 2020 Awards. The annual event, which celebrates achievement in opera around the globe over the 2019 calendar year, recognizes excellence in a wide range of categories that cover performance, design and direction, as well as education and outreach. This year, two opera companies topped the 2020 nominees with three a {…}
(Credit: Courtesy of Donizetti Opera Festival) The Donizetti Opera Festival has announced its 2020 season, which is set to open on Nov. 19 and close on Dec. 6, 2020. The season will open with a concert performance of “Belisario” with Plácido Domingo in the title role. In a press release Domingo, who is celebrating his birthday today, stated, “Dear friends, {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) Mexican tenor Javier Camarena really needs no introduction. As one of the foremost tenors in the world, he has become a fixture at all the major opera houses. However, he has forged a particularly unique one with the Teatro Real de Madrid where audiences have witnessed some of his biggest triumphs. He performed the now legendary {…}
(Credit: Catherine Ashmore/Royal Opera – Antoni Bofill/Gran Teatre del Liceu – Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera) As we end the year its time to look back at the past 365-ish days and the big moments that defined 2019. It was a great year for numerous singers who broke-out and for established performers who took their careers in new directions or made important {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro Real in Madrid is set to open Bellini’s rare “Il Pirata” on Saturday, Nov. 30. The opera premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in 1827 when the composer was only 26-years-old and became an overnight success. And while Bellini remained at the forefront of Bel Canto for the remainder of his short life, this {…}