Sing for Hope, The Museum of Jewish Heritage, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene & Lang Lang International Music Foundation to Present Historic Concert

On Sunday, June 14, the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, Sing for Hope, and Lang Lang International Music Foundation will join forces to present “We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope.” The special live-streamed concert event, which will be presented by a network of more than 125 {…}

Jun 1, 2020

Jonas Kaufmann, Joyce DiDonato, Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland & The Top 10 Operas to Stream This Week

(Credit: Bill Cooper / Marty Sohl) Even though reopening plans are in full effect, there are still several opera companies streaming performances online. So with the lockdown very much in flux, here are 10 operas we think you should check out this week. Don Giovanni – Glyndebourne (Streaming Now) Last week, the Glyndebourne Festival kicked off its streaming service with {…}

May 29, 2020

Jennifer Zetlan & Mario Diaz-Moresco Headline On Site Opera’s Revolutionary Telephone Opera

(Image Source: Mario Diaz-Moresco Official Website / Jennifer Zetlan Official Website) When COVID-19 shutdown public gatherings, On Site Opera’s main purpose, which is to assemble productions in unique theatrical spaces, was suppressed. But the company, renowned for making a New York City park or a Wax Museum into an opera theater, would not be deterred and rethought the concept of {…}

May 15, 2020

Ailyn Pérez, Matthew Polenzani Among 100 Singers Join Forces for Campbell & Moravec’s ‘Light Shall Lift Us’

Over 100 singers came together for a video performance of “Light Shall Lift Us,” a work by librettist Mark Campbell and composer Paul Moravec. The duo, which has worked together on “The Shining” proposed the idea to Marc Scorca of Opera America, who embraced the idea and helped put together the 107 artists who would eventually record their individual parts {…}

Apr 22, 2020

On Site Opera to Encore Stream of ‘Morning Star’

On Site Opera in New York has added an additional live stream to its 4-part series of encore presentations. The company, which has streamed past opera performances from its archives over the last month, will offer a watch party of its 2018 production of Ricky Ian Gordon and William Hoffman’s “Morning Star,” originally performed at the Museum at Eldridge Street {…}

Mar 17, 2020

Opera Grand Rapids 2020 Review: Scalia / Ginsburg

Despite closing down in an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19 around the world, many opera companies are still finding creative ways of reaching their respective audiences in the hopes of giving them some measure of relief. Moreover, these efforts are a reminder that despite these trying times, there is hope of an eventual return to normalcy and that {…}

Jan 20, 2020

Prototype Festival 2020 Review: Ellen West

This past summer, OperaWire published an interview with “Ellen West” headliner Jennifer Zetlan. When asked what she wanted audiences to take away from her experience with the opera, Zetlan’s replied that, to her, an extremely successful evening of live theater or opera was one in which the audience leaves feeling their soul touched, adding “… I hope our audiences will find themselves deeply moved {…}

Dec 24, 2019

Jennifer Zetlan to Headline ‘Ellen West’ At Prototype Festival 2020

Jennifer Zetlan is set to take on the title role in the New York City premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon and Frank Bidart’s “Ellen West” at the Prototype Festival on Jan. 14-19, 2020. Zetlan interpreted the role in the world premiere of the opera during the summer of 2019 at Saratoga Springs. “Ellen West is the pseudonym of a real {…}

Aug 7, 2019

Michael Spyres & Pavel Cernoch Headline New CD/DVD Releases – August 5

This week, a slew of rarely performed works are set for release, including live recordings and some world premieres. La Nonne Sanglante Gounod’s rarely performed work gets a release from the Opera Comique. The new release, by Naxos, stars Vannina Santoni, Marion Lebègue, and Michael Spyres. Laurence Equilbey conducts the Insula Orchestra in David Bobee’s production from 2018. Jane Eyre Louis Karchin’s {…}

Jul 25, 2019

Susanna Phillips, Takaoki Onishi & Jennifer Zetlan Headline Oratorio Society of New York’s 2019-20 Season

The Oratorio Society of New York has revealed details of its upcoming 147th season, which will include two world premieres. The season will kick off with “Rachmaninoff and Duruflé” at Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The program will include excerpts from Rachmaninoff’s Vespers, an “a cappella work of remarkable spirituality,” along with Duruflé’s Requiem. Featured vocalists will include contralto Kirsten {…}

Jun 29, 2019

Q & A: Soprano Jennifer Zetlan On the Singing the Title Role in Ricky Ian Gordon’s ‘Ellen West’

(Photo: Arielle Doneson) Soprano Jennifer Zetlan is a singer known for her enthusiasm for contemporary opera. She has been featured in at least nine premieres of American operas, and created roles in two world premieres, the Messenger in Matthew Aucoin’s “Crossing,” and Fanny in Ricky Ian Gordon’s “Morning Star.” Alongside Zetlan’s passion for new opera, her vocal agility enables her {…}