Muscat, the capital city of the Sultanate of Oman, has been a crossroads of culture for centuries. Ships from as far away as China once arrived here, bearing precious spices. Oman itself was and remains the leading producer of frankincense, the scent of which hangs in the air. The Sultanate sits at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, with {…}
It is time to wrap up the year and look back at our favorite moments and performers. After releasing our favorite performances of 2024 and showcasing our rising stars of the year, it’s time for OperaWire’s annual tradition of naming our top 11 singers of the year, performers that we thought stood out. Performers who had major breaks, headlined major productions or simply had {…}
France’s Chorégies d’Orange has announced its 2025 Season. Here is a look at the operatic performances. The festival is set to present Pop The Opera.” Performance Date: June 13, 2025 Jessica Pratt, Aya Wakizono, Dmitry Korchak, and Inho Jeong lead Mozart’s Requiem with Diego Ceretta conducting the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Performance Date: June 28, 2025 Jader Bignamini conducts Verdi’s “Il {…}
The Donizetti Opera Festival has announced that it will stream all three productions from the 2024 season. The streams will be on the company’s Donizetti OperaTube. The first stream of the season will be “Don Pasquale“ conducted by Iván López-Reynoso and directed by Amélie Niermeyer. The cast includes Roberto de Candia, Giulia Mazzola, Javier Camarena, and Dario Sogos. Streaming Date: Nov. 22, {…}
Raising a child is a complicated process. Raising a prodigious one is absolutely unforeseen and fraught with constant error, for no ordinary laws apply here. The Donizetti Festival in Bergamo, although still an officious event, always seemed to be this prodigy for me, every year somehow attempting to prove that Donizetti’s music might be the center of the opera world. {…}
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Camilla Nylund, Andreas Schager, and Pietari Inkinen perform an evening of Wagner, Strauss, Kálmán, Lehar, Performance Dates: Jan. 12, 2025 Zum Rahmenprogramm des Festivals Gianandrea Noseda, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, and Philharmonia Zürich lead an all-Strauss program. Performance Dates: Feb. 22, 2025 Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler’s {…}
The Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera The season opens with Bellini’s “Norma” with Leonardo Sini conducting a production by Hugo De Ana. The cast will include Jessica Pratt and Irina Lungu in the title role alongside Antonio Poli, Elisa Balbo, Aya Wakizono, Carlo Lepore, and Alessio Cacciamani. Performance Dates: Jan. 18-26, 2025 Mozart’s “Don {…}
(Credit: Maggio Musicale Fiorentino) The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has announced its 2025 season. Stefano Ranzani conducts a production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” by Davide Livermore. Celso Albelo, Daniel Luis de Vicente, Leon Kim, Olga Peretyatko, Alessio Cacciamani, and Eleonora Filipponi star. Performance Dates: Feb. 16-23, 2025 Michele Spotti conducts Bellini’s “Norma” in a production by Moshe Leisier and Patrice Caurier. Jessica Pratt, {…}
(Photo credit: Khalid Al Busaidi) General Director of the Royal Opera House Muscat, Umberto Fanni, led a media briefing on the company’s upcoming season. During the briefing, Fanni gave insight to the planning of the 2024-25 season, and beyond. He also spoke to the company’s mission and dedication to community and culture. The 2024-25 season titled “Timeless Tales and Fabulous {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) After the initial success of its premiere in 1819 at Teatro La Scala, Rossini’s “Bianca e Falliero” managed to hold its place on Italian stages and beyond for over 10 years before disappearing completely. It was not until 1986 that its first revival in modern times took place, thanks to the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. The {…}
(Credit: Courtesy of Royal Opera House Muscat) The Royal Opera House Muscat has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera The season will open with Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” featuring The National Centre for Performing Arts Beijing. The cast will include Elena Stikhina, Piotr Bezcala, Liao Chaoyong, and Agnieszka Rehlis, and will be directed by Hugo de Ana. Giampaolo Bisanti conducts. {…}