The Anna H. Wang Concert Series has announced its 2026–2027 season. The season will include world-class artistry, virtuoso ensembles, beloved choral traditions, and the joy of brass. Executive and Artistic Director Brian Liu said, “This season is a testament to the power of music to unite and inspire. We are proud to bring these extraordinary artists to our community.” The {…}
Welcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. Audiences will get to hear a new Ring Cycle by a major American orchestra, a new recording from the National Symphony Orchestra and some world premieres. Der Ring des Nibelungen The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Fabio Luisi release a live recording of {…}
Manhattan School of Music will confer honorary Doctor of Musical Arts degrees on five distinguished figures in the performing arts at its annual Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 21 at 1:00 PM at The Riverside Church in New York City. Among the honorees are mezzo-soprano and MSM alumna J’Nai Bridges (BM ’09), former National Endowment for the Arts chairperson Jane {…}
(Credit: Scott Suchman) On March 21, the Washington National Opera opened “The Crucible,” its second production of the spring season at the Lisner Auditorium. The Washington National Opera’s decision to showcase this work spotlights the importance of art’s resilience in times where where institutions like the John. F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are being taken over by regimes {…}
The Seattle Symphony has announced its 2026-27 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The World of György Kurtág will include Will Langlie Miletich, Lucy Fitz Gibbon, and Ryan MacEvoy McCullough with Lembit Beecher and Seattle Symphony musicians. Performance Date: Nov. 6, 2026 Xian Zhang conducts Mozart’s “Requiem” and Joe Pereira’s Timpani Concerto. Soloists include Eric Schweikert, Mei Gui Zhang, Sarah Larsen, {…}
Carnegie Hall has announced its 2026-27 season featuring a star studded lineup. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Jonas Kaufmann opens the season with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko in an all-Italian program that includes works by Verdi, Respighi, Cilea, Giordano, and Leoncavallo. Performance Date: Oct. 8, 2026 The Sphinx Virtuosi is joined by J’Nai Bridges for {…}
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 {…}
(© S. Richards Photography 2016) Houston Grand Opera is set to present “Giving Voice” on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. The concert, the company’s seventh annual showcase of Black artists in classical music and opera, takes place at The Fort Bend Church in Sugar Land, Texas, marking the first time the event is held at the venue. Soloists {…}
(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 {…}
(Photo: Javier del Real) The Teatro Real farewells 2025 and welcomes 2026 with 16 performances of Bizet’s popular masterpiece, “Carmen.” This revival is a new production directed by the talented stage director Damiano Michieletto, which opened in London two seasons ago and which will be seen at La Scala. Italian stage director Damiano Michieletto proved once more why he is {…}
San Diego Opera and La Jolla Music Society announce the co-production of Damien Geter’s song cycle, “Cotton.” Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, baritone Justin Austin, and pianist Laura Ward perform. “Cotton” features the photography of John Dowell with newly commissioned poetry set to music by composer Damien Geter. “I am so thrilled to partner with La Jolla Music Society on Cotton, an {…}