The Ojai Music Festival has announced its 75th season, which is set to take place between Sept. 16-19, 2021. “The Ojai Music Festival has always done things differently with its special mix of casual manner and provocative programming. Ever since its inception in the days of Stravinsky and Copland, it has stood out among music festivals for its celebration of {…}
The Ojai Music Festival has announced the 75th edition of its festival will take place in person, running from September 16 through 19, 2021. The festival program, curated by conductor and Music Director John Adams, will focus on a number of living composers, with their music being featured throughout. Composers include Samuel Carl Adams, Timo Andres, Rhiannon Giddens, Dylan Mattingly, {…}
(Credits: Opera Online / © Hermann und Clärchen Baus / Opera Online) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced that it will stream four operas on its website in February, March, and April 2021. Here is the full slate. First up is Ravel’s “Verzauberte Welt.” The showcase stars Schorsch Kamerun, Diana Haller, Maria Theresa Ullrich, Carina Schmieger, Claudia Muschio, Linsey Coppens, Jasper {…}
When it comes to American opera, few composers have had quite the impact that John Adams has. Throughout his career as an opera composer, Adams has examined how history and myth come together in the collective conscious to impact society. As such, many of his operas have proven controversial, though some quite long-lasting. For this week’s quiz, we take stock {…}
Though more famous for works such as “Doctor Atomic” and “Nixon in China,” John Adams also composed the memorable Christmas-themed opera, “El Niño” or “The Baby,” which tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christmas. The opera-oratorio premiered on December 15, 2000 in Paris and has been performed many times since as holiday entertainment. The first performance featured soloists {…}
(Credit: The Metropolitan Opera official website) In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Metropolitan Opera’s HD Live in Schools program has launched an online series for the 2020–21 school year. For the upcoming school year, all students and teachers will receive free subscriptions to the Met Opera on Demand streaming service. A total of ten operas have been selected {…}
The Ojai Music Festival has announced its 75th anniversary celebrations including two major appointments for upcoming festivals. The company started off by announcing the composer John Adams, best known for “Nixon in China” and “Doctor Atomic,” would be the music director for the 2021 festival, which will take place between June 10-13, 2021. But the bigger surprise was in the {…}
(Credit: Simon Pauly) The Opus Klassik has announced its top prizes. Joyce DiDonato won Female Singer of the Year while Christian Gerhaher won Male Singer of the Year. Meanwhile, Emóke Baráth and Nadine Sierra both took home the Young Singer Award, while Jakub Jósef Orlinski was awarded Solo Recording (Opera) for his “Anima Sacra.” André Schuen won Solo Recording (Song) {…}
(Credit: Jessi Oliano) In the 21st century when opera is perceived as elitist and out-of-touch with contemporary issues, there are many hated buzz words which encapsulate hurdles that modern opera companies must meet if they want to survive. “Relevancy” is one such buzz word. In a society that is far-removed from the aristocracy, powdered wigs and hoop skirts, common in {…}
The 1848 Californian gold rush has an almost mythical place in American cultural history, with its associations of lucky strikes and the pioneering spirit, as well as more negative connotations of lawlessness, hard toil and poverty for those who were not so lucky. It has spawned Hollywood films, documentaries, books and songs, while opera-goers are also likely to associate it {…}
“The Death of Klinghoffer” is one of the most controversial operas ever created. The work, written by librettist Alice Goodman and composer John Adams, had its world premiere on March 19, 1991, in Brussels, but upon appearing in NYC later that year, the work has been followed by major protests; it was initiated by Lisa and Ilsa Klinghoffer, the daughters {…}
