A complicated chain of emergency substitutions unfolded at Madrid’s Teatro Real during the run of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut.” The celebrated Spanish soprano Saioa Hernández fell ill and was forced to cancel several performances. As a result, Sondra Radvanovsky – originally scheduled in her own cast alongside tenor Michael Fabiano – was moved into Hernández’s cast, performing alongside Jorge de León. {…}
Spanish tenor Jorge de León is one of the leading Spanish interpreters of the dramatic tenor repertoire, known for his powerful voice and stage presence. Born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and named an Honorary Son of the City of San Cristóbal de La Laguna in 2017, he has performed at major international opera houses in roles including Canio in {…}
The Teatro San Carlo has announced its 2026-27 season. Mariangela Sicilia, Marta Torbidoni, Piotr Beczała, Stefan Pop, Igor Golovatenko, Franco Vassallo, Michele Pertusi, Gabriele Sagona, Martina Belli, and Marko Mimica star in Verdi’s “Luisa Miller.” Daniel Oren conducts the production by Davide Livermore. Performance Dates: Dec. 2-10, 2026 Anna Pirozzi, Karah Son, Jorge de León, Giorgio Berrugi, Veronica Simeoni, Chiara Tirotta, Marco {…}
The Teatro de la Zarzuela has announced its 2026-27 season. Tomás Bretón’s “La verbena de la Paloma” will star Toni Comas, Gerardo López, Jorge Rodríguez Norton, Borja Quiza, César San Martín, Milagros Martín, Carmen Romeu, María Rey-Joly, Ana San Martín, Gurutze Beitia, Sara Salado, and Rafa Castejón. Carlos Aragón conducts the production by Nuria Castejón. Performance Dates: Sept. 23-Oct. 4, 2026 Bercovich’s {…}
ABAO Bilbao Opera has announced the winners of its eighth Ópera XXI Awards. The awards recognize the finest artists, professionals, and institutions in Spanish lyric opera during the 2024–2025 season. Canarian tenor Jorge de León claimed the award for Best Male Singer for his portrayal of the title role in Verdi’s “Otello,” which closed ABAO’s 2024–25 season in May 2025. {…}
Jorge de León is joining the cast of “Aida” at the Arena di Verona. The company announced that the Spanish tenor will replace Brian Jagde in the role of Radames on July 13 and 16, 2025. De León has performed the role to great acclaim at the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Real, Wiener Staatsoper, and Teatro alla Scala. He performed the {…}
The ABAO Bilbao Ópera has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” starring Carmen Solís, Angelo Villari, Ketevan Kemoklidze, and Juan Jesús Rodríguez. Lorenzo Passerini conducts the production by Ignacio García. Performance Dates: Oct. 25-Nov. 3, 2025 Maria Agresta, Jorge de León, Silvia Tro Santafé, and Carlos Álvarez star in Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur” with Marco Armiliato {…}
The ABAO Bilbao Opera is set to close its 2024-25 season with Verdi’s “Otello.” The opera will be performed four times between May 17 and 26 at the Euskalduna Bilbao. Jorge de León will sing the title role while Ermonela Jaho takes on the role of Desdemona and Claudio Sgura performs Iago. The cast is rounded out by Mikeldi Atxalandabaso {…}
Santa Catalina Classics has announced its 2025 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The season opens with Anna Netrebko in a gala performance alongside tenor Jorge de León. The Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria will be conducted by Karel Mark Chichon in popular opera arias. Performance Date: July 9, 2025 The season will also include tenor Gabriel {…}
(Photo: Marc Brenner/Royal Ballet & Opera) Entombing doom in monochrome, director Robert Carsen’s 2022 production of “Aïda” buries its protagonists before they’re dead. Façades of forced conformity define it – popping through parades of khaki uniforms, authentic footage of exploding bombs and regimented training. A fictitious flag that features stars and stripes across red, white and blue confirm its commentary {…}
The Royal Ballet & Opera has announced a cast change for its Jan. 28 performance of “Aida.” The company said, “Riccardo Massi has withdrawn from the performance of ‘Aida’ on Tuesday 28 January due to illness. The role of Radames will be performed by Jorge de León.” De León made his Royal Opera debut in the 2023-24 Season as Canio {…}