Lisette Oropesa, Saioa Hernández, Anna Netrebko, Jakub Józef Orliński & Piotr Beczala Lead Teatro Real de Madrid’s 2022-23 Season

The Teatro Real de Madrid has announced its 2022-23 season featuring nine company premieres. Opera Philip Glass’ “Orphée” opens the season with Jordi Francés conducting Rafael Villalobos’ production. The chamber work stars María Rey-Joly, Isabella Gaudí, Sylvia Schwartz, Natalia Labourdette, Mikeldi Atxalandabaso, Juan Antonio Sanabria, Edward Nelson, Karina Demurova, Pablo García-López, and Emmanuel Faraldo. Performance Dates: Sept. 21-25, 2022 Nicola Luisotti, Diego García Rodríguez, {…}

Nov 16, 2021

Jorge de León Leads Bilbao Opera’s ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ and ‘Pagliacci’

On Nov. 16, 2021, the Bilbao Opera is set to present the double bill of “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci.” The production will star Jorge de León in both works as Turiddu and Canio. The tenor will be joined Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza, Ambrogio Maestri as Alfio, Belén Elvira as Lola, and Elena Zilio as Mamma Lucia in Mascagni’s work. Meanwhile, {…}

Oct 2, 2021

Teatro de la Maestranza Announces Cast Change for ‘Madama Butterfly

(Credit: Javier del Real) The Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Spain has announced a cast change for Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly.” The company noted that Jorge de León will replace Amadi Lagha in the role of Pinkerton on Oct. 3, 6, and 9, 2021. De León is a well-known Spanish tenor who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre {…}

Jul 13, 2021

Marina Rebeka, Yusif Eyvazov, Anita Rachvelishvili Headline Arena di Verona Productions to Be Televised by Rai 3

Rai 3 has announced that three operas from the Arena di Verona will be broadcast on television. A June 25 performance of Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana” will be showcased on July 27. The opera stars Sonia Ganassi, Clarissa Leonardi, Murat Karahan, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, and Agostina Smimmero. That will be followed with an August 3 broadcast of a June 25 performance of {…}

Jun 19, 2021

Michael Fabiano, Jessica Pratt, Hui He, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Ainhoa Arteta Headline ABAO Bilbao Opera’s 2021-22 Season

The ABAO Bilbao Opera in Spain has announced its 2021-22 season. The season opens with a production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” starring Jessica Pratt, Michael Fabiano, Elena Zhidkova, and Simón Orfila. The opera will be directed by Vincent Huguet and conducted by Carlo Montanaro. Performance Dates: Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2021 Next up “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” will be {…}

May 10, 2021

Spain Invites Plácido Domingo to Return for Performances

Two major Spanish cities are inviting Plácido Domingo to return to their stages. First, Domingo is scheduled to sing in Madrid on June 9 at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid; the performance will be a benefit gala organized by the Fundación Excelentia for the Red Cross. Performing alongside Domingo in the gala will be María José Siri, Jorge de León, {…}

Mar 19, 2021

Gran Teatre del Liceu to Present ‘Otello’ Despite COVID-19 Cases

The Gran Teatre del Liceu is set to present Verdi’s “Otello” despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the Spanish company said that “despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Liceu reinforces its commitment to offer a quality program that assures absolute safety. The Teatre succeeds in staging a production featuring an artistic team that is both unique and {…}

Dec 4, 2020

Ópera de Oviedo Postpones ‘Madama Butterfly’ Opening Night Again

The Ópera de Oviedo has postponed the opening of “Madama Butterfly” for a third time. The Spanish company announced that the opera, which is set to star Ainhoa Arteta and Jorge de León, was postponed due to new restrictions set in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. As a result, the opera will open on Dec. 9 instead of {…}

Nov 18, 2020

Ópera de Oviedo Reschedules ‘Madama Butterfly’ for December

The Ópera de Oviedo has announced new dates for its upcoming production of “Madama Butterfly.” Following two postponements due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Spain, the company has announced that the Puccini opera will now open on Dec. 6, 2020. The six performances will alternate with the upcoming “Fidelio” production, which will celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary. The company {…}

Sep 19, 2020

Deutsche Oper Berlin Announces Cast Change for ‘Aida’ Concert

(Credit: Daniil Rabovsky) Russian soprano Elena Stikhina has canceled the concert “The Best of Aida” at the Deutsche Oper Berlin,. As a result, Swedish soprano Christina Nilsson will perform in her stead. Nilsson recently took home the third prize at the Operalia competition and first prize at the Renata Tebaldi Vocal Competition. She has performed the role of Elsa von {…}

Jul 15, 2020

Irina Lungu, Ainhoa Arteta & Celso Albelo Lead Ópera de Oviedo’ 2020-21 Season

The Ópera de Oviedo in Spain has announced its 2020-21 season. The season opens with a double featuring “L’heure espagnole” by Ravel and “Les mamelles de Tirésias” by Francis Poulenc. The double bill showcases Sabina Puértolas, Maite Beaumont, David Menéndez, Régis Mengus, Francisco Vas, and Joel Prieto. Maximiano Valdés conducts the production by Emilio Sagi. Performance Dates: Sept. 6-12, 2020 {…}

Jorge de Leon