The Grammy Nominations have been announced with Joyce DiDonato, Angel Blue, and Cecilia Bartoli among the artists shortlisted for top prizes. In the Best Opera Recording category Dello Joio’s “The Trial At Rouen” featuring Gil Rose, Heather Buck, Stephen Powell, and Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera Chorus were nominated alongside Floyd’s “Prince Of Players” with William Boggs, Keith {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 2020-21 season encore radio broadcast. The company will broadcast encore recordings starting Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. with Mary Jo Heath hosting and Ira Siff as a commentator for the broadcasts. The broadcasts will also include dynamic intermission features, live backstage interviews with artists, and the ever-popular Opera Quiz. The broadcasts begin with Prokofiev’s “War {…}
On October 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET, the “Learn with Carnegie Hall” series continues with an episode featuring highlights from acclaimed mezzo-soprano and audience favorite Joyce DiDonato’s three Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute (WMI) master classes. The program will stream on the Hall’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Viewers will be treated to past moments, and performances by rising singers coached {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the next two weeks of its streaming slate which will focus on opera’s greatest comedies and political dramas. Renée Fleming and Joyce DiDonato lead the way, appearing in three different streams each over the course of the two weeks. Here is a full rundown. Week 32– Operatic Comedies Monday, October 19 – Rossini’s Il Barbiere di {…}
Carnegie Hall has made its opening night performance from October 8, 2020 available to stream for free on its Facebook and YouTube pages for the next 90 days. The star-studded lineup of artists includes Joyce DiDonato, Gustavo Dudamel, Michael Feinstein, Renee Fleming, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, James Taylor, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Directed by Emmy Award-winner Habib Azar, the program included archival {…}
(Credit: Simon Pauly) Carnegie Hall is set to stream a free masterclass video series as part of its “Learn With Carnegie Hall” series. The first episode in the series, which features young artists presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, kicks off on Oct. 14 with subsequent episodes releasing every Wednesday thereafter. Of major note for opera lovers is a {…}
(Credit: Simon Pauly) The University Musical Society at the University of Michigan has announced a series of Digital Artist Residencies, including one with famed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. Per a press release from the university, the residencies will showcase the artists in broader conversations, participatory experiences, and discussions on the creative process in order to engage with audiences, including students and {…}
(Credits: Sandrine Expilly / Bertie Watson) The Gramophone has announced its 2020 Awards. The top Opera recording went to the Erato’s release of Handel’s “Agrippina”, featuring Joyce DiDonato, Elsa Benoit, Luca Pisaroni, Franco Fagioli, Jakub Józef Orliński, Andrea Mastroni, Carlo Vistoli, Biagio Pizzuti, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Maxim Emelyanychev conducted the Il Pomo d’Oro orchestra. Sandrine Piau received the Recital prize {…}
(Credit: Chris Singer) Only seven days before the COVID-19 pandemic fell on our heads, American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato was in New York portraying the role of Agrippina at the Metropolitan Opera House. Taking on the role of the cunning queen, DiDonato already had been in the eye of the storm. At that moment very few people really understood well what {…}
Credit: Gregor Hohenberg/Sony Gramophone has announced the recordings that have advanced to the final round of the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2020. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on vocal, choral, and opera categories. The first contestant in the opera category is the Barber’s “Vanessa,” performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus, under the musical {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced week 27 of its Nightly Streams, which will center on Bel Canto Classics. Here is a full rundown of the schedule which features some of opera’s greatest stars making multiple appearances throughout the week. Monday, September 14 – Donizetti’s Don Pasquale Starring Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecień, and John Del Carlo; conducted by James Levine. {…}