Michael Spyres, Pene Pati, Sabine Devieilhe, Étienne Dupuis & Stéphane Degout Lead Opera Comique’s 2025-26 Season

Opera Comique has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera The season opens with Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” with Michael Spyres, Héloïse Mas, Amina Edris, and Jean-Sébastien Bou. Pierre Dumoussaud conducts the production by Lotte De Beer. Performance Dates: Sept. 25-Oct. 5, 2025 Gluck’s “Iphigénie en Tauride” will star Tamara Bounazou, Theo Hoffman, Philippe Talbot, Jean-Fernand Setti, Léontine Maridat-Zimmerlin, Fanny Soyer, and Lysandre Châlon. Louis {…}

Mar 27, 2025

Julie Roset, Sabine Devieilhe, & Reginald Mobley Lead Saint-Denis Festival 2025

Saint-Denis Festival has released details of its 2025 season. This year the festival puts women in the spotlight, as a “demonstration of the important place that women now occupy in the musical world, particularly in orchestral conducting.” Only vocal works are included in this article. First up is a preview concert featuring Apolline Raï-Westphal, Louise Bourgeat-Roulleau, Jordan Mouaïssia, Léo Guillou-Keredan, {…}

Mar 17, 2025

Laurène Paternò, Sabine Devieilhe, Julien Henric, & Mathias Vidal Star in the 2025 Festival Pulsations

Festival Pulsations releases its 2025 programming. Opening the festival is “Les Indes Galantes – De la voix des âmes,” an fusion of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s baroque opera and of hip-hop and krump. Laurène Paternò, Mathias Vidal, Ana Quitans, and Andreas Wolf, along with Rualité Structure, the Namur Chamber Choir, and Cappella Mediterranea perform under the baton of Leonardo García-Alarcón. Bintou Dembélé {…}

Feb 20, 2025

Julie Roset, Lauren Snouffer & Saimir Pirgu Lead Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 Season

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances of the season. The season opens with Gustavo Gimeno conducting Orff’s Carmina Burana and Winston Marsalis” Concerto for Orchestra. The soloists include Julie Roset, Andrew Haji, and Sean Michael Plumb. Performance Dates: Sept. 18-21, 2025 Michael Francis conducts Händel’s “Messiah” with soloists Lauren {…}

Jul 11, 2024

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2024 Review: Samson

(Photo credit: Monika Rittershaus) “So, who is signing the work?” an operagoer asks Raphaël Pichon and Claus Guth at a lunchtime panel about their opera-project “Samson.” The music is Rameau’s, but it is not that simple. According to Guth (and his Wikipedia search), Rameau did indeed compose a “Samson” with a libretto by Voltaire; however, it is all lost. Pichon {…}

May 7, 2024

Renée Fleming, Erin Morley, Jakub Józef Orliński, Joyce DiDonato, & Julie Roset Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will experience numerous debut albums, a few complete operas, and some special choral works. Here is a look at the new releases. Orfeo ed Euridice Erato releases Jakub Józef Orliński’s interpretation of Gluck’s masterpiece. Recorded in Orliński’s native city, Warsaw, {…}

Apr 15, 2024

Opéra de Paris 2024 Review: Médée

Photo credit: Elisa Haberer / Opéra national de Paris Paris Opera’s production of Charpentier’s “Médée” is not bad, but throughout the performance, operagoers will be filled with a sensation of uneasiness. It is not necessarily because of its murderous plot, but because the production feels unsuited to its musicians. It leaves one with the feeling of wearing a garment lent {…}

Apr 2, 2024

Julie Roset & Lucile Richardot Headline Concert at Salle Cortot

The Salle Cortot is set to present a concert featuring soprano Julie Roset and alto Lucile Richardot. The concert, scheduled for April 22, 2024, will be conducted by François Lazarevitch, who leads Les Musiciens de Saint Julien. The program is produced by Philippe Maillard Productions. Audiences will experience music by Lully, Boësset, Bacilly, and Lambert. Roset is the Grand Winner {…}

Mar 27, 2024

Royal Scottish National Orchestra Announces 2024-25 Season

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Thomas Søndergård conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Julie Roset and Linda Watson. Performance Dates: Oct. 4 & 5, 2024 Derrick Morgan conducts “The Haunted Concert” with Owen Gunnell and the RSNO Children’s Chorus. Performance Dates: Oct. 26 & 27, 2024 Dunedin Consort, Hebrides Ensemble, {…}

Mar 22, 2024

Marion Cotillard, Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau, Sonya Yoncheva, Juan Diego Flórez & Sabine Devieilhe Lead Philharmonie de Paris’ 2024-25 Season

The Philharmonie de Paris has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Orchestre de Paris Klaus Mäkelä conducts music by Beethoven, Peteris Vasks, and Tchaikovsky. Lisa Batiashvili is the soloist. Performance Date: Sept. 11, 2024 Stanislav Kochanovsky conducts a program of music by Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and Alexandre Tcherepnine. Golda Schultz stars. Performance Date: Oct. 9, {…}

Mar 22, 2024

Joyce El-Khoury, Lea Desandre, Anne-Catherine Gillet & Jarrett Ott Lead Opéra Comique’s 2024-25 Season

Opéra Comique has announced its schedule for the 2024-25 season. Auber’s “Le Domino noir” is set to be conducted by Louis Langrée and will be directed by Valérie Lesort and Christian Hecq. The cast includes Anne-Catherine Gillet, Cyrille Dubois, and Victoire Bunel. Performance Date: Sept. 20-28, 2024 George Benjamin & Martin Crimp’s “Picture a Day Like This” is set to {…}