(Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) It’s been 11 years since the Metropolitan Opera presented Strauss’ “Arabella,” one of the composer’s most beautiful and charming works, and his last collaboration with Hofmannsthal. The work has been championed by many great sopranos and baritones throughout history. While originally scheduled for Lise Davidsen, the Met was able to find a soprano in {…}
(Credit: Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Strauss’ “Arabella” for the first time since 2014. The company will present Otto Schenk’s 1983 production, with sets designed by Günther Schneider-Siemssen, costumes by Milena Canonero, and lighting by Gil Wechsler. The work will star Soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen in the title role and Tomasz Konieczny as {…}
The Palau de la Música de Valencia has announced its 2025-26 season. Magdalena Lucjan, Stefanie Iranyi, Benjamin Bruns, and Franz-Josef Selig star in Mozart’s Requiem with Alexander Liebreich. The concert also includes Lutosławski’s Musique funèbre. Performance Date: Nov. 7, 2025 Jordi Bernàcer conducts Verdi’s Requiem with Carmen Solís, Ana Ibarra, Sergio Escobar, and Marko Mimica. Performance Date: Nov. 14, 2025 {…}
The Opéra Grand Avignon has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera Débora Waldman conducts a production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” by Frédéric Roels. The opera will star Armando Noguera, Gabrielle Philiponet, Lianghua Gong, Mischa Schelomianski, Anaïk Morel, Tomislav Lavoie, Aimery Lefèvre, and Eduarda Melo. Performance Dates: Oct. 10-14, 2025 Mauro Borgioni, Marie Théoleyre, Floriane Hasler, Anna Rheinold, Furio Zanasi, and Salvo Vitale {…}
(Photo Credit: Jean-Baptiste Millot) In a striking counterpart to the shadowy, midnight Strozzi program just days prior, this afternoon concert at the Former Minorite Church of St. Salvator bathed the music of Luzzasco Luzzaschi in broad daylight—both literally and figuratively. Sunlight streamed through the high clerestory windows, casting a warm glow over the three elegantly dressed sopranos and onto the {…}
Glyndebourne Festival has announced its 2026 season. New Productions Puccini’s “Tosca” will be directed by Ted Huffman with two casts. Robin Ticciati conducts the first run with a cast that includes Caitlin Gotimer as Floria Tosca, Matteo Lippi as Mario Cavaradossi, and Vladislav Sulimsky as Baron Scarpia. Jordan de Souza conducts the second cast that includes Natalya Romaniw as Floria {…}
The Festival Perelada has announced its 2025 season. Joyce DiDonato and Craig Terry will perform in recital. Performance Date: July 3, 2025 Genius Loci is a unique stage performance directed by Rafael R. Villalobos. The production star countertenor Xavier Sabata and will feature music from Purcell to contemporary. Performance Date: July 5, 2025 Julian and Christoph Prégardien will perform “In {…}
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 {…}
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, {…}
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 {…}
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 {…}