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 {…}

Dec 3, 2023

Best of 2023: OperaWire’s Top Ten Rising Stars 2023

It’s been a tough year. Economic hardship. War. Increased social fracturing around the world. In the opera world, we’ve seen numerous companies cutting back on productions or simply canceling their seasons. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to celebrate. And as we end 2023, here’s a look at some of the young singers who saw their careers shine whether {…}

Nov 5, 2023

Julie Roset & Stephano Park Win Top Prizes at 2023 Operalia Competition

The Operalia Competition which was held at the Cape Town Opera has announced its 2023 winners. The first-prize winners were Stephano Park and Julie Roset while second prize went to Luke Sutliff and Eugénie Joneau. The third prize went to Navasard Hakobyan and Elena Villalon. Eugénie Joneau was the winner of the Birgit Nilsson award, while Nombulelo Yende took home {…}

Jun 29, 2023

Opéra Comique 2023 Review: Zémire et Azor

(Photo Credit: DR Stefan Brion) The works of André de Grétry are seldom performed, nowadays. There is a reason why. Despite all their great merits and genre innovations, Grétry’s operas are always at risk of looking mundane, or even less than ordinary, if not played by inspiring artists. “Zémire et Azor” is no exception to such an axiom. On the {…}

Jun 8, 2023

Atalla Ayan, Vuvu Mpofu & Petr Nekoranec Lead Opéra National de Lorraine’s 2023-24 Season

France’s Opéra National de Lorraine has announced its 2023-24 season featuring opera and concerts. Opera Marta Gardolińska conducts Mozart’s “Idomeneo“ in a new production by Lorenzo Ponte. Atalla Ayan sings the title role alongside Héloïse Mas, Siobhan Stagg, Amanda Woodbury, and Léo Vermot-Desroches. Performance Dates: Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2023 Lucio Gallo, Vuvu Mpofu, Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani, and Germán Olvera star in Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale.” {…}

Feb 28, 2023

Les Arts Florissants 2022-23 Review: Orphée et Eurydice

Photo: William Beaucardet It was the third production of Gluck’s “Orphée et Eurydice” in Paris this season; still, it sounds like a completely different opera each time. Les Arts Florissants is arguably the most well-regarded historically informed group in France, so it was with not a little anticipation that I entered the Philharmonie de Paris building for this “Orphée.” First, {…}

Feb 16, 2023

Carnegie Hall 2023 Review: SongStudio’s Young Artist Recital

Photo : Jennifer Taylor Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall was filled with the wondrous sounds of a talented group of young artists in recital, each of whom had taken part in the 2023 SongStudio. The concert was the culmination of a weeklong series of workshops and masterclasses taught by renowned vocalists Golda Schultz, Hartmut Höll (pianist), and Jamie Barton. Under the {…}

Aug 31, 2022

Patrizia Ciofi, Olga Peretyatko & Sandrine Piau Lead Opera Grand Avignon’s 2022-23 Season

The Opera Grand Avignon has announced its 2022-23 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances for season. Concert Bertrand Cuiller conducts Handel’s “Rinaldo” in a production by Claire Dancoisne. Paul Figuier, Blandine de Sansal, Maïlys de Villoutreys, Aurore Bucher, Timothée Varon, Rita Tchenko and Marion Zaboitzeff. Performance Dates: Nov. 20 & 22, 2022 “La Sérénade” will be conductedcby Débora {…}

Aug 10, 2022

Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2022 Review: L’Incoronazione di Poppea

(Photo: Ruth Walz) It never ceases to surprise how Monteverdi’s operas prove themselves time and again to be not just supreme examples of how the art form succeeds as a dramatic medium, able to communicate directly with present day audiences, with characters who resonate so clearly with the modern mind, even over a distance of 400 years, but also the {…}

Jun 7, 2022

Rosa Feola, Pene Pati, Karine Deshayes & Jakub Józef Orliński Lead Opéra de Rouen’s 2022-23 Season

The Opéra de Rouen Haute-Normandie has announced its 2022-23 season featuring a number of productions, concerts and special guests. Here is a look. Opera The season opens with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” starring Sergio Vitale, Rosa Feola, Pene Pati, Agnès Letestu, and Paul Gay. Ben Glassberg conducts the production by Richard Brunel. Performance Dates: Sept. 22-Oct. 2022 “Mon amant de Saint-Jean” will {…}