Russell Thomas, Iestyn Davies, Kseniia Proshina, Quinn Kelsey & Karen Cargill Lead Canadian Opera Company’s 2025-26 Season

The Canadian Opera Company has announced its 2025-26 season. The company opens its new season with Gounod’s “Romeo et Juliette” starring Bekhzod Davronov and Kseniia Proshina. The cast also includes Robert Pomakov, Gordon Bintner, Korin-Thomas Smith, Owen McCausland, Alex Halliday, and Alex Hetherington. Yves Abel conducts Amy Lane’s production. Performance Dates: Sept. 27-Oct. 18, 2025 Robert Carsen’s production of Gluck’s {…}

Jan 31, 2025

Liv Redpath, Michael Sumuel & Rafael Payare Lead San Diego Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 Season

The San Diego Symphony has announced its 2025-26 season. In a statement, Martha Gilmer, President and CEO of the San Diego Symphony said, “Now that we have been able to experience the wonderful acoustic of our renovated Jacobs Music Center, it was a great joy to imagine our second season in this marvelous hall. In what was the Fox Movie Theatre, a {…}

Jan 20, 2025

Karen Cargill Among Soloists for San Diego Symphony’s 2025 Winter/Spring Season

The San Diego Symphony has announced the concerts for its spring/winter 2025 season for the Jacobs Center. For this article, we will focus on the vocal performances. The only vocal performance during the season will see conductor Rafael Payare team up with mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill for Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. The concert will showcase Cargill’s debut with the orchestra, The {…}

Aug 2, 2024

Glyndebourne Opera Festival 2024 Review: Tristan und Isolde

(Photo credit: Glyndebourne’s own official trailer highlights its festival as “No Ordinary Opera”. Certainly, the staging for “Tristan und Isolde” is far from ordinary, courtesy of a visually entrancing setting by Ronald Aeschlimann. The performers are basically encased in an elliptical vortex-type form of concentric circles, which I interpreted to be a depiction of some portal-like presence intended to illustrate {…}

May 11, 2024

Lise Davidsen, Andrè Schuen, Fleur Barron & Michael Volle Lead Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” will be conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and star Mark Padmore, Camilla Tilling, Magdalena Kožená, Andrew Staples, Roderick Williams, and Georg Nigl. Performance Dates: Sept. 26 & 27, 2024 Sir Simon Rattle conducts music by De {…}

May 3, 2024

Jamie Barton, Mary Bevan, & Dame Sarah Connolly Star in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

(Photo credit: Thalhammer & Pledger) The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has announced its lineup for the 2024-25 season. This article only features vocal works. Soprano Mary Bevan opens the season with a program of works by Schubert. Edward Gardner conducts. Performance Date: July 17, 2024 Soprano Lucy Crowe, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, tenor Nicky Spence, and baritone Jonathan Lemalu serves {…}

Apr 4, 2024

Susan Graham, Renée Fleming, Amanda Majeski, Christina Goerke & J’Nai Bridges Lead Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performance. Andris Nelsons conducts the opening night concert with Lang Lang and Gina Alice Redlinger as well as Susan Graham and Keila Wakao. The program includes music by Carlos Simon, Ravel, Canteloube, Saint-Saens, and Ravel. Performance Date: Sept. 19, 2024 Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler’s {…}

Feb 23, 2024

Anna Prohaska, Karen Cargill & Frédéric Antoun Lead Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances which include Anna Prohaska as the 2024/25 TSO Spotlight Artist. Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts Mozart’s Requiem with Siobhan Stagg, Karen Cargill, Frédéric Antoun, and Dashon Burton. The concert also features Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. Performance Dates: Oct. 9-12, 2024 John Adams and Anna Prohaska perform works by {…}

Feb 15, 2024

Boston Symphony Orchestra 2023-24 Review: Bluebeard’s Castle

(Photo credit: Hilary Scott) Last weekend, Symphony Hall was, on a generous account, less than two-thirds full. If you asked anyone why they were there, nine out of ten people would have said: “to listen to Bártok’s Castle.” The few others would be admirers of Alisa Weilerstein, who played the concert’s first half: Haydn’s c-major cello concerto. Chiaroscuro programing. Bartók’s {…}

Sep 28, 2023

Metropolitan Opera 2023-24 Review: Verdi’s Requiem

Credit: Richard Termine As a mopey high schooler, requiems were my thing: Mozart’s, Fauré’s, Verdi’s — it was these that introduced me to choral music on a grand scale, and if not for them, in all likelihood, I wouldn’t have been sitting in the Met auditorium watching Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin lead soloists and the Met Orchestra and Chorus {…}

Sep 24, 2023

Leah Hawkins & Matthew Polenzani Lead Verdi’s Requiem

(Credit: Richard Termine / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Verdi’s Requiem. The work will be conducted by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and will star soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy. Verdi’s Requiem has been performed at the Met more than 50 times, beginning on Feb. 17, 1901, when it commemorated the composer’s death {…}