Christian Van Horn, Karen Cargill & Anna Gabler Lead Canadian Opera Company’s ‘Bluebeard’s Castle / Erwartung’

The Canadian Opera Company is set to present a double bill of “Bluebeard’s Castle” by Béla Bartók and “Erwartung” by Arnold Schoenberg. The production by Robert Lepage will be directed by François Racine and conducted by Music Director Johannes Debus. Bartók’s one-act opera will star Christian Van Horn and mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill while Schoenberg’s work will star soprano Anna Gabler in her Company {…}

Mar 18, 2026

Corinne Winters, Ryan Speedo Green, Federica Lombardi, Sara Jakubiak & Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen Lead Dutch National Opera’s 2026-27 Season

The Dutch National Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” and Mascagni’s “Cavalleria rusticana” will be conducted by Andrea Battistoni. Leoncavallo’s work will star Corinne Winters, Riccardo Massi, Roman Burdenko, and Hubert Zapiór while Mascagni’s will star Raehann Bryce-Davis, SeokJong Baek, Enkelejda Shkoza, Roman Burdenko, and Maria Warenberg. Performance Dates: Sept. 5 – 23, 2026 Shostakovich’s “Cherry Town” will {…}

Feb 27, 2026

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Announces 2026-27 Season Featuring Louise Alder & Nicholas Phan

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2026-27 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. “Songs of Destiny” will present Howell’s “Lamia,” Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto with Alexandra Conunova and Brahms’ “Nänie and Schicksalslied” with the May Festival Chorus. Cristian Mӑcelaru conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. 17 & 18, 2026 Cristian Mӑcelaru conducts Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” with with Louise Alder, {…}

Feb 19, 2026

Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Elisabeth Teige, Karen Cargill & Louise Alder lead Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-27 Season

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances. Gustavo Gimeno conducts María Toledo and Eric Abramovitz in a program of Falla, Stravinsky, and Jose Gonzalez Granero. Performance Dates: Oct. 1 & 3, 2026 Gustavo Gimeno and Rachel Willis-Sørensen team up for Strauss’ “Four Last Songs.” The program also includes Mahler and Beethoven. Performance Dates: Nov. 12 & 14, {…}

Jan 24, 2026

Karen Cargill to Headline 10th Edition of Youth Music Culture the Greater Bay Area

The 10th edition of Youth Music Culture the Greater Bay Area (YMCG) runs from Jan. 29 through Feb. 12, 2026. The event, led by Music Director Daniel Harding, bringing together young musicians and international artists across the Greater Bay Area. Karen Cargill headlines a chamber music program alongside the GBA String Quartet and TMCG Ensembles. The program also includes works {…}

Jan 13, 2026

Joan Sutherland, Katherine Jolly, Mirjam Mesak & David Butt Philip Lead New CD & DVD Releases

Welcome back for the CD and DVD releases from around the opera world. The New Year will continue to surprise audiences especially with new compilations from Beth Morrison Projects and Decca Classics which releases a number of recordings by legendary Joan Sutherland. There is also a world premiere recording of Nadia Boulanger’s opera. Here is a look at some of {…}

Nov 14, 2025

Metropolitan Opera to Present ‘Arabella’ Live in HD with Rachel Willis-Sørensen

(Photo: Marty Sohl / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025–26 Live in HD season is set to present Strauss’s “Arabella” on Nov. 22. The opera will star soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen as Arabella, opposite bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as Mandryka. Soprano Louise Alder sings the role of Zdenka while soprano Julie Roset takes on the role of Fiakermilli. The cast also includes {…}

Feb 20, 2025

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 {…}