(Photo: Michael Cooper) I attended this performance with some hesitation, having already seen its 1993 Toronto premiere as well as two additional times, here and in Montreal. Robert Lepage’s production was striking the first time, but would it be as powerful three decades later? Amazingly, it was. The production (seen May 8) has aged well; it was as mesmerizing as {…}
The Den Norske Opera & Ballett has announced its 2026-27 season. Opera Sing Opera Young will feature the Norwegian National Youth Orchestra. Performance Dates: August 15, 2026 Elisabeth Teige star in Strauss’ “Elektra” with Karen Cargill, Marita Sølberg, Magnus Staveland, and Yngve Søberg. Edward Gardner conducts the production by Ole Anders Tandberg. Performance Dates: Sept. 12-Oct. 4, 2026 Thomas Atkins, Clara {…}
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 {…}
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 {…}
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, {…}
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, {…}
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 {…}
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 {…}
(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 {…}
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 {…}
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 {…}