Soprano Kathleen Battle is set to return to the Metropolitan Opera on May 12, 2024, for a recital. The concert will mark her first appearance at the house since her historic concert in 2016 highlighting music of the Underground Railroad. The new program features music by Purcell, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Fauré, Villa-Lobos, and Rodrigo, as well as selected spirituals. Battle will {…}
The Chamber Society of Lincoln Center has announced its 2024-25 season featuring a number of vocal performances. Here is a look. The company will present an Opening Night concert entitled “Haydn’s Suprise” dedicated to Haydn. Soloists include Stephanie Blythe, Michael Stephen Brown, Wu Han, Aaron Boyd, Daniel Phillips, Pinchas Zukerman, Paul Neubauer, David Finckel, Nina Bernat, and the Viano Quartet. {…}
The highly acclaimed soprano Kathleen Battle will receive a prestigious honor at the upcoming Grand Opening of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame. The event, scheduled for July 22, 2023, will feature a special interactive kiosk dedicated to celebrating Battle’s remarkable career. Originally from Portsmouth, Ohio, Battle has been hailed by the Walk of Fame as one of Southwest {…}
PBS is set to present “The Magic of Spirituals” starting on Feb. 24, 2023, as part of Black History Month. The showcase will center on a performance on March 18, 1990, featuring Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle during which “many wondered if the two singers would compete or join forces and sing together.” The documentary highlights the behind-the-scenes preparations for {…}
To begin July, audiences will get a chance to listen to new albums from numerous tenors and will get see DVD recordings of a rare opera and a legendary recording from Salzburg. Here is a look. Stranger: Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly Nicholas Phan releases his eighth Avie Records album for both physical and digital release. The new recording {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that it will celebrate Black History Month this February by highlighting historic performances by Black artists through its nightly streaming series. Here is a rundown of the schedule for the first two weeks of the month. Week 47– Black History Month at the Met: Part I Monday, February 1 – The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess Starring {…}
For the 23rd straight week, the Metropolitan Opera will be presenting nightly streams. This week’s selections featuring more major works from the standard repertory with a couple of rare treats mixed in. Major opera stars like Anna Netrebko, Aprile Millo, Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Luciano Pavarotti, and Kathleen Battle will be among the major headliners. Monday, August 17 – Puccini’s {…}
June 8th marks the start of African-American Music Appreciation Month. While the talent and musical accomplishments of the black community cannot possibly be summarized in one article, we have compiled a list of notable recordings of not only great singers, but also composers whose works have been overlooked for decades, even centuries. In recent years more attention has finally been {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced Week 9 of its night streams. This coming week features some of opera’s greatest stars including Jonas Kaufmann, Plácido Domingo, Joan Sutherland, and Jessye Norman. Monday, May 11 – Massenet’s Werther Starring Lisette Oropesa, Sophie Koch, Jonas Kaufmann, and David Bižić, conducted by Alain Altinoglu. From March 15, 2014. Tuesday, May 12 – Thomas Adès’s The Tempest {…}
Kathleen Battle was once told that her voice was a gift given to her by God. The soprano would use said gift to turn into one of the great singers at the end of the 20th century. Born on August 13, 1948, in Ohio, she studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She actually majored in music education {…}
Soprano Kathleen Battle will make her debut at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on Saturday, Sept. 30 with her program “Unground Railroad: A Spiritual Journey.” The program mirrors the one she put on for her return to the Metropolitan Opera last fall on Nov. 13, 2016 and will feature songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Wade in the {…}