Ludovic Morlot Appointed New Principal Conductor of Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia

(Credit: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco) The Governing Council of the Consorci de L’Auditori i l’Orquestra approved the proposal put forward by the Director of L’Auditori, Robert Brufau to appoint Ludovic Morlot as the new Music Director of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. “With Ludovic Morlot at the helm, the OBC reaches an international level and will defend the {…}

Oct 22, 2021

Criticism on Fridays: Walk With Amal

(Photo P. Claes for La Monnaie De Munt) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most essential topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. In July 2021, a nine-year-old Syrian refugee girl called Little Amal began her 8,000 km journey from the Syria-Turkey border across Europe to {…}

Oct 17, 2021

La Monnaie to Present ‘De Kinderen der Zee’ Without Chorus Due to COVID-19

La Monnaie has announced plans to perform Lodewijk Mortelman’s “De Kinderen der Zee” without chorus. Per reports, four members of the chorus contracted COVID-19, forcing the company to resume performances without the participation of its choral ensemble. The company confirmed that the two performances of the work slated for Oct. 17 and 20 would resume without chorus. The opera will {…}

Sep 24, 2021

Imaginair by La Monnaie Opera to Present Opera About Holocaust Survivor

Imaginair by La Monnaie Opera will present PUSH on Oct. 3 in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium. The opera by composer Howard Moody explores the true story of Simon Gronowski’s escape from death at Auschwitz in 1943. He was rescued by three members of the Belgian Resistance who stopped a Nazi train. During the chaos that ensued, Gronowski’s mother pushed him off the {…}

Aug 20, 2021

La Monnaie Unveils World Premiere of ‘The Time of Our Song’

La Monnaie has announced the world premiere of “The Time of Our Song,” a composition commissioned by Belgian Kris Defoort, on Sept. 14, 2021. The opera is based on the novel by Richard Powers with a libretto by Peter Van Kraai. It will be directed by Ted Huffman and conducted by Kwamé Ryan. Claron MCFadden, Mark S. Doss, Simon Bailey, {…}

May 27, 2021

Myrtò Papatanasiu & Monica Zanettin to Star in La Monnaie’s New ‘Tosca’

La Monnaie in Belgium is set to present a new production of Puccini’s “Tosca” starting on June 11, 2021. The production will be conducted by Alain Altinoglu and will star Myrtò Papatanasiu and Monica Zanettin in the title role with Pavel Černoch and Andrea Carè sharing the role of Cavaradossi. As Scarpia, audineces will get a chance to hear either {…}

Apr 9, 2021

La Monnaie / De Munt to Stream ‘The Turn of the Screw’

La Monnaie / De Munt has announced that it will be streaming Britten’s ‘The Turn of the Screw’ on April 29, 2021. The opera will be directed by Andrea Breth and conducted by Ben Glassberg. The opera stars Ed Lyon, Sally Matthews, Thomas Heinen, Henri de Beauffort, Katharinia Bierweiler, Carole Wilson, Julian Hubbard, and Giselle Allen. “In this new production, {…}

Mar 23, 2021

Belgium Postpones Relaxation Plans

(Credit: Visit Brussels) Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has decided to suspend the reopening of theme parks and amateur sports. The country plans to reopen restaurants, bars, gyms, and cinemas on May 1, 2021, pending the epidemiological situation. “It is clear that we have decisive weeks ahead of us,” said De Croo. “As much as we would like it, {…}

Mar 12, 2021

Q & A: Sergey Romanovsky & Enea Scala on ‘Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra,’ Bel Canto & Livestreams

When La Monnaie was forced to postpone its planned “Bastarda” project, which would have featured the Tudor trilogy and Donizetti’s rarely performed “Il castello di Kenilworth,” the company had to opt for an alternative. The company decided to perform two rare works by Donizetti and Rossini; “La Favorita” and “Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra.” However, it would only be highlights of the {…}

Mar 1, 2021

Leonardo Capalbo Joins ‘Tosca’ Cast at La Monnaie

(Credit: Adam Ulrich) La Monnaie has announced a cast change for its upcoming production of Puccini’s “Tosca.” The Belgium company announced that Leonardo Capalbo will join the cast for two performances. Capalbo will perform on June 30 and July 2 and will join a cast that includes Myrto Papatanasiu and Dimitri Tiliakos. Capalbo is a rising star who has performed {…}

Feb 15, 2021

FEDORA Announces 2021 Opera Prize Shortlist

FEDORA, The European Circle of Philanthropists of Ballet and Opera, announced its shortlist of projects selected for the 2021 FEDORA Prizes. The group chose 34 projects for the public voting phase, which began on Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 26. The voting phase determines which projects move to the next level of the competition and follows the December 2020 {…}

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