The LA Opera has announced that star soprano Susan Graham will be extending her contract with the company as a mentor of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artists. Per a press release, the contract will be extended through the 2020-21 season. Graham has worked as Artistic Advisor with the company since 2017 and is in residence with the LA Opera for at {…}
Dove Cameron, a musical theatre star and film/TV actress, will star as Clara Johnson in LA Opera’s production of Adam Guettel’s Broadway musical “The Light at the Piazza.” She will perform alongside Renée Fleming, who has been cast as Clara’s mother Margaret. The two stars will take the stage together for the first time in June at London’s Royal Festival Hall, before the production travels to {…}
Even before the curtain rose on this Los Angeles Opera production of Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” which I saw on March 7th, 2019, I was excited by what I had read in the program booklet. LA Opera Music Director James Conlon’s article, “Clemency, Forgiveness and Love” with its emphasis on Titus’s closing message that “I know everything, absolve everyone {…}
You won’t find any modern works in this weekend’s recommendations. In fact, the big offerings around the U.S. center on the standard repertory with perhaps one exception (and that might not be much of one). Here are our picks (in alphabetical order by company). Eugene Onegin – The Atlanta Opera Tchaikovsky’s masterwork will get a showcase at The Atlanta Opera {…}
There is a wide range of variety on this weekend’s recommendations, though you might notice a familiar composer making his way into the top five for yet another week. Here are the operas to see this weekend (in alphabetical order by company). The Loser – LA Opera David Lang’s new opera makes its West Coast premiere on Friday and Saturday {…}
The LA Opera has announced its 2019-20 season featuring six new productions, two company premieres, and one world pmiere. Here is a look at what to expect. Main Stage Barrie Kosky directs the first production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” in 25 years. Marina Costa-Jackson makes her LA Opera debut in the title role with Saimir Pirgu as Rodolfo. Erica Petroelli, {…}
When the calendar turns to December, opera starts to wind down a bit. But no worries, there are still plenty of works to enjoy this weekend in North America. Prism – LA Opera / Beth Morrison Projects Seeing Beth Morrison Projects, one of opera’s most innovative companies teaming up with a big name like the LA Opera is always a {…}
There are cases for quite serious readings of Engelbert Humperdinck’s 1893 opera “Hansel and Gretel,” which Los Angeles Opera has just opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in a revival of Doug Fitch’s 2006 production. In his program booklet essay “Hansel and Gretel” (“Fact and Fiction”) Basil De Pinto pointed out the opera’s very real concerns with hunger and poverty {…}
LA Opera Off Grand is set to present the world premiere of a new work by composer Ellen Reid and librettist Roxie Perkins entitled “p r i s m.” This kaleidoscopic and haunting new opera will be presented in collaboration with Beth Morrison Projects and explored an issue that fills today’s headlines all too often, violence against women. The opera {…}
Two of opera’s biggest companies kickstart their 2018-19 seasons with some tour-de-force showcases. The 2018-19 season is truly underway and these “five” choices for this weekend are can’t miss opportunities. “The Magic Flute” – Kentucky Opera On Friday and Sunday, the Kentucky Opera showcases Mozart’s mystical work that is always a delight for all ages. Joseph Mechavich leads a cast {…}
The LA Opera will hold a concert this fall featuring Les Talens Lyriques. The performance, set for Oct. 11, 2018, will focus on the music of François Couperin. Per a press release, the concert will celebrate the composer’s 350th anniversary of his birth and will include such artists as sopranos Amel Brahim-Djellou and Eugénie Warnier. The showcase is being added {…}