(Credit: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present a new production of Bellini’s “I Puritani.” This will make the first new staging of the opera in 50 years with Charles Edwards directing the new production. Edwards known for his stage and set designs and previously created scenery for four Met productions by David McVicar. Lisette {…}
The Gerda Lissner Foundation has announced the cancelation of a its concert at the Jacobs School of Music. Per an official press release, the company stated that “Due to significant travel disruptions, tonight’s recital with Jacobs School of Music has been canceled. We understand that this news may be disappointing, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding during these unforeseen circumstances.” {…}
(Photo credits: Harris, Lainez, & Placek) Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute is set to present its SongStudio from Jan. 12–18. The program explores the future of the vocal recital through intensive workshops with eight emerging vocalists and eight collaborative pianists from around the world. Together with leading artists, collaborative pianists, and coaches, the participants will spend the week receiving instruction {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond) Bel Canto is having a bit of a resurgence at the Metropolitan Opera this year, with the company, after years of giving one or no offering per season, currently showcasing two works from the composers of this era. What is clear from both experiences is that the audience is responding in ways that the Met has not {…}
Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will get to hear a new album by two of bel canto’s greatest stars as well as a new recording of Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” There is also a new recording of “Turandot” in English. Golden Age PENTATONE celebrates the glittering world {…}
(Photo credit: Parlophone Record) Opera Philadelphia’s has unveiled the programming for its newest community initiative, “PIPE UP!” This article only features vocal concerts. The inaugural concert is “An Evening of Opera Favorites” presented by Peter Richard Conte and Opera Philadelphia Chorus. Performance Date: October 23, 2025 “An Evening with Lawrence Brownlee” is next. He performs a selection of popular arias. {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its Oct. 14, 2025, performance of “La Sonnambula.” The company said that Lawrence Brownlee will perform the role of Elvino, replacing Xabier Anduaga, who is ill. Brownlee performed the role on Oct. 11, also replacing Anduaga. He is currently in rehearsals for “La Fille du Régiment,” which opens on Oct. 17, {…}
(Credit: Zakiyah Caldwell Burroughs) On Saturday, Oct. 11, Metropolitan Opera audiences had a surprise performance by Lawrence Brownlee in “La Sonnambula.” The tenor was replacing Xabier Anduaga, who was forced to cancel the performance due to illness. Brownlee took to social media and said, “On Saturday, I stepped in—on very short notice—for my ailing colleague Xabier Anduaga in Rolando Villazón’s {…}
Opera Carolina has announced its 2025-26 Season. The season opens with Pergolisi’s Stabat Mater performed in remembrance of the events of 9/11. Corey Lovelace and Leyla Martinucci star alongside the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and conductor Emily Jarrell Urbanek. Performance Date: Sept. 11, 2025 “A Night To Remember” will feature music by Giacomo Puccini. This gala concert will be held at {…}
(Photo: Amati Bacciardi) In 1822, Rossini’s opera “Zelmira” premiered at Naples’ Teatro San Carlo to widespread acclaim and was quickly taken up by theaters across Europe, including Vienna, London and Paris. However, like most of the composer’s works, it quickly fell by the wayside and had to wait for over 100 years to be revived, with a performance in 1965 {…}
After their recent forays into the modern and contemporary repertory, Pentatone’s “Golden Age” indulges instead in an irresistible nostalgia for Met-proven voices: unpretentious yet charmingly picturesque, the album evokes the hedonistic atmosphere of days sadly gone by—when operatic luminaries (think Tucker, or Roberta Peters on the “Ed Sullivan Show”) dazzled with sheer vocal prowess. Show business at its best, then—or {…}