San Francisco Opera Partners With Real-Time Remote Music Collaboration Service Aloha for Concert Series

San Francisco Opera will collaborate with Aloha, a new real-time remote music collaboration service, to prepare its resident artists, the Adler Fellows, for a live drive-in series starting on April 29. The ultra-low latency service is revitalizing the resident artist training program, connecting them remotely and eliminating the wait time that interrupts the creative flow, creating the feeling that they {…}

Oct 2, 2020

Metropolitan Opera HD Live in Schools Series Launches 2020–21 Virtual Programming

(Credit: The Metropolitan Opera official website) In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, The Metropolitan Opera’s HD Live in Schools program has launched an online series for the 2020–21 school year. For the upcoming school year, all students and teachers will receive free subscriptions to the Met Opera on Demand streaming service. A total of ten operas have been selected {…}

Sep 15, 2020

Wiener Staatsoper Threatened by COVID-19

(Credit: Wiener Staatsoper) A performance of Franz Lehár operetta “Die lustige Witwe” at the Theater in der Gumpendorfer Straße on Sept. 6, 2020 in Vienna has caused a series of COVID-19 infections. In all, 46 cases have been confirmed so far. As a result, the Wiener Staatsoper had to make two changes to the cast of Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” on {…}

Sep 7, 2020

Kim-Lillian Strebel, Andreas Jäpel, Dirk Kleinke, Nils Stäfe Lead Staatstheater Cottbus 2020-21 Season

(Credits: Cross/Staatstheater Cottbus official website / Hupfeld/Staatstheater Cottbus official website) The Staatstheater Cottbus has announced its incoming 2020-21 season, featuring several new operatic productions and orchestral works. Here is the look. Premieres – Musiktheater Cottbus The Musiktheater Cottbus will present several new productions. The cast has been announced for the first production of the season, with other casts set to {…}

Sep 6, 2020

Opéra de Paris Reopens With Garnier Performances

The Opéra National de Paris has announced that it will reopen its doors to the public after the six-month hiatus. The opera house has confirmed in the press release that the Opéra Bastille will reopen on November 23, with the premiere of the first night of the Ring Festival in the concert form. Per the press release, the fully staged {…}

Aug 29, 2020

Obituary: Romanian soprano Constanța Adriana Mesteș dies at 64

(Credit: Opera Naţională Română din Timişoara official website) Romanian soprano Constanța Adriana Mesteș passed away in Bucharest at the age of 64. She graduated from the singing section of the Timișoara’s High School of Arts “Ion Vidu” in 1975. That same year, she got her first job at Opera Naţională Română din Timişoara, at first as a member of the {…}

Aug 18, 2020

Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert Review: Roberto Alagna & Aleksandra Kurzak in Èze, France

(Credit: © Gregor Hohenberg) The Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert series continued this Sunday with a performance by the celebrated French-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna and Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak on the hilltop medieval village of Èze, France. On the outdoor terrace located at the Château de la Chèvre d’Or, Alagna and Kurzak were accompanied by the Vienna Morphing Quintet. {…}

Aug 13, 2020

Opera Meets Film: The Powerful Thematic Contrasts of Music in Visconti’s ‘Death in Venice’

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment features Luchino Visconti’s “Death {…}

Mar 27, 2020

Jennifer Rowley, Alyson Cambridge, Carl Tanner Headline Toledo Opera’s 2020-21 Season

Toledo Opera has unveiled its 2020-21 season which will feature two operas and a grand tour for the company. “In the fall, hopefully with this dark period behind us, we will have a greater need than ever for the arts and the unparalleled experience of live opera, so we have decided to announce our season at this time,” stated Suzanne {…}

Jun 14, 2018

Opernhaus Zurich 2017-18 Review: Das Land Des Lachelns: Piotr Beczala Shines Amidst Confused Production of Lehár Classic

What endures of Zurich Opera’s performance of Lehár’s “Das Land des Lachelns” is Piotr Beczala. Never did we fail to hear the clear, clean line of his clarion sound; never did we fail to feel his full and steady presence on stage. While outside, swans and an array of boats dotted Lake Zurich and strollers savored assorted ice creams, inside, {…}

Dec 18, 2017

Metropolitan Opera 2017-18 Review – The Merry Widow: Susan Graham & Andriana Chuchman Shine In Léhar Operetta

This review is for the performance on Dec. 14, 2017. It’s an interesting time at the Metropolitan Opera right now. Undeniably taking into account the jolly spirit of the holidays the company is only showcasing comedies between now and Dec. 31, when it presents a new production of one of the most violent of all operas – “Tosca.” But for {…}

lehar