Long Beach Opera has announced that Yuval Sharon will be the company’s Interim Artistic Advisor for the 2021 season. Sharon will not only curate the 2021 season, but will also direct one of the productions. He founded and serves as Artsitic Director for The Industry in Los Angeles, a company that is dedicated to new and experimental opera. Sharon also {…}
The Long Beach Opera has announced the departure of Andreas Mitisek as General Director at the close of the company’s 2020 season. Per a press release, Mitisek decided not to renew his contract. He has been with the company for the past 17 years and is expected to continue his career as a freelance director in both the U.S. and {…}
(photo: Keith Ian Polakoff) From the outset, let me say that Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley’s “The Central Park Five” is a powerful experience. I’ve said elsewhere that impressive new operas are created out of U.S. current affairs because U.S. current affairs play out on an operatic scale. Such is the case with this account of the trial and later {…}
(Credit: Suzanne Vinnik / Dario Acosta) This weekend’s recommendations are full of variety of repertory spread across the U.S. including two essential world premieres and the performance of a rare work. All of them feature tremendous star power. Here are the five operas that we recommend for your Father’s Day celebration (in alphabetical order by company). The Marriage of Figaro {…}
The Long Beach Opera has unveiled its 2020 season, which will feature four operas in total. The season kicks off with a new version of Henry Purcell’s “King Arthur” in a production by Andrea Mitisek. The performance is set to take place at the Beverly O’Neill Theater. Performance Dates: Jan. 12, 18, 19, 2020 Next up is the LA Premiere {…}
Long Beach Opera will be hosting a set of five free community programs in a series called “Community Conversations,” inspired by LBO’s 40th anniversary season theme of Justice. The series compliments two current LBO productions: Philip Glass’s “In the Penal Colony,” and Anthony Davis’s “The Central Park Five.” The program “will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, live performances…and audience engagement opportunities {…}
Long Beach Opera has announced that Jennifer Rivera will be its Executive Director and CEO. Rivera, who performed around the world as a mezzo-soprano for several decades, was a former winner of the Debut Artist of the Year by the New York City Opera. She also obtained two Grammy nominations and even won the Helpmann Award. She was also an {…}
On June 2, 2018, the Long Beach Opera will hold a concert to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Artistic Director Andreas Mitisek. The concert, entitled “The Best of 20” will feature scenes from over 60 of the director’s best productions for the company. Mitisek became the company’s principal conductor in 1998 and then went on to take his current {…}
At a matinee performance in the Warner Grand Theater, San Pedro, California, on May 13, 2018, Long Beach Opera (LBO) presented Swiss composer Frank Martin’s secular oratorio “The Love Potion (“Le Vin Herbé”)” as an opera. Based on Joseph Bédier’s early twentieth century “Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut,” the musical work was first performed in Zurich in 1942. Although {…}
The Long Beach Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which is also the company’s 40th anniversary season and the 20th of Artistic and General Director Andreas Mitisek. The season kicks off with “Three Tales by Beryl Korot & Steve Reich” on Nov. 3, 2018. The documentary video opera emphasizes three events of the 20th century – the Hindenburg explosion, the {…}
This week’s picks are all about debuts. We’re talking about house debuts for artists, house debuts for operas, and in one case a role and house debut all in one. It’s going to be a fun weekend with the biggest challenge likely coming down to where you want to be on Saturday night. Orfeo ed Euridice – Florida Grand Opera {…}
