Leonard Bernstein feared he would only be remembered for “West Side Story.” As theaters around the world celebrate the centenary of his birth, a range of his works have come back to the spotlight, but opera theaters have confirmed Bernstein’s fears. His only “true” operatic masterpiece, “A Quiet Place,” has received relatively scant attention. This is a shame, in part {…}
It’s a big weekend around the United States with two high-profile opera companies showcasing the debut of major productions. In this week’s picks, you will see a mix of major stars and big companies with up-and-comers at smaller organizations. Here are our top five picks in alphabetical order by company. Faust – Lyric Opera of Chicago Superstar soprano Ailyn Pérez {…}
Talk about a busy weekend. There will be over 70 opera performances around the country this weekend with a wide range of repertoire. North of the border, Pacific Opera Victoria showcases “Rattenbury” on Friday and Sunday and Opéra de Montreal showcases “La Cenerentola.” Teatro Municipal De Santiago presents “Aida” on Friday and Saturday while Atlanta Opera does a showcase of {…}
Raquel Gonzalez will replace Joyce El-Khoury at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City announced that Gonzalez will make her house debut in the role of Tatiana filling in for El-Khoury who was originally scheduled. The switch was due to the fact that El-Khoury will replace Nadine Sierra in some of the performances at the {…}
Lyric of Kansas City’s 2017-18 got its announcement earlier this week, the company announcing that it would be showing five works in addition to two events. The company will kick off its season with a production of Tchaikovsky’s operatic masterwork “Eugene Onegin” with performances on Sept. 30, October 4, 6 and 8. The work will be directed by Tomer Zvulun {…}
The Lyric Opera of Kansas City kicked off the New Year celebrating awards to two prominent Resident Artists. The artists in question are Samantha Gossard and John Viscardi. The former was the recipient of the William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation Award, which awards 15 $12,000 grants to young artists. It also allows them to participate in a five-year program of {…}