Anna Netrebko, Freddie De Tommaso, Marina Rebeka, Bryn Terfel, Aigul Akhmetshina, Lisette Oropesa, Juan Diego Flórez & Pretty Yende Lead Royal Ballet & Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The Royal Ballet and Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with Puccini’s “Tosca” in a new production by Oliver Mears. Anna Netrebko and Aleksandra Kurzak share the title role. Freddie De Tommaso and Gerald Finley also star. Performance Dates: Sept. 11-Oct. 7, 2025 Speranza Scappucci conducts Verdi’s “I vespri siciliani” in a revival of Stefan Herheim’s production. Marina {…}

Mar 19, 2025

Gustavo Dudamel, Pretty Yende, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha & Nicholas Brownlee Lead LA Philharmonic’s 2025-26 Season

The LA Philharmonic has announced its 2025-26 season. Gustavo Dudamel and Los Angeles Master Chorale perform Ellen Reid and Strauss. Performance Dates: Sept. 25-28, 2025 Gustavo Dudamel conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with soloists Chen Reiss and Beth Taylor. Performance Dates: Oct. 9-12, 2025 Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts a program of music by Debussy, Gabriella Smith, and Scriabin with soloists Pekka {…}

Dec 7, 2024

Best of 2024: OperaWire’s Top Ten Rising Stars 2024

(Credit: TACT/Askonas Holt/Intermusica/Natalia Jansen) It’s that time of the year. The end of the year. 2024 brought many debuts, many new productions, many competitions, many world premieres and many new young artists who are coming up in the world of opera. And that it is reason alone to celebrate. As the year comes to an end, here’s a look at {…}

Oct 9, 2024

Daniel Harding & Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia to Open Festival Internazionale di Musica e Arte Sacra

(Credit: ©Musa) The XXIII Festival Internazionale di Musica e Arte Sacra is set to open with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia on Oct. 23, 2024. The concert will be conducted by Daniel Harding at the Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura. Harding will conduct Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” with soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Yulia Matochkina, Charles Castronovo, and {…}

Jun 25, 2024

Q & A: Soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha on Verdi, Great Conductors & How Her Mother Inspired Her Artistic Journey

After years at the University of Cape Town followed by a stint as a Young Artist with the Cape Town Opera and a 2019 audience award at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition, soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha shone in the spotlight of the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, becoming the first African to win the coveted {…}

Jun 19, 2024

Amanda Forsythe, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Roderick Williams, Roland Wood, Jennifer France Headline Glasshouse International Centre for Music’s 2024-25 Season

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a breakdown of the vocal performances on offer. Dinis Sousa conducts the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Massed Musical Forces of the North East in Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time.” Soloists include Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Dame Sarah Connolly, Nicky Spence, and Willard White. Performance Date: Nov. 24, 2024 {…}

Jun 12, 2024

Sinfónica de Castilla y León Announces 2024-25 Season

The Sinfónica de Castilla y León has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances for the Spanish orchestra. Olivia Boen joins Mark Wigglesworth for a program of music by Britten and Shostakovich. Performance Dates: Feb. 6 & 7, 2025 Pablo Garcia Lopez, Helene Walter, and Gerard Farrera are soloists in Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella.” The program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony {…}

Apr 10, 2024

Nadine Sierra, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Asmik Grigorian & Marina Rebeka Lead London Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

The London Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here are the vocal performances. Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. Performance Dates: Oct. 20 & 23, 2024 André J Thomas conducts the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and LSO Community Voices in music by Brandon Boyd, Nolan Williams, Margaret Bonds, Brandon Waddles, André J Thomas, Moses Hogan, Rosephanye Powell, Joe Pace, Carol Cymbala, Kurt Carr, Raymond Wise, and Frances Fonza Smith. Performance {…}

Apr 10, 2024

Christine Goerke, J’Nai Bridges & Julia Bullock Lead Minnesota Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Thomas Søndergård, conducts a program of Mozart, Messian, and Ortiz with soloists Andrea Carroll, Jack Swanson, Dashon Burton, and Minnesota Chorale. Performance Dates: Nov. 22 & 23, 2024 J’Nai Bridges and pianist Jon Kimura Parker headline the New Year’s Eve concert. The program includes music {…}

Apr 5, 2024

Ewa Płonka Lead Washington National Opera’s Turandot’

The Washington National Opera is set to present a new production of Puccini’s “Turandot.” The new production is set to present a new ending by two-time Grammy Award winner Christopher Tin and Emmy Award winner Susan Soon He Stanton. Artistic Director Francesca Zambello directs the new production and Italian conductor Speranza Scappucci leads the WNO Orchestra. The cast will include Ewa {…}

Mar 19, 2024

Lise Davidsen, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha & Eve-Maud Hubeaux Win Herbert von Karajan Prize

The 2024 Herbert von Karajan Prize has been announced. The prize which is donated by the Karajan family, is awarded to three up-and-coming artists and is endowed with 16,000 euros each. This year the prize will be awarded to sopranos Lise Davidsen and Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha as well as to mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux as part of the Salzburg Easter Festival. {…}