(Credits: Gregor Hohenberg SONY Classical) The Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège has announced that it has canceled concerts by Juan Diego Flórez and Jonas Kaufmann due to the COVID-19 measures imposed by the government of Belgium. Flórez was set to perform on Jan. 8, 2021, alongside Christopher Franklin, who was supposed to lead Orchestra of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. Meanwhile, {…}
(Credit: Gran Teatre Del Liceu official website) The Gran Teatre Del Liceu has announced that mezzo-soprano Stéphanie d’Oustrac has cancelled her participation in Offenbach’s “Les contes d’Hoffmann” on Jan. 19 & 31, 2021 in the role of La Musa/Nicklausse, due to health reasons. As a result, mezzo-soprano Carol García will perform in her stead. García will join the cast that {…}
(Credit: Jesús Cornejo/Cortesía) The Orquesta Del Teatro De Bellas Artes in Mexico City has announced that conductor and counter-tenor Iván López-Reynoso has been appointed its new Artistic Director. López-Reynoso also holds the position of the Chief Guest Conductor of the Oviedo Filarmonía. “Being the next Artistic Director of Orquesta Del Teatro De Bellas Artes is the greatest honor I have {…}
(Credit: Johannes Ifkovits) Polish tenor Piotr Beczała has announced on his official Facebook account that his concert at the Narodowe Forum Muzyki in Wrocław has been postponed due to the worsening epidemiological situation. Beczała was supposed to perform with the Polska Filharmonia Kameralna Sopot and the program for the concert included works by Verdi, Puccini, Massenet, Moniuszko, Giordano, and Mascagni. {…}
(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 {…}
(Image source: YouTube) Dutch mezzo-soprano Cora Canne Meijer passed away on August 25, 2020, at the age of 91. Cora Canne Meijer graduated from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. The mezzo-soprano debuted in 1950 with the Nederlandse Opera (now De Nationale Opera) in the role of Annina in Verdi’s “La Traviata.” During her first year at the Nederlandse Opera, Meijer sang {…}
Massenet’s opera “Thaïs,” set in 4th century Alexandria, focuses on two individuals with diametrically opposed outlooks and lifestyles. There is the hedonistic courtesan Thaïs, who seeks only love—although for no longer than a week at a time—and there is a cenobite monk named Athanaël, an ascetic, whose aim is to turn the courtesan to the path of righteousness. While he {…}
(Credits: Piotr Lempa’s Facebook Page/ Baltic Opera) The Baltic Opera in Gdansk has announced its fall season. In keeping with safety regulations due to ongoing concerns over COVID-19, spectators will be required to wear facemasks at all times and maintain a 1,5 m social distance. Here is the look at the upcoming slate. Rossini’s operatic masterpiece “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” {…}
(Credit: Oliver Ostermann/Brian Cheney) Austrian Composer Oliver Ostermann and American Tenor Brian Cheney have teamed up during the COVID-19 pandemic to create the album “ I Sang My Heart to the Moon.” The album features eight pieces in total with lyricist and acclaimed poet Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely offering up poetry suited for this time. “Love Apart,” “I Sang My Heart {…}
As Renée Fleming, “America’s Diva,” introduced the third to last piece in a program that ranged from Handel to Cantaloube to Harold Arlen, the beloved singer sighed deeply. It was a testament to the magic and beauty she had spun singing one of the standout numbers of her concert, “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.” She sang the {…}
(Image Source: New National Theatre Tokyo Official Website) The New National Theatre, Tokyo has announced its streaming program for the month of June. It all kicks off on June 5 with Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” with a cast that includes Sava Vemic, Steve Davilim, Yoko Yasui, Masako Hayashi, Andrè Schuen, Kane Kushima, and Tadahir Masujima. Roland Böer conducts. The performance will {…}