MassOpera has announced the appointment of Brenda Huggins and Marcus Schenck as Executive Creative Producers. Huggins and Schenck will jointly guide MassOpera’s artistic direction, organizational strategy, and civic engagement work. Their leadership will support the company’s mission to create inclusive opera experiences aligned with the diversity of contemporary Boston. “I am thrilled to pass the MassOpera baton to Brenda Huggins {…}
MassOpera is set to present the world premiere of Eric Sawyer and Ron Bashford’s “The Onion” this September. The opera, which will get its premiere on Sept. 11-13, 2025 at Holden Experimental Theatre and on Sept. 25 and 26 at Huntington Theatre, takes place on an island in the Pacific Northwest and explores the story of a neuroscientist who sequesters {…}
(Credit: George Lucozzi / ASA Photographic) Some people go back to their high school to relive glory days. I went back to watch a magical island queen get dumped. Tomato, tomahto. MassOpera’s production of Handel’s “Alcina,” which took place at Arlington High School, added a charmingly suburban twist to the company’s track record of inventive venues. The company did little {…}
MassOpera is set to present “Alcina” this June. The Händel opera will take the stage of Lowe Auditorium in Boston on June 27 with performances running throughout the 29th. Hannah Shanefield will direct the production, while Julian Gau will conduct. This interpretation of the work will explore ideas of love, gender, and identity on spectrums with the cast members performing {…}
MassOpera has announced a major change in its leadership. Jessica Bloch-Moisand is poised to take over as Artistic Director, taking over for Dana Lynne Varga, who is ending her tenure and transitioning to the role of Artistic Advisor. “All of us at MassOpera thank Dana for her unparalleled vision, commitment to gender parity and equity, and steadfast growth of the {…}
MassOpera heads to City Winery on May 10 to present “The Mirror Cabaret.” The showcase will feature a showdown between opera classics and their musical theater counterparts. To that effect, audiences will hear back-to-back showcases from such works as “Aida” (and “Aida”); “Rusalka” and “The Little Mermaid;” “Madama Butterfly” and “Miss Saigon;” “Little Women” and “Little Women;” “Cendrillon” and “Into the {…}
MassOpera will present an innovative and reimagined new version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” this May. The famed opera will be showcased with a libretto by Kelley Rourke in English in a production by theater director Pascale Florestal and Metropolitan Chorale director Dr. Lisa Graham. Performances are set for May 13- 21, 2023, at Suffolk University Modern Theatre in Boston. {…}
On Oct. 15, MassOpera will host the MassOpera Party and Vocal Competition Finals at the Longy School of Music’s Gardens and Pickman Hall. The MassOpera Party and Vocal Competition Finals will consist of a Cocktail Reception & Silent Auction followed by the Vocal Competition Finals. MassOpera will also showcase a sneak peek of pieces from the New Opera Workshop’s ongoing {…}
MassOpera and the Longy School of Music of Bard College have partnered to create an opera company-in-residence and support the artistic growth of exceptional young performers and graduates. In the new partnership, MassOpera will work with 12 Longy Graduate students. There will be one-on-one sessions and coaching as well as the guarantee of a casting position in a MassOpera production. {…}
This article has been updated from its original version to inclulde a new date, new programming, and a new cast member. MassOpera is set to present “The Mirror Cabaret” on May 6, 2022. The showcase, which will be presented at City Winery in Boston, will feature both opera and musical theater hits that are parallels to one another. For example, {…}
Opera America has announced the recipients of its 2022 Repertoire Development Grants. The recipients for the grant include American Lyric Theater, Beth Morrison Projects, Houston Grand Opera, MassOpera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Pensacola Opera, OperaDelaware, and Virginia Opera. In sum, the nine companies will receive $225,000 to develop eight new American operas. “Fostering the creation {…}