(Photo: Herwig Prammer / OnP) A very promising night indeed: Paris Opera takes its first step toward its new Ring under the direction of Calixto Bieito—one of the most exciting artists in his field—and with a promising cast. The stakes are particularly high for the company president, Alexander Neef, who would crowd his tenure with a Wagner Ring in continental {…}
(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 {…}
The Belvedere Opera Competition has announced the 2024 winners. Held in Jurmala, Latvia, the first place went to South Korean baritone Jungrae Noah Kim while second place went to U.S. tenor Daniel O’Hearn. Kim, who has been a member of the young artists program at the Zurich Opera, was a finalist at the Viñas competition in 2024, and has won prizes at {…}
(Photo credit: Gaetz & IMG Artists) This summer, the Canadian Opera Company will once again present “Musical Flights,” the company’s casual community concert series. Artists of the COC Ensemble Studio will perform a program of operatic showstoppers that preview the COC’s upcoming productions of “Nabucco,” “Faust,” “Madama Butterfly,” and “Eugene Onegin.” A variety of Broadway hits including selections from “Oklahoma!,” {…}
The Gerda Lissner Foundation has announced the 2024 winners of its International Vocal Competition. In the Opera Division, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen took home the top prize, the Liederkranz Foundation Award. The other winners in the division include baritone Yeongtaek Yang (First Prize), mezzo-soprano Maire Therese Carmack (second prize), and soprano Karoline Podolak (third prize). Taking home the Judge’s Special {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Verdi’s “Falstaff” opens the season with a cast that includes Ambrogio Maestri, Olivia Boen, Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Andrei Kymach, Gregory Bonfatti, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Iván Ayón-Rivas, and Federica Guida. Michael Schønwandt conducts the production by Dominique Pitoiset. Performance Dates: Sept. 10-30, 2024 Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” will star Eleonora Buratto, Elena Stikhina, Aude {…}
The Dallas Opera has announced the nine finalists of the Dallas Opera National Vocal Competition. The finals, which will be held on March 8, will showcase soprano Katerina Burton, soprano Adia Evans, soprano Elisa Sunshine, mezzo-soprano Lisa Marie Rogali, countertenor Cody Bowers, tenor Matthew Cairns, baritone Navasard Hakobyan, baritone Yeongtaek Yang, and bass-baritone Jongwon Han. Finalists will be accompanied by {…}
(Credit: Jonathan Tichler / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 2023-24 members of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. This year the roster includes soprano Amanda Batista, bass-baritone Le Bu, tenor Matthew Cairns, mezzo-soprano Maire Therese Carmack, baritone Eleomar Cuello, soprano Juliana Grigoryan, mezzo-soprano Elmina Hasan, soprano Magdalena Kuźma, coach/pianist Juan José Lázaro, soprano Brittany Olivia Logan, tenor Daniel O’Hearn, tenor Jonghyun Park, baritone Daniel Rich, coach/pianist Deborah Robertson, {…}
The Hildegard Behrens has announced that the 2023 awardee is Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns. The tenor is a first-year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and was a Grand Finals winner in the Met’s 2022 Laffont Competition. This season, he made his Met debut as the Messenger in “Aida” and covered Bob Boles in “Peter Grimes.” This season he {…}
Des Moines Metro Opera has announced its 2023 Festival season. The season opens with “Carmen.” Taylor Raven stars in the title role alongside tenor Matthew Cairns. Kelly Kuo conducts. Performance Dates: June 30 – July 23, 2023 Christian Van Horn and Sara Gartland star in “Bluebeard’s Castle.” Kristine McIntyre direct with David Neely conducting. Performance Dates: July 1 – 22, {…}
The Canadian Opera Company has announced its 2022-23 season featuring seven productions and a world premiere. The season kicks off with Richard Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” directed by Christopher Alden and stars Danish bass-baritone Johan Reuter. The cast also includes Marjorie Owens as Senta, Franz-Josef Selig, Miles Mykkanen, Christopher Ventris, and Rosie Aldridge. COC Music Director Johannes Debus leads the {…}