Lise Davidsen, Asmik Grigorian, Pretty Yende, Serena Sáenz, Xabier Anduaga, Javier Camarena, Michel Fabiano & Saioa Hernández Lead Gran Teatre del Liceu’s 2025-26 Season

The Gran Teatre del Liceu has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with “The Cunning Little Vixen,” featuring Peter Mattei, Anaïs Masllorens, David Alegret, Elena Tsallagova, Alejandro López, Milan Perišić, Sara Bañeras, Angela Brower, Mireia Pintó, Laura Brasó, and Mercedes Gancedo. Josep Pons conducts the production by Barrie Kosky. Performance Dates: Sept. 20-30, 2025 Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten” will star Anthony Roth Costanzo, {…}

Apr 2, 2025

Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Sabine Devieilhe, Piotr Beczała, Nicole Car, Saioa Hernández, Freddie De Tommaso, Thomas Hampson, Pretty Yende & Renée Fleming Lead Opéra National de Paris 2025-26 Season

The Opéra National de Paris has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with Puccini’s “La Bohème,” featuring Nicole Car, Yaritza Véliz, Charles Castronovo, Joshua Guerrero, Andrea Carroll, Étienne Dupuis, Xiaomeng Zhang, and Alexandros Stavrakakis. Domingo Hindoyan conducts. Performance Dates: Sept. 12-Oct. 14, 2025 Cecilia Molinari leads Handel’s “Ariodante” alongside Luca Tittoto, Jacquelyn Stucker, Sabine Devieilhe, Rupert Charlesworth, Christophe Dumaux, {…}

Mar 16, 2025

Jonas Kaufmann, Sonya Yoncheva, Diana Damrau, Rolando Villazon, Asmik Grigorian, Ludovic Tézier, Jonathan Tetelman, Serena Sáenz & Sondra Radvanovsky Lead Bayerische Staatsoper’s 2025-26 Season

The Bayerische Staatsoper has announced its 2025-26 season. Premieres Maurizio Benini conducts Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in a new production by Barbara Wysocka. Bekhzod Davronov, Igor Golovatenko, Ludovic Tézier, Serena Sáenz, Nadine Sierra, Riccardo Fassi, and Elmina Hasan star. Performance Dates: March 7-24, 2026 & July 28 & 31, 2026 Lotte de Beer directs a new production of Gounod’s “Faust” with Jonathan {…}

Mar 11, 2025

Renée Fleming, Sondra Radvanovsky, Daniela Mack, Alfredo Daza, SeokJong Baek, & Ana María Martínez Lead Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2025-26 Season

The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced its 2025-26 season. The company will open with the Lyric Opening Concert & Gala. Performance Date: Oct. 10, 2025 The first production of the season will be Cherubini’s “Medea“ starring Sondra Radvanovsky in Sir. David McVicar’s production. She will be joined by Matthew Polenzani, Elena Villalón, Zoie Reams, and Alfred Walker. Enrique Mazzola {…}

Jan 29, 2025

Q & A: Gianandrea Noseda & Nicole Heaston on Performing Barber’s ‘Vanessa’ With the National Symphony Orchestra & Aspects of Live Recordings

(Photo credit: Tony Hitchcock) Despite winning a Pulitzer Prize and receiving great acclaim following its Metropolitan Opera premiere in 1958, Barber and Menotti’s “Vanessa” is not regularly programmed as a full work. Arias such as “Must the winter come so soon?” and “Do not utter a word” are frequently heard in recitals, but this does not do justice to this {…}

Jan 18, 2025

Matthew Polenzani Cancels ‘La Boheme’ Performance at Metropolitan Opera

Matthew Polenzani has canceled his Jan. 18 performance of “La Boheme” at the Metropolitan Opera. The tenor took to social media and said, “My dear friends, I am sad to say that I have to cancel tonight’s performance of “La Boheme” at the Metropolitan Opera. I am heartbroken not to be able to join my friends, and I wish all {…}

Dec 30, 2024

OperaWire’s 10 Operas to See in the 2025 Spring/Winter Season

The year is at an end. But a new year brings new opera experiences and here at OperaWire, we are pumped for the potential of numerous performances. Here are the 10 productions we are most excited for in the first half of the 2025, in alphabetical order (and each company is limited to a single production on the list). Die {…}

Dec 13, 2024

Nicole Heaston Leads National Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Vanessa’

The National Symphony Orchestra is set to present Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa” on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, 2025. The opera, which will be conducted by Gianandrea Noseda and will star Nicole Heaston in the title role, replacing Sondra Radvanovsky, who withdrew for personal reasons. Heaston will be joined by tenor Matthew Polenzani, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, and baritone Thomas Hampson. These performances of Barber’s “Vanessa” {…}

Dec 2, 2024

Frederica Von Stade, Philippe Jaroussky, Franco Corelli, Asmik Grigorian & Nicole Car Lead Cyber Monday New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. It’s about the holidays so this week there is a new Christmas album as well as a final recording by one of the great mezzos of her time, a re-release of a classic recording, a new recording of Massenet’s work, and many baroque {…}

Nov 19, 2024

Lidia Fridman, Isabel Leonard & Matthew Polenzani Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week audiences will hear new recordings of two famed works, one in the French repertoire and the other in the Italian repertoire. There will also be holiday recordings and some world-premiere pieces. Changing Navona releases Choral Chameleon, under the direction of Vince {…}

Nov 7, 2024

Matthew Polenzani Leads Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Concert

(Credit: Fay Fox) The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is set to present a recital featuring Matthew Polenzani. The concert will be held on Nov. 9 at Alice Tully Hall and will feature Polenzani performing his first-ever Schubert’s Schwanengesang, with pianist Ken Noda. The collection of 14 songs was written at the end of Schubert’s life and published after {…}