Credit: Richard Termine As a mopey high schooler, requiems were my thing: Mozart’s, Fauré’s, Verdi’s — it was these that introduced me to choral music on a grand scale, and if not for them, in all likelihood, I wouldn’t have been sitting in the Met auditorium watching Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin lead soloists and the Met Orchestra and Chorus {…}
(Credit: Richard Termine / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to present Verdi’s Requiem. The work will be conducted by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and will star soprano Leah Hawkins, mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, tenor Matthew Polenzani, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy. Verdi’s Requiem has been performed at the Met more than 50 times, beginning on Feb. 17, 1901, when it commemorated the composer’s death {…}
Callas 100 is set to present a concert at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage in Carnegie Hall on Dec. 3, 2023 The concert will celebrate Maria Callas’ 100th anniversary and will feature such opera stars as Matthew Polenzani, Olga Peretyatko, Fiorenza Cedolins, and Andrea Edina Ulbrich. The New York City Opera Orchestra will be conducted by Oleg Caetani. The evening {…}
The Richard Tucker Music Foundation has announced its annual gala, which is set to take place on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023 at the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. While the gala usually honors a winner every year, this event will spotlight such past winners and grant recipients as Ben Bliss, Stephen Costello, Michael Fabiano, Susan Graham, Quinn {…}
Credit: Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera has announced the schedule for its Summer HD Festival. Ten free opera screenings will be projected on the façade of the opera house in Lincoln Center Plaza on Aug. 26-Sept. 4. First up is a special presentation of the film “Moonstruck,” (1987) starring Academy Award-winner Cher, with costars Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello, {…}
The Konzerthaus Dortmund has announced its 2023-24 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Lahav Shani open the season with Hila Baggio. The concert will include music by Paul Ben-Haim, Betty Olivero, and Gustav Mahler. Performance Date: Sept. 3, 2023 Anna Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz perform a recital of music by Wolkenstein, {…}
The 2023 Aspen Music Festival has released its livestream lineup. All livestreamed performances are free and will be available on the AMFS virtual stage website. This article will focus solely on vocal performances. LA Opera’s James Conlon leads Sasha Cooke and Rodrick Dixon in “Conlon Conducts Mendelssohn, Mahler.” Cooke and Dixon present Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde.” Performance Date: July {…}
Houston Grand Opera is set to present Massenet’s “Werther” starting on Jan. 27, 2023. The opera will star Matthew Polenzani in the title role alongside Isabel Leonard, Jasmine Habersham, and Sean Michael Plumb; all four artists will be making their company debuts. Other cast members include Patrick Carfizzi, Ricardo Garcia, Cory McGee, Emily Triegle, and Luke Sutliff. Also making his {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for its production of “Medea.” The company said that for the Oct. 13 performance the role of Giasone will be sung by Rafael Davila replacing Matthew Polenzani. The cast change marks the second for the performance after Ekaterina Gubanova canceled and was replaced by Olivia Vote. Davila made his Met debut as {…}
(Photos by Marty Sohl / Met Opera) Works & Process at the Guggenheim is set to present a preview of the Met Opera’s upcoming production of “Medea” on Sept. 19, 2022. The event will feature soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, director David McVicar, conductor Carlo Rizzi, tenor Matthew Polenzani, soprano Janai Brugger, and pianist Howard Watkins in a panel discussion that will {…}
(Credit: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to open its 2022–23 season with the company premiere of Cherubini’s “Medea.” The opera, which will open on Sept. 27, 2022, was made famous by Maria Callas in the 1950s. Sondra Radvanovsky will sing Medea for the first time alongside Matthew Polenzani as Giasone, Janai Brugger as Glauce, Michele Pertusi {…}