The changes at the Metropolitan Opera keep on coming as the company has announced that it will make a slight change to alter user experience at the theater. Per a press release on Monday, the company will open a new entrance to the lobby later this fall, making it easier for “patrons and subscribers” to arrive for a performance. The {…}
Camile Saint-Saëns’ “Samson et Dalila” is not among the most popular operas in the standard repertoire. In fact, at the Met, it has been performed a total of 226 times since is Met premiere back on Feb. 8, 1895. And yet the opera has garnered three opening nights to date, a number that will increase by one on Sept. 24, {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Diane Zola has been appointed the company’s new Assistant General Manager. The Ukraine born will replace the late Robert Rattray, who passed earlier this year at 67, and will be in charge of planning, scheduling, and casting. A force in the opera world, Zola was the Director of Artistic Administration for Houston Grand Opera for a number {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is slated for its latest premiere this week when it showcases Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” The opera, which is based on the tale of Cinderella will star Joyce DiDonato and is set to run between April 12 and May 11. The opera will also feature Alice Coote, Stephanie Blythe, Kathleen Kim, Laurent Naouri, all under the musical direction of {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 25 semifinalists for the 2018 National Council Auditions. The group is slated to perform on Sunday, April 22, with a chance to perform in the grand final on Sunday, April 29. The group features 10 sopranos, four mezzos, one contralto, four tenors, four baritones, and two basses. Here is a breakdown of the contestants. {…}
Simon Estes, born on March 2, 1938, did not have an easy career path. While the bass-baritone succeeded in Europe in his early years, the United States didn’t take too well to him. He was only accepted for minor roles at most prominent theaters and it wasn’t until 1981, 16 years after his professional debut, that the Metropolitan Opera offered {…}
Who doesn’t love kicking back as a child and copying your favorites singers while imagining that you are that artist and taking the world by storm? That the spotlights are on you and that you have transitioned from a dreaming child to a worldwide star. That’s Lucas Meachem right now. The baritone, who is currently singing the role of Marcello {…}
On Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, the Met Opera revives Puccini’s “La Bohème” with a star-studded cast. Every single one of the major artists to take on the opera is a veteran in the part at the Met. So here is a look at their Met trajectory in their respective roles to date. Sonya Yoncheva – Mimì The Bulgarian soprano’s second-ever {…}
Leontyne Price. The Met’s diva, even to this day. Over the last year, Price’s presence has grown astronomically by virtue of her association with the new house. She was a prominent part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of the new house in Lincoln Center and appeared in a recent documentary. And it is no surprise. She was and continues to be {…}
This week’s offerings range from the modern to the classical in an assortment of options all around the continent. Six. Twenty. Outrageous – American Opera Projects For three days, the American Opera Projects world premieres the new opera by Daniel Thomas Davis with a cast that includes Ariadne Greif, Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, and Andrew Fuchs. The performances will take place at {…}
On Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera will continue its 2017-18 Live in HD series with a performance of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” The opera is set to star Matthew Polenzani, Pretty Yende, Davide Luciano, and Ildebrando d’Arcangelo in Bartlett Sher’s production. The production was largely hailed with OperaWire noting that the singers “made this night another success for the Met as the {…}