The Metropolitan Opera’s Summer Recital Series started off on a high note on June 11, 2018. Audience members gathered in Central Park on a cool and cloudless evening that was filled with selections from operas both old and new, to be sung by some of the company’s most promising young talent. Baritone Joshua Hopkins began the evening with “Largo al {…}
PBS will showcase Puccini’s “Tosca” from the Metropolitan Opera as part of its Great Performances Series on Friday, June 15, 2018. The broadcast will kick off at 9 p.m. EDT and will showcase soprano Sonya Yoncheva as the tragic heroine. This was the first of Yoncheva’s big season, during which she appeared on three Live in HD broadcasts. Her “Bohème” {…}
Luca Meachem is slated to perform in two productions at the Metropolitan Opera next season. The baritone announced that he will be part of productions of “Iolanta” and “La Bohème.” Meachem will take over performances of “La Bohème” on Nov. 29, Dec. 3, 6, 10, and 13, replacing the originally announced Simone Piazzola. He will also sing one performance of {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has sued James Levine. Two months after James Levine filed a lawsuit against the company for having dismissed him, the Met is suing the conductor for $5.8 million for having harmed the company. In a report filed on Friday, May 18, the Metropolitan Opera alleged that Levine had sexually assaulted nine young artists including two previously unreported {…}
Susan Froemke’s “The Opera House” is set to appear on PBS’s “Great Performances at the Met” on May 25, 2018. The documentary tells the story of the creation of the Metropolitan Opera’s house in Lincoln Center and features a number of major figures of the mid-1960s. One of the major figures included in the documentary is soprano Leontyne Price, who {…}
This article was written in collaboration with Francisco Salazar. The Met season has drawn to a close. Overall, it was an interesting season, as any, with many incredible performances, so some solid, and some that simply didn’t connect. In drawing up this list, we sifted through the entire season of performances we witnessed to pick out the ones that either {…}
Spanish baritone Carlos Álvarez is set to return to the Metropolitan Opera. The baritone told Platea Magazine in an interview that he will return to the New York stage in the title role of “Simon Boccanegra” and in “La Bohème.” During the interview, he also said that it was on the Met stage that he started to have issues with {…}
On May 1, audiences gathered at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for the 57th Young Concert Artists Concert. The evening was in celebration not only of the tireless practice and work put in by the performers, but for Metropolitan Opera’s General Manager, Peter Gelb. After the opening remarks, Gelb was presented with his award before delivering his acceptance speech, which {…}
Roberta Peters, born on May 4, 1930, was one of the great American coloratura sopranos of the 20th century. She grew up in New York City and started her musical studies at age 13, under William Herman. He taught her vocal technique as well as French, German, and Italian. From there, she auditioned for Rudolf Bing, who was General Manager {…}
How do you get new audiences into the opera house? That question has puzzled companies for years as they try every trick in the book to bring millennials into the opera house. The art form, seemingly, depends on it. But the Scottish Opera tried a new tactic a year ago, and it’s bearing some fruit. Why not start the exposure {…}
Christopher Job has seen it all. The bass-baritone has worked with many of the world’s greatest artists, all while building up a unique career singing smaller roles at the Metropolitan Opera while performing bigger ones with other companies. The California native recently had an opportunity to perform with the LA Philharmonic on its 100th-anniversary concert. It was a major homecoming {…}