Craig Rutenberg, the former Director of Music Administration at the Met Opera, has received his goal of $100,000 on GoFundMe to support him through a difficult moment. Rutenberg recently launched a GoFund Mecampaign in which he revealed that following several surgeries in a year, he was evicted from his home and found himself facing homelessness after Medicare told him that {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) On May 5, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera finally put on its new production of “Don Giovanni” for a packed house. For those who don’t remember, this production was set to premiere during the previously announced 2020-21 season, but of course, we all know what happened. Fortunately, Ivo Van Hove’s production is finally here and {…}
(Credit: Curtis Brown) On April 21, 2023, the Metropolitan Opera opened Puccini’s “La Bohème,” with libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, based on the novel “Scènes de la Vie de Bohème” by Henri Murger. While “Bohème” has been performed over 1,300 times at the Met, this particular production felt like a new dream come to life. The classic staging {…}
(Credit: Javier del Real) The Metropolitan Opera has announced a cast change for Verdi’s “Aida.” The company said that Marcelo Álvarez has withdrawn from the role of Radames and will be replaced by Rafael Davila on April 30 and Jorge de León on May 6, 10, 13, and 18. This season Davila performed the role of Giasone in “Medea” and {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has unveiled its 2023 Summer Recital Series, set to bring opera to all five New York City boroughs in late June. Featuring both young and established artists, the concerts will include famous arias, duets, and other classical favorites. The series begins on June 20, 2023, at Central Park’s SummerStage in Manhattan, before moving to Brooklyn Bridge Park {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to present a Live in HD transmission of Terence Blanchard’s “Champion” on April 29, 2023. The opera stars Eric Owens, Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore, Stephanie Blythe, Paul Groves, and Eric Greene. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. Lawrence Brownlee hosts the performance, which kicks off at 12:55 p.m. local time. Of the opening night performance, OperaWire raved {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced the winners of its 2023 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. The winners include tenor Anthony León, mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis, soprano Teresa Perrotta, mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, bass-baritone Christian Simmons, and soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth. Each of the winners will receive a $20,000 cash prize. The other four finalists, including Eleomar Cuello, Yuntong Han, David Wolfe, and Sahel {…}
Ekaterina Semeunchuk will no longer sing in the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” Semenchuk was initially announced to portray the role of Preziosilla when the 2023-24 season was presented but the website currently lists the role as TBA and has not announced a replacement. The mezzo-soprano recently performed a “Tribute to St Petersburg” at the {…}
The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Ryan Speedo Green is the winner of the 2023 Beverly Sills Award; this is the second time that he receives the distinction following a victory in 2021 when he was named alongside four other artists. The honor comes with a $50,000 cash award that recognizes major singers with rising Met Opera careers. Green is {…}
(Credit: Natalie Powers) The Metropolitan Opera has announced the 2023 Laffont Competition National Finalists. The 10 finalists are baritone Eleomar Cuello, tenor Yuntong Han, tenor Anthony León, mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis, soprano Teresa Perrotta, tenor Sahel Salam, mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino, bass-baritone Christian Simmons, soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth, and baritone David Wolfe. The finals are set to be held on April 23 and {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is set to present 17 company premieres of contemporary works over the next five seasons. In a recent interview with Peter Gelb and Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the two said that the company was committed to bringing new works to the public and finding the right balance between the classics and the new operas. The article noted that the {…}