Photo credit: Matthias Baus Anna-Sophie Mahler’s new production of Olivier Messiaen’s “Saint François d’Assise” will make its premiere at the Staatsoper Stuttgart on June 11. The piece will be presented in an unconventional manner. The audience will be led on a journey from the opera house to the Killesberg open-air stage and back. The nearly four-hour opera becomes an “eight-hour {…}
The Dallas Opera is set to premiere a new production of Wagner’s epic tale “Das Rheingold.” The opera returns to the company after a 20-year absence with Emmanuel Villaume conducting. Tomer Zvulun, General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera, directs a cast led by Nicholas Brownlee as Wotan, Michael Mayes as Alberich, Amanda Echalaz as Fricka (TDO debut), Brenton {…}
Photo: © Lloyd Winters Unlike ballet, which has “The Nutcracker” as a festive staple, there aren’t very many Christmas operas. “La bohème” opens on Christmas eve, and there is invariably snow, but yuletide is hardly the subject of the opera. ENO were scheduled to perform John Adams nativity oratorio “El Niño” during lockdown, but it sadly got canned. Along comes {…}
The Atlanta Opera’s Discoveries Series is set to kick off the 2022-23 Season with Bela Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” on October 7- 9. The opera, which will be presented in association with Atlanta State University School of Music from Kennesaw, will star Michael Mayes and Susan Bullock. It will be directed by Daisy Evans and conducted by Stephen Higgins. “We’ve been {…}
Opera stars Megan Marino and Michael Mayes have launched Creede Musical Arts Collective, which will have its inaugural season in 2022. The festival was founded by the duo following their 2021 residency with the Midnight Cricket Club at the Creede Hotel & Restaurant. “The Musical Arts Collective is a great opportunity to attract high-caliber artists from all over the country {…}
The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced its 2022-23 season Premieres “Liebstod” from concept by Johannes Müller and Philine Rinnert will be performed. Performance Dates: Sept. 23-25, 2022 Wagner’s “Siegfried” will star Daniel Brenna, Matthias Klink, Tommi Hakala, David Steffens, Beate Ritter, Stine Marie Fischer, and Simone Schneider. Cornelius Meister conducts the production by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito. Performance Dates: Oct. 9, {…}
The English National Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring eight productions and seven operas. Leo Hussain conducts Puccini’s “Tosca” in a new production by Christof Loy. The cast will include Sinéad Campbell-Wallace, Adam Smith, and Noel Bouley. Performance Dates: Sept. 30–Nov. 4 2022 Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Yeomen of the Guard” will include Anthony Gregory, Neal Davies, Alexandra Oomens, Heather {…}
The Atlanta Opera has announced its 2022-23 season featuring some of the great classics in the repertoire. Mainstage Season Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” opens the season with Timothy Myers conducting the production by Tomer Zvulun. Yasko Sato stars in the title role with Gianluca Terranova, Nina Yoshida Nelsen, Julius Ahn, and Allen Michael Jones. Performance Dates: Nov. 5-13, 2022 Arthur Fagen {…}
This week audiences get to discover two Bel Canto gems, a world premiere recording, a debut album, and a new album by the “people’s diva.” Here is a look at this week’s new releases. Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene Renée Fleming releases a new album for Decca Classics featuring Yannick Nézet-Séguin on the piano. The record feature music by Edvard {…}
(Credit: Karli Cadel Photography) This review for a performance on August 7, 2021 For the past few years, I have been a big fan of the Glimmerglass opera festival. Taking place in Cooperstown — a significant three and a half hour drive from New York City, and set on a lake — this jewel of a festival consistently presented powerful {…}
Michael Mayes and Megan Marino will join forces with two bluegrass artists to perform as a new band at The Midnight Cricket Club between May 25 through 30. Marino and Mayes, billed as “genre-mixing opera singing spouses by trade,” will team up with KC Groves and Jason Hicks as a new band. Groves will perform vocals, mandolin, guitar, and bass {…}
