Lawrence Brownlee, Lisette Oropesa, Nino Machaidze, Gregory Kunde, Simon Keenlyside, Leah Hawkins, Nicky Spence, Saioa Hernández, Michael Fabiano & Eve-Maud Hubeaux Lead Staatsoper Hamburg’s 2026-27 Season

The Staatsoper Hamburg has announced its 2026-27 season. Premieres Tomáš Hanus and Daniele Squeo lead Verdi’s “Macbeth” in a production by Tobias Kratzer. The cast includes Kartal Karagedik, Simon Keenlyside, Alexander Vinogradov, Aleksei Kulagin, Nino Machaidze, and Dovlet Nurgeldiyev. Performance Dates: Sept. 12-Oct. 20, 2026 Tohar Gil conducts Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” in a new production by Nils Voges. Aebh {…}

Mar 9, 2026

Buxton International Festival Announces 2026 Classical Season

The Buxton International Festival announces choral and vocal recitals for its 2026 program. “Voices of the Peaks,” a new choral suite by Hannah Brine and Jenni Watson is presented by the High Peak Singers, Bollington Singers, and Didsbury Singers. Performance Date: July 11, 2026 Soprano Louise Alder and pianist Joseph Middleton perform “North: Frown Silence,” the first of four linked {…}

Dec 22, 2025

Opera Philadelphia Announces World Premiere Performances of ‘Complications in Sue’

(Photo credit: Dario Acosta) One librettist, one actor, four singers, and ten composers join forces to make opera in a brand-new way as Opera Philadelphia presents the world premiere of “Complications in Sue.” This new opera unfolds in 10 vignettes by Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson in his operatic debut. Each scene takes place in a different {…}

Dec 12, 2025

Lise Davidsen, Sophie Bevan, Iestyn Davies & Carolyn Sampson Lead Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts’ 2026 Season

The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts has announced its 2026 season which will be held between June 12 and 28, 2026. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Festival Academy Masterclass will be led by Lise Davidsen. She will coach alumni singers from the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, each accompanied by acclaimed pianist James Baillieu. Performance {…}

Oct 28, 2025

Philharmonia Orchestra to Present ‘The Battle of the Sexes: Marin Alsop Conducts Balls’

(Photo credit: Chris Christodoulou) Marin Alsop will lead the Philharmonia Orchestra in the UK premiere and world premiere performance of Karpman and Gail Collins’ “Balls” with a full orchestra. Mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz takes on the role of Billie Jean King with tenor Nicky Spence as Bobby Riggs. Lotte Betts Dean, Eve Pearson Maxwell, Oliver Barker, and Mia Serracino-Inglott are among {…}

Sep 27, 2025

Royal Ballet & Opera 2025–26 Review: Jakub Hrůša and Friends in Concert

(Photo credit: Tristram Kenton) Profane escapes scale heights heretical in offbeat tales. These contests of one-upmanship with God breed killers; lesser sinners stray with strangers. Dvořák’s unnamed “Spectre’s Bride” – the leading lady of his 1885 cantata – steals away with a dead demon. Four decades later a Chinese adventurer is robbed and killed in Bartók’s “The Miraculous Mandarin,” a {…}

Sep 16, 2025

Cast Changes: Nicky Spence Added to ‘Jakub Hrůša and Friends in Concert’

The Royal Ballet & Opera has announced a cast change for its “Jakub Hrůša and Friends in Concert” on Sept. 20, 2025. Tenor Pavel Černoch has withdrawn from the showcase due to illness. In his place, Nicky Spence will take on the tenor part in “The Spectre’s Bride.” Spence debuted with the company back in 2018-19 and has performed in {…}

Aug 12, 2025

Nicky Spence, Ausrine Stundyte, Bogdan Volkov & Sara Swietlicki Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, audiences will be able to listen to the world premiere of a new work, a DVD of Weinberg’s opera from Salzburg, and a rarely performed opera by Giacomelli. Adoration Bright Shiny Things releases “Adoration,” the world premiere live recording of an {…}

Aug 7, 2025

Guildhall School Announces Nicky Spence Scholarship

(Credit: Kai Price) The Guildhall School has announced the Nicky Spence Scholarship for Vocal Studies students. The scholarship will be offered to singers who have been educated at a UK state school and would not otherwise have the financial means to accept an offer to study at the Guildhall. The school raised £50,000 for the scholarship, thanks to the generosity {…}

Jun 4, 2025

Chelsea Lehnea, Anna Bonitatibus, Jeanine De Bique, Stéphane Degout, Samuel Hasselhorn & Lea Desandre Lead Opéra de Rouen’s 2025-26 Season

The Opéra de Rouen Normandie has announced its 2025-26 season. Opera Chelsea Lehnea, Leonardo Sanchez, and Anthony Clark Evans lead Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Dayner Tafur-Diaz conducts the production by Jean-François Sivadier. The opera will be livestreamed on Oct. 4, 2025. Performance Dates: Sept. 26-Oct. 7, 2025 Elsa Benoit and Samuel Hasselhorn lead Brahms’ Deutsche Requiem. Laurence Equilbey conducts the production {…}

May 20, 2025

Agneta Eichenholz, Chen Reiss, Malin Byström, Gerhard Siegel & Caterina Sala Lead New CD/DVD Releases

Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world. This week, audiences will get to hear two Strauss recordings and a complete recording of Lalo’s famed work. Jewish Vienna Chen Reiss and Daniel Grossmann team up with the Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich for an album which highlights Vienna at the turn of {…}