(Photo by Jamie Street) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most sensitive topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. James Levine died. And the short and direct words of facts seem the only way to speak about it. A very controversial and big persona of {…}
Conductor James Levine died on March 9, 2021 at the age of 77 in Palm Springs, California. The death was confirmed by his physician Dr. Len Horovitz and according to Riverside County’s Department of Public Health the cause of James Levine’s death was cardiopulmonary arrest, with Parkinson’s disease as a contributing factor. The maestro was best known for the four {…}
Joan Weldon has died at the age of 90 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The singer and actress was born in San Francisco, California on August 5, 1930, and was raised by her grandmother. She attended Galileo High School and at the age of 16 made her first public singing appearance as a member of the San Francisco Opera company chorus. {…}
Renée Doria has died at the age of 100. The soprano was born Renée Dumazert in Perpignan, France on March 6, 1921, and went on to study piano, solfege, and harmony. She later studied voice with Umberto Valdarmini, and made her singing debut in concert at the age of 18. She officially made her operatic debut in 1942, at the {…}
Arts administrator Bob McPhee passed away on March 13, 2021, following a long battle with cancer. Born in 1956, McPhee graduated from the University of Manitoba and began his career as a baritone, perfoming in theatre, opera, radio, and television. After studying arts administration at Stanford University, McPhee served as artistic director and conductor for choral groups, and taught private {…}
Esteemed director Ugo Tessitore has died at the age of 82 due to COVID-19 on Feb. 10, 2021. Born in Rome, Italy, Tessitore studied at the University of California, Berkeley and in 1970 returned to Italy to work with Luca Ronconi as his assistant. With Ronconi, he worked on some of the director’s legendary productions. Tessitore went on to have {…}
Violinist and Manager Lorenzo Anselmi has died at the age of 87. Anselmi died after months of suffering from health conditions and a heart problem. The violinist was soprano Renata Scotto’s husband and they lived in Saffi, in the center of Savona, Italy. Anselmi was the first violinist at the Teatro alla Scala and met Scotto while playing for the {…}
The Ópera de Oviedo has announced the death of Franco Orsini. A graduate of the Università degli Studi di Torino, Orsini went on to work with Oviedo’s coordination and directorship from 1996 to 2003. He would then move to the Ópera de Tenerife where he became the Artistic Coordinator and director of productions. He also went on to work at {…}
(Credit: Stephen Dillon) Soprano Chelsea Miller has died of cancer. Miller studied at Louisiana State University and the University of Memphis and went on to perform in multiple competitions including the National Opera Association’s annual voice competition where she placed second and was a 2014 regional finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She went on to become a {…}
Bass-baritone Antoine Hodge has died after a two-month battle with COVID-19. Hodge was a rising star in the opera world who performed leading roles at the Atlanta Opera, On Site Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Colorado, Regina Opera Company, Ash Lawn Opera, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and Winter Opera St Louis, among many others. Among the roles he performed were Antonio/Gusmano {…}
Violeta Dávalos Lara has died at the age of 52 after suffering from peritonitis. The Mexican ministry of culture announced the news and Alejandra Frosto Guerrero, Culture Secretary, said, “We are shocked by the loss. Violeta is extraordinary. The Mexican opera is in mourning. My condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues.” Born in 1969, Lara studied at the Escuela Nacional {…}