Freddie Ballentine, Kevin Short, Janai Brugger, Kathryn Lewek & Matthew White Lead Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Season

The Cincinnati Opera has announced its 2027 Summer Festival. The season opens with “John Lewis: Good Trouble” by Maria Thompson Corley and Diana Solomon-Glover. The opera will star Freddie Ballentine, Kevin Short, Marietta Simpson, Victoria Okafor, Sirgourney Cook, Ron Dukes, Markel Reed, and Andrew Turner. Timothy Douglas serves as stage director and dramaturg, with Everett McCorvey, founder and music director of {…}

Apr 10, 2026

Florentine Opera Unveils 2026-27 Season

Florentine Opera announces its 2026-27 season. Soprano Kathryn Henry gives a solo concert. Performance Date: July 26, 2026 Baritone Zachary Nelson gives a solo recital. Performance Date: August 20, 2026 “An Aria Extravaganza” features the Baumgartner Studio Artists. Performance Date: September 15, 2026 Verdi’s “La Travitata” stars Amanda Woodbury, Dominick Valdés Chenes, Ethan Vincent, Zachary Taylor, Michael Segura, Danielle Casós, {…}

Jan 30, 2026

Brandon Cedel & Sydney Mancasola Lead Atlanta Opera’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’

The Atlanta Opera is set to perform Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The production by Stephen Lawless will be conducted by Christoper Allen Brandon Cedel leads the cast as Figaro while Sydney Mancasola will sing the role of Susanna. They will be joined by Luke Sutliff as Count Almaviva, Iulia Maria Dan as the Countess, Rihab Chaieb as Cherubino and {…}

Jan 15, 2026

Dean Murphy Lead San Diego Opera’s ‘The Barber of Seville’

The San Diego Opera is set to perform Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The production, which is set to be performed on Feb. 13, 14 & 15, 2026 will star Dean Murphy as Figaro in his house debut, Stephanie Doche as Rosina, Minghao Liu as Count Almaviva, Patrick Carfizzi as Doctor Bartolo, Craig Colclough {…}

Jan 7, 2026

Cast Change: Thomas Hampson & Pavel Černoch Withdraw from Boston Symphony & Boston Lyric Opera’s ‘Vanessa’

Thomas Hampson and Pavel Černoch have withdrawn from performances of Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa” presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Lyric Opera. As a result, Hampson will be replaced by Patrick Carfizzi. Hampson also took to social media and said, “It is with profound frustration, depression, that I must cancel my week in Boston singing Barber’s ‘Vanessa’ due to {…}

Oct 18, 2025

Amanda Majeski, Karen Slack, Jennifer Rowley, Patrick Carfizzi & Others Join Curtis Institute of Music’s Voice Faculty

The Curtis Institute of Music has announced several major appointments to its voice and opera department beginning in the 2025–26 school year. Among the artists joining the faculty are bass-baritones Patrick Carfizzi and Alan Held; baritone Elliot Madore (Opera ’10, Voice ’09); and sopranos Amanda Majeski (Opera ’09), Jennifer Rowley, and Karen Slack (Opera ’02). Moreover, the institution has announced {…}

Sep 22, 2025

Metropolitan Opera 2025-26 Review: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

(Credit: Evan Zimmerman / Met Opera) An immigrant and a gay man join forces to create art that defeats Nazis. While this simple sentence reduces all the complexities at play in “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” it also gets to the core of a battle that permeates to this day and provides us with the kind of hope {…}

Apr 28, 2025

Dean Murphy, Jonathan Burton, Stephanie Doche & Guadalupe Paz Lead San Diego Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The San Diego Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci. ” Yves Abel conducts a cast that includes Jonathan Burton, Hailey Clark, and Kidon Choi. Christopher Mattaliano directs. Performance Dates: Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2025 Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” will star Dean Murphy, Minghao Liu, Stephanie Doche, Patrick Carfizzi, and Craig Colclough. Yves Abel conducts the production by {…}

Oct 7, 2024

Metropolitan Opera 2024-25 Review: Tosca

(Photo credit: Karen Almond / Met Opera) This season’s premiere of Met Opera’s “Tosca” features Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak, in the titular role, marking her 100th Met performance. Her Met debut was in 2004 as Olympia in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” and her performances leading up to this season have all been unforgettable, especially Kurzak as Tosca. Her voice alongside tenor {…}

Jul 3, 2024

Opera Theatre Saint Louis 2024 Review: The Barber of Seville

(Photo credit: Eric Woolsey) “The Barber of Seville” can be tough to sit through. Opera Theatre Saint Louis (OTSL) swam upstream furiously against the libretto’s banalities to produce an entertaining show, with standout performances from Justin Austin in the title role, and Hongni Wu as Rosina. In youth, I received as a gift the London/Decca recording featuring Leo Nucci as {…}

Mar 15, 2024

Sara LeMesh, Karen Chia-Ling Ho & Zach Borichevsky Lead Florentine Opera’s 2024-25 Season

The Florentine Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. Karen Chia-Ling Ho leads Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly“ with Adam Diegel, Kristen Choi, and Grant Youngblood. Francesco Milioto conducts the production by Mo Zhou. Performance Dates: Oct. 18 & 20, 2024 Handel’s “Acis & Galatea” will star Sara LeMesh, Patrick Bessenbacher, Matt Boehler, and Jerek Fernández. Francesco Milioto conducts the production by E. {…}