Over the weekend, a number of opera companies, orchestras, concert halls , and guilds used their social media accounts to take a stand and support the #BlackLivesMatter movement amid ongoing nationwide protests after the the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers. On Sunday May 31, the Lyric Opera of Chicago stated, “We stand in support of {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced its 2020-21 season featuring a number of important soloists. For this article we will focus on vocal performances. Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis is set to be conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin with a cast that includes Jennifer Rowley, Karen Cargill, Rodrick Dixon, and Eric Owens. Joe Miller directs Refik Anadol’s Visually striking designs. Performance Dates: Oct. 9-14, {…}
The LA Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra have canceled upcoming performances due to the coronavirus. In a statement the LA Opera announced that “the performance of ‘Roberto Devereux’ for Saturday, March 14th has been cancelled due to the statewide effort to curb spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).” The company also noted that the “LA Opera takes the safety and health {…}
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has awarded the Philadelphia Orchestra Association a $50 million Endowment Gift, plus an additional $5 million contribution to fund Orchestra operations. The $55 million grant, which comes from a donor-advised fund at SVCF, “represents an expression of confidence in the artistic and organizational leadership of the Orchestra” and is “the largest single gift in Philadelphia {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced that Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan will narrate performances of Bernstein’s “Candide.” The performances of Bernstein’s classic work will conclude the composer’s 100th-anniversary celebration and will be led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and a cast that includes Alek Shrader, Erin Morley, Denyce Graves, Kevin Vortmann, and Timothy McDevitt. Stage Director Kevin Newbury will set the production {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced two new conducting appointments beginning September 2019. The orchestra announced that Erina Yashima will be the assistant conductor and Lina Gonzalez-Granados will become a conducting fellow. Yashima will succeed Kensho Watanabe in the position and will serve as cover conductor for, and provide assistance to, Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and guest conductors on artistic matters in {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra have come to a new agreement for a four-year contract. The announcement was made on Tuesday, March 12 with the new agreement effective Sept. 16, 2019 and running through Sept. 10, 2020. Per a press release, the agreement was reached six months prior to the expiration of the current {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra will be back in 2019 to showcase Puccini’s “Tosca” as Bravo! Vail Music Festival’s debut opera production. Performances are set for July 11 and 13, 2019 at the outdoor Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. The announcement was made by Bravo! Vail’s Music Festival’s Artistic Director Anne-Marie McDermott during a concert by the ensemble, as led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. {…}
“The crown! The crest! It’s the Attavanti’s!” Exclaimed the tempestuous diva Floria Tosca, as she paced about in a frenzied fit of jealousy after being led to believe by the scheming and lascivious Barron Scarpia that her lover, the painter and maverick Mario Cavaradossi, had been dallying with a Marchesa in the chapel. In fact, no such dalliance occurred, as {…}
The Philadelphia Orchestra has announced its 2018-19 season with numerous vocal guests. For this article, we will only focus only on the vocal highlights. The season opens with Yannick Nézet-Séguin leading the orchestra in Nico Muhly’s suite from his recent opera “Marnie” alongside pianist Andre Watts in Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Performance Dates: Sept. 14-16, 2018 On {…}