The Pittsburgh Opera will honor Tom Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his extraordinary dedication to the state of Pennsylvania and the city of Pittsburgh. The award will be given at the 34th annual Maecenas Gala on Saturday, May 12, which will feature the whimsical theme “Cirque de l ’Opera.” In {…}
It’s amazing what a ripping good yarn enhanced by instantly recognizable themes can do for an audience. American composer Jake Heggie’s opera, “Moby Dick,” now being performed by the Pittsburgh Opera, is in many ways a return to that fundamental principle for operatic success: create characters audiences care about, and endow them with memorable motifs to better manipulate the viewers’ {…}
This week’s picks are all about debuts. We’re talking about house debuts for artists, house debuts for operas, and in one case a role and house debut all in one. It’s going to be a fun weekend with the biggest challenge likely coming down to where you want to be on Saturday night. Orfeo ed Euridice – Florida Grand Opera {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters in the Strip District will hosts “A Song of Thrones,” a Pittsburgh Opera fashion event. The event will take place on March 19 and will be based on the fantasy epic “Game of Thrones.” The event will capture the drama of the immensely popular television show while spotlighting costuming and music from the Pittsburgh Opera, as well {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera concludes its 2017-18 season with Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” Donizetti’s 36th opera, and one of his most popular, is set to star Russian soprano Ekaterina Siurina and American tenor Dimitri Pittas in the lead roles. Zachary Nelsons will sing Belcore while Paolo Pecchioli will portray Dulcamara. The new production by Daniel Slater, which was presented at the Houston Grand {…}
This weekend is jampacked with rare operas to see. No joke. With one exception, the list consists of works you probably will struggle to find productions for at any given point a year from now. So strap in and find a way to watch these five shows. (List is in alphabetical order by company). Euridice – Cantanti Project The New {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera has announced that it will receive a $25,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help support the new production of “Moby-Dick” by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. The grant is part of the more than $25 million in grants which NEA Chairman Jane Chu has approved as part of {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which, after a season of modern opera, is slated to take a look back at some of the major repertory hits. The season kicks off with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” which will star Dina Kuznetsova in her company debut. Cody Austin will appear as Pinkerton. Performance Dates: Oct. 6-14, 2018 In November, the {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera will presents Jake Heggie’s acclaimed “Moby-Dick” for the first time. As part of the company’s initiative to bring new, American operas, the Pittsburgh Opera will showcase the work in March. Based on the famous novel of the same name by Herman Melville, the opera will be showcased in a co-production with the Utah Opera. OperaWire’s review noted, “Jake Heggie’s {…}
As we go deeper into January, we see more and more opera companies returning to business. The Metropolitan Opera is still very much at the forefront of some of the richest opera experiences of the weekend, but this weekend we will turn to other exciting companies taking on projects with greater risk. The majority of this weekend’s list consists of {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera has announced its second world premiere in two years. The company will present “Ashes & Snow” composed by Douglas J. Cuomo and directed by Jonathan Moore in February 2018. The opera will premiere at Pittsburgh Opera’s historic headquarters in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. The opera is based on Wilhelm Müller’s 24-poem cycle which was used as the text for Franz Schubert’s famous “Winterreise” and {…}