Pittsburgh Opera 2017-18 – Moby Dick: Jake Heggie’s Masterpiece Gets Tremendous Performances From Honeywell, Panikkar, Mayes, Among Others

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’ {…}

Mar 16, 2018

Top 5 Operas To See This Weekend – USA (3/16-18): 5 Major Debuts Include Elaine Alvarez, ‘Moby Dick,’ & Anthony Roth Costanzo

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 {…}

Mar 13, 2018

The Pittsburgh Opera To Host Fashion Show

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 {…}

Feb 24, 2018

Pittsburgh Opera Concludes 2017-18 Season With ‘L’Elisir D’Amore’

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 {…}

Feb 23, 2018

Top 5 Operas to See This Weekend – North America (2/23-25): ‘The Daughter of the Regiment’ & Others Lead Weekend of Rare Operas

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 {…}

Feb 13, 2018

Pittsburgh Opera Receives NEA Grant For ‘Moby Dick’

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 {…}

Feb 11, 2018

Nicole Cabell & Re-imagined ‘Idomeneo’ Adaptation Headline Pittsburgh Opera’s 2018-19 Season

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 {…}

Jan 31, 2018

Pittsburgh Opera To Present ‘Moby Dick’ For The First Time

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 {…}

Jan 19, 2018

Top 6 Operas To See This Weekend – North America (1/19-21): Jonas Kaufmann, Houston Grand Opera & Modern Works Take Centerstage

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 {…}

Dec 17, 2017

‘Ashes & Snow’ To World Premiere At Pittsburgh Opera

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 {…}

Nov 20, 2017

Pittsburgh Opera Announces ‘The Long Walk’

Pittsburgh Opera has announced its next production for the year. The company will bring the contemporary American opera to the CAPA School Theater in Jeremy Howard Beck’s “The Long Walk.” The libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann is based on the book “The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows” by Brian Castner. The opera is an exploration of a soldier’s return {…}

pittsburgh opera