Cape Town Opera to Tour Europe with ‘Porgy and Bess’ in Collaboration with Chineke! Orchestra

Cape Town Opera will present Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” across five European cities in September 2026. The showcase will be presented in a major collaboration with London’s Chineke! Orchestra, Europe’s first majority Black and ethnically diverse professional orchestra. Maestro Enrique Mazzola will conduct, and the production will be directed by Cape Town Opera Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar. The tour opens {…}

Dec 9, 2025

Metropolitan Opera 2025-26 Review: Porgy and Bess

On December 2, 2025, the Metropolitan Opera delivered a ray of sunshine with a jubilant opening of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” Last seen on the Met stage in their 2021 season, this year’s run featured new and returning artists who all came together for something as uplifting as it was exciting. In regard to James Robinson’s production, many of my {…}

Nov 14, 2025

Alfred Walker, Brittany Renee, Denyce Graves, Latonia Moore & Leah Hawkins Lead Metropolitan Opera’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ Revival

(Credit: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” for the first time since 2019 in James Robinson’s production. The opera will open on Dec. 2 and be performed 13 times. The production will feature conductor Kwamé Ryan in his company debut, leading a cast that includes bass-baritone Alfred Walker and soprano {…}

Oct 5, 2025

Theatro Municipal de São Paulo 2025 Review: Porgy and Bess

(Photo: Rafael Salvador) On September 19th, the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo brought to the stage its first production of “Porgy and Bess,” an opera by George Gershwin (1898-1937), with a libretto by Edwin DuBose Heyward (1885-1940) and Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), based on the novel turned into a play “Porgy,” by DuBose Heyward. The theater assembled not only a cast {…}

Aug 31, 2025

Q & A: Donnie Ray Albert Reminisces About Being Porgy

(Photo: BSoM Headshots) Baritone Donnie Ray Albert likes to quip that “[he’s] had many Besses in his life and [he’s] survived them all.” At 75, he’s enjoying spending time with Gwen, his wife of 52 years and traveling back and forth between his home north of Dallas to Austin where he’s a Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Voice at the University {…}

Aug 5, 2025

Washington National Opera to Present ‘Opera in the Outfield’

The Washington National Opera is set to kick off its 70th anniversary season with Opera in the Outfield on August 23, 2025, at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. The free community event will be presented by Mars and will feature a screening of George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” There will be a pre-show arts & crafts with a bonus family {…}

Jul 22, 2025

Q & A: Bass-Baritone Michael Sumuel on ‘Porgy and Bess’ & His Start in Opera

(Image Source: IMG Artists) When Bass Baritone Michael Sumuel landed in San Francisco after finishing his run as Porgy in the Washington National Opera’s “Porgy and Bess,” he realized he’d only been home about 15 days the entire year. He was in town for a couple weeks before he flew to Sydney where he’ll sing the title role in “Le {…}

Jun 22, 2025

Q & A: David E. Weaver on His Book ‘Black Diva of the Thirties: The Life of Ruby Elzy’

This year marks the 90th anniversary of George and Ira Gershwin’s folk opera, “Porgy and Bess” on Broadway. Many major opera houses around the country have planned productions, including the Washington National Opera, the Houston Grand Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. While there are many biographies about Gershwin that include chapters devoted to “Porgy and Bess,” the only book that {…}

Apr 27, 2025

Washington National Opera to Perform ‘Porgy and Bess’

The Washington National Opera is set to present “Porgy and Bess” in Artistic Director Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed production. Zambello’s production was first seen on the Kennedy Center stage in the 2005–2006 season and the return marks the 90th anniversary of this work. In a statement, Zambello said, “It is hard to believe it’s been 20 years since I first directed {…}

Feb 19, 2025

Joyce DiDonato, Asmik Grigorian, Piotr Beczala, Sonya Yoncheva, Lisette Oropesa Headline Metropolitan Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The Metropolitan Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. New Productions The season opens on a Sunday with Mason Bates and Gene Scheer’s “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” in its Met Opera premiere. Bartlett Sher directs and Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a cast starring Lauren Snouffer, Sun-Ly Pierce, Miles Mykkanen, Patrick Carfizzi, Craig Colclough, and Andrzej Filoncyzk. Performance Dates: Sept. {…}

Dec 20, 2024

Cape Town Opera 2024 Review: Porgy and Bess

Cape Town Opera’s “Porgy and Bess” created an extraordinary cultural confluence in its Chinese premiere at the Poly Theatre. Closing the 27th Beijing Music Festival on 12 October 2024, this production brings together 39 singers and 75 musicians as Gershwin’s South Carolina masterpiece, reimagined through South African artistry, finds new resonance on the Beijing stage. It arrives at a {…}

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