Admired for her dramatic intensity and vocal versatility, mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson is rapidly earning distinction across a wide and varied repertoire. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she was a member of the Opera Studio at Bayerische Staatsoper, later joining their Ensemble between 2015 and 2019. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Ensemble at Staatsoper Stuttgart. {…}
(Photo: Herwig Prammer) Richard Wagner wrote the libretto of “Tannhäuser” drawing on medieval German mythology, although its protagonist was probably inspired by a real person who lived in the thirteenth century. Mythology functions as a mechanism of psychological externalization: it takes the abstract, often chaotic dynamics of the human subconscious—our conflicting impulses, fears, and cultural values—and projects them into tangible {…}
The BBC Proms has announced its 2026 season. Here are the vocal performances. The festival opens on with pianist Yunchan Lim and tenor Thomas Atkins joining Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for music by Ravel, Copland, Gershwin and Finzi. There will also be a world premiere by Josephine Stephenson. Performance Date: July 17, 2026 Gianandrea Noseda leads Beethoven’s Symphony {…}
The New York Philharmonic has announced its 2026-27 season. Here are the vocal performances. Gustavo Dudamel conducts music by Di Castri, Adams, and Prokofiev. Performance Dates: Sept. 16-19, 2026 Gustavo Dudamel conducts an inaugural gala. Performance Date: Sept. 30, 2026 Gustavo Dudamel conducts “Tosca” with Marina Rebeka, Jonas Kaufmann, and Ludovic Tézier in Carnegie Hall. Performance Dates: Nov. 13 & 15, {…}
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale has announced its 2026-27 season celebrating its 45th season. Here are the vocal performances. Handel’s “Tolomeo” will be conducted by Peter Whelan and will star countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen as Tolomeo, soprano Lauren Snouffer as Seleuce, soprano Nicole Heaston as Elisa, countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim as Alessandro, and bass-baritone Dashon Burton as Araspe. Performance Dates: {…}
(Photo: Jan Windszus Photography) Gustav Mahler’s 8th Symphony in E-flat major, often dubbed the “Symphony of a Thousand” did its moniker justice this time: It was put on by the Komische Oper Berlin in the huge Hangar 4 at the former Tempelhof Airport and counted 1030 participants – taking up the entire center stage plus two grandstands for the choirs. {…}
(Photo credit: BMF) The Beijing Music Festival announces the details of its 28th festival. This article only features vocal concerts. Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen sings the title role in The English Concert’s production of Handel’s “Rinaldo.” Mary Bevan, Paula Murrihy, Alexander Chance, Ashley Riches, Rachael Wilson, and Andy Shen Liu round out the cast. Harry Bicket serves as conductor and harpsichordist. {…}
Composer John Adams’ and librettist Peter Sellars’ opera, “El Niño,” debuted at Metropolitan Opera earlier this year, making this their fourth work to be produced at the Met, including “Doctor Atomic” (2008), “Nixon in China” (2011), and “The Death of Klinghoffer” (2014). OperaWire reviewed the production in addition to attending and documenting Guggenheim Museum’s “Works & Process” presentation by the {…}
DACAMERA and The Shepherd School of Music have announced the cast for its world premiere performance of Matthew Aucoin and Peter Sellars’ “Music for New Bodies.” The showcase, scheduled for April 20, 2024 at The Shepherd School of Music’s Brockman Hall for Opera, will feature Kathryn Lewek, Meryl Dominguez, Rachael Wilson, Brenton Ryan, and Cory McGee. Aucoin conducts while Sellars {…}
(Photo: Marc Brenner) They go together like cookies and milk…like bacon and eggs…like Adam and Eve! Nooooooo! Not “Cav” and “Pag,” as the fans insist on calling the operas, but Roberto Alagna and Aleksandra Kurzak! The golden couple, currently on at the Royal Opera House in “Cavalleria Rusticana,” consolidated their positions as world class artists here with spellbinding performances from {…}
Photo: © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Tristram Kenton Normally, ‘heritage’ productions make me nervous. The established stagings summon to mind lumbering Zeffirelli-esque spectacles and unwieldy, moth-eaten costumes. Opera houses resting on their artistic laurels, unwilling take artistic risks. The ingrained conservatism in the opera business that could even prove fatal for the art form. But, Peter Hall’s production of Benjamin {…}
