American Modern Opera Company & The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine 2024 Review: El Niño – Nativity Reconsidered

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 {…}

Kathryn Lewek, Meryl Dominguez, Rachael Wilson, Brenton Ryan & Cory McGee Headline World Premiere of ‘Music for New Bodies’

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 {…}

Royal Opera House 2023-24 Review: ‘Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci’

(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 {…}

Glyndebourne Festival Opera 2023 Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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 {…}

Corinne Winters, Lucio Gallo, Federica Lombardi & Atalla Ayan Lead Staatsoper Stuttgart’s 2022-23 Season

The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced its 2022-23 season Premieres “Liebstod” from concept by Johannes Müller and Philine Rinnert will be performed. Performance Dates: Sept. 23-25, 2022 Wagner’s “Siegfried” will star Daniel Brenna, Matthias Klink, Tommi Hakala, David Steffens, Beate Ritter, Stine Marie Fischer, and Simone Schneider. Cornelius Meister conducts the production by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito.  Performance Dates: Oct. 9, {…}

Rachael Wilson & Silvia Costa Headline ‘Juditha Triumphans’ at Staatsoper Stuttgart

(Credit: © Matthias Baus) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced the upcoming premiere of Antonio Vivaldi’s oratorio “Juditha Triumphans.” The oratorio will star five mezzo-sopranos including Stine Marie Fischer as Holofernes, Diana Haller as Vagaus, Gaia Petrone as Abra, Alexandra Urquiola as Ozias, and Rachael Wilson in the title role. Benjamin Bayl conducts a production by Silvia Costa. Vivaldi’s oratorio hold {…}

Elizabeth Caballero, Yolanda Auyanet, Atalla Ayan, Catherine Naglestad & Martin Muehle Lead Staatsoper Stuttgart’s 2021-22 Season

(Credit: Martin Sigmund) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is a look at the operatic and vocal performances. Opera Premieres Paul Dessau’s “Die Verurteilung des Lukullus” opens the season. The complex work stars Friedemann Röhlig, Alina Adamski, Torsten Hofmann, Elliott Carlton Hines, Maria Theresa Ullrich, Linsey Coppens, Philipp Nicklaus, Heinz Göhrig, Jasper Leever, Laia Vallés, Clare Tunney, {…}

Joyce DiDonato, Jonathan Tetelman, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Jakub Józef Orliński Headline Opéra National du Rhin’s 2021-22 Season

(Credits: © McQueen / Deutsche Oper am Rhein official website / © Jean-Baptiste Millot / Jiyang Chen) Opéra National du Rhin in Strasbourg, France has announced its 2021-22 season. Here is the full slate. Operas Hans Abrahamsen’s “The Snow Queen” will spotlight Lauren Snouffer, Rachael Wilson, Helena Rasker, David Leigh, Michael Smallwood, Owen Willetts, Floriane Derthe, and Moritz Kallenberg. Robert {…}

Matthew Polenzani, Tomasz Konieczny, Elizabeth Caballero Lead Staatsoper Stuttgart Revised 2020-21 Season

(Credits: Rebecca Fay / Tomasz Konieczny official website / Suzanne Vinnik / Staatsoper unter der Linden official website) The Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced its redesigned 2020-21 season, running from Feb. 21, 2021, until July 21, 2021. Here is the full slate. Operas Maurice Ravel’s “Verzauberte Welt” will feature Schorsch Kamerun, Diana Haller, Alexandra Urquiola, Maria Theresa Ullrich, Carina Schmieger, Claudia {…}

Eva-Maria Westbroek, Evelyn Herlitzius & Pavel Valuzhin Lead Staatsoper Stuttgart 2020-21 season

(Photo Credit: Lichtgut/Christoph Schmidt/Christoph Schmidt) Staatsoper Stuttgart has announced its 2020-21 season, which is reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the look. Mozart and Schikaneder’s famed singspiel “Die Zauberflöte” will open the season. The cast will include David Steffens and Michael Nagl in the role of Sarastro; Mingjie Lei and Kai Kluge in the role of Tamino; Beate {…}