Credit: Danae Kinova The Olympia City Music Theatre Maria Callas has unveiled its 2023-24 season, which includes three operas in both staged productions and concert versions. The season features a blend of Greek artists and international stars, including a concert by soprano Julie Fuchs. For the purposes of this article only opera and classical voice performances are listed. The season {…}
Interest in Rossini is famously tied to Maria Callas and the renaissance, both technical and stylistic, of the Belcanto tradition which in the wake of the Divina has inspired as diverse a roster as Teresa Berganza, Marilyn Horne, and Montserrat Caballe to name but a few. Yet in addition to her live performances, her recorded legacy has marked our ear {…}
Spanish soprano Sabina Puértolas was scheduled to perform a single show of “Il Turco in Italia” on June 2, 2023, with cast A, but because of the cancellation of soprano Lisette Oropesa, she wound up singing back-to-back performances on June 1 and 2. Struggling Singers She has a lirico-leggera voice, marked vibrato, modest volume but a present middle register. The {…}
The Spanish opera coliseum presented a new production of Rossini’s opera buffa, “Il turco in Italia,” signed by Laurent Pelly. There were two different casts and three different sopranos for the leading role, performing in the ten performances planned. But superstar Lisette Oropesa, was sick and had to cancel opening night. In this case, the fantastic Spanish soprano, Sara Blanch, {…}
Arte is set to present a transmission of Rossini’s “Il Turco in Italia” from the Teatro Real de Madrid on Friday, June 9, 2023. The opera will star Alex Esposito (Selim), Misha Kiria (Don Geronio), Edgardo Rocha (Don Narciso), Florian Sempey (Prosdocimo Poet), Paola Gardina (Zaida) and Pablo García-López (Albazar). Also in the cast will be Lisette Oropesa taking on {…}
The Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, New York has announced its 2023-24 season celebrating its 74th season. In a statement, General Director John Rozzoni said, “When we thought about what stories we wanted to tell next year, it was important to us to find productions that resonate with all our community members. We want to say, ‘Opera is for you. You’re {…}
Toledo Opera will receive a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for its season-opening production “Cinderella” by Rossini. The grant will also be used for the organization’s public community programs. “Toledo Opera is honored by the National Endowment for the Arts’ ongoing support, which enables us to work closely in partnership with the Toledo community,” said {…}
(Credit: ) It is very hard to stage a Rossini opera—and even harder to stage his comedies. The maestro of Pesaro’s comic timing, uses and abuses of coloraturas, and overly complicated sexual plots are so ingenious that one nail out of place can compromise the whole machine. Paris Opera Atelier’s staging of “La Scala di Seta” (book by Giuseppe Maria {…}
The Royal Opera House’s production of Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” is headed to cinemas around the U.K. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. The opera will be broadcast live from the Royal Opera House where it will be presented in a production starring Aigul Akhmetshina as Rosina, Andrzej Filończyk as Figaro, Lawrence Brownlee as Count Almaviva, Bryn Terfel as Don Basilio, Fabio Capitanucci as Bartolo, Ailish Tynan as Berta, and Josef Jeongmeen {…}
Opera Southwest is set to present “Le Comte Ory” starting on Feb. 5, 2023. The production of the famed Rossini opera will run for a total of three performances with subsequent shows scheduled for Feb. 10 and 12, 2023 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center-Journal Theatre. The comedy will star tenor Christopher Bozeka, soprano Lindsay Ohse, Amanda Crider, Matthew Hanscom, {…}
Superstar tenor Juan Diego Flórez will perform in recital at the Los Angeles Opera this coming January. On Jan. 23, 2023, the tenor will appear alongside longtime collaborator Vincenzo Scalera. The showcase will feature Italian songs alongside arias by such composers as Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Gounod, and Lalo. The showcase starts at 7:30 p.m. local time at the Dorothy {…}