The San Francisco Opera is getting in the holiday spirit with two concerts on the War Memorial Opera House stage at the tailend of its 2017 fall season. The first of these showcases is set for Dec. 1, 2017 when multi-platinum New Zealand trio Sol3 Mio performs alongside the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a holiday concert, “Christmas with Sol3 Mio.” The {…}
With the holidays coming to the fore, the opera schedule is slowly and surely growing thinner and thinner. Companies are starting to take their breaks to recoup for 2018, meaning that offerings are slimmer for operagoers. But there are performances to be thankful for as a number of companies, big and small, are putting on a show. Here are the {…}
Sheri Greenawald, director of San Francisco Opera Center, announced the eleven recipients of the 2018 Adler Fellowship grant. Choosing promising young talent from the Merola Opera Program, recipients are given advanced training, via individual coaching and professional seminars, and a vast range of performance opportunities. The 2018 group of artists are comprised of eight singers, two pianists, and one director; {…}
To wait for one whole act, plus a quarter of a second, just to glimpse the heroine, let alone hear her, is practically a crime. Especially, with all the talk. From the moment the curtain rises, what do we hear? Turandot, Turandot, Turandot. And so, where is she? On and on, troops of “the people” – boy chorus, various authorities {…}
Talk about a busy weekend. There will be over 70 opera performances around the country this weekend with a wide range of repertoire. North of the border, Pacific Opera Victoria showcases “Rattenbury” on Friday and Sunday and Opéra de Montreal showcases “La Cenerentola.” Teatro Municipal De Santiago presents “Aida” on Friday and Saturday while Atlanta Opera does a showcase of {…}
When you come right down to it – French Grand Opera – is very grand. A large canvas, huge sets, wide-ranging costumes, display of various kinds, sweeping music, on occasion, and musical textures that vary and offer range of interest – plus human beings, who, set into this panorama – resume their rightful size: ordinary. What? We control our own {…}
This weekend will feature a ton of opera across North America, with companies opening a number of productions and others closing them up. First, let’s take a look at the new runs opening this week. Saratoga Opera’s “La Traviata” gets its first performances on Friday and Sunday while Opera Omaha presents its only two “Tosca” showcases of the year those {…}
It will be a fun week for Ellie Dehn. A few months ago, soprano Nadine Sierra was slated to be the artist to lead the San Francisco Opera’s new production of “Manon.” But Sierra pulled out of the role and Dehn was called upon to take the torch of one of the hardest roles in the lyric soprano repertoire. It {…}
The San Francisco Opera continued its innovative approach to engaging the community in the world of opera. The company recently launched the Opera ARIA Music Performance Residency, which is a “school-focused opera-immersion program” that will connect San Francisco Unified Middle and High School performing arts students to the professional musicians and artists of San Francisco Opera. The program will feature {…}
San Francisco Opera has announced the programs it will be instituting this season to bring more awareness about opera to adults in the area. In sum, there will be about six programs overall, the first of which takes place on Oct. 20, 2017. This program, entitled “Drinks & Drama: A Taste of the Season,” is a social-educational evening pairing operas {…}
As we get deeper and deeper into the fall season, opera lovers are finding themselves with more and more options around the United States. Here is a look at the offerings for this second weekend of the month. First off, let’s kick off with the major openings. On Saturday, Los Angeles Opera opens its production of “Nabucco (the company also {…}