La Jolla Music Society has announced its 2023 SummerFest, which will take place at The Conrad in San Diego, California between July 28 and August 26. The season’s main theme will be “The Great Unknown.” “Audiences will discover fantastical and otherworldly pieces, myths, fairy tales, dreams, and memories, reveling both in the canon’s most beloved works and in hidden gems {…}
Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and pianist Kirill Kuzmin are set to perform at New York’s Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall on May 25, 2023. The performance is set to feature songs from her 2023 Grammy-nominated album, entitled “how do I find you.” The performance will include new commissions by some of the most innovative contemporary artists/composers Caroline Shaw, Missy Mazzoli, Nico {…}
California’s Music Academy, formerly known as the Music Academy of the West, has unveiled its 2023 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. It all kicks off with an opening night gala “The Magic of Miraflores” featuring Michelle Bradley and Sing! children’s chorus. Pianist Natasha Kislenko also performs. Performance Date: June 3, {…}
The 2023 Aspen Music Festival has released its livestream lineup. All livestreamed performances are free and will be available on the AMFS virtual stage website. This article will focus solely on vocal performances. LA Opera’s James Conlon leads Sasha Cooke and Rodrick Dixon in “Conlon Conducts Mendelssohn, Mahler.” Cooke and Dixon present Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde.” Performance Date: July {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2023-24 season, which will feature a world premiere. Jamie Barton, Janai Brugger, J‘Nai Bridges, Caitlin Lynch, Nicholas Newton, Michael Mayes, and Joshua Blue star in Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Intelligence.” Kwamé Ryan conducts the production by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Performance Dates: Oct. 20-Nov. 3, 2024 Reginald Smith, Jr. sings the title role of Vedi’s “Falstaff” with Nicole Heaston, Blake {…}
The Dallas Opera (TDO) has announced its 2023-24 Season, featuring a world premiere production of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Kicking off the season, opening with Puccini’s “Tosca” starring Ewa Płonka in the title role, Joseph Calleja as Cavaradossi, Gihoon Kim as Scarpia, Andrew Potter as Angelotti, Thomas Cilluffo as Spoletta, and Darren Drone as Sacristan in this Andrew {…}
(Credit: Svetlana Pasedko) Aspen Music Festival & School has announced its 2023 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal performances. There will be several editions of the “Opera Encounters” throughout the season. The showcase features the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS faculty leading emerging talents in opera scenes, musical theater, and art songs. {…}
Famed mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke will appear at an upcoming concert presented by Music of Remembrance scheduled for March 19, 2023. The mezzo will perform Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Intonations: Songs from Violins of Hope.” She will appear alongside solo violinist Mikhail Shmidt, youth violinist Zoe Lonsinger. Other instrumentalists performing on this piece include violinists Artur Girsky and Elizabeth Phelps as {…}
Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and pianist and vocal coach John Churchwell have been appointed Co-Directors of the Music Academy’s Lehrer Vocal Institute. The duo will be charged with the long-term planning for the organization’s curriculum, performance, and teaching roster. They have already worked on the 2023 summer festival, which will include an industry day, a new studio artist program, an all-Spanish {…}
San Francisco-based Opera Parallèle has announced its 2022-23 season. The season kicks off with “Everest: An Immersive Experience.” The Talbot and Scheer opera will be conducted by Nicole Paiement and directed by Brian Staufenbiel. Sasha Cooke, Nathan Granner, Kevin Burdette, Hadleigh Adams, Charlotte Fanvu, Matt Boehler, Shawnette Sulker, Whitney Steele, and Kevin Gino. Performance Dates: Feb. 2-12, 2023 Paul Moravec {…}
The Kaufman Music Center in New York has announced its 2022-23 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances: VOCES8 perform Choral Dances: Wm. Byrd to V. Morrison. Performance Date: Oct. 13, 2022 VOCES8 will showcase “Underneath the Stars,” which includes music by Byrd, Britten, Gibbons, Smith, Schütz, Rheinberger, and Alfvén, among others. Performance Date: Oct. 14, 2022 Briana {…}