The New York Philharmonic has announced its 2022-23 season. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on vocal performances. The Sound of Home will see Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,” the World Premiere of a Caroline Shaw piece with Room Full of Teeth, and Price’s Symphony No. 4. Jaap van Zweden conducts. Performance Dates: Oct. {…}
San Francisco Performances has announced its 2022-23 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal and operatic performances. Soprano Dawn Upshaw will join forces with the Brentano String Quartet for “Dido “Reimagined” by Melinda Wagner. Performance Dates: Jan. 12, 2023 Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and guitarist Jason Vieaux will perform music by Schubert, de Falla, {…}
(Credit: Ken Howard) This is a review of the March 11th, 2022 performance, the Opening night of this production’s 3rd revival since 2004. “Rodelinda: Regina De’Longobardi” is old, nearly 300-years old, which is advanced in age even by operatic standards. That being said, following the rise of the early music movement of the 20th century, scholars and performers alike have {…}
The Kansas City Symphony has announced its 2022-23 season. For the purposes of this article, our focus will be solely on vocal and operatic performances. Domingo Hindoyan will conduct a performance featuring music by Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Berlioz. The KC Symphony Orchestra Chorus will perform Brahms’ “Nänie” and “Schicksalslied.” Performance Dates: Oct. 28 – 30, 2022 Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and {…}
The Houston Grand Opera has announced its 2022–23 season featuring operatic productions. Here is a look. Verdi’s “La Traviata” opens the season with Angel Blue and Cecilia Violetta López sharing the title role. They are joined by Bryan Hymel, Ricardo Garcia, Andrei Kymach, and Anthony Clark Evans. Matthew Aucoin conducts the production by Arin Arbus. Performance Dates: Oct. 21-Nov. 8, 2022 Dame Ethel Smyth’s {…}
Shriver Hall Concert Series’ is set to present the East Coast premiere of Sasha Cooke’s new, recital-length project “how do i find you” with pianist Kirill Kuzmin. The recital which is set to be presented on Sunday, March 6, 2022, is a concert curated by Cooke which explores experiences and themes of America today, including California wildfires, school shootings, working {…}
Sasha Cooke has joined the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of “Rodelinda.” Cooke will replace Jamie Barton in the role of Eduige. Barton recently withdrew from the production as she will sing the company’s new staging of “Don Carlos,” replacing Elina Garanca. Cooke made her Met debut in 2007 in a production of “Iphigénie en Tauride” and is set to take on {…}
This past week offered a wealth of releases from rising stars, established singers, and established ensembles. There is an intriguing solo album of new composers and another dedicated to Mozart. Here is a look at this week’s new releases. From Rags to Riches: 100 Years of American Song The New York Festival of Song releases the new album on its {…}
Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke is set to release and perform from a new album “How Do I Find You” at the end of January 2022. The album, which will be released on Jan. 28 by Pentatone, will be followed by Live World Premiere at the San Francisco Symphony just two days later. The showcase features new music by such composers as {…}
(Credit: Chris Lee) The Metropolitan Opera is set to revive Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The production by Richard Eyre will be shown six times starting Jan. 8 through 28, 2022. Maestro Daniele Rustioni will lead the production with a cast that includes Golda Schultz in her Met role debut as Countess Almaviva and Adam Plachetka as Count Almaviva. When {…}
Chausson’s “Le Roi Arthus” is a masterpiece. The work, which the Frenchman, composed between 1886 and 1895, had its premiere in 1903, and has rarely been heard from again. Critics of the work have noted its heavy debt to the likes of Richard Wagner and César Franck, and on some level, one might be inclined to conclude that these open {…}