Plácido Domingo, Marina Rebeka & Rolando Villazón Highlight Hamburg State Opera’s 2019-20 Season

The Hamburg State Opera has announced its 2019-20 season featuring six new productions and a number of revivals. There is also a mix of contemporary repertoire with classic and repertory staples. Here is a look at what to expect. New Productions Elbenita Kajtazi, Renate Spingler, Hellen Kwon, Peter Galliard, Stefan Sevenich, Iwan Iwanowitsch, and Julian Arsenault star in a new production of Shostakovich’s “The {…}

Jan 18, 2019

Nicole Cabell & Sean Panikkar Headline Pittsburgh Opera’ ‘La Bohème’

Pittsburgh Opera will revive Puccini’s “La Bohème.” The production, which is set to star Nicole Cabell as Mimì and Sean Pannikar as Rodolfo, will be conducted by Jean-Luc Tingaud and directed by Stephanie Havey. The two lead singers in this production are both veterans of TV singing competitions. Panikkar, a Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist alum, was a star on America’s Got Talent {…}

Nov 17, 2018

Los Angeles Opera 2018-19 Review: Satyagraha

I once saw an evening of Kathakali theater, a kind of folk opera of southern India. I would probably not have understood much of what was going on in “The Killing of Dushasana” had I not read the program booklet beforehand. Even so, after the first scene my regular biases for dialectic drama vanished and I was hooked, overwhelmed by {…}

Aug 22, 2018

Salzburg Festival 2018 Review: The Bassarids

Hans Werner Henze’s opera “The Bassarids” received its first performance at the Salzburg Festival on August 6, 1966. At the premiere, Christoph von Dohnanyi conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. English-American poet W.H. Auden and his partner Chester Kallman wrote the libretto based on Euripides’ “Bacchae,” one of the last tragedies of the great Greek dramatist. Within weeks, the opera was {…}

Aug 17, 2018

Top 5 Operas to See This Weekend – International (8/17-19)

Festival season continues while some of the bigger opera companies start to open up in time for the fall showcase. This weekend will feature some acclaimed stars as well as a world premiere and a rarely performed work. Here is what we recommend. Aida – Opera Australia, Australia Natalie Aroyan, Riccardo Massi, and Milijana Nikolic star in Verdi’s epic classic. {…}

Aug 13, 2018

Artist Of The Week: Sean Panikkar

Sean Panikkar has slowly been growing through the ranks of the opera world. His numerous engagements with the Metropolitan Opera have made him visible throughout the world and he has been able to make important debuts at the Festival Aix en Provence, Cincinnati Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and Fort Worth Opera in recent years. He has also been an advocate for {…}

May 11, 2018

10 Must See Operas For The Summer Season 2018 [International Edition]

The 2017-18 season comes to an end and in comes festival season. So where are the big stars and what are interesting works being discovered this year? With a ton of selections to be sure, we whittled it down to the 10 Must-See productions (as we did with the U.S.) that cannot be missed this summer. 10. Tristan und Isolde – {…}

Apr 30, 2018

Leah Crocetto, Aleks Romano & Hei-Kyung Hong To Headline North Carolina Opera’s 2018-19 Season

The North Carolina Opera’s 2018-19 season has been announced, featuring three operas and one recital. The season will showcase many rising stars and some of today’s biggest international artists. The season with a concert performance of Bellini’s “Norma” in a concert performance. Leah Crocetto sings the title role alongside Elizabeth DeShong and Chad Shelton. Anthony Walker conducts the performance at {…}

Feb 22, 2018

Daniela Mack, Vanessa Vasquez & Sean Panikkar To Headline Lyric Opera Of Kansas City’s 2018-19 Season

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City has announced its 2018-19 season. The new season is filled with numerous important debuts from some of today’s rising stars and is also filled with four productions from a diverse repertoire. The season opens with Bernstein’s “West Side Story” in Francesca Zambello’s classic production based on the original production directed and choreographed by Jerome {…}

Jan 31, 2018

Pittsburgh Opera To Present ‘Moby Dick’ For The First Time

The Pittsburgh Opera will presents Jake Heggie’s acclaimed “Moby-Dick” for the first time. As part of the company’s initiative to bring new, American operas, the Pittsburgh Opera will showcase the work in March. Based on the famous novel of the same name by Herman Melville, the opera will be showcased in a co-production with the Utah Opera. OperaWire’s review noted, “Jake Heggie’s {…}

Mar 18, 2017

NY Choral Society Brings Met Opera to Metropolitan Club

This past Thursday night, the NYC Choral Society gave their yearly gala, once again at one of Manhattan’s finest social clubs, The Metropolitan Room, a former men’s only club on 5th Av. kitty-corner the Plaza Hotel. Each year the NYCHORAL performs concerts of their own ranging from baroque, Christmas, and contemporary music and are regularly part of the famed Richard {…}