The Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has announced a cast change for its production of “Silent Night.” The company said that tenor Miles Mykkanen will perform the lead role of Nikolaus Sprink, replacing tenor Duke Kim, who has withdrawn from the production due to illness. Mykkanen will make his HGO debut in this production following his critically acclaimed turn as Sam {…}
Florida Grand Opera (FGO) opened its 85th season with a heartfelt reminder that opera can be community-driven, emotional, musically accessible, and relevant to the present moment. The atrium was pleasantly crowded before the opening performance of “Silent Night” by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell; a wide spectrum of glamorous attendees sipped drinks from the bar and watched singers from {…}
Minnesota Opera has officially announced updates for its 2020-21 season. First off, the company has canceled all productions previously announced as part of the 2020-21 season. “There are so many in our opera family—artists, creatives, staff, audience, students and community members—who rely on our artmaking as a source of inspiration, income, healing and security,” said President and General Director Ryan {…}
“Silent Night,” Puts’ first opera, received its premiere at Minnesota opera in 2011 and won a Pulitzer Prize the following year. According to its libretto, during a late December in World War I, French, German and Scottish troops found it possible to declare an unofficial “truce” and celebrate a common holiday in brotherhood. This story has been told in several other artistic formats including the French film “Joyeux Noël” on which Campbell based his libretto.
Utah Opera has announced its 2019-20 season. The season will open with Verdi’s “La Traviata,” directed by Garnett Bruce, in the newly renovated Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre. Anya Matanovic will star as Violetta Valéry, alongside Rafael Moras making his Utah Opera debut as Alfredo and Metropolitan Opera-regular Michael Chioldi as Germont. Steven White will conduct. Performance Dates: Oct. 12 {…}
The Washington National Opera will celebrate the centennial of the WWI Armistice with Kevin Puts’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera “Silent Night.” The acclaimed work based on the wartime ceasefire depicted in the Oscar-nominated ” Joyeux Noël” will feature current members and alumni from the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program and WNO Chorus. The cast will include Raquel González, Michael Adams, Aleksey Bogdanov, {…}
“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment we will go through {…}
The Austin Opera has announced its 2018-19 season, which will feature four major operas spread between November 2018 and May 2019. The season opens with Verdi’s “Otello,” the first time the opera will be showcased with the company in 20 years. Issachah Savage takes on the iconic tenor role while Marina Costa-Jackson interprets his wife desdemona. Michael Chioldi rounds out {…}
A few weeks ago, Metropolitan Opera Music Director Designate Yannick Nézet-Séguin made the proclamation that he would be bringing newer and fresher composers to the Metropolitan Opera throughout his tenure. A few days later it was reported that among the new composers he would be bringing would be Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking.” It’s a great start, considering Heggie, who {…}
We all know the story. The manger. The three wise men. Herod’s murder of innocent children. And of course, the birth. Jesus Christ’s origins are a well-documented story for many and the source of great inspiration for artists for centuries. Opera is no different with a plethora of works related to great story. A look back over the history of {…}
Back on Christmas Eve of December 1914, the battling armies of World War I created a temporary truce that allowed them to enjoy the holidays without fear of murdering one another. That evening a Christmas Miracle, if there ever was one, took place, a wondrous event that became the subject of many works including a 2005 film called “Joyeux Noel” {…}