(Photo: Elisa Haberer / Opéra national de Paris) I sensed two ghosts on the stage of Opéra Bastille last night. Don’t worry—they were as nice as ghosts can be. In fact, they were so congenial that they enhanced the operatic experience, turning what would have been a merely jolly evening into a thought-provoking one. The problem is, no matter how {…}
(Credit: Elisa Haberer/ONP) On Nov. 6, 2024, Opera de Paris Play is set to present Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment.” The production will be streamed in Laurent Pelly’s legendary production. It sets the comedy during the 1914 war rather than the Napoleonic Wars and modernizes the piece without sacrificing a single ounce of its brio. Julie Fuchs leads the cast in {…}
The Orchestra of St. Luke has announced its 50th Anniversary season. For the purposes of this article only vocal performances are included. Soprano Erin Morley will perform at the DiMenna Center Benefit. Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham hosts. Performance Date: September 9, 2024 First up in the Chamber Music Series is “Schubert with Liv Redpath and George Li.” They will present works {…}
(Photo credit: Boone Studios) The Ebell of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring women and building community through arts, culture, and education has announced its 2024-25 season. For the purposes of this article, only opera-related events are included. The new season and series kick off with the annual community open house, featuring The Ebell’s own volunteer Chorale, among {…}
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performance. Andris Nelsons conducts the opening night concert with Lang Lang and Gina Alice Redlinger as well as Susan Graham and Keila Wakao. The program includes music by Carlos Simon, Ravel, Canteloube, Saint-Saens, and Ravel. Performance Date: Sept. 19, 2024 Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler’s {…}
The Opéra de Paris has announced its 2024-25 season. Opera Verdi’s “Falstaff” opens the season with a cast that includes Ambrogio Maestri, Olivia Boen, Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Andrei Kymach, Gregory Bonfatti, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Iván Ayón-Rivas, and Federica Guida. Michael Schønwandt conducts the production by Dominique Pitoiset. Performance Dates: Sept. 10-30, 2024 Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” will star Eleonora Buratto, Elena Stikhina, Aude {…}
The National Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances on offer. Eugene Rogers conducts Morris Robinson in a program that includes music by Jessie Montgomery, Aaron Copland, and Carlos Simon. Performance Date: Sept. 14, 2024 Gianandrea Noseda and Rachel Willis-Sørensen join forces for music by Carlos Simon, Strauss, and Beethoven. Performance Dates: Oct. {…}
(Credit: Karen Almond) Great Performances at the Met is set to showcase Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s “Dead Man Walking” on March 15, 2024. The opera stars Joyce DiDonato, Ryan McKinny, Latonia Moore, and Susan Graham. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts this Metropolitan Opera premiere while Ivo Van Hove directs the production. Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens hosts the broadcast. {…}
Having recently become a Knight and awarded the prestigious, “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres,” baritenor Michael Spyres has quickly arisen as one of modern opera’s central luminaries, sensuously consonant with others like the ineffable Sondra Radvanovsky, the Puccini grande dame Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Susan Graham, Mikhail Kruglov, Allan Clayton, Elīna Garanča, and Javier Camarena to name only a {…}
(Photo: Paola Kudacki / Met Opera) The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023–24 Live in HD season will continue with a live transmission of Bizet’s “Carmen” on Jan. 27, 2024. The transmission will feature English director Carrie Cracknell’s new production and stars mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina and tenor Piotr Beczała. They are joined by a cast that includes soprano Angel Blue and bass-baritone Kyle {…}
Detroit Opera has announced the cast for its “Europeras 3 & 4” this March. The John Cage work will star Davóne Tines and Susan Graham. They will be joined by sopranos Jennifer Cresswell, Kisma Jordan, and Melanie Spector; tenor River Guard; baritones Rolfe Dauz and Robert Wesley Mason; pianists John Etsell and Marina Stojanovska; and actors Biba Bell, Shannon White, {…}