Opera Prelude is set to present OperaWorks on Oct. 24, 2023 at the Chelsea Theatre in London. The showcase will include a number of opera professionals and educations aiming to help opera students and early career artists in navigating the modern opera world. OperaWorks will include panels, talks, and workshops. Industry participants include Elaine Kidd, Thando Mjandana, Camilla Kerslake, Héloïse {…}
(Credit: Philip Vile) Britten Pears Arts has unveiled its Autumn 2023 season. Here is a rundown of the classical vocal performances. Mezzo Anna Huntley and pianist Lucy Colquhoun present a recital of songs by Schubert, and Britten, among others. Performance Date: Oct. 6, 2023 There will be two “Scratch Choir days.” The first features music by Emma Lou Diemer and Vaughan {…}
(Photo credit: Richard Hubert Smith) Robin Norton-Hale, the General Director of the English Touring Opera (ETO), has unveiled the company’s upcoming season and launched a multiple digital events, and educational initiatives. Beginning the position in January of this year, Notron-Hale introduced several fundamental changes to expand ETO’s work. These initiatives will feature multi-disciplinary programming, revamped repertoire, commissioned English translations of {…}
The origin of this opera, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous novel, “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” is based on a true story. The first half is based on Goethe himself, and the second half is based on his friend’s life. It was among the most popular books of the latter half of the 18th Century, almost 100 years before Massenet {…}
A number of major figures of the opera world have received major distinctions as part of the King’s Birthday Honours. Opera North’s general director Richard Mantle will be knighted while conductor Ivor Bolton will be a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Finally, soprano Lucy Crowe and tenor Nicky Spence will be Officers of the Order of {…}
Glyndebourne’ s June 15 performance of “Dialogues des Carmélites” was interrupted by a group of protestors within the theater. The company took to social media to issue a statement apologizing for the disruption. “We are very sorry to everyone whose visit to Glyndebourne was affected by the protest action today [Thursday 15 June]. Our highest priority was the safety and {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced that Marina Rebeka will not be performing in the June 16 showing of “Il Trovatore.” Per an official press release, the soprano has tested positive for COVID-19 and the role of Leonora will be performed by Rachel Willis-Sørensen. This is the second performance that Rebeka has canceled in the run. Willis-Sørensen will perform in {…}
The Royal Opera House has announced its 2023 Engender Festival. First up will be the UK premiere of “Woman at Point Zero” by Bushra El-Turk with a libretto by Stacy Hardy. Laila Solman directs the opera, which stars Dima Orsho and Carla Nahadi Babelegoto. Kanako Abe conducts. “Woman at Point Zero” is a multimedia work tells a tale of abuse {…}
A recent survey by Encore shows that over 1 in 4 UK musicians skip meals because of the cost of living crisis. While the top-tier operatic and classical music from the UK consistently achieves great international success, the well-being of the average and especially emerging artists always seemed quite unstable and problematic. According to the research of the Musicians’ Union (MU) {…}
The Royal Opera House and the English National Opera have closed due to the new lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in England. The new lockdown will begin on Nov. 5 due to the surge in COVID-19 cases and will include the closure of pubs, restaurants, and non-essential businesses, including hair salons and gyms. Schools, universities, and playgrounds will {…}
(Credit: Emmerson Productions Snape Maltings) Edit: Number of new COVID-19 cases in the UK was 846 the day of the publication of this article. Openings of theatres and concert halls with a live audience in the UK, particularly those planned for August 1, have been delayed by at least a period of two weeks. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced {…}