On March 5, 2022, the Kennedy Center will present Washington National Opera’s world premiere of “Written in Stone.” This event, which comes during the center’s 50th anniversary season, is comprised of a prologue and three one-act operas which explore the meaning of monuments through three different perspectives. The work is commissioned by WNO from the artistic pairings of Alicia Hall {…}
(Credit: ©Barbara Anmüller) “Comedy today, tragedy tomorrow.” American soprano Sydney Mancasola uttered these words before going to the stage at the Adelaide Festival on March 13 2020, in the role of Bess in opera “Breaking the Waves.” The opera had a second performance on March 15, and at that time the coronavirus pandemic already begun its deadly march across Europe {…}
(Credit: Karin Cooper) During the Washington National Opera’s 2021-22 season Opening Night gala, the company announced that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s family honored her love for the Washington National Opera with a gift of her piano. The gift also included the costume worn for her appearance in a WNO’s production of Donizetti’s “La fille du régiment” in 2016. The company was {…}
(Credit: Speranza Scappucci official website) The Musical Director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège Speranza Scappucci has received the first edition of the De Sanctis Europa Prize, at the residence of the Italian Ambassador in Brussels. The De Sanctis Prize is an important Italian distinction, conferred by the De Sanctis Foundation in collaboration with the Council of Ministers and the {…}
The Washington National Opera is set to present “Come Home: A Celebration of Return,” a program featuring internationally acclaimed stars including a mix of WNO favorites, and new faces. The concert will feature soloists Pretty Yende in her WNO debut, Isabel Leonard, Lawrence Brownlee, and Cafritz Young Artist Alumna Alexandria Shiner. It will also include the highly anticipated mainstage debuts {…}
(Credit: Igor Saharov) The Washington National Opera has announced a cast change for its 2022 production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte.” The organization revealed that Ferruccio Furlanetto will perform the role of Don Alfonso, taking over for Eric Owens, who was released by the company so that he could perform as Philippe II in the Met Opera’s first-ever production of {…}
Washington National Opera celebrates the return of the 12th year of the free opera broadcasts at Nationals Park with Opera in the Outfield on August 28. Hosted by General Director Timothy O’Leary and WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, the event will feature an outdoor broadcast of Rossini’s “Cinderella” on the high-definition Nationals Park scoreboard. The event, which begins at 5 {…}
The Washington National Opera has announced its 2021–2022 season featuring four world premiere commissions celebrating the Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary and several debuts from acclaimed and rising opera stars. The season opens with “Come Home: A Celebration of Return,” a concert performance of opera excerpts highlighting liberty and artistic idealism, themes embraced by John F. Kennedy and featuring a musical tribute {…}
The Washington National Opera is set to present the ninth season of its acclaimed American Opera Initiative. The upcoming season will present three world premieres on the Kennedy Center’s streaming platform, Digital Stage+ on Saturday, May 1. the performance will be directed by Amanda Consol and will feature works by librettist-composer teams Laura Fuentes and Ben Morris, Rebecca Hart and {…}
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced that it has canceled all previously scheduled programs through April 25, 2021, due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center also announced that the Washington National Opera’s spring productions and much of the late spring and early summer touring theater programs have been canceled. As a {…}
(Credit: Jason Daniel Shaw) The Teatro Massimo di Palermo has announced that the recital of Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci scheduled for Nov. 15, 2020 has been redesigned due to the ongoing concerns over COVID-19. The new program will include Tosti’s “Quattro canzoni d’Amaranta,” Ottorino Respighi’s “Liriche,” “Venezia” by Reynaldo Hahn, and Francis Poulenc’s “La voix humaine.” Donald Sulzen will {…}