Frederica von Stade News

On Saturday, May 30, David Hyde Pierce will emcee an Artist Relief Tree (ART) benefit, joined by seven world-class opera singers for Opera Jukebox, an innovative and interactive concert streaming on Facebook, YouTube, and the ART website.

Week 4 of Opera Philadelphia's Digital Festival O features the broadcast premiere of the 2018 chamber opera Sky on Swings, premiering on Friday, May 22, at 8:00 p.m. on YouTube and operaphila.org. Following Friday's digital opening night, the 2018 production will stream on-demand through Monday, August 31.

Over the last five years, Opera Philadelphia has presented an impressive group of new operas it has commissioned, along with some classics from the standard rep. Starting tomorrow, we'll get a look at some of the best of them, with the company's Digital Festival running through May 29, available on YouTube and the company's website.

Over the past five years, Opera Philadelphia has presented no fewer than nine world premieres, scoring multiple awards and winning international audience and critical recognition. Now that the 2019-20 season has been cut short by the need for social distancing, the company is extending its season online with Digital Festival O.

After a months-long series of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, a panel of expert judges named five singers as the winners of the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Each winner receives a $20,000 cash prizea?"up from $15,000, the first increase since 1998a?"and the prestige and exposure that come with winning the competition that launched the careers of many of opera's biggest stars.

Following yesterday's semi-final competition, nine young singers have advanced to the final round of the Metropolitan Opera's 2020 National Council Auditions. In the public concert, finalists perform on the Met stage Sunday, March 1 at 3 p.m., for an audience of judges, agents, industry leaders, and the general public (in the auditorium and live on the radio). The finalists, chosen by a panel of opera administrators from the Met and other companies, each perform two arias with the Met Orchestra conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Prize money will increase for the first time in 20 years, with the winners receiving individual cash prizes of $20,000 (previously $15,000), and the prestigious and potentially career-launching title of National Council Auditions Winner. The remaining finalists receive $10,000 (previously $7,500).

San Francisco Conservatory of Music continues to invest in its Vocal and Opera & Musical Theatre programs, with five new high-profile faculty and guest appointments announced today. In the 2020-21 season, SFCM students will benefit from top-tier mentorship from opera superstar Marilyn Horne and world-renowned collaborative pianist Martin Katz, who will join SFCM as Artists-in-Residence; Grammy Award-winning conductor Joel Revzen, a Metropolitan Opera assistant conductor who will lead the spring opera production; and San Francisco Opera coaches Peter Grunberg and César Cañón, who will join SFCM's collaborative piano faculty. 

The Cleveland Institute of Music announced yesterday that acclaimed conductor, composer and educator Michael Tilson Thomas will be awarded an honorary doctorate at the school's 95th Commencement Ceremony in Kulas Hall on Saturday, May 16 at 10am EDT. Attendance is by invitation only, but a live stream will be available via cim.edu. Yesterday's announcement was given at a special MTT-led rehearsal of the CIM Orchestra at Severance Hall, home of The Cleveland Orchestra, which MTT also conducts February 20-23.

The 23 young opera singers who have won regional auditions around the United States will compete in the semifinal round of the country's leading vocal competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, on Monday, February 24. The closed semifinal competition, held on the Met stage before a panel of judges, will determine the select group of finalists who will advance to the final round of the competition-the Grand Finals, which is open to the public and will be held on the Met stage on Sunday, March 1.

Today, Feinstein's at the Nikko announced an exciting lineup of national and local artists who will take the stage at San Francisco's premier intimate nightclub this spring. Additional artists will be announced at a later date. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now by visiting www.feinsteinssf.com or calling 866-663-1063. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

The Board of the Museum of Performance + Design takes great pleasure in announcing that San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson will be presented with the 2020 San Francisco Arts Medallion for his outstanding leadership in the arts on April 23, 2020, at Saint Joseph's Arts Society in San Francisco. The San Francisco Arts Medallion was created in 2005 by the Museum of Performance + Design (MP+D) to recognize those individuals whose leadership, action, and generosity have benefited the cultural life of the San Francisco Bay Area. Proceeds from the event benefit the preservation and educational programs at MP+D.

Opera Atelier's esteemed Co-Artistic Directors Marshall Pynkoski C.M. and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg C.M. have been awarded the extraordinary recognition of Officers of the Order of Arts and Letters (Officiers de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Republic a?" the first time a Canadian couple has received this distinction simultaneously. The award acknowledges the pair's outstanding contributions to the enrichment of French cultural heritage in France and throughout the world. The ceremony of investiture will take place on the stage of the Royal Opera House at Versailles in December 2021, when Pynkoski and Lajeunesse Zingg return to mount a Château de Versailles production.

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, will present Lincoln Center Theater: Intimate Apparel by Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage with Bartlett Sher on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 7:30pm.

General Director Ken McConnell and Artistic Director Tobias Picker today announced Tulsa Opera's 73rd season comprising Verdi's Rigoletto; Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice in a new production with dance; and Mr. Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman's new opera Awakenings, based on the book by Oliver Sacks and directed by Tulsa native James Robinson. 

Idyllwild Arts Foundation welcomes new year-round Director of Orchestral Programs Ransom Wilson andAssociate Director of Orchestral Programs, Gregory Robbins. Signaling the beginning of an exciting new era, in which the Summer Program and Academy will become more closely integrated, Wilson and Robbins have been brought on board this fall to build on the prestige and prominence of the existing program. Wilson is a world-renowned flutist, recording artist, chamber musician and conductor who joins Idyllwild Arts from Yale University School of Music where he is professor of flute. Robbins is a performer and educator who most recently served as the director of educational outreach at the Geneva Music Festival and executive director of the Young Artists Philharmonic.

The New School announced today that acclaimed percussionist, Ian Rosenbaum, has joined the faculty of Mannes School of Music.

The New School announced today that acclaimed bassoonist, Rebekah Heller, has joined the faculty of Mannes School of Music.

The celebrated Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo will perform works by renowned Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, Aaron Copland, and John Zorn on Sunday, November 10 at 8:00pm.

Austin Opera continues to make great progress in its reinvention as one of the most innovative opera companies in the country. In review of its landmark 2018a?'2019 Season, it is proud to report elevated artistic excellence, exceptional ticket sales and fundraising, increased audience development, strengthened community partnerships, expanded education programming, and growth in its board of trusteesa?'all pointing to a bright future for opera in Central Texas. 

The Metropolitan Opera Guild today announced that the honorees of its “Diamond Jubilee” celebration will be luminaries Martina Arroyo and Teresa Stratas.  The Guild's 85th Annual Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, November 20th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.  Special remarks by Stephanie Blythe and musical tributes by Ailyn Pérez and Matthew Polenzani will be performed during the event.