Houston Grand Opera News

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced details for the third season of the American Opera Initiative, its comprehensive commissioning program that brings contemporary American stories to the stage while fostering the talents of rising American composers and librettists. Three teams of new opera composers and librettists—John Liberatore and Niloufar Talebi, Jake Runestad and David Johnston, and Rene Orth and Jason Kim—will premiere new 20-minute operas, each based on a contemporary American story, in a semi-staged concert performance on November 21, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

The Old Globe today announced the full cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical featuring music by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, lyrics by Brickell, and book by Martin, based on an original story by Martin and Brickell. Directed by Walter Bobbie, Bright Star will run September 13 - November 2, 2014 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run September 13 - September 27. Opening night is Sunday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m. Single tickets go on sale on Friday, August 8 at noon.

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced details for the third season of the American Opera Initiative, its comprehensive commissioning program that brings contemporary American stories to the stage while fostering the talents of rising American composers and librettists. Three teams of new opera composers and librettists—John Liberatore and Niloufar Talebi, Jake Runestad and David Johnston, and Rene Orth and Jason Kim—will premiere new 20-minute operas, each based on a contemporary American story, in a semi-staged concert performance on November 21, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

Audiences of all ages can hum along to their favorite songs like 'Edelweiss,' 'My Favorite Things' 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' and title song 'The Sound of Music' when Central City Opera (CCO) brings to Denver one of the most popular Broadway productions of all time, The Sound of Music. Rodgers and Hammerstein II's Tony Award winning musical, which was also an Academy Award winning movie, is Central City Opera's final production for the 2014 Festival. The Sound of Music will be performed at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex for seven performances only from today, August 2 through August 10.

The Music Academy of the West will present a new, fully staged production of Georges Bizet's timeless opera Carmen in honor of celebrated mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne's 80th birthday at Santa Barbara's historic Granada Theatre. Directed by David Paul and conducted by James Gaffigan, the performances will take place at 7:30 pm tonight, August 1, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday, August 3. Tickets start at $15.

Houston Grand Opera capped a financially and artistically successful 2013–14 season by presenting Mieczyslaw Weinberg's The Passenger —the Polish-Jewish composer's long-suppressed Holocaust opera—to wide acclaim at New York's Park Avenue Armory as part of the Lincoln Center Festival, July 10–13. Earlier this year, HGO gave the American premiere of the work in Houston with the same cast. There was special praise for the production and performances, conducted by HGO Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. New York magazine described David Pountney's staging as “a multi-story set so vivid you can practically smell the machine oil and coal smoke,” while the Financial Times said: “The production, imported from Houston, is imposing in every way.” The New York Times called the cast “flawless,” adding: “The conductor, Patrick Summers, drew a surging, textured, richly detailed performance of this challenging score (lasting three hours) from the inspired musicians of the Houston Grand Opera.” WQXR's Operavore summed up the import of the performances: “The Passenger shows how a Holocaust opera can hold the stage while examining important, complex issues—and could certainly point the way for future composers to deal with such important but delicate subject matter.”

THE POTOMAC THEATRE PROJECT has announced the cast for their third reading in the After Dark Series, 'GATED' by Lukas Kanter at Atlantic Stage 2 at The Atlantic Theater (330 West 16th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) on Friday,August 1 at 10:30 PM. Christine Hope (Into the Woods, Stage 23 Theatre Company), Cole Cuomo (City of Angels, USC), Michael Kushner (On the Town,Barrington Stage Company), Martina Bonolis (Lovesong of the Electric Bear, PTP), Elianna Kan, Ollie Corchado, and Jenny Hoofnagle (Don Carlos, Houston Grand Opera) will join the cast of the reading.

Audiences of all ages can hum along to their favorite songs like 'Edelweiss,' 'My Favorite Things' 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' and title song 'The Sound of Music' when Central City Opera (CCO) brings to Denver one of the most popular Broadway productions of all time, The Sound of Music. Rodgers and Hammerstein II's Tony Award winning musical, which was also an Academy Award winning movie, is Central City Opera's final production for the 2014 Festival. The Sound of Music will be performed at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex for seven performances only from August 2 through August 10. Directed by Ken Cazan, who also directed CCO's critically acclaimed production of Dead Man Walking this summer, The Sound of Music will be performed in English with a full live orchestra. Single tickets range from $30 to $106.

Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) kick off the 2014-2015 concert season with Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Mahler's Fourth Symphony on Thursday, September 18 at 8 p.m.

Music Director Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) kick off the 2014-2015 concert season with Beethoven's Violin Concerto and Mahler's Fourth Symphony on Thursday, September 18 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore, and Friday, September 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, September 21 at 3 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Baltimore native and Grammy award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn joins the BSO to perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto, which is widely considered the pinnacle of the violin literature. Also on the program is Mahler's Fourth Symphony, for which soprano Tamara Wilson will join the BSO for its final movement, "Das himmlische Leben." Please see below for complete program details.

Washington National Opera (WNO) presents An Evening with Stephen Costello and Ailyn Perez, featuring the celebrated husband-and-wife stars of last season's production of The Elixir of Love, Wednesday, September 10, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

Washington National Opera (WNO) presents An Evening with Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pe?rez, featuring the celebrated husband-and-wife stars of last season's production of The Elixir of Love, Wednesday, September 10, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Accompanied on piano by Danielle Orlando, Costello and Pe?rez will perform songs, arias, and duets from popular works by Verdi, Puccini, Hahn, Tosti, Falla, Heggie, and more.

After receiving a record-breaking 600 applications in a single season, General Director Plácido Domingo has selected ten new participants who will enter LA Opera's Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program in the 2014/15 season. Approximately 250 of the original applicants were selected to sing live semi-final auditions in Los Angeles and New York before a panel of LA Opera's music staff and artistic administration. From those auditions, 21 singers were invited to sing a final audition for Mr. Domingo, who made the ultimate selection of the incoming participants.

There's something for everyone on stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. From daytime programs especially for young children to family friendly evening performances of music, dance, theatre and more, this is Houston's best entertainment value.

The Houston Theater District will celebrate its annual Open House event Sunday, August 24 from noon - 4 p.m. An event that Houstonians look forward to at the beginning of each fall, this FREE, family-friendly event will take place in the heart of the Theater District at the Alley Theatre Production Center (500 Louisiana), Hobby Center for the Performing Arts (800 Bagby), Wortham Theater Center (501 Texas Ave.) and Jones Hall (615 Louisiana Ave.).

Ailyn Perez, born and bred in Chicago, returns to her hometown's famous Ravinia Festival for two performances (Aug 14 & 16) as Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni - a role that the Dallas Morning News has said shows her to be "a singer of considerable nuance." LA Opera Music Director James Conlon leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the run, which also features baritone Christopher Maltman in the title role, baritone David Bizi? as Leporello, soprano Tamara Wilson as Donna Anna and tenor Saimir Pirgu as Don Ottavio. The Chicago Tribune praised Perez's 2012 appearance at Ravinia, as Pamina in Die Zauberflote, as "show-stopping…all floating pianissimos and diminuendos and delicate pathos, which roused the sold-out crowd to a long, well-deserved ovation."

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced the roster of emerging artists and renowned vocal coaches engaged for the 13th season of its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Under the leadership of program director Michael Heaston, the Domingo- Cafritz Young Artist Program continues to increase its number of performances throughout the season and expand its training regimen to include mentorship by its returning Artist in Residence, the acclaimed American soprano Deborah Voigt. Additional faculty members include voice teachers Diana Soviero and William Stone; guest vocal coaches Be?ne?dicte Jourdois, Kathleen Kelly, and Danielle Orlando; career consultants Ken Benson and Matthew Epstein; and guest drama coaches Peter Kazaras and Alan Paul, among others. The new class of young artists will participate in several world premiere productions during the 2014-2015 season as part of

The Music Academy of the West will present a new, fully staged production of Georges Bizet's timeless operaCarmen in honor of celebrated mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne's 80th birthday at Santa Barbara's historic Granada Theatre. Directed by David Paul and conducted by James Gaffigan, the performances will take place at 7:30 pm on Friday, August 1, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday, August 3. Tickets start at $15.

OPERA America, the national nonprofit service organization for opera, has announced that seven new members have been elected to its Board of Directors. Elections were held during OPERA America's recent Annual Business Meeting at Opera Conference 2014 in San Francisco, CA.