Jake Heggie News

Concert Artists Guild's 2018-19 CAG Presents season features exciting young artists making their debuts alongside established CAG alumni musicians. This season, CAG is also excited to announce a new series, CAG Live! In Conversation, a series of career-focused panel discussions for musicians, livestreamed by The Violin Channel.

Washington National Opera (WNO) presents the seventh season of its acclaimed American Opera Initiative (AOI) with four world premieres from January 11-13, 2019, in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. A comprehensive commissioning program that originates and develops new works, the American Opera Initiative provides rare opportunities for emerging composers and librettists to partner and write for the opera stage. The Initiative encourages and ensures the future of contemporary American opera through development, mentorship, and performance, with works based on American themes and stories. Since its inception, the annual program has commissioned 28 chamber operas, with some going on to future productions around the country; notables include this summer's successful production by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis of An American Soldier, an AOI commission in 2014, and Opera Omaha's and Miller Theater's new productions of AOI's 2018 commission, Proving Up.

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit's 75th anniversary season will celebrate its history with special concerts in venues that were home to its series over the years, including Orchestra Hall and the DIA, while expanding its reach with a new Regional Partnership series offering four weekends of performances in Grosse Pointe, Canton and Rochester Hills. The stellar line-up of world renowned artists and ensembles across four series includes pianists Leon Fleisher, Olga Kern and Richard Goode, London's Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the Juilliard, Pacifica, Dover and Miro Quartets, among others.

The Atlanta Opera opens its 2018-19 season with the Southeastern debut of Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD, a new opera about the legendary saxophonist and jazz pioneer.

Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) are pleased to announce that their groundbreaking joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works, will host two new operas in November and December of 2018.

San Francisco Opera announces updated casting for its 96th Season, which opens Friday, September 7, with the double bill of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, and two galas, Opera Ball 2018: ¡Viva La Noche! and the BRAVO! CLUB Opening Night Gala. The 2018-19 Season features eight productions that are new to the War Memorial Opera House stage, including a new staging of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca and the West Coast premiere of Jake Heggie's It's a Wonderful Life. Highlights also include Placido Domingo in Concert on October 21 and a roster of returning artists, debuting soloists and conductors.

L Wolf Productions has announced New York City premiere of the one-man play SWANSONG, written by Conor McDermottroe and performed by Andre de Vanny. Melbourne Fringe co-founder Greg Carroll directs. The production will open on Tuesday, November 6th at 9:00 pm at Theatre Row's The Studio Theatre. Tickets cost $47.25 and can be purchased on line at www.telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

Music at Kohl Mansion will open its 36th season on Sunday, October 14, 2018 at 7 pm with the Alexander String Quartet. The program includes Mozart's String Quartet in F Major, KV 168; Penderecki's String Quartet No. 3; and Beethoven's String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130 with the Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. Tickets are available for purchase at www.musicatkohl.org and by phone at 650.762.1130.

Calgary Opera's General Director and CEO, Keith Cerny, Ph.D., is delighted to announce distinguished Canadian tenor and broadcaster Ben Heppner, O.C., LL.D., as Honorary Chair of Calgary Opera's new Legacy Society.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop) has announced two new productions for this fall: THE HARD PROBLEM, a new play by Tom Stoppard, to be directed by Jack O'Brien, beginning performances Thursday, October 25 and opening Monday, November 19 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater; and the Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production of PLOT POINTS IN OUR SEXUAL DEVELOPMENT, a new play by Miranda Rose Hall, to be directed by Margot Bordelon, which will begin performances Saturday, October 6, open on Monday, October 22, and run through Sunday, November 18 at the Claire Tow Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS) is proud to announce its 2018-2019 season beginning in October of 2018. BASS's ninth season features all the innovative programming and world-class performers audiences have come to expect, plus some new surprises. By the numbers, season nine includes 250 songs by nearly 20 composers over 10 concerts, performed by 40 of today's top interpreters of song.

The Newport Music Festival's 50th season commences on July 4th at King Park with a free concert with Boston Brass. The concert will precede the annual firework display along the Newport Harbor. The concert will begin with the national anthem and includes an array of familiar tunes honoring members of the U.S. military and presents selections from composers whose experiences in this country are reflected in their music -- from Copland's "Simple Gifts" to Carmichael's "Stardust," Gershwin's 'Summertime" and Bernstein's "America."

Single (non-subscription) tickets are now on sale for San Francisco Opera's 96th Season. Tickets for each of the eight productions featured at the War Memorial Opera House during the 2018-19 Season may be purchased online at sfopera.com; in-person at the San Francisco Opera Box Office, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco; and by phone at (415) 864-3330 during Box Office hours. Full Series subscriptions of 6, 7 or 8 operas and Half Series packages of 3 or 4 operas are also available.

In their astounding new opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell explore the spiritual evolution of one of the most influential men of modern times as he creates a revolutionary new world of technological empowerment, then discovers a larger world within himself.

Opera Maine is proud to present a new production of Mozart's masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro, a comic satire often described as 'the perfect opera.' Mozart's sublime music in The Marriage of Figaro has delighted audiences since 1786, and the captivating plot, with its dynamic characters and themes of social and sexual tension, is sure to excite today's audiences. The Marriage of Figaro will be performed at Merrill Auditorium on Wednesday, July 25 and Friday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m.  

The Atlanta Opera closes its 2017-18 mainstage season with Stephen Sondheim's seminal musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This production of Sweeney Todd remains faithful to the original Broadway show, and features an all-star cast, including Michael Mayes in his role debut as Sweeney Todd, and Maria Zifchak as Mrs. Lovett. Timothy Myers will conduct in a company debut, and Albert Sherman, who has directed Sweeney Todd under the mentorship of Harold Prince, will serve as production director.

Last night, Jo Schuman Silver-producer of Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon-announced the three Bay Area high school winners of The Steve Silver Foundation & Beach Blanket Babylon 2018 "Scholarship for the Arts." 

Why do we need a program to train opera composers and librettists? Mozart and Da Ponte--together, creators of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, DON GIOVANNI and COSI FAN TUTTE--didn't go through training programs!

Schimmel Center will present Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominee Anna Deavere Smith's Obie Award-winning solo performance, Notes From the Field, for one weekend only on Friday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Today, June 2 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in preparation for a two week run at the Royal Court in London. The production is directed by Leonard Foglia and features original music composed and performed by bassist Marcus Shelby who joins Ms. Smith on stage.