Jamie Barton News

Houston, December 17, 2013 ­– The opening months of 2014 bring into focus the strengths of Houston Grand Opera (HGO), which launches the new year with an extraordinary line-up. This comprises the world premieres of three important new commissions —Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, named one of the twelve “must-see opera events of the season” (Opera News), and two works exploring Houston's Vietnamese and Indian communities, courtesy of HGO's award-winning Song of Houston project; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's long-suppressed Holocaust opera, The Passenger, in the production that took Europe by storm; the first American presentation of a visionary and groundbreaking treatment of Das Rheingold by Catalan's La Fura dels Baus; a new HGO production of Carmen from Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; a revival of Rigoletto; and a restaged production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, which boasts designs by fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi. As the Houston Press recently noted, “Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers is thinking bigger than ever.”

Emerging operatic powerhouse Paul Appleby, one of this generation's most incredible new tenors, will take the stage at the Michael Schimmel Center For the Arts on Sunday, January 26th as part of Pace's concert series VOCE AT PACE: RISING OPERA STARS. Mr. Appleby is a recent graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and has already won myriad prizes for his voice, including the the 2012 Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Performing and Visual Arts.

Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute presents The Song Continues, an annual series led by renowned mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, designed to explore the song repertoire through workshops and concerts with the goal of encouraging, supporting, and preserving the art of the vocal recital. This year also marks Ms. Horne's 80th birthday and in celebration, The Song Continues series concludes with a recital honoring Ms. Horne and featuring an all-star line-up of special guest artists on Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall. The evening's concert, hosted by Samuel Ramey and Frederica von Stade, will feature appearances by vocalist Barbara Cook; soprano Renee Fleming; mezzo-sopranos Jamie Barton and Isabel Leonard; countertenor David Daniels; tenor Piotr Becza?a; and many more. See below for complete program information.

Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS continues its 2013-14 Michael Palm Series of benefit house concerts in New York City with an intimate performance by rising-star soprano Angela Meade tonight, December 12. The event - held at the magnificent TriBeCa loft of Simon Yates and Kevin Roon - begins with wine and hors d'oeuvres at 6:30 p.m., with the concert starting at 7:30 p.m.

Centenary celebrations marking the 100th birthday of the late Brooklyn-born tenor Richard Tucker continue on December 14, when New York City's Park East Synagogue, in association with the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, presents a tribute to the cantor-turned-opera star as its ninth-annual benefit concert for the Park East Day School. The program for the special event showcases the American cantorial tradition and commemorates Tucker's devotional art as a cantor. The 8 p.m. concert at the synagogue (163 E. 67th St.) will feature Park East Chief Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, one of the world's most renowned exponents of the cantorial art, as well as operatic tenor Neil Shicoff, a New York native and veteran of the Metropolitan Opera; also on the program is the Park East Synagogue Choir under music director Russel Ger. Tickets start at $50 with proceeds supporting education activities at the Day School. For more information, contact Park East Synagogue at 212-737-6900 or info@parkeastsynagogue.org.

Maestro Victor DeRenzi, who is celebrating his 32nd season as Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera, will conduct 'A Verdi Celebration' at Opéra de Montréal in Montreal, Canada tonight, December 1st. The gala concert is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Verdi. The program will consist of a selection of arias and ensembles from some of Verdi's greatest works including Aida, Don Carlo, Il trovatore, Otello, and many others.

Maestro Victor DeRenzi, who is celebrating his 32nd season as Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera, will conduct 'A Verdi Celebration' at Opéra de Montréal in Montreal, Canada on Sunday, December 1st. The gala concert is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Verdi. The program will consist of a selection of arias and ensembles from some of Verdi's greatest works including Aida, Don Carlo, Il trovatore, Otello, and many others.

Sarasota, FL - Maestro Victor DeRenzi, who is celebrating his 32nd season as Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera, will conduct 'A Verdi Celebration' at Opéra de Montréal in Montreal, Canada on Sunday, December 1st. The gala concert is to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Verdi. The program will consist of a selection of arias and ensembles from some of Verdi's greatest works including Aida, Don Carlo, Il trovatore, Otello, and many others.

Carnegie Hall has announced its January 2014 calendar updates. Details below!

Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS continues its 2013-14 Michael Palm Series of benefit house concerts in New York City with an intimate performance by rising-star soprano Angela Meade on Thursday December 12.

The holidays at Emory University promise to be bright and joyful with several festive concerts planned for December.

Tonight, November 3 2013, Pace Presents welcomes JAMIE BARTON, curated by Matthew A. Epstein, at The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. Doors at 2:00pm, Show at 3:00pm. Tickets: $35.

Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, one of the greatest operatic artists of this generation, will kick off Pace's concert series VOCE AT PACE: Rising Opera Stars. At age 32, Ms. Barton has already gained international attention since winning the 2013 Cardiff Singer of the World competition and Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize, in addition to a slew of other honors and prizes.

Angela Meade, the soprano whose 57 competition wins include the Metropolitan Opera's 2012 Beverly Sills Artist Award, returns to the company in two prominent productions this fall. She launches the new season with her first Met performances in the title role of Norma (Oct 24 & 28), having demonstrated “her nearly mind-blowing mastery of Bellini's most challenging music” (Washington Times) in the same part earlier this year. Then, under the baton of James Levine, she makes her role debut as Alice Ford in a new-to-the-Met production of Falstaff (Dec 6–Jan 11) that will be beamed to movie theaters worldwide in the Met: Live in HD series (Dec 14). Meade's abundant honors include the 2011 Richard Tucker Award, and she graces a special gala concert to celebrate the legendary tenor's centennial at Avery Fisher Hall (Nov 17). She also looks forward to making two important European debuts this season: in Italy, where she gives her first performances as Mathilde in Rossini's William Tell at the Teatro Regio di Torino (May 7-18), and at the Frankfurt Opera, where she sings her first Fidelia in concert performances of Puccini's Edgar (Feb 16 & 18).

The Collegiate Chorale announces the addition of two new members of the company's executive team. Ted Sperling and Edward Barnes join Music Director James Bagwell and Executive Director Jennifer Collins as Artistic Director and Producing Director, respectively, effective immediately.

On Sunday, November 3 2013, Pace Presents welcomes JAMIE BARTON, curated by Matthew A. Epstein, at The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. Doors at 2:00pm, Show at 3:00pm. Tickets: $35.

Carnegie Hall has announced its January 2014 calendar. Details below!