Johan Botha News

One of the world's most innovative and respected architects, Jeanne Gang, and her firm Studio Gang Architects (studiogang.net), are designing a new concert shell for Lyric Opera of Chicago. The shell will be used for the first time at Lyric's 60th Anniversary Concert, which takes place at the Civic Opera House on November 1, 2014, at 6:30 pm.

Beginning Wednesday, June 18, the Metropolitan Opera and Fathom Events will once again present Summer HD Encores, a series of choice encore performances from the groundbreaking Live in HD series of cinema presentations

Am Grundonnerstag beginnt traditionellerweise eine Auffuhrungsserie von Richard Wagners „Bu hnenweihfestspiel' Parsifal an der Wiener Staatsoper.

Am morgigen Samstag, 12. April geht die Premiere von Richard Wagners Lohengrin u?ber die Bu?hne der Wiener Staatsoper.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 65 countries around the world, will feature ten operas in the 2014-15 season, including all six new productions in the Met season. All ten performances, transmitted live from the Met stage, will feature the world's finest singers, conductors, and theatrical artists.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2014-15 season will feature 26 operas, three of them company premieres, in six new productions and 18 revivals showcasing the talents of the world's leading singers, conductors, and theater artists. The three operas that will have their first-ever Met performances, each staged by a director making his Met debut, are John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer, conducted by David Robertson and directed by Tom Morris, opening October 20; Rossini's La Donna del Lago, conducted by Michele Mariotti and directed by Paul Curran, opening February 16, 2015; and Tchaikovsky's one-act opera Iolanta, conducted by Valery Gergiev and directed by Mariusz Treli?ski. Iolanta will be presented in a double bill with a new staging of Bartok's one-act Duke Bluebeard's Castle, also conducted by Gergiev and directed by Treli?ski.

Lyric Opera of Chicago announced its 2014-2015 season today, which is set to include eight operas, a world premiere new opera, a one night only piano concert with internationally acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, and special family performances. Lyric's 2014-15 subscription season will offer 68 performances of eight different operas Saturday, September 27, 2014 through Sunday, March 15 , 2015. Lyric will also present 17 performances of a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel in April 2015, continuing the company's American Musical Theater Initiative.

Johan Botha, the world-renowned South African heldentenor who has been performing the title role of Verdi's Otello at Lyric Opera of Chicago, has been forced to withdraw from his final two performances on October 29 and November 2 because of severe back pain caused by a previous injury, Lyric's general director Anthony Freud announced today. Botha has returned to Vienna for treatment.

Johan Botha, the world-renowned South African heldentenor who has been performing the title role of Verdi's Otello at Lyric Opera of Chicago, has been forced to withdraw from his final two performances on October 29 and November 2 because of severe back pain caused by a previous injury, Lyric's general director Anthony Freud announced today. Botha has returned to Vienna for treatment.

OPERATHON 2013, Lyric Opera of Chicago's annual live-radio marathon fundraiser on 98.7WFMT, celebrated its 34th anniversary by raising $501,036 during its 16-hour broadcast on Saturday, October 19, exceeding the $500,000 goal.

The Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) in Munich, Germany presents the 2013-14 season of STAATSOPER.TV - a free live-stream of select performances online at www.staatsoper.de/tv - including seven operas, six of which are new productions, and two ballets. The Bayerische Staatsoper, known for presenting provocative, experimental productions, is the first international opera house to present a full season of operas and ballets streamed live online at no cost, offering opera enthusiasts around the world the opportunity to see these artistically conceived and adventurous productions, many of which are sold out in the opera house, sung by today's most prominent artists.

The Met's Summer HD Festival returns for its fifth year today, August 24, with ten free outdoor screenings of popular performances from the Met's award-winning Live in HD series.

Lyric's fabulous 2013-14 season is about to begin! To help audiences make the most of their opera experience, Lyric Opera of Chicago offers an array of lectures, tours, galas, and other special events during its 59th season, September through May. Please take note of these highlights for your season-preview coverage and calendar listings.

On Saturday, October 5, elegantly dressed guests will make their red-carpet entrances amidst the paparazzi and onlookers at the Civic Opera House. It's the opening night of Giuseppe Verdi'sOtello, which launches Lyric Opera of Chicago's 59th season. Doors open at 4pm and the performance begins at 5pm, concluding shortly after 8pm.

Single tickets go on sale to the general public today, Aug. 1, for Lyric Opera of Chicago's 59th season.

The Met's Summer HD Festival returns for its fifth year on August 24, with ten free outdoor screenings of popular performances from the Met's award-winning Live in HD series. The festival, which more than 40,000 people attended last year, kicks off with a screening of the Met's acclaimed production of Verdi's La Traviata starring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, andDmitri Hvorostovsky. Three new productions from the Met's 2012-13 season will be screened in this year's festival: Donizetti's Maria Stuarda starring Joyce DiDonato in the title role, Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera with Sondra Radvanovsky, Marcelo Álvarez, and Hvorostovsky, and Thomas Adès's The Tempest starring Simon Keenlyside. The festival will also feature a variety of operas from past Live in HD seasons, including Massenet's Manon starring Anna Netrebko, Verdi'sOtello with Johan Botha and Renée Fleming, and the Met's popular production of Verdi's Aida, which will close out the festival on Labor Day.

The Met's Summer HD Festival returns for its fifth year on August 24, with ten free outdoor screenings of popular performances from the Met's award-winning Live in HD series. The festival, which more than 40,000 people attended last year, kicks off with a screening of the Met's acclaimed production of Verdi's La Traviata starring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and its general director, Anthony Freud, announced the lineup for Lyric's 2013-14 season today. Joseph Calleja, Joyce DiDonato, Nathan Gunn, Thomas Hampson, Ana Maria Martinez, Matthew Polenzani, and Patricia Racette are among those headlining the new season's offerings. These comprise 67 performances of eight different operas, beginning October 5, 2013 and concluding March 23, 2014: new productions of Parsifal, La traviata, The Barber of Seville, and Rusalka (Lyric premiere); a revival of Otello; and new-to-Chicago stagings of Madama Butterfly, Die Fledermaus, and La clemenza di Tito. Lyric's music director, Sir Andrew Davis, will lead three operas, and guest conductors Marco Armiliato, Bertrand de Billy and Michele Mariotti will make their house debuts. Additionally, Lyric will present a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music in the spring of 2014, continuing the company's American Musical Theater Initiative, and Davis will conduct a special Subscriber Appreciation Concert in March featuring Lyric's creative consultant - the star soprano Renee Fleming - with tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and its general director, Anthony Freud, announced the lineup for Lyric's 2013-14 season today. Joseph Calleja, Joyce DiDonato, Nathan Gunn, Thomas Hampson, Ana Maria Martinez, Matthew Polenzani, and Patricia Racette are among those headlining the new season's offerings. These comprise 67 performances of eight different operas, beginning October 5, 2013 and concluding March 23, 2014: new productions of Parsifal, La traviata, The Barber of Seville, and Rusalka (Lyric premiere); a revival of Otello; and new-to-Chicago stagings of Madama Butterfly, Die Fledermaus, and La clemenza di Tito. Lyric's music director, Sir Andrew Davis, will lead three operas, and guest conductors Marco Armiliato, Bertrand de Billy and Michele Mariotti will make their house debuts. Additionally, Lyric will present a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music in the spring of 2014, continuing the company's American Musical Theater Initiative, and Davis will conduct a special Subscriber Appreciation Concert in March featuring Lyric's creative consultant - the star soprano Renee Fleming - with tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

Verdi's Shakespearean tragedy OTELLO starring Johan Botha in the title role and Renee Fleming as Otello's innocent wife, Desdemona, airs on GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET Sunday, February 24 at 12 noon on PBS (check local listings).