Philip Skinner News

San Francisco, November 24, 2014 – Acclaimed contemporary opera company Opera Parallèle will open its 2015 season with the premiere of a new production of Jake Heggie's landmark work Dead Man Walking—marking the 15th anniversary of one of the most widely performed operas of the 21st century—in three performances Friday and Saturday, February 20 and 21, 2015 at 8 pm and Sunday, February 22, 2015 at 2 pm at YBCA Theater in San Francisco. Based on Sister Helen Prejean's memoir and passionate statement against capital punishment of the same title, Dead Man Walking plumbs the depths of human emotion, resilience, fortitude, hope, and redemption, making it an ideal subject for the operatic stage and for Opera Parallèle's brand of story-telling, exploring the human experience in provocative and intense stagings. The premiere will be followed by the Company taking to the road for the first time to present a concert version of Dead Man Walking at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA, March 7 and 8, 2015.

Composers, Inc. announces the world premiere of a major new chamber opera MIDDLEMARCH IN SPRING by composer Allen Shearer and librettist Claudia Stevens, based on George Eliot's great romantic novel Middlemarch. The production will be featured as a part of the New Work series at Z Space in San Francisco, for four performances only, March 19-22, 2015.

Tickets are flying out the door for Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre's (SSMT) practically perfect musical Mary Poppins, which opened to sold-out audiences and standing ovations last week and continues its run for eight more performances through August 3. Scroll down for new photos from the production!

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (SSMT) opened the practically perfect musical Mary Poppins to enthusiastic crowds and thunderous standing ovations last night, July 23. The production continues to play in Winchester through August 3. BroadwayWorld has new photos of the cast in action below!

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (SSMT) hosts the regional premiere of the practically perfect musical Mary Poppins, opening tonight, July 23.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre (SSMT) hosts the regional premiere of the practically perfect musical Mary Poppins, opening July 23.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre opens the Tony and Academy Award winning musical, The King and I, tonight, July 9 in Winchester, VA. Set against the backdrop of 19th century Siam, Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I explores the conflicted relationship between King Mongkut of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher hired by the King as part of his plans to modernize his country. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

The Center for Contemporary Opera, San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) and Scolavox are pleased to present the first public rendition of the score and libretto from a new opera titled The Lariat as part of the Center for Contemporary Opera's Development Program.

In association with the Wagner Society of the Upper Midwest, Minnesota Concert Opera (MCO) announces its all-star lineup for a concert version of David Seaman's abbreviated Ring Cycle, which reduces the four-opera, 16-hour cycle to one four-hour performance.

In association with the Wagner Society of the Upper Midwest, Minnesota Concert Opera (MCO) announces its all-star lineup for a concert version of David Seaman's abbreviated Ring Cycle, which reduces the four-opera, 16-hour cycle to one four-hour performance.

Seattle Opera closes its 2010/11 season with The Magic Flute. Mozart's beloved fairy-tale celebrates the power of music, as a prince, a princess, and a bird-catcher try to find their own way in a world torn apart by the feud between a manipulative queen and a powerful priest.

Seattle Opera closes its 2010/11 season with The Magic Flute. Mozart's beloved fairy-tale celebrates the power of music, as a prince, a princess, and a bird-catcher try to find their own way in a world torn apart by the feud between a manipulative queen and a powerful priest.

Seattle Opera closes its 2010/11 season with The Magic Flute. Mozart's beloved fairy-tale celebrates the power of music, as a prince, a princess, and a bird-catcher try to find their own way in a world torn apart by the feud between a manipulative queen and a powerful priest.

Offenbach's reputation was firmly established by his hugely successful comic operas, but with The Tales of Hoffmann, the composer of the famous 'Can-Can' from Orpheus in the Underworld was determined to achieve recognition as a composer of serious opera as well. Based on several short stories by the writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Tales of Hoffmann would soon become a favorite vehicle for many of the world's leading opera singers who relished the opportunity to exploit its limitless dramatic opportunities. Canadian tenor David Pomeroy, who made his 2009 Metropolitan Opera debut in the title role of its new production of The Tales of Hoffmann, will make his FGO debut in the same role.