Steven White News

Come experience Verdi's heartbreaking masterpiece, a?oeLa traviata,a?? the opera that moved Julia Roberts' character to tears in a?oePretty Woman.a?? Utah Opera's newly refurbished and ever-popular production features scenic elements designed by Peter Dean Beck and costumes by Susan Memmott Allred. Garnett Bruce will direct the production, and Steven White will conduct the cast, Utah Opera Chorus, and Utah Symphony. Utah Opera's performances of a?oeLa traviataa?? will take place in the newly renovated Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre on October 12 at 7:30 PM, October 14 and 16 at 7 PM, October 18 at 7:30 PM and October 20 at 2 PM. This production will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Tickets priced $29-106 are available for purchase through utahopera.org or by calling (801) 533-6683. Students are eligible to receive a 50 percent discount off the standard ticket price during Monday and Wednesday performances.

Austin Opera continues to make great progress in its reinvention as one of the most innovative opera companies in the country. In review of its landmark 2018a?'2019 Season, it is proud to report elevated artistic excellence, exceptional ticket sales and fundraising, increased audience development, strengthened community partnerships, expanded education programming, and growth in its board of trusteesa?'all pointing to a bright future for opera in Central Texas. 

The Riverside Opera Company (ROC), under the direction of award-winning conductor Maestro Alan Aurelia, presents: Superstars! on Saturday, October 19, 8 p.m. at St. Teresa's Church, 1634 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY. ROC held city-wide auditions and the  winners  are the featured performers in Superstars! Gina Hanzlick, soprano; Chantelle Grant, mezzo soprano; Hyunho Cho, tenor and Joseph Gansert, baritone are accompanied by a 57 piece orchestra conducted by Maestro Alan Aurelia as they perform operatic favorites.

There's only one transformative, artist-packed weekend left of Opera Omaha's ONE Festival, to include the Opera Omaha debut of acclaimed theatre director Lileana Blain-Cruz as she directs the world stage premiere of a new performance edition of Gounod's Faust. 

Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth has announced the programming, initial casting, and creative teams for the company's 2019-20 season, which comprises four opera productions at the newly renovated Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre. Featuring improved seating and sightlines on the orchestra level, the theatre reopens after a six-month closure for the company's season-opening production of Verdi's La traviata in October 2019. The season continues with composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell's Silent Night in January 2020, Rossini's The Barber of Seville in March 2020, and Massenet's Tha s in May 2020. Silent Night is presented as part of Utah Opera's American Opera Initiative, through which the company champions and commissions American contributions to the art form. Both Silent Night and Tha s are Utah Opera premieres.

Artistic Director Christopher McBeth today announced the programming, initial casting, and creative teams for Utah Opera's 2019-20 season, sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Dor Eccles Foundation. In its upcoming season, Utah Opera produces four operas at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre: Verdi's La traviata in October 2019, Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Silent Night in January 2020, Rossini's The Barber of Seville in March 2020, and Massenet's Tha s in May 2020. Both Silent Night and Tha s are company premieres. Season subscriptions are on sale now by calling (801) 533-6683 or visiting utahopera.org. Single-opera tickets go on sale to the general public on June 14, 2019 through Utah Opera and ArtTix outlets.

The San Diego Opera's opening-night production of Verdi's Rigoletto featured the powerful voice and convincing acting of baritone Stephen Powell in a title role he has sung often. In contrast, it was soprano Alisa Jordheim's debut as Rigoletto's naive ill-fated daughter Gilda. Her fresh innocent appeal and Powell's veteran portrayal of cynical darkness were perfect for their respective roles. Jordheim has an agile voice with a deliciously silky tone, and commendable projection. She delivered coloratura passages of perfect clarity, hit the role's highest note with startling volume and purity, and held it. This won't be her last production of Rigoletto, nor the last major role in her promising career. Tenor Scott Quinn was the more than reprehensible duke who takes advantage of Gilda. The pair's youthful voices and appearance make them unusually well suited for Verdi's marvelous music and Francesco Maria Piave's tragedy-soaked libretto.

Coloratura Alisa Jordheim will be debuting in the role of Gilda with baritone Stephen Powell in a San Diego Opera production of Verdi's Rigoletto. This is the fifth time he's sung the lead. The first time was in a Cincinnati Opera production in which Jordheim had only a few lines as a page. 'I feel like I've graduated. That was in 2011, and I was a graduate student at CCM (the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music). It was a wonderful experience for me just to soak up everything in the rehearsal process. One of my favorite singers, Sarah Coburn, was the Gilda. Just getting to see her portray that character and to work with Stephen was a master class.'

Tenri Cultural Institute proudly presents The Chamber Music of Dana Dimitri Richardson on Sunday, October 14th at 3pm. The program features world premieres and recent works performed by pianists Craig Ketter, Simon Mulligan, and Cathy Callis, soprano Jacqueline Milena Thompson, saxophonist Mark Engebretson, and Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, RAGTIME, and More!

Austin Opera never fails to dazzle, but their current production of LA TRAVIATA is so incredibly stellar, superlatives fail to describe its glittering pageantry.