Vincenzo Bellini News

With the continued growth of its celebrated Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center series, and the success of its highly popular participatory dance experiences, The Music Center has become an important hub for dance in Los Angeles. Its 2015-2016 dance season is a prime example of the commitment of The Music Center to present distinctive dance experiences to Southern California audiences, especially by internationally renowned artists in classical ballet and contemporary expression.

Plácido Domingo, LA Opera's Eli and Edythe Broad General Director, has announced the company's 2015/16 season. This will be the 30th season presented by the company, created by Mr. Domingo in collaboration with Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon and President and CEOChristopher Koelsch. The company's 30th anniversary season will include six mainstage productions and two concerts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with a total of 40 performances taking place in that venue, as well as 13 performances presented elsewhere through the company's Off Grand initiative. The season will open onSeptember 12, 2015, and will run through June 19, 2016.

Soprano Nicole Cabell and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato star as the ill-fated lovers Giulietta and Romeo in Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and the Montagues) in San Francisco Opera's new video release in partnership with EuroArts Music International. Cabell and DiDonato are joined by Albanian tenor Samir Pirgu (Tebaldo), American bass-baritone Eric Owens (Capellio) and Chinese baritone Ao Li (Lorenzo).

I Capuleti e i Montecchi, the two act Italian opera by Vincenzo Bellini, is a delightful and tragic retelling fn those famous Shakespearean star-crossed lovers. Although the libretto (by Felice Romani) is based not on the original Shakespeare, but a combination of Italian adaptations, most notably the 1530 novella Giulietta e Romeo by Luigi Di Porto and the subsequent play by Luigi Scevola, and to a lesser degree the forgotten Nicola Vaccai opera.

Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele, in one of the most impressive productions ever seen at the War Memorial Opera House, comes to audiences on DVD and Blu-ray today, September 30, 2014 in San Francisco Opera's latest video release in partnership with EuroArts Music International.

Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele, in one of the most impressive productions ever seen at the War Memorial Opera House, comes to audiences on DVD and Blu-ray on September 30, 2014 in San Francisco Opera's latest video release in partnership with EuroArts Music International.

San Francisco Opera today announced a cast change for the Company's current production of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma. American tenor Russell Thomas will sing the role of Pollione for the remaining five performances of the opera on September 14m, 19, 23, 27 and 30, 2014. Mr. Thomas replaces Italian tenor Marco Berti, who has withdrawn from the production for personal reasons.

American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, previously announced to sing Adalgisa for five of seven performances in San Francisco Opera's current production of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, will sing the role for the entire run, including performances on September 19 and 23.

The San Francisco Opera Association and members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 6 today jointly announced they have successfully negotiated a new four-year agreement for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra effective August 1, 2014. Following almost four months of bargaining, characterized by both parties as collegial, respectful and dedicated to shared problem-solving, the new agreement creates a stable working framework now through July 31, 2018.

San Francisco Opera recently announced a cast change for the Company's season-opening new production of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, presented September 5-30, 2014 at the War Memorial Opera House. American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton--recent winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition--will make her Company debut as Adalgisa for five of the opera's seven performances today, September 5 and September 10, 14, 27 and 30. Ms. Barton replaces Daveda Karanas, who has withdrawn from the production for personal reasons. A casting update for the September 19 & 23 performances will be announced at a later date.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens tonight, September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

Last night, after a week of competition that brought 40 young singers from 17 nations to Los Angeles, Placido Domingo announced that Rachel Willis-Sorensen, an American soprano, and Mario Chang, a Guatemalan tenor, took the top prizes tonight in the 22nd edition of Operalia, the World Opera Competition. Hosted by LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the weeklong contest culminated tonight in a Gala Finals Concert-featuring the LA Opera Orchestra conducted by Mr. Domingo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion-which was streamed live on Medici TV.

San Francisco Opera today announced a cast change for the Company's season-opening new production of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, presented September 5-30, 2014 at the War Memorial Opera House. American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton--recent winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition--will make her Company debut as Adalgisa for five of the opera's seven performances on September 5, 10, 14, 27 and 30. Ms. Barton replaces Daveda Karanas, who has withdrawn from the production for personal reasons. A casting update for the September 19 & 23 performances will be announced at a later date.

Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will release her new album Stella di Napoli on September 2, returning to bel canto to celebrate the birth of the genre in 19th-century Naples. This latest project follows the success of her GrammyTM-winning recording Diva, Divo, her crowd-sourced 'Best Of' reJOYCE and her collection of lesser-known Baroque arias Drama Queens.

San Francisco Opera and KQED 9 partner once again bring the glory of grand opera to the living rooms of the Bay Area. Recorded in impressive high-definition and in 5.1 surround sound at the War Memorial Opera House, the television specials showcase the imaginative stagings and all-star casts from San Francisco Opera's recent productions of I Capuleti e i Montecchi, the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet accompanied by some of Bellini's most beautiful melodies; Verdi's Attila, a complex look at a legendary warrior tormented by fierce internal doubts; Mefistofele,Boito's resplendent retelling of Goethe's Faust; and Verdi's Rigoletto about a vengeful court jester desperately trying to protect his daughter from disaster.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

San Francisco Opera celebrates the opening of its 92nd Season on Friday, September 5, 2014 with a gala performance of Vincenzo Bellini's Norma, conducted by San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti and featuring an illustrious cast led by soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role. The opening night festivities are highlighted by Opera Ball 2014: Passione, a benefit supporting the education programs of San Francisco Opera Guild and San Francisco Opera Education Department, and BRAVO! CLUB's Opening Night Gala.

Investec Opera Holland Park and ImmerCity present a unique double-bill of opera and immersive theatre as part of OHP's first ever production of a Britten opera, the taut, brilliant The Turn of the Screw. After the opera, an eerie theatrical promenade piece, The Dwindling House of Holland, will explore the tangled history of the Holland family.