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Lyric Opera of Chicago Reaches Contract Agreement with Orchestra Members; Statement Below by BWW News Desk
- September 19, 2015 The management of Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Federation of Musicians Local 10-208 are pleased to announce that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new 3-year contract for members of the Lyric Orchestra. The terms of the agreement are confidential, pending ratification by the Lyric musicians and the Lyric Board of Directors.
Minnesota Opera Launches '7 Day of Opera' Festival Today by BWW News Desk
- September 19, 2015 Minnesota Opera recently announced the launch of 7 Days of Opera, a festival of free, short, pop-up opera performances that bring opera to unexpected places in the Twin Cities community - malls, zoos, farmers markets, breweries and more. 7 Days of Opera begins today, Sept. 19 and leads into the company's season opener, Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, opening Saturday, Sept. 26 at Ordway Music Theater.
Lyric Opera of Chicago to Stage Rossini's CINDERELLA This Fall by BWW News Desk
- September 18, 2015 Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Rossini's delightful Cinderella in a new-to-Chicago production this fall. It opens on Sunday, October 4 with eight performances through Friday, October 30. Performance dates are Oct. 7, 10, 13, 17, 23, 26 at 7:30pm; and Oct 4 and 30 at 2pm.
LA Opera's Off Grand Series to Present SONG FROM THE UPROAR, 10/8 by BWW News Desk
- September 18, 2015 (Los Angeles) September 17, 2015 — LA Opera's 30th Anniversary Season will include the west coast premiere of Song from the Uproar, a new multimedia opera by Brooklyn-based composer Missy Mazzoli. This compelling new work is presented under LA Opera's Off Grand banner, which complements the company's mainstage programming through a wide variety of forms of artistic exploration. A unique combination of live music and original film, Song from the Uproar was inspired by the life and writings of early 20th-century explorer Isabelle Eberhardt. The audience witnesses key moments in her life: the death of her family, her journeys in the North African desert, her ecstatic religious conversion and, ultimately, her tragic drowning in a flash flood at the age of 27.
Photo Flash: First Look at Clementine Margaine, Michael Todd Simpson & More in WNO's CARMEN by BWW News Desk
- September 18, 2015 Washington National Opera (WNO) opens its 2015-2016 season with a newto-Washington staging of Georges Bizet's popular classic Carmen, September 19 to October 3 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Starring two French mezzo-sopranos-Clémentine Margaine and Géraldine Chauvet- in the title role, this production also showcases two stars of flamenco dance, principal dancers Timo Nuñez (Fox's So You Think You Can Dance) and Fanny Ara. The production is staged by American director E. Loren Meeker and the WNO Orchestra is led by American conductor Evan Rogister. A special performance on Friday, October 2 features casting by current singers and alumni of WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.
Odyssey Opera Presents Boston Premiere of LE CID in OneNight Concert Tonight by BWW News Desk
- September 18, 2015 Odyssey Opera, a Boston-??based opera company dedicated to exploring the full spectrum of adventurous repertoire, presents the Boston premiere of one of France's great operas, Le Cid (1885), composed by Jules Massenet (1842-??1912). A rarity that has been sadly absent from opera houses worldwide in the 20th and 21st centuries, Le Cid is rarely produced in the United States. With its grand themes of honor, love, bravery, and sacrifice, Le Cid encompasses the sweep of historical epic and the depths of the heart. Conducted by Gil Rose, this one-??night-??only performance breathes new dramatic life into the legendary medieval Spanish warrior Rodrigue, known as "Le Cid" ("The Lord") (played by American tenor Paul Groves.)
CSO to Hold Instrument 'Petting Zoo', Other Events for Landmark 30th Season, Today by BWW News Desk
- September 18, 2015 September 14, 2015 – Chattanooga, TN – The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Orchestras (CSOYO) are celebrating 30 years of instructing and inspiring young musicians in the Chattanooga area. In the Fall of 1985, the CSO Youth Orchestras were “born”. There had been earlier manifestations of a youth orchestra in Chattanooga, but for several years had been nonexistent. With the merger of the Chattanooga Symphony and the Chattanooga Opera, there was new energy and enthusiasm for a rebirth of an orchestra for young people under the auspices of the newly created CSO. Thanks to the leadership of Mary Barker, Linda Pennebaker, Kay Smith, Sandy Morris, and Linda Thompson, the orchestra was organized and launched on its 30-year adventure. Conductors include Orlo Gilbert, Philip Rice, Jay Craven, David Conn, and Gary Wilkes, who is serving in his 23rd year as Music Director and Conductor.
Mezzo-Soprano Tara Erraught to Launch New Season at Ireland's CULTURE NIGHT 2015 by BWW News Desk
- September 18, 2015 Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught kicks off her 2015-16 season with a special event for her native country: she serves as one of 11 honorary ambassadors and will perform at RTE Arena in Meeting House Square for Ireland's Culture Night 2015, a significant national all-island cultural event involving over 900 venues throughout Ireland celebrating culture, creativity and the arts now in its tenth year.
Kennedy Center and WNO Seek Nominations for 2015 Marian Anderson Vocal Award by BWW News Desk
- September 17, 2015 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington National Opera are seeking nominations for The Marian Anderson Vocal Award, which celebrates excellence in performance by recognizing a young American singer who has achieved initial professional success in the area of opera, oratorio, or recital repertory, and who exhibits promise for a significant career.
Pittsburgh Opera Launches 77th Season With Verdi's NABUCCO, 10/10 by BWW News Desk
- September 17, 2015 Pittsburgh, PA… Pittsburgh Opera opens its 77th season with a grand, traditional production of Verdi's opera NABUCCO. On stage October 10, 13, 16, and 18, NABUCCO brings a fusion of epic scale and intimate family drama to the Benedum Center. Pittsburgh favorite Mark Delavan (seen here as Falstaff 2009, Scarpia/Tosca2012, and Rigoletto 2013) stars as the troubled monarch, and rising star Csilla Boross takes the fiendishly difficult role of his treacherous daughter Abigaille, in her Pittsburgh debut. Music Director Antony Walker conducts the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Bernard Uzan is director and co-designer of the traditional set and its projections. Tickets start at $12.
Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Presents PINES OF ROME Tonight by BWW News Desk
- September 17, 2015 The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera begins its 2015/16 season tonight, September 17th at 7:30pm at the Tivoli Theatre with a powerhouse work, Respighi's Pines of Rome, on a Masterworks program based on nature and the great outdoors.
Opera San Jose and Starting Arts to Bring THE BARBER OF SEVILLE to Local Schools by BWW News Desk
- September 16, 2015 Opera San José, a professional regional opera company, today announced it has partnered with Starting Arts, an organization dedicated to promoting arts education for children in the Bay Area, to bring a condensed one-act touring opera of Rossini's THE BARBER OF SEVILLE to local elementary schools during the 2015-16 academic school year. The touring opera is appropriate for elementary as well as middle school students, and condensed into a 50-minute performance (including time for Q & A) to easily fit the school's schedule.
Chicago's Lyric Opera to Launch Season with THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, 9/26 by BWW News Desk
- September 16, 2015 CHICAGO – To open its 61st season, Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Mozart's joyous comedy The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Henrik Nánási in a glamorous new production from renowned director Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The Marriage of Figaro is Gaines' first non-Shakespearean opera, following her acclaimed operatic debut staging Verdi's Macbeth at Lyric in 2010.
Chicago Opera Theater's LUCIO SILLA Begins 9/26 by BWW News Desk
- September 16, 2015 Chicago Opera Theater (COT) kicks its 2015/16 season off with the Chicago premiere of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's passionate story of love, power, bloody conspiracies and revenge, 'Lucio Silla' at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance (205. E. Randolph Drive) Sept. 26 - Oct. 4, 2015. Directed and designed by COT General Director Andreas Mitisek and conducted by the acclaimed Francesco Milioto, the opera, was written by the musical prodigy as a teenager for Milan's Teatro Regio Ducal in 1772.
BWW Review: Barton, Appleby and Goerke - No Greenhorns at the Greene Space and WQXR Concert by Richard Sasanow
- September 16, 2015 When I heard mezzo Jamie Barton at the Metropolitan Opera's recital in Central Park in the summer of 2014, she would have knocked my socks off--if I hadn't been wearing sandals. This time around--newly anointed winner of the 2015 Richard Tucker Award--at a concert presented by WQXR at New York's Greene Space in SoHo, I was wearing my argyles and, sure enough, I went home barefoot. Barton proved, once again, that she's “the real thing.”
Gregory Spears and Royce Vavrek Talk New Chamber Opera O COLUMBIA by Natalie de la Garza
- September 16, 2015 Composer Gregory Spears and librettist Royce Vavrek talk the relationship between space travel and Houston, and how it inspired the new chamber opera O COLUMBIA.
Process Studio Theatre to Present BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES: THE OPERA by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 Process Studio Theatre presents the first theatrical adaptation of Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe's epic satirical novel of greed-soaked, ego-fueled New York City, on October 9th and 10th at New York's El Teatro at El Museo del Barrio! With music by Stefania de Kenessey and a libretto and direction by Michael Bergmann, this witty and incisive new opera takes on the universal socioeconomic tensions of New York City with high drama and unforgettable lyrical satire.
Anna Netrebko to Lead Starry Cast of Verdi's IL TROVATORE at Met Opera by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 Il Trovatore returns to the Met September 25, starring Anna Netrebko as the heroine Leonora in her long-awaited Met role debut. Dolora Zajick sings her signature role of the mysterious gypsy Azucena, with Yonghoon Lee as Manrico, Dmitri Hvorostovsky as Manrico's rival Count di Luna, and Štefan Kocán as Ferrando. In later performances, Angela Meade stars as Leonora, Marcello Giordani sings Manrico, Vitaliy Bilyy sings Count di Luna, and Kwangchul Youn sings Ferrando. Zajick and Hvorostovsky reprise their roles with Marco Armiliato leading all performances of David McVicar's 2009 production at the Met this season. The October 3 performance of Il Trovatore will launch the tenth season of the Met's Live in HD series when it is transmitted to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 70 countries around the world.
Corinthia Hotel London to Premiere Emily Hall's FOUND & LOST in Jan. 2016 by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 Emily Hall, the 2015 Artist in Residence at Corinthia Hotel London, is to present the premiere of her site-specific opera, Found & Lost, in January 2016. Hall's brand new piece, conceived in collaboration with the internationally renowned sound designer David Sheppard, will be performed for audiences of 12 at a time in the beautiful rooms, intimate spaces, and restricted areas of the hotel. The piece, developed during a month's residency at the distinguished five-star hotel, invites audiences to embark on a sonic journey of discovery in a promenade performance, where rooms will spontaneously break into song and drama will unfold along the corridors.
Seattle Opera to Perform THE PEARL FISHERS, 10/17 by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 SEATTLE – Come away with Seattle Opera to an island paradise this fall. Bizet's intoxicating romance The Pearl Fishers will offer a chance to escape reality for a night of grand operatic spectacle Oct. 17 – 31, 2015. In this tale, a gorgeous priestess with an air of mystery is pursued by both a brave hunter and his best friend, the leader of a fishing village. Honor, jealousy, and communal duty complicate the love triangle; but a long-buried secret saves the day. Composed 12 years before Carmen, The Pearl Fishers is decorated with passionate duets, lusty choruses, and high-energy dance numbers. British fashion icon Zandra Rhodes has created a technicolor dream world with set and costume design. Rhodes has designed for Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor, and her vintage pieces have been worn by Sarah Jessica Parker on “Sex in the City,” and by Kate Moss and Kelly Osbourne, to name a few. Seattle audiences may remember her whimsical costumes from The Magic Flute (2011).
Minnesota Opera Launches '7 Day of Opera' Festival, 9/19 by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 MINNEAPOLIS (September 14, 2015) -Minnesota Opera today announced the launch of 7 Days of Opera, a festival of free, short, pop-up opera performances that bring opera to unexpected places in the Twin Cities community - malls, zoos, farmers markets, breweries and more. 7 Days of Opera begins Sept. 19 and leads into the company's season opener, Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, opening Saturday, Sept. 26 at Ordway Music Theater.
STAGE TUBE: First Look at Trailer for Paris Opera's 'Virtual Third Stage' by Christina Mancuso
- September 15, 2015 Today, the Paris Opera will expand on to a third 'virtual' stage called 3e Scène. Stéphane Lissner, the director of the Paris Opera, called it “an autonomous venue for digital creation.” Check out the trailer below!
Dallas Opera Announces Application Acceptance for Guild Vocal Competition, 9/15 by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 DALLAS, TX, SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 - The Dallas Opera is pleased to announce that applications for the expanded and revised Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, scheduled to take place on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. (Semi-Final Round) and Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. (Finals Round) will be accepted beginning tomorrow – Tuesday, September 15, 2015 – through Saturday, November 21, 2015.
CSO to Hold Instrument 'Petting Zoo', Other Events for Landmark 30th Season, 9/18 by BWW News Desk
- September 15, 2015 September 14, 2015 – Chattanooga, TN – The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Youth Orchestras (CSOYO) are celebrating 30 years of instructing and inspiring young musicians in the Chattanooga area. In the Fall of 1985, the CSO Youth Orchestras were “born”. There had been earlier manifestations of a youth orchestra in Chattanooga, but for several years had been nonexistent. With the merger of the Chattanooga Symphony and the Chattanooga Opera, there was new energy and enthusiasm for a rebirth of an orchestra for young people under the auspices of the newly created CSO. Thanks to the leadership of Mary Barker, Linda Pennebaker, Kay Smith, Sandy Morris, and Linda Thompson, the orchestra was organized and launched on its 30-year adventure. Conductors include Orlo Gilbert, Philip Rice, Jay Craven, David Conn, and Gary Wilkes, who is serving in his 23rd year as Music Director and Conductor.