Christian Curnyn

Review: GIULIO CESARE, The Grange Festival
by Aliya Al-Hassan - Jun 8, 2026

A new version of Handel's 1724 opera Giulio Cesare is always an exciting prospect. The love story between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, with the backdrop of war with Egypt, political ambition and domestic unrest is ripe for reinterpretation. Indeed, Handel and his librettist the librettist Nicola Francesco Haym, wrote the opera as a tragi-comedy, but David Alden's new production at The Grange Festival piles on the slapstick to such a extent that it undermines some of the excellent vocals in display.

Review: PARTENOPE, London Coliseum
by Clementine Scott - Nov 21, 2025

Here are all the hallmarks of any good Shakespearean comedy: love polygons, gender trouble and a shipwreck to get things going. However, in Handel’s Partenope there is one crucial difference: everyone here is self-aware.

Photos: First Look At English National Opera’s PARTENOPE
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 19, 2025

English National Opera has released new production photos for PARTENOPE, returning to the London Coliseum from 20 November to 6 December 2025. The revival of Christopher Alden’s Olivier Award-winning staging features Nardus Williams in the title role and is conducted by Christian Curnyn.

Nardus Williams Will Lead English National Opera's PARTENOPE
by Stephi Wild - Oct 27, 2025

ENO's award-winning production of Handel's classic love quadrangle, Partenope, will return to the London Coliseum stage this November, starring former Harewood Artist Nardus Williams as the eponymous arch socialite.

ENO Reveals New Music Director and 2025/26 Season
by Stephi Wild - May 14, 2025

English National Opera has announced the appointment of André de Ridder as its new Music Director and unveils details of its programme for the 2025/26 Season. Learn more here!

The Metropolitan Opera Announces 2023–24 Season Featuring Four Met Premieres & More
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 22, 2023

The Metropolitan Opera has announced a 2023–24 season with the most new works in the company’s modern history. See show details, performances dates, and how to purchase tickets!

The Royal Opera House Announces 2022/23 Season
by Stephi Wild - Apr 6, 2022

The Royal Opera House today announces its 2022/23 Season, unveiling a rich range of new work, world premieres and beloved revivals. Over 40 productions, performed by an incredible roster of international stars and created in collaboration with global companies, will be accompanied by more than 200 events and activities in our stunning Covent Garden Home, and outreach programmes reaching more than 27,000 children across the UK. 

Germany And The United States Take Home Medals In The American Vocal Arts 2019 International Collegiate Singing Championship
by Stephi Wild - Feb 13, 2019

The winners of the American Vocal Arts 2019 International Collegiate Singing ChampionshipTM have been announced! The winners have been chosen from all over the world. The competition, sponsored by American Vocal Arts, emphasizes competitive collegiate singing that spans across borders. The goal of the competition is to award the best singers from around the world who are currently enrolled or have recently graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program in music. The winners were selected based on talent, potential, and overall presentation.

Sony Artist Baritone Benjamin Appl Embarks on First U.S. Recital Tour
by Tori Hartshorn - Dec 18, 2018

German baritone Benjamin Appl, hailed as "the current front-runner in the new generation of Lieder singers," by Gramophone magazine, will embark on his first U.S. recital tour with pianist James Baillieu from January 6-20, 2019, performing in New York, NY (January 6, 8, 10; Park Avenue Armory); Portland, OR (January 13, Portland Friends of Chamber Music); New Orleans, LA (January 15, 16; New Orleans Friends of Music); Cleveland, OH (January 18, Art Song Festival at CIM; and Washington, DC (January 20, The Phillips Collection). Benjamin Appl was mentored by one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and records exclusively for Sony Classical. His U.S. tour follows his second Sony album featuring the music of J.S. Bach, which was released in September 2018.

BWW Review: SOLOMON, Royal Opera House
by Gary Naylor - Oct 12, 2018

Solomon provides a transcendent sensory experience and more than a few lessons for today;s rulers.

Mark Rylance-Led FARINELLI AND THE KING Begins Tonight on Broadway
by BWW News Desk - Dec 5, 2017

The critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner (Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing) and Academy Award-winner (Bridge of Spies) Mark Rylance, begins tonight, December 5, 2017 in advance of an opening night on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street).

Cast Complete for Mark Rylance-Led FARINELLI AND THE KING on Broadway
by BWW News Desk - Sep 6, 2017

Producers Sonia Friedman, Shakespeare's Globe and Paula Marie Blackare have announced complete casting for the critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of Farinelli and the King, starring three-time Tony Award-winner (Twelfth Night, Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing) and Academy Award-winner (Bridge of Spies) Mark Rylance.