Christopher Purves

Review: SAUL at LONDON HANDEL FESTIVAL, Sinfonia Smith Square
by Louise Penn - Feb 19, 2026

Opening the London Handel Fetsival, this flawless presentation of Saul was a celebration of Handel that set the tone of the performances to follow. The acoustics in the hall were exceptional, with clear enunciation throughout and a sense of occasion.

HUMOR & HORROR Comes to the Dutch National Opera
by Stephi Wild - Jan 16, 2026

How many faces can a single aria reveal? In this session, the Opera Studio explores how interpretation, emotion, and stage presence can completely reshape a performance. 

Review: SAUL, Glyndebourne Festival
by Aliya Al-Hassan - Jun 9, 2025

Just how much fun can you have at an oratorio about a Old Testament tale of jealousy, madness and death? Well, quite a lot as it happens at the return of Barry Kosky's remarkable production of Handel's Saul. This staging is opera at its most theatrical, with severed heads, a breast-feeding witch, a gay subplot and more twerking than a Beyoncé concert.

Winner: World Premiere Recording of Kaija Saariaho's ARIANA MATER under Salonen Wins Opera Grammy
by Richard Sasanow - Feb 4, 2025

ARIANA MATER, the opera by Kaija Saariaho, who died last summer at 70, won this year's Grammy for Best Opera Recording, for the Deutsche Grammophon recording issued last August. With its libretto by Amin Maalouf, the production by Peter Sellars features the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus under Esa-Pekka Salonen and mezzo Fleur Barron in the title role.

Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, & More Win 2025 GRAMMY Awards- Full List of Winners
by Josh Sharpe - Feb 2, 2025

It's music's biggest night! Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Roan, Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, and more took home awards at The 67th Annual GRAMMYs, now available to rewatch on Paramount+. Check out the full list of GRAMMY winners here!

Aaron Lazar, Barbra Streisand, & More Nominated For 2025 GRAMMYS - Full List of Nominations
by Josh Sharpe - Nov 8, 2024

Aaron Lazar, Barbra Streisand, Ariana Grande more were nominated for GRAMMYS. Check out the full list of nominations now! The Outsiders, Suffs and more were nominated in the Best Musical Theatre Album category.

SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD & More Nominated for 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 28, 2024

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts revealed the 228 nominations for the 44th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards. See the full list!

Glyndebourne Will Stage its First Ever Production of Wagner's PARSIFAL in 2025
by Stephi Wild - May 7, 2024

Glyndebourne's first ever production of Wagner's epic final opera Parsifal will be staged at Glyndebourne Festival 2025. Featuring a cast of nearly 200 performers and orchestra, this production will be a landmark moment in the company's 90 year history. 

VIDEO: Watch A Spooky Tour of The Royal Opera House
by Blair Ingenthron - Oct 22, 2023

Watch a spooky tour complete with opera ghost stories in this video from the Royal Opera House here!

THE LITTLE BIG THINGS Leads our Top Ten London Shows for September
by Aliya Al-Hassan - Sep 1, 2023

The nights are getting shorter, the swimming trunks are being packed away and you probably have bought some new pens and pencils. September is here and promises some amazing theatre to come. Check out our top ten recommendations for theatre in London this month.

Royal Opera House Reveals 2023/24 International Cinema Season
by Stephi Wild - May 24, 2023

The Royal Opera House has announced that its next Cinema Season will comprise of 13 productions, eight of which will be broadcast to screens across the globe. The programme offers audiences the best seat in the house – sharing the joy of live performance, and the beauty of world class art, with cinema goers in more than 50 countries around the world.  

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Director Peter Sellars, and The SF Symphony Present New Staged Production Of Kaija Saariaho's ADRIANA MATER In June 2023
by Stephi Wild - May 3, 2023

On June 8, 10 & 11, 2023, Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony are joined by acclaimed director Peter Sellars for a new staged production of Kaija Saariaho's Adriana Mater, an intensely moving work to a libretto of Amin Maalouf, which explores the relationship between a mother and her son as they navigate a world rumbling with the threat of violence.

The Royal Opera House Reveals 2023/24 Season
by Stephi Wild - Apr 26, 2023

The Royal Opera House has announced its 2023/24 Season, unveiling a bold programme of thrilling new work, UK premieres and much-loved revivals, alongside the biggest national learning programme in our history, exciting new regional partnerships, and a host of daytime events, behind the scenes tours, exhibitions and artistic Insights at our home in the heart of Covent Garden. 

MEDEA, a World Premiere & More to Headline Canadian Opera Company's 2023/2024 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 23, 2023

The Canadian Opera Company announced its 2023/2024 season today featuring a slate of exciting new productions and rare musical gems.

LA Opera Announces 2019/20 Season
by Stephi Wild - Jan 27, 2019

Placido Domingo has announced the company's 2019/20 season. The season will include six mainstage operas, one musical, one recital and one concert presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with additional performances presented in other venues through the company's Off Grand initiative.

Houston Grand Opera's 2019-20 Season Features A Lineup Of Seven Productions Never Before Seen By Houston Audiences
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 21, 2019

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) will present its 2019-20 season with a broad repertoire of operas in productions that have never been seen by Houston audiences. The 65th season will open October 18, 2019, with Verdi's classic Rigoletto. Tomer Zvulun returns to direct the season opener after successfully opening the 2018-19 season with his production of The Flying Dutchman. American baritone Brian Mulligan sings his first Rigoletto leading an outstanding cast filled with renowned HGO Studio alumni, including Mexican tenor Arturo Chacon-Cruz as the Duke of Mantua and Armenian soprano Mane Galoyan as Gilda. Paired with Rigoletto is the North American  premiere of the dramatic oratorio Saul in a much-lauded and imaginative production by Barrie Kosky. Christopher Purves returns to the title role after his celebrated performance at the Glyndebourne Festival and is joined by countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and Korean soprano Pureum Jo, both HGO Studio alumni.

Photo Flash: PELLEAS ET MELISANDE at the Glyndebourne Festival
by Alan Henry - Jul 5, 2018

Stefan Herheim, one of Europe's most exciting directors, makes his company debut with Glyndebourne's first new production of Pelleas in nearly 20 years. Check out production photos below!

Review Roundup: PELLEAS ET MELISANDE at the Glyndebourne Festival
by Alan Henry - Jul 3, 2018

Stefan Herheim, one of Europe's most exciting directors, makes his company debut with Glyndebourne's first new production of Pelléas in nearly 20 years.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival Announces Full 2018 Programme
by Stephi Wild - Mar 1, 2018

Norfolk & Norwich Festival has today announced the full programme for its 2018 Festival (11 - 27 May). The programme, which spans performance, theatre, music, visual arts, literature, circus, outdoor and family events, includes world and UK premieres, one-off spectaculars, and a host of free events across the Festival. The Festival will showcase renowned international artists from across the globe and countries as widespread as Syria, Australia and India, alongside the best local Norfolk and UK talent presented across the county, from Norwich city centre and Great Yarmouth to Wells-next-the-Sea.

BWW Roundup: It's Almost 'In with the New' But Not Before Some Last 'Hurrahs!' for Opera's 2017
by Richard Sasanow - Dec 27, 2017

It's just about time to wish you all a happy 2018--but I'm not quite ready to put 2017 to rest. Though it won't go into the annals as one of the best years ever, there were quite enough performances and performers that made this year a winner for me, operatically speaking at least, in my corner of the world.