Anthony Tommasini News

Moderated by the New York Times' (NYT) chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini, three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, who plays the titular role of the tone-deaf operatic soprano Florence Foster Jenkins in the movie of the same name, recently talked about the connection between acting and music; her desire to work on an original theater piece on the Broadway stage, among other things, in 'TimesTalks.'

Momenta Quartet, the 'outstanding' (George Grella) and 'enterprising' (Russell Platt) string quartet based in New York City, happily announces Momenta Festival II, following the success of the inaugural Momenta Festival in 2015.

Perhaps the most epic choral work ever composed, Beethoven's monumental Ninth Symphony, which includes the famous last movement, “Ode to Joy,” has filled concert venues around the world for close to two centuries, yet has never lost its ability to thrill. A musical wonder considered by many to be Beethoven's greatest work, his massive and majestic Ninth fills Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre with pure radiance during Pacific Symphony's second concert of Summer Festival 2016. Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, this crown jewel of the season boasts a huge orchestra, full chorus and a spine-tingling vocal quartet. The heart-welling program also includes a number of other beloved and moving pieces including Aaron Copland's “Fanfare for the Common Man,” Samuel Barber's “Adagio for Strings,” John Williams' “Liberty Fanfare” and his “Hymn to the Fallen” from the film “Saving Private Ryan.”

In the great tradition of the last 26 years, opera will once again come to the Hamptons through the annual favorite concert 'Cristina Fontanelli and Her Fabulous Friends' taking place today, July 23, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the Duck Walk Vineyard North, 44535 Main Rd., Southold, NY on the North Fork of the Hamptons on Long Island.

Known for staging “the ultimate in intimate productions” (The New York Times), On Site Opera begins their sixth annual season on September 29-30 with an evening of powerful monodramas including Dominick Argento's Miss Havisham's Wedding Night and Hector Berlioz's La Mort de Cléopâtre (The Death of Cleopatra) in the exquisite grand ballroom at The Harmonie Club. The evening stars soprano Leah Partridge as Miss Havisham and mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert as Cleopatra and features the string quintet SYBARITE5 at the center of a chamber orchestra. Conducted by OSO's Music Director, Geoffrey McDonald, and directed by the company's General & Artistic Director, Eric Einhorn, the site-specific production features lighting design by Shawn Kaufman and costume design by Fay Leshner. OSO invites audiences to join as Miss Havisham's wedding guests for the evening – there's champagne and cake for all!

Perhaps the most epic choral work ever composed, Beethoven's monumental Ninth Symphony, which includes the famous last movement, “Ode to Joy,” has filled concert venues around the world for close to two centuries, yet has never lost its ability to thrill. A musical wonder considered by many to be Beethoven's greatest work, his massive and majestic Ninth fills Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre with pure radiance during Pacific Symphony's second concert of Summer Festival 2016. Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, this crown jewel of the season boasts a huge orchestra, full chorus and a spine-tingling vocal quartet. The heart-welling program also includes a number of other beloved and moving pieces including Aaron Copland's “Fanfare for the Common Man,” Samuel Barber's “Adagio for Strings,” John Williams' “Liberty Fanfare” and his “Hymn to the Fallen” from the film “Saving Private Ryan.”

In the great tradition of the last 26 years, opera will once again come to the Hamptons through the annual favorite concert 'Cristina Fontanelli and Her Fabulous Friends' taking place on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at the Duck Walk Vineyard North, 44535 Main Rd., Southold, NY on the North Fork of the Hamptons on Long Island.

North/South Consonance, Inc concludes its 36th consecutive season of free-admission concerts on Tuesday evening June 21.

On Site Opera (OSO) announces today that soprano Jeni Houser has been added to the cast of the North American premiere of Marcos Portugal's The Marriage of Figaro (1799).

The Cincinnati May Festival is proud to announce the release of a new recording on Bridge Records. Under the leadership of Music Director James Conlon, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus (Robert Porco, director) recorded R. Nathaniel Dett's oratorio, The Ordering of Moses, live at Carnegie Hall in May 2014 during the beloved invitational Spring for Music Festival.

North/South Consonance, Inc continues its 37th consecutive season of free-admission concerts on Tuesday evening June 7. Clarinetist Julia Heinen and oboist Richard Kravchak will join conductor Max Lifchitz and the North/South Chamber Orchestra to perform for the first time in New York recent works by Jose Luis Gomez, Daniel Kessner, Max Lifchitz and Marilyn Ziffrin. Ziffrin is celebrating her 90th birthday this season. The concert will take place at the auditorium of Christ & St Stephen's Church (120 West 69th Street) on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The free-admission event will start at 8 PM and end around 9:30 PM. The auditorium is ADA accessible. No tickets or reservations needed.

Just four years into its existence, On Site Opera (OSO) has established itself as one of New York City's most imaginative, nimble opera companies by doing more than simply staging musically and dramatically rich works outside of the opera house.

To conclude the 20th season of its recital series, the George London Foundation for Singers presents a performance by two acclaimed young artists: mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, who won a George London Award in 2014, and tenor Dimitri Pittas, a 2004 George London Award winner, on Sunday, May 15, 2016, at 4:00 pm, at The Morgan Library & Museum. Accompanying them at the piano will be each singer's respective spouse: Christopher Cano and Leah Edwards.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced today the winners of our country's two largest prizes for composers of vocal music: the Charles Ives Opera Prize of $50,000 and the Virgil Thomson Award of $40,000.

Tonight, March 16th, 2016, we launch the New York City Opera Concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room. It's a vibrant showcase of both new works and established repertoire performed by today's leading artists.

Tenri Cultural Institute  presents Border Crossings, a cultural exchange featuring works by American composer Richard Cameron-Wolfe and Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Runchak today, March 11th at 8pm.

Just four years into its existence, On Site Opera (OSO) has established itself as one of New York City's most imaginative, nimble opera companies by doing more than simply staging musically and dramatically rich works outside of the opera house. OSO's team of General & Artistic Director, Eric Einhorn, Music Director, Geoffrey McDonald, and Executive Director & Producer, Jessica Kiger have pushed the boundaries of operatic storytelling, producing operas in locations that allow singers and audiences alike to immerse themselves in the narrative. Reviewing the first chapter of The Figaro Project, in which OSO is staging lesser-known operatic adaptations of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais' (1732-1799) famed trilogy of Figaro plays, Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times wrote, 'This visionary company could be on to something big.' He noted that the 'space proved ideal for the intrigues of the opera.' On Site Opera continues this ambitious three-year undertaking June 14-17, when it presents the North American premiere of Marcos Portugal's The Marriage of Figaro (1799). The production, presented in partnership with The New School's Mannes School of Music and The Portuguese Consulate in New York, will take place at 632 on Hudson, a stunning triplex in the West Village that will serve as Count Almaviva's summer palace. The Figaro Project will conclude with the U.S. premiere of Darius Milhaud's The Guilty Mother (1966) in the summer of 2017.

Tenri Cultural Institute  presents Border Crossings, a cultural exchange featuring works by American composer Richard Cameron-Wolfe and Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Runchak on Friday, March 11th at 8pm.

NEW YORK, NY (For Release 3.7.16) — Hailed for his vocal and operatic music, award-winning composer/conductor/teacher Scott Wheeler showcases his omnivorous compositional style during the 2016-17 season. From the album release of Portrait (Bridge Records) and the world premiere of his latest opera Naga by the Boston Lyric Opera to nationwide performances of his Ben Gunn song cycle and debut as a composer for dance, Wheeler continues to lead the new-music vanguard. A continual point of reference for contemporary music, Wheeler serves in numerous leadership roles including: 2016-17 Affiliate of NYUâ€s Center for the Ballet and Arts, 2016-17 Composer-in-Residence at the Brooklyn Art Song Society, and Professor at Bostonâ€s Emerson College.

On March 16th, 2016, we launch the New York City Opera Concert series at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room. It's a vibrant showcase of both new works and established repertoire performed by today's leading artists.