Arthur Woodley News

This July, Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) will present the Iowa premiere of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess in honor of international opera star and Iowa native Simon Estes upon the announcement of his operatic farewell.

SFJAZZ, in collaboration with San Francisco's Opera Parallèle, will present a special online-only broadcast of the 2016 production of Champion - An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT.

Washington National Opera's (WNO) 2020-2021 season offers an ambitious mix of sweeping political epics and intimate stories of interpersonal relationships, centered on human pursuits of justice, power, and love. Led by General Director Timothy O'Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, WNO announces the six mainstage titles in the 2020-2021 season: Fidelio, Nixon in China, Boris Godunov, Rigoletto, Così fan tutte, and La bohème.

The Metropolitan Opera presents Puccini's La Bohème, conducted by Marco Armiliato, with eight initial performances beginning October 25, 2019. Ailyn Pérez returns to the role of the seamstress Mimì; her lover, the poet Rodolfo, is portrayed by Matthew Polenzani in his Met role debut. Olga Kulchynska makes her Met debut as the singer Musetta, while David Bizic sings the role of the painter Marcello.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild today announced that the honorees of its “Diamond Jubilee” celebration will be luminaries Martina Arroyo and Teresa Stratas.  The Guild's 85th Annual Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, November 20th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.  Special remarks by Stephanie Blythe and musical tributes by Ailyn Pérez and Matthew Polenzani will be performed during the event.

Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) announced today details of its 2019-20 season. The opera series features beloved classics "Don Giovanni" and "Pagliacci;" works long-absent from the MOT repertoire, "Sweeney Todd" and "Gianni Schicchi," and the highly-anticipated company premiere of "Champion," a contemporary American opera. The dance series features the return of American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem, as well as the Detroit Opera House premiere of French contemporary ballet company Malandain Ballet Biarritz. An Oct. 12 gala concert, featuring acclaimed American Tenor Michael Fabiano and principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre, will serve to launch the season.

Champion is based on a true story, focusing on the life of welterweight prizefighting champion Emile Griffith, a respected and famous boxer whose life rapidly changed after accidentally killing his opponent, Benny Paret, in the ring. Griffith was also bisexual in a time when it was socially unacceptable and was known for having said: “I kill a man and most people understand and forgive me. However, I love a man, and to so many people this is an unforgivable sin.”

The Opéra de Montréal has an exciting 39th season planned for the 2018-2019 production year. The Place des Arts lineup includes classics like Rigoletto, Das Rheingold, Carmen and the anticipated Canadian premiere of the jazz-opera Champion. In addition to these four operas, a chamber opera called Twenty-Seven will be presented at the Centaur Theatre and a concert with soprano Joyce El-Khoury and Pianist Laurent Philippe will be held at the Festival du Monde Arabe.

Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2016-2017 season with the company premieres of two modern American masterworks of opera: Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's Dead Man Walking, February 25-March 11, 2017 in the Opera House, and Terence Blanchard and Michael Cristofer's Champion, March 4- 18, 2017 in the Opera House. Both operas explore the theme of social justice which is often associated with John F. Kennedy and are presented as part of JFKC, the Kennedy Center's season-long celebration of President Kennedy's centennial. Using many of the same designers and scenic elements, the directors of each opera have worked collaboratively to create two distinct worlds in each new production to showcase the issues of Justice, Courage, and Freedom at the heart of these two compelling stories. An additional special event will continue the exploration of these themes: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will headline Justice at the Opera on Thursday, March 9, 2017 in the Opera House.

The inaugural Explorations series continues with Elvis Costello's The Juliet Letters, Jan. 28 and 29 at the Michael and Ginger Frost Production Arts Building at the Richard J. Stern Opera Center.Explorations features eclectic programs in intimate spaces, with programming that crosses musical borders and experiments with a wide range of lyrical expression.

General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced that two Lyric Opera of Kansas City Resident Artists have won international awards.

The highly anticipated world premiere of The Shining - a new opera based on Stephen King's 1977 best-selling novel - by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell, was presented by the Minnesota Opera on May 7th, at the Music Theater at the Ordway in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

San Francisco's Opera Parallele and SFJAZZ will present their first collaboration: a new, fully staged production of Champion: An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, with eight performances to be given tonight, February 19, through February 28, 2016 at SFJAZZ Center.  Based on the life of African-American, bisexual boxing champion Emile Griffith (1938-2013), the production marks both Opera Parallele's first foray into an operatic jazz idiom and SFJAZZ's first opera. Performances will be given at 7:30 pm Today--Sunday, February 19, 20 and 21; Tuesday and Wednesday, February 23 and 24;  Today and Saturday, February 26 and 27; and at 4 pm Sunday, February 28 and tickets are priced $30-$185. For more information, visit www.operaparallele.org and www.sfjazz.org .

San Francisco's Opera Parallele and SFJAZZ will present their first collaboration: a new, fully staged production of Champion: An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, with eight performances to be given February 19-28, 2016 at SFJAZZ Center.  Based on the life of African-American, bisexual boxing champion Emile Griffith (1938-2013), the production marks both Opera Parallele's first foray into an operatic jazz idiom and SFJAZZ's first opera. Performances will be given at 7:30 pm Friday--Sunday, February 19, 20 and 21; Tuesday and Wednesday, February 23 and 24;  Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27; and at 4 pm Sunday, February 28 and tickets are priced $30-$185. For more information, visit www.operaparallele.org and www.sfjazz.org .

'SHOUT! The Drama of an Invisible Black Man of a Certain Age in the Last Days of Political Correctness' is a play for one man written by noted African-American playwright Henry Miller and performed by noted opera singer Arthur Woodley. Its world premiere will be presented tonight, September 12 to 20 by Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival.

'SHOUT! The Drama of an Invisible Black Man of a Certain Age in the Last Days of Political Correctness' is a play for one man written by noted African-American playwright Henry Miller and performed by noted opera singer Arthur Woodley. Its world premiere will be presented September 12 to 20 by Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival.

San Francisco, CA, April 9, 2015 – Opera Parallèle has announced its 2015--2016 season, which will feature its first collaboration with SFJAZZ, a new production of Peter Maxwell Davies' riveting and mysterious The Lighthouse, and the world premiere of a new children's opera by Chris Pratorius. Opera Parallèle and SFJAZZ will present their first collaboration: a new, fully staged production of Champion: An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, with eight performances to be given February 19-28, 2016 at SFJAZZ Center. Based on the life of African-American boxing champion Emile Griffith (1938-2013), the production marks both Opera Parallèle's first foray into an operatic jazz idiom and SFJAZZ's first opera. The complete schedule of performances will be announced and tickets go on sale to the general public mid-July, 2015. For more information, visit www.operaparallele.org and www.sfjazz.org. Peter Maxwell Davies' three-character opera, The Lighthouse, based on the mysterious and unsolved disappearance of three people off the Scottish coast in 1900 will be given a new production April 29-May 1, 2016 at Z Space in San Francisco. The season will open with the world premiere of a new children's opera by Chris Pratorius entitled Amazing Grace, featuring San Francisco fourth graders and soloists, November 12-14, 2015, at a venue to be announced. For more information about the Opera Parallèle season, visit www.operaparallele.org .

It's a new era at Seattle Opera. The company today announced its 2015/16 season, the first to be presented by General Director Aidan Lang, and a return to full-year programming with a total of six operas, including new productions and a world premiere. Under Lang's leadership, the company hopes to serve the community through the magic of theater and music in McCaw Hall, and in learning and engagement programs across the Pacific Northwest.

It's a new era at Seattle Opera. The company today announced its 2015/16 season, the first to be presented by General Director Aidan Lang, and a return to full-year programming with a total of six operas, including new productions and a world premiere. Under Lang's leadership, the company hopes to serve the community through the magic of theater and music in McCaw Hall, and in learning and engagement programs across the Pacific Northwest.

Florida Grand Opera follows up its critically acclaimed production of Madama Butterfly with a modern retelling of a Mozart favorite, the comic opera Così fan tutte, opening on Saturday, January 24 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.