Kevin Sessums, the Curran's Editor-at-Large sat down with award-winning opera star Leah Crocetto for a special evening titled 'Leah Crocetto Talks Opera and Sings Jazz' on Thursday, February 4. Sessums discussed Crocetto's early years in the New York cabaret scene, her rise to fame in the opera world, and her deep connection to the San Francisco Opera. Crocetto, who recently opened the SFO's 2015 season with her electrifying performance in the title role of Luisa Miller and made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Liu in TURANDOT, performed three numbers throughout the evening. Click below to watch her sing Kander & Ebb's 'A Quiet Thing'!
alvin Remsberg is well known as both actor and director on both coasts. Favorite stage credits: Sweeney Todd (First National, and Television productions), CATS, the acclaimed Los Angeles' Phantom of the Opera, Man of La Mancha, and Oliver! Favorite film credits: 'Pretty Woman,' 'Shrek,' 'The X-Files,' 'Twilight of the Golds,' 'Silk Stalkings.' Favorite Directing credits: The Medium, Educating Rita, Chapter Two, Dracula, Triumph of Love, The Sound of Music, Urinetown, Sunday in the Park with George (Ovation Nomination), Into the Woods, Hello, Dolly!, The Last Five Years, Glory Days, F**king Men (American premiere), and Sweeney Todd (Ovation nomination), and ten musicals for The Musical Theatre Guild. This is his directing debut at The Group Rep.
by Steve Peterson
San Francisco Opera today announced plans to return to KQED 9 for the sixth season of spectacular opera and musical theater works featuring a roster of internationally renowned singers, conductors, directors and designers, all recorded live in high-definition from the War Memorial Opera House.
High passion and sheer unrestrained melodrama overflow in Verdi's 'Il Trovatore,' the current offering by Winter Opera St. Louis. And the voices are glorious! Once again Winter Opera has assembled a sterling group of singers. Caruso once said that all it takes for a successful performance of 'Trovatore' is the four greatest singers in the world. I'm not sure if the judges' ballots are all in yet, but the singers of the four principal roles in this production would seem to be right up there among the finalists.
Charles Kaiman exhibits new paintings at Blue Mountain Gallery in Chelsea, New York City. March 29th through April 23rd, 2016. This is his eighteenth one person show in New York City. Kaiman has been painting daily for the last fifty-five years.
The International Opera Awards are pleased to announce the shortlist for this year's Awards. These were selected by the jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph.
(WASHINGTON)—Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 60th anniversary season with Leah Crocetto in Recital, featuring the celebrated star of last season's Dialogues of the Carmelites, today, February 26, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Accompanied by acclaimed pianist Mark Markham, Ms. Crocetto will perform art songs by Strauss, Duparc, and Barber, as well as popular opera arias and a few of her favorite jazz standards.
Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director of Opera Saratoga, announced the program for the 2016 Summer Festival, which will run from May 28th through July 17, 2016.
Embracing its deep roots and far-reaching artistry during its 30th Anniversary Season, the Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) honors four esteemed visionaries who have left their indelible stamps on the acclaimed chorus, including five-time Academy Award-winning film composer John Williams and LACC Founding Director Rebecca Thompson, at Gala Bel Canto, its annual fundraiser, on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, 6 pm, at Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Award-winning director Christopher Alden returns to ENO for our first-ever production of Bellini's masterpiece, NORMA. Celebrated for its finely shaped melodies and exquisite arias, NORMA is full of ravishing music. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
The Metropolitan Opera's 2016-17 season, the 50th anniversary of its home at Lincoln Center, will feature 225 opera performances of 26 operas in a varied repertory that ranges from 18th century masterpieces to one of the most acclaimed operas in recent years. Repertoire for the company's 132nd season will include the Met premiere of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's 2000 opera L'Amour de Loin, as well as new stagings of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Rossini's Guillaume Tell, Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, Dvo?ak's Rusalka, and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. A gala concert on May 7, 2017 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company's Lincoln Center location with performances by opera's leading stars honoring the Met's past and future. Ticket prices will not increase, remaining the same as in the current season, and audience development programs instituted by the company in recent years will continue.
It's a shame that Bellini wasn't Donizetti--because the story of LA SONNAMBULA seems to be begging for the full comic treatment and could have been a great companion to L'ELISIR D'AMORE. (I'm not sure how Maria Callas would have felt about changes in one of her great roles.) As it stands, performing the semi-serious work in a concert format--as The Juilliard Opera did last week--is the next best thing, putting the emphasis on the music and the virtuoso singing it calls for and less on the absurd storyline.
Acclaimed American soprano Renee Fleming performs in recital with pianist Olga Kern on Wednesday, March 9 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The program includes Robert Schumann's Frauenliebe und -leben, Op. 42, Debussy's Ariettes oubliees, and a selection of songs by Rachmaninoff. Ms. Fleming and Ms. Kern close their program with five songs by jazz musician and composer Patricia Barber.
(WASHINGTON)—Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 60th anniversary season with Leah Crocetto in Recital, featuring the celebrated star of last season's Dialogues of the Carmelites, on Friday, February 26, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Accompanied by acclaimed pianist Mark Markham, Ms. Crocetto will perform art songs by Strauss, Duparc, and Barber, as well as popular opera arias and a few of her favorite jazz standards.
Carole Shorenstein Hays announced today that for the next subject of Groundbreakers with Kevin Sessums, the Curran's Editor-at-Large will sit down with award-winning opera star Leah Crocetto, for a special evening titled “Leah Crocetto Talks Opera and Sings Jazz.” Sessums will discuss Crocetto's early years in the New York cabaret scene, her rise to fame in the opera world, and her deep connection to the San Francisco Opera. Crocetto, who recently opened the SFO's 2015 season with her electrifying performance in the title role of Luisa Miller and made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Liù in Turandot, will perform three numbers throughout the evening.
Donizetti's MARIA STUARDA opened at the Metropolitan Opera on January 29th. The second chapter of soprano Sondra Radvanovsky's quest to sing all three Donizetti Tudor queen operas in the same season has her playing the doomed Mary, Queen of Scots. Sir David McVicar's stunning production turns on the dramatic confrontation between Mary and her arch nemesis, Queen Elizabeth-compellingly portrayed by soprano Elza van den Heever. Riccardo Frizza conducts.
MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale) continues the 2015-2016 season with Henry Purcell and Nahum Tate's tempestuous Baroque opera, Dido and Aeneas,on April 28, 2016 at 7pm and April 29, 2016 at 8pm at New York City Center, 131 W. 55th Street, New York City.
San Francisco Opera partners again with Sundance Kabuki Cinemas to present the latest installment of the San Francisco Opera Grand Opera Cinema Series for winter 2016.
Pop-Up Opera are back for 2016. Now well-established on the touring opera circuit, the company skilfully adapt their operas to each individual venue, making every performance unique, while always maintaining the highest standards.
