World renowned American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky returns to the Canadian Opera Company this spring in the ultimate diva role, Queen Elizabeth I, for the COC premiere of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux. The tumultuous final days of the reign of the Virgin Queen are depicted in this powerful drama of show-stopping vocal fireworks, directed by Stephen Lawless and conducted by Corrado Rovaris. Roberto Devereux is sung in Italian with English SURTITLES and runs for seven performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts today, April 25, 29, May 3, 10, 15, 18, 21, 2014.
Opera Colorado announced today that it will present Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly(November 2014), W.A. Mozart's The Magic Flute (May 2015), Giuseppe Verdi's Aida (November 2015), and the world premiere of Lori Laitman's The Scarlet Letter (May 2016) starring Elizabeth Futral as Hester Prynne. A vital presence in Denver's cultural ecology, Opera Colorado is the Rocky Mountain region's preeminent grand opera company. The Opera's programming includes mainstage productions, artist development initiatives, and education and community engagement programming.
In the 2014/2015 season, Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) celebrates 40 years since a group of astounding musicians first performed at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields. OSL's concerts and programs show that the values held since the orchestra's earliest days-flexibility, a collaborative spirit, commitment to the community, and commensurate artistry-continue to distinguish OSL and propel it forward.
Music Director Robert Spano will lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and Chorus in a concert staging of Verdi's Aida June 5, 2014, at 8:00 p.m., June 7, 2014, at 7:30 p.m., and June 8, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. in Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center. This will be the ASO premiere of Aida, and these performances will mark the end of the Orchestra's 2013-14 season.
Eight remarkable artists and philanthropists will be hooded and handed their degrees in person when The Juilliard School confers honorary doctorates during its 109th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 23, 2014 at 11 AM in Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (Broadway at 65th Street, NYC).
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents the West Coast premiere of A Coffin in Egypt, a new chamber opera in one act, based on the play, A Coffin in Egypt by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Horton Foote, for three performances only tonight, April 23 and April 25 and 27 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.
Candid Concert Opera Chicago presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Così fan tutte. An ingenious mix of poignant drama and hilarious farce, Così fan tutte follows two young soldiers who disguise their identities to test their lover's fidelity. The opera will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Two performances only, May 9 at the Stan Mansion, 2408 N. Kedzie Avenue and May 10 at Edgebrook Lutheran Church, 5252 W. Devon Avenue. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m. The production is suitable for all audiences of all ages and is free to the public; $20 suggested donation. For more information visit www.candidconcertopera.org.
Acclaimed Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko will make her Met debut as Elvira in a revival of Bellini's I Puritani, with Met stars Lawrence Brownlee and Mariusz Kwiecien in their respective company role debuts as Arturo and Riccardo. Michele Mariotti conducts a cast that also includes Michele Pertusi as Elvira's father, Giorgio, in a revival of the bel canto opera opening tonight, April 17.
Each of Wolfgang Amade Mozart's vast number of compositions is considered a musical gem. Join Music Director Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as they celebrate Mozart's extensive catalog of masterpieces during the BNY Mellon Grand Classics Mozart Festival, a two-week exploration of the five pillars of Mozart's music - symphony, concerto, chamber music, opera and sacred music.
Mezzo-soprano star Joyce DiDonato will sing her first Met performances of one of her signature roles, the winsome heroine of Rossini's adaptation of the Cinderella story, La Cenerentola, beginning April 21.
Victoria's 2014-2015 opera season is big and bold. A golden treasure unleashes the destruction of the gods; a Scottish heiress pays with murder and madness for loving the wrong man; and the stage's greatest heroine, Madama Butterfly, makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her honour and her son.
Florida Grand Opera closes the 2013-14 season with yet another exciting deviation from the standard repertoire – Massenet's Thaïs, opening May 3, 2014, at the Arsht Center. Bringing a touch of eastern mystique to the season, this work was last presented by FGO in 1976. It comes to the stage in a co-production by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, and Opéra de Montréal conceived and designed by the team of Renaud Doucet and Andre Barbe.
Javier Camarena will sing the role of Prince Ramiro in the season's three initial performances of Rossini's La Cenerentola on April 21, 25, and 28, replacing Juan Diego Flórez, who is ill. Flórez is scheduled to return for the three final performances of the opera, on May 2, May 6, and the May 10 matinee, which will be transmitted worldwide as part of the Met's Live in HD series.
In our age of 20-somethings suffering from arrested development, they say “25 is the new 15.” This certainly was not true at the Met auditions concert (formally, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals Concert, a real mouthful!). At the opera house, Sunday afternoon, the concert showcased nine competitors, all between 24 and 29 but mature artists with poise, acting ability and, yes, voices definitely worth hearing again.
'A man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?' once wrote the poet Robert Browning. The line is about setting goals, striving, and ambition, all of which can be commendable desires. But sometimes in the world of cabaret, the desire to achieve the next level or to raise one's personal bar can be an overreach and overly ambitious. Such was the case with two shows staged this past week by two accomplished singers-Shana Farr and Jillian Laurain--who over the past couple of years have garnered mucho kudos for their vocal prowess and solid shows. Nobody could fault these lovely ladies for pushing their performance envelopes, but in both cases they fell short of their goals.
It's always reassuring when a change of cast--in this case soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Javier Camarena in wonderful performances--transforms a truly terrible production into an exciting night at the opera. But that's exactly what happened with the revival of Bellini's LA SONNAMBULA at the Met last week.
Acclaimed Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko will make her Met debut as Elvira in a revival of Bellini's I Puritani, with Met stars Lawrence Brownlee and Mariusz Kwiecien in their respective company role debuts as Arturo and Riccardo. Michele Mariotti conducts a cast that also includes Michele Pertusi as Elvira's father, Giorgio, in a revival of the bel canto opera opening April 17. The Met performances will be the first time the husband-and-wife pairing of Mariotti and Peretyatko have performed I Puritani together. The opera will be seen in a revival of Sandro Sequi's 1976 production, which has served as a showcase for such formidable stars as Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Edita Gruberova, and Anna Netrebko.
THE ELIXIR OF LOVE, appearing in Italian at the Kennedy Center Opera House, is a feast for the ears and eyes. Donizetti's comic tale will appeal to both opera buffs and lovers of Broadway musicals hoping to expand into opera.
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents the West Coast premiere of A Coffin in Egypt, a new chamber opera in one act, based on the play, A Coffin in Egypt by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Horton Foote, for three performances only April 23, 25 and 27 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. A Coffin in Egypt stars mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, one of opera's most beloved figures, whose formidable bravura has won her wide acclaim. Ricky Ian Gordon, the composer, has also composed The Grapes of Wrath, Rappahannock County, and Orpheus and Euridice. Leonard Foglia, librettist and director, directed Master Class on Broadway and Jake Heggie's Opera Last Acts.
Gracious, charming, highly intelligent and perceptive, Polish-born artist Piotr Beczala (dubbed 'Piotr the Great' in San Francisco), first graced the San Diego Opera stage in his 2010 Boheme debut, triumphed these past weeks in Verdi's A Masked Ball, and will complete his 'March madness' with Verdi's monumental Requiem. Acclaimed for both the beauty of his voice and for his ardent commitment to each character he portrays, he is also an avid golfer, and loves being here in San Diego.
