Benjamin Britten News

Following their landmark revival of Atys in 2011, esteemed conductor William Christie and his early music ensemble Les Arts Florissants return to BAM with another French Baroque gem: David et Jonathas, in a production directed by the general manager of Zurich Opera House Andreas Homoki, making his US debut.

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, the Oratorio Society of New York announced the winners of the 37th Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition, the only major vocal competition devoted to solo oratorio singing.

An Evening with Justin Brill - Direct from playing Boq on the first national tour of Wicked, Justin Brill brings an evening of songs and stories tracing his path from his home in Annapolis, Maryland to Broadway and beyond.

Enrollment is now open for young people ages 8 -18 for Sarasota Youth Opera's 2013 Summer Camp to be held June 10 - June 28, 2013. The annual three-week program will run Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. each day at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota.

Jacaranda's three-concert celebration of Benjamin Britten's centenary continues on Sat., April 27th with a concert staging of 'Curlew River,' a chamber opera (1963) intended for performance in a church.

Subscriptions are now on sale for the Columbus Symphony's 2013-14 Masterworks and Pops seasons.

Tonight, April 6 at 9:00 p.m. in Zankel Hall, the innovative contemporary chamber ensemble Alarm Will Sound gives the world premiere of Fly By Wire by former Battles singer and guitarist, composer Tyondai Braxton, a work commissioned by Carnegie Hall. Artistic Director Alan Pierson conducts the program of music written expressly for Alarm Will Sound, which also includes New York premieres by Charles Wuorinen and John Orfe-the ensemble's pianist- as well as Dublin-based composer Donnacha Dennehy, whose scenes from The Hunger will be performed with mezzo-soprano soloist Rachel Calloway. David Lang's 2002 work, increase, completes the program.

Following their landmark revival of Atys in 2011, esteemed conductor William Christie and his early music ensemble Les Arts Florissants return to BAM with another French Baroque gem: David et Jonathas, in a production directed by the general manager of Zurich Opera House Andreas Homoki, making his US debut.

The Hartford Gay Men's Chorus will follow-up its sold-out debut concert with 'Life Is Gay, and So Are They!' - a tribute to gay poets, composers, icons, idols and anthems - at 8 p.m. on both Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, at the Unitarian Society of Hartford, 50 Bloomfield Avenue.

An Evening with Justin Brill - Direct from playing Boq on the first national tour of Wicked, Justin Brill brings an evening of songs and stories tracing his path from his home in Annapolis, Maryland to Broadway and beyond.

The Pit Stop Players, a thirteen-member instrumental ensemble composed of veteran Broadway pit musicians, will conclude their fourth season with special guest Cynthia Nixon narrating a new work, plus a newly commissioned chamber arrangement of IgorStravinsky's towering masterpiece, 'The Rite of Spring.' The concert will take place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 8:00 pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York City. Tickets range from $20-$35 and can be purchased online at Symphony Space Events or (212) 864-5400.

To conclude its 140th anniversary season, the Oratorio Society of New York, the city's standard for grand choral performance, presents Benjamin Britten's monumental 1962 work War Requiem at Carnegie Hall on Monday, April 22, 2013, at 8:00 PM.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2012-13 season of its Composer Portraits series with Oliver Knussen, April 18, 2013.

The Royal Conservatory closes out the 2012-13 season with concerts from stirring jazz to orchestral performances, explosive dance to impressive vocal fireworks, as well as solo and orchestral string showpieces.

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced its 2013-14 season. Music Director Franz Welser-Most will introduce a Fall Festival, pairing symphonies by Beethoven and Shostakovich, and an all-Brahms weekend with two programs featuring Brahms's Violin Concerto and his Second and Fourth Symphonies. Mr. Welser-Most brings opera back to Severance Hall, with a semi-staged production of Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen. Guest artists returning to Severance Hall include Leon Fleisher, Mitsuko Uchida, Radu Lupu, and conductors Christoph von Dohnanyi, Pierre Boulez, and Herbert Blomstedt. The Orchestra celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten with performances of his Spring Symphony, Violin Concerto, and Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings.

A new CD released by Eloquentia features violinist Livia Sohn as soloist in Benjamin Britten's Violin Concert, Op 15, paired with Jiyeh, a concerto by Israeli-American composer Jonathan Berger. Written for and premiered by Livia Sohn in 2007, Jiyeh is scored for chamber orchestra, violin, cimbalom, percussion and strings. The album coincides with the ongoing Benjamin Britten centennial celebration.

Sarasota Opera Announces its 2013-14 Season

Since 1977, the Oratorio Society of New York, the city's standard for grand choral performance, has held the only major vocal competition devoted to solo oratorio singing. Named after the OSNY music director from 1973 to 2005, the Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition each year draws applicants from around the world.

Lindsay Posner's production of The Turn of the Screw at the Almeida Theatre finishes it's run on 16 March 2013. The cast comprises Caroline Bartleet (a woman), Laurence Belcher (Miles), Eoin Geoghegan (a man), Gemma Jones (Mrs. Grose), Anna Madeley (The Governess), Orlando Wells (Sackville) and Isabella Blake, Emilia Jones and Lucy Morton who will alternate the role of Flora. The Turn of the Screw is sponsored by Pinsent Masons LLP.

The Killer Bs will perform at Roswell UMC (814 Mimosa Blvd, Roswell, GA) today, March 10 at 3:00 PM, featuring Michael O'Neal, conductor, John LaForge, associate conductor, and Tom Alderman, principal accompanist.