Saturday night, I heard soprano Lisette Oropesa deliver an alternatingly delicious and desperately dramatic Violetta in Verdi's LA TRAVIATA at the Met. Less than a day later, she was the emcee at the GRAND FINALS CONCERT of the Met's National Council Auditions--where she was a winner herself in 2005 and “it changed my life,” she recalled--delivering the latest batch of opera babies into the big time.
It's been a big year for soprano Lisette Oropesa, with starring roles at major European houses. But in this country, it's something else entirely: She won the Richard Tucker Award and the Met's Beverly Sills Award. That was followed by a pair of name-above-the-title roles, her first at the Met: her role debut in Massenet's MANON and, this week, her house role debut as Verdi's Violetta in LA TRAVIATA.
Soprano Angela Meade will perform the role of Queen Elizabeth I in LA Opera's production of Roberto Devereux. Ms. Meade replaces Davinia Rodríguez, previously announced for the role, who has withdrawn from the production due to illness.
Last season, Quinn Kelsey returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Germont in La Traviata and as Amonasro in Aida. He also returned to Zurich for the title role in Rigoletto and to Hawaii for more performances as Germont. He made debuts in Dallas as Ford in Falstaff and in Spain at the Peralada festival as Germont.
For its first production of Vincenzo Bellini's 1831 masterwork, NORMA, in nearly 40 years, Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) brings back the international star it introduced to the U.S. just over two years ago. Elena Stikhina makes her debut in one of opera's most technically demanding roles a?' a powerful Druid priestess whose affair with the general of a warring Roman faction brings personal grief and despair. The Russian-born soprano made her American debut in BLO's 2017 production of Tosca. Her subsequent national and international acclaim includes a lauded 2018 Metropolitan Opera debut in Puccini's Il Trittico. Best known for its star-making aria a?oeCasta Diva,a?? BLO presents Bellini's dramatic bel canto opera for five performances from March 13-22 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at BLO.org.
Baritone Quinn Kelsey, the 2015 recipient of the Metropolitan Opera's Beverly Sills Award and veteran of leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and companies around the world, will perform the central role of the Duke of Nottingham in Musco Center for the Arts' presentation of LA Opera's new production of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux in Concert, February 25 at 7:30 pm.
As a reviewer you hear lots of advance hype about a particular show or performer before having your own experience. Much of the time the hype doesn't live up to the end product. Selling over 90 million recordings opera singer Andrea Bocelli was definitely one of those performers who I had heard a lot about before seeing him perform live at Capital One Arena. I of course was familiar with some of his recordings but nothing prepared me for what I was about to witness. Here is a case where the hype not only lived up to the end product it exceeded it at least twenty fold. Bocelli stepped out onstage and flat out held around 20,000 concertgoers spellbound with his ringing tenor in a concert that included some of the most beautiful arias ever written.
a?oeSecret love bound by silence.a?? Once the most performed opera of its time, Donizetti's bel canto drama, La favorite, features some of the most challenging arias ever written. Woven into this nowa?"rarely performed opera is a classic love triangle among a noblewoman, king and warrior. Set in early 14th century Spain, this triangle involves the King of Castile Alphonse XI, the beautiful Léonor and a novice monk, Fernand. In the background, the Moors have invaded Spain, and a power struggle has begun between church and state. Opera powerhouse and HGO Studio alumna Jamie Barton and international star Lawrence Brownlee return to Houston for this HGO premiere. World-renowned opera, film, theater and event director Kevin Newbury directs La favorite.
Last season, Quinn Kelsey returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Germont in La Traviata and as Amonasro in Aida. He also returned to Zurich for the title role in Rigoletto and to Hawaii for more performances as Germont. He made debuts in Dallas as Ford in Falstaff and in Spain at the Peralada festival as Germont.
Pittsburgh Festival Opera's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of internationally recognized mezzo-soprano Marianne Cornetti as its new Artistic Director. Founded in 1978 by another famous mezzo-soprano, Mildred Miller Posvar, Pittsburgh Festival Opera is excited to welcome a new artistic vision grounded in Cornetti's 30-plus years as a performer in the world's leading opera houses including The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, and Deutsche Oper Berlin among many others.
The San Francisco Opera announced the recent passing of Rolando Panerai, a baritone best known for his vast Italian repertory and his sensational recordings alongside such legends as Maria Callas.
It's hard to imagine the logistics in putting together a complex program like the one that the audience at Carnegie Hall was treated to on Sunday evening for the 2019 RICHARD TUCKER GALA. But New York-born conductor James Gaffigan pulled it off wonderfully with the help of members of the Met Orchestra and the New York Choral Society--and a gaggle of amazing singers, beginning with this year's winner of the Tucker Award, Lisette Oropesa.
Gaetano Donizetti wrote three bel canto operas about three extraordinary women a?" passionate Anne Boleyn, proud Mary Stuart, and mighty Queen Elizabeth I. Each of these brilliant operas offers a stupendous role for a true singing actress with incredible technique, charisma, and dramatic power.
Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, an operatic fable about the power of music, returns to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time since 2011 for seven performances beginning October 20, 2019.
Sarasota Opera Association, Inc. kicked off the final and public phase of a $40M comprehensive campaign and celebrated the acquisition of an historic collection of opera costumes from Toronto-based Malabar Ltd. at an event on October 8, 2019 at the Sarasota Opera House hosted by Executive Director Richard Russell and Artistic Director Victor DeRenzi.
Lisette Oropesa, where have you been all my life? Of course, I've heard her before--she's appeared 100 times or so at the Met so one could hardly miss her--but never in a showpiece like the title role of Jules Massenet's MANON, opposite tenor Michael Fabiano's Chevalier des Grieux on the second night of the Met's new season.
Ted Sperling, Artistic Director of MasterVoices, announced details of the acclaimed ensemble's 78th season, celebrating the joy of choral singing and the power of the human voice to unite, inspire and connect since 1941. Highlights include three major musical presentations at top venues, including a New York premiere, and the World Premiere of a new work, commissioned by the Company. Throughout the season there will be collaborations with leading singers, artists, ensembles and organizations, some who are familiar with and others who are new to the Company.
San Francisco Opera inaugurates its 97th season on Friday, September 6 with Charles Gounod's romantic Romeo and Juliet (Roméo et Juliette) and two season-opening benefit eventsa?"Opera Ball 2019: The Capulets' Masked Ball and BRAVO! CLUB's Opening Night Gala. The Company's opening weekend also includes Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd in director Michael Grandage's acclaimed production opening on September 7; and on September 8 San Francisco Chronicle Presents Opera in the Park, the annual free concert tradition celebrating the opening of the opera season.
One of the joys of attending a concert a where some of the artists are unfamiliar, is discovering new talent. Such occurred in a very big way Sunday evening at one of the concluding concerts of this year's Mostly Mozart Festival at David Geffen Hall. The distinguished Budapest Festival Orchestra under the baton of the accomplished maestro Ivan Fischer played host to a wonderful soprano hitherto unknown to me-Jeanine De Bique.
Aspen Music Festival and School and Theatre Aspen presented a one-night-only concert production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic musical South Pacific, starring Christy Altomare!
