Charles MacKay News

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, has welcomed a new class of six board members that includes creators, administrators, artist managers, and opera company trustees. They join the Board of Directors under the ongoing leadership of Chair Carol F. Henry, esteemed philanthropist and founding trustee of Los Angeles Opera.

OPERA America has announced honors for exemplary artists, administrators, advocates, and trustees in two prestigious award programs, the Opera Hall of Fame and National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards.

OPERA America has announced the inaugural group of inductees to the Opera Hall of Fame. The Opera Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of outstanding living American artists, administrators, and advocates who have strengthened the art form and the field. It was established in 2020 on the occasion of OPERA America's 50th anniversary, a celebration of the progress of the industry over the past half-century.

The story of David Henry Hwanga??s play  M. Butterfly, while entwined with that of Puccinia??s opera Madama Butterfly, is basically about the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Peking Opera singer. The singer, thought by all who knew her to be female, was actually male. Premiering on Broadway in 1988, the play won that yeara??s Tony Award for Best Play.

Opera Holland Park's James Clutton, Michael Volpe and Charles Mackay (Chairman) have released a statement on behalf of The Trustees, management and staff at Opera Holland Park:

After 31 years at Opera Holland Park, Michael Volpe, General Director, has decided to take early retirement from his role with the company. This will take effect from 30 September 2020, after the 2020 Season and at the end of the 2019/2020 financial year.

Since his appointment as General Director the end of the 2018 season, Robert  Meya has provided the utmost in forward-looking executive leadership and strategic direction for Santa Fe Opera. Only the fourth General Director in the company's 62-year history, Meya succeeds Charles MacKay who followed General Director Richard Gaddes and Company Founder John Crosby. I spoke with Robert Meya at Santa Fe Opera.

Concrete Timbre, Inc. and AWCANYC are teaming up again to bring a great way to spend a Thursday evening in August! The Red Balloon Salon features new compositions for the Cobalt Saxophone Quartet.

We've got a first look at DOCTOR ATOMIC at Santa Fe Opera! Check out the photos below!

Santa Fe Opera's General Director Charles MacKay and General Director Designate Robert Meya announced today the repertory, principal singers, conductors, directors, and designers for the company's 63rd season in 2019, along with updates to the 2018 season, which opens June 29. Joining MacKay and Meya were Santa Fe Opera Board of Directors President Susan G. Marineau, and Director of Education and Community Programs Andrea Fellows Walters.

Palm Springs Opera Guild, one of the longest-standing cultural institutions in the Coachella Valley, has selected eight emerging opera stars to compete at the upcoming 34th Annual Dorothy Nocita Memorial Palm Springs Vocal Competition on Sunday, December 3, 2017 from 3 5:30 PM. This annual free event provides an opportunity for eight emerging young opera singers to compete for nearly $40,000 in prizes, earn community recognition for their achievements, and advance their careers. The event will take place at the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center, located at 31001 Rattler Road in Rancho Mirage.

Palm Springs Opera Guild of the Desert, one of the longest-standing cultural institutions in the Coachella Valley, will host the 34th Annual Dorothy Nocita Memorial Palm Springs Vocal Competition on Sunday, December 3, 2017 from 3 6 PM. This annual free event will highlight eight emerging young opera singers as they compete for the opportunity to win more than $40,000 in prizes. The event will take place at the Helene Galen Performing Arts Center, located at 31001 Rattler Road in Rancho Mirage. The event allows young singers to earn cash scholarships, community recognition of their achievements and the opportunity to advance their careers.

With Grammy-nominated American composer Mason Bates dipping his toe into full-length operatic waters for the first time--and star librettist Mark Campbell doing it for the umpteenth--the Guggenheim Museum's “Works & Process” series gave an extended peak into the development of their new opera, THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS, which premieres on July 22 at the Santa Fe Opera (SFO). Looking back at that evening in April, I recall how the extended musical excerpts gave the audience a good idea of the brilliance of Bates's score and the general excitement in store.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce that seven members have been elected to the organization's Board of Directors. Elections took place during OPERA America's recent Annual Business Meeting, held during Opera Conference 2017 in Dallas.

As director of the company's apprentice program since 2005, David Holloway is a veritable fount of knowledge

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced that countertenor John Holiday is the 2017 winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington National Opera seek nominations for the 2017 Marian Anderson Vocal Award, which celebrates excellence in performance by recognizing a young American singer who has achieved initial professional success in the area of opera, oratorio, or recital repertory, and who exhibits promise for a significant career.

 OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce that Timothy O'Leary, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, has been elected the new chairman of OPERA America's board of directors. He has been involved with OPERA America since 2006, when he participated in Leadership Advance, one of the organization's professional development programs. He joined OPERA America's board in 2011. O'Leary was elected chairman at OPERA America's recent annual business meeting — held during Opera Conference 2016 in Montreal — where eight new members were also elected to the board and three current members were re-elected to three-year terms. 

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced today the winners of our country's two largest prizes for composers of vocal music: the Charles Ives Opera Prize of $50,000 and the Virgil Thomson Award of $40,000.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced that soprano Janai Brugger is the 2016 winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award. The Award, which honors trailblazing contralto Marian Anderson's personal and humanitarian achievements, celebrates excellence in performance by recognizing a young American singer who has achieved initial professional success in the vocal arts and who exhibits promise for a significant career. In addition to receiving a $10,000 cash prize, Ms. Brugger will perform a recital on Thursday, September 8, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Family Theater and will establish an educational residency at the opera workshop program of Washington's Duke Ellington School of the Arts.