Danielle De Niese News

The groans were audible--no, powerful--when the Metropolitan Opera's General Manager Peter Gelb stepped out in front of the curtain on the second night of the company's new David McVicar production of Handel's GIULIO CESARE. They grew louder as he announced that soprano Natalie Dessay was ill and would not be singing the pivotal role of Cleopatra. But I'd bet that these same operagoers were cheering along with the majority of the audience at the sensational portrayal of the replacement, soprano Danielle de Niese, whose brilliant coloratura took the runs, roulades and trills of this demanding score with ease.

Danielle de Niese will sing the role of Cleopatra in this evening's performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare, replacing Natalie Dessay, who is ill.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated: a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated: a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to movie theaters, will feature 10 productions in the 2013-14 season, offering a significant portion of the Met season to opera lovers around the world.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2013-14 season will feature many of the world's greatest singers, conductors, and theater artists in 26 operas, including six new productions, of a varied repertory that ranges from the Baroque era to the 21st century. Met Music Director James Levine will return to the Met podium for the first time in two years, conducting three operas with which he has long been associated: a new production of Verdi's final masterpiece Falstaff, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, and Berg's Wozzeck. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi will be conducting two operas in the 2013-14 season, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

The Met's popular Summer HD Festival returns for its fourth year on August 25, with ten free outdoor screenings of acclaimed performances from the Met's award-winning Live in HD series. The festival, which more than 40,000 people attended last year, kicks off with a screening of the Met's recent world premiere hit The Enchanted Island, a Baroque pastiche which stars David Daniels, Joyce DiDonato, and Placido Domingo.

The Metropolitan Opera presents the return of its popular free outdoor series of summer events. For the fourth consecutive year, the Met will present operatic recitals in parks in all five boroughs, as well as a ten-day festival of encore screenings from the Met's popular HD transmissions in Lincoln Center Plaza.

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced today that The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is awarding $2 million to the internationally acclaimed company in support of expanded community engagement and new artistic initiatives.

The Enchanted Island, a world premiere work that combines Baroque music with a new, English-language libretto featuring characters from Shakespeare's The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a starry cast including Danielle de Niese, Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Plácido Domingo, and Luca Pisaroni, will air on THIRTEEN's Great Performances at the Met Friday, May 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced today that the company is reporting a breakeven operating performance for fiscal year 2012. Lyric has operated in the black for 24 of the past 25 years-a record among the country's major not-for-profit music and performing-arts companies.

The Enchanted Island, a world premiere work that combines Baroque music with a new, English-language libretto featuring characters from Shakespeare's The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a starry cast including Danielle de Niese, Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, Plácido Domingo, and Luca Pisaroni, will air on THIRTEEN's Great Performances at the Met Friday, May 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Roger Pines, dramaturg of Lyric Opera of Chicago, makes a return appearance as a panelist on the Metropolitan Opera broadcast's celebrated Opera Quiz today, May 5 - the final live radio broadcast of the Met's 2011-12 season. The radio broadcast of Jananek's The Makropulos Case begins at 11:30 a.m. CDT and is carried locally on 98.7WMFT and www.wfmt.com

Roger Pines, dramaturg of Lyric Opera of Chicago, will make a return appearance as a panelist on the Metropolitan Opera broadcast's celebratedOpera Quiz on Saturday, May 5 - the final live radio broadcast of the Met's 2011-12 season. The radio broadcast of Jana?ek's The Makropulos Case begins at 11:30 a.m. CDT and is carried locally on 98.7WMFT and www.wfmt.com

The Metropolitan Opera announced the return of its popular free outdoor series of summer events. For the fourth consecutive year, the Met will present operatic recitals in parks in all five boroughs, as well as a ten-day festival of encore screenings from the Met's popular HD transmissions in Lincoln Center Plaza.

On Twitter, Faye Dunaway had this to say @RealFayeDunaway about the upcoming big screen adaptation of Master Class. Just edited scene with Liam Dunaway O'Neill and Danielle de Niese. They are electric. We will be entered in most film festivals. Unfortunately not Cannes this year. Master Class is my dream. I work on it every day. I am a perfectionist. It shall be worth the wait.

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, today announced details of its new world premiere. Bel Canto, by the gifted young Peruvian composer Jimmy Lopez, with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz, is based on the best-selling novel by Ann Patchett. To premiere in Lyric's 2015-16 season, the new opera, commissioned as part of Lyric's Renee Fleming Initiative, will be conducted by Lyric music director Sir Andrew Davis and directed by Stephen Wadsworth.

Anthony Roth Costanzo will sing the role of Prospero tonight in this season's final performance of The Enchanted Island, replacing David Daniels, who is ill.

Anthony Roth Costanzo will sing the role of Prospero in The Enchanted Island tomorrow evening, January 28, replacing David Daniels, who is ill. Jeffrey Mandelbaum will replace Mr. Costanzo in the role of Ferdinand.

On Saturday, January 21 The Met: Live in HD series continues at the Warner's Nancy Marine Studio Theatre with a live simulcast of The Enchanted Island at 1pm.