Dick Johnson News

Over 350 guests attended a sold out festive and musical evening at South Shore Conservatory's (SSC) annual fundraiser, Chase Away the Winter Blues, on Saturday, January 31. Scroll down for photos from the event!

Conejo Players Theatre invites you to their inaugural Arts Advocate Awards, honoring outstanding local theatre champions including; Richard 'Dick' Johnson; Corey Fogelmanis of Disney Channel's Girl Meets World; and the City of Thousand Oaks.

“To be blunt, Sergei is not a nice guy,” says tenor Brandon Jovanovich, talking about his current role at the Metropolitan Opera in Dmitri Shostakovich's LADY MACBETH OF MTENSEK. “He's the kind of fellow who's jovial and friendly one minute…and then you hear he's robbed a store. He uses and abuses people--we all know someone like that, don't we?” he adds, laughing.

Puccini's La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West), opera's first 'Spaghetti Western,' opens Minnesota Opera's 2014-2015 season tonight, September 20, led by Music Director Michael Christie and a powerful trio: Claire Rutter, Rafael Davila, and Greer Grimsley. The drama and excitement of opening night inside Ordway will extend outdoors that evening with a free, live video simulcast under the stars in Rice Park.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens tonight, September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

Puccini's La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West), opera's first 'Spaghetti Western,' opens Minnesota Opera's 2014-2015 season on September 20, led by Music Director Michael Christie and a powerful trio: Claire Rutter, Rafael Davila, and Greer Grimsley. The drama and excitement of opening night inside Ordway will extend outdoors that evening with a free, live video simulcast under the stars in Rice Park.

San Francisco Opera's 2014-15 Season opens September 5, 2014 with a dramatic new production of Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto masterpiece Norma, starring American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in one of opera's most dazzling and demanding roles. American mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas is the young priestess Adalgisa; Italian tenor Marco Berti is Pollione; and American bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is Oroveso. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus and Director Kevin Newbury and set designer David Korins return to San Francisco Opera to premiere this vivid, large-scale new co-production with Toronto's Canadian Opera Company, Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Norma runs for seven performances through September 30.

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.

Minnesota Opera announces its 2014–2015 season, which presents a world premiere, a company premiere, two masterpieces not seen at Minnesota Opera in nearly three decades and a new production of an operatic blockbuster. All five productions are new to Minnesota audiences.

The Indianapolis Opera will premiere Giacomo Puccini's The Girl of the Golden West at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University for two performances only on Friday, Mar. 21 at 8 p.m. and Sunday Mar. 23 at 2 p.m.

The Hartt School has announced that celebrated tenor Robert Brubaker '77 (Bachelor of Music) will be honored with the 2013 Hartt Alumni Award at the annual Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 19. Mr. Brubaker has established himself as a leading tenor in opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, praised for the clarity and power of his voice and the impact of his acting. He has appeared at The Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Opera National de Paris, Covent Garden, Teatro alla Scala, and other major opera houses around the world. Mr. Brubaker, who will speak at Hartt's graduation ceremony, also will share his experiences and insights with students and other interested members of the University of Hartford community at Hartt's Paranov hour on April 25, from 12:15 PM to 1:05 PM, in Millard Auditorium.

Carl Tanner will sing the role of Radames in this evening's performance of Verdi's Aida, replacing Marco Berti, who is ill.

Carl Tanner will sing the role of Radames in this evening's performance of Verdi's Aida, replacing Marco Berti, who is ill.

Verdi's grand masterpiece set in Ancient Egypt, Aida, will return to the Met February 9 with Violeta Urmana in the title role of an enslaved Ethiopian princess.

Verdi's grand masterpiece set in Ancient Egypt, Aida, will return to the Met February 9 with Violeta Urmana in the title role of an enslaved Ethiopian princess.

The Met's popular free Summer HD Festival returns for the third year beginning on Saturday, August 27 in Lincoln Center Plaza with Donizetti's Don Pasquale starring Anna Netrebko, conducted by Maestro James Levine.

Due to weather reports that predict hurricane-force winds and rain for New York City this weekend, the Metropolitan Opera has cancelled the first two Summer HD Festival outdoor screenings on Lincoln Center Plaza, originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

The Met's popular free Summer HD Festival returns for the third year beginning on Saturday, August 27 in Lincoln Center Plaza with Donizetti's Don Pasquale starring Anna Netrebko, conducted by Maestro James Levine.