Eric Owens News

George and Ira Gershwin's masterpiece opera Porgy and Bess, based on the play by Dubose and Dorothy Heyward, premieres on PBS this fall with the critically acclaimed production from San Francisco Opera. THE GERSHWINS'® PORGY AND BESS airs Friday, October 17, 2014, at 9:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of thePBS Arts Fall Festival, which highlights artists and performances from around the country and invites every American to have a front-row seat and a backstage pass for the country's best arts performances.

Opera Philadelphia opens its 40th Anniversary Season in grand fashion this September, with a New Production of The Barber of Seville. Rossini's comic masterpiece will be presented in five performances at the Academy of Music, today, Sept. 26 through Oct. 5, with a FREE HD broadcast on a giant screen at Independence National Historical Park on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Angela Meade - the face of Opera News's forthcoming annual "Diva" issue - dominates the New York cultural scene this season. In concert, the American soprano makes her New York Philharmonic debutunder Alan Gilbert's direction in Verdi's Requiem (Jan 15-17), and gives two performances at Carnegie Hall, first joining the Philadelphia Orchestra for Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony (Oct 31), and then starring in Rossini's William Tell with Italy's Teatro Regio di Torino led by Gianandrea Noseda (Dec 7), in the penultimate stop on their North American tour.

The Berliner Philharmoniker releases its live recording of Bach's spiritual and dramatic St John Passion, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and staged by Peter Sellars, in a box set comprising both DVD and Blu-Ray, today, September 19.

Riccardo Muti returns to Chicago in September for the start of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 2014/15 concert season-his fifth season as music director. Muti's three-week residency begins with performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 tonight, September 18 at 8 p.m., Sunday, September 21 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Center in downtown Chicago.

On Friday, November 21, the Metropolitan Opera Guild's 80th Annual Luncheon presents "Brava, Jessye!" to salute the legendary Jessye Norman, who recently wrote about her life in a memoir titled Stand Up Straight and Sing!

The Berliner Philharmoniker releases its live recording of Bach's spiritual and dramatic St John Passion, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and staged by Peter Sellars, in a box set comprising both DVD and Blu-Ray, on Friday, September 19. The linen-bound hardcover edition from the orchestra's new in-house label, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings, features St John Passion in the best possible picture and sound quality with extensive bonus material, including an interview with Sir Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars, an introduction to the work by Chorus Master Simon Halsey, and a comprehensive booklet with photos. The set is available from www.berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com and Arkiv Music.

Riccardo Muti returns to Chicago in September for the start of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 2014/15 concert season-his fifth season as music director. Muti's three-week residency begins with performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 on Thursday, September 18 at 8 p.m., Sunday, September 21 at 3 p.m. and Tuesday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Center in downtown Chicago.

There will be a memorial celebrating the life of Arthur Gelb, the legendary editor of The New York Times, today, September 9 at 1:30pm. The free event, which is open to the public, will be held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street between 7th & 8th Avenues).

MIAMI, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts), the non-profit organization that contributes to the cultural vitality of the nation by supporting the artistic development of talented young artists, is celebrating YoungArts Awareness Day, a nationwide initiative to 'keep arts alive' today, Monday, September 8, 2014. Encouraging everyone who has a creative instinct to take part, YoungArts Awareness Day will feature pop-up performances and events in Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and New York City, and invites artists across the country to create and share their own work or their artistic experiences via social media with the tags #keepartsalive, #youngarts and #youngartsawarenessday.

There will be a memorial celebrating the life of Arthur Gelb, the legendary editor of The New York Times, on Tuesday, September 9 at 1:30pm. The free event, which is open to the public, will be held at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street between 7th & 8th Avenues).

Last night, after a week of competition that brought 40 young singers from 17 nations to Los Angeles, Placido Domingo announced that Rachel Willis-Sorensen, an American soprano, and Mario Chang, a Guatemalan tenor, took the top prizes tonight in the 22nd edition of Operalia, the World Opera Competition. Hosted by LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the weeklong contest culminated tonight in a Gala Finals Concert-featuring the LA Opera Orchestra conducted by Mr. Domingo at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion-which was streamed live on Medici TV.

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts), the non-profit organization that contributes to the cultural vitality of the nation by supporting the artistic development of talented young artists, today announces YoungArts Awareness Day, a nationwide initiative to "keep arts alive" on Monday, September 8. Encouraging everyone who has a creative instinct to take part, YoungArts Awareness Day will feature pop-up performances and events in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City and invites artists across the country to create and share their own work, or their artistic experiences at museums and concerts via social media with the tags #keepartsalive, #youngarts and #youngartsawarenessday.

A number of program changes and additions have been made to the performances, screenings, and events of Lincoln Center'sWhite Light Festival 2014 and Great Performers 2014-2015 series. See below!

The Collegiate Chorale announces its 2014-15 season: the New York City Premiere of Eric Idle and John DuPrez's Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, followed by George F. Handel's Susanna at Town Hall, and the US Premiere of Kurt Weill and Franz Werfel's The Road of Promise at Carnegie Hall.

Opera Philadelphia opens its 40th Anniversary Season in grand fashion this September, with a New Production of The Barber of Seville. Rossini's comic masterpiece will be presented in five performances at the Academy of Music, Sept. 26 through Oct. 5, with a FREE HD broadcast on a giant screen at Independence National Historical Park on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Exactly 125 years from when the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University opened its doors in 1889, the National Historic Landmark, led by Board Chairman Melvin L. Katten and Executive Director Brett Batterson, celebrates its milestone 125th Anniversary with a special performance, "Living the History - 125 Years of the Auditorium Theatre" on December 9, 2014. The celebratory evening, which begins with a star-studded program at the Auditorium Theatre (50 E Congress Pkwy), will include a tribute to the diverse entertainment that has been, and continues to be presented at the theatre including symphonic music, opera, Broadway musicals, rock music and dance. The performance will be immediately followed by a Gala Celebration Dinner at the Palmer House Hilton (17 E Monroe) to cap off the extraordinary night.

San Francisco Opera and KQED 9 partner once again bring the glory of grand opera to the living rooms of the Bay Area. Recorded in impressive high-definition and in 5.1 surround sound at the War Memorial Opera House, the television specials showcase the imaginative stagings and all-star casts from San Francisco Opera's recent productions of I Capuleti e i Montecchi, the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet accompanied by some of Bellini's most beautiful melodies; Verdi's Attila, a complex look at a legendary warrior tormented by fierce internal doubts; Mefistofele,Boito's resplendent retelling of Goethe's Faust; and Verdi's Rigoletto about a vengeful court jester desperately trying to protect his daughter from disaster.

Tickets go on sale today, August 13, for Opera Philadelphia's 40th Anniversary Season, featuring a stellar cast of international opera stars in five new productions at the Academy of Music and the Perelman Theater.

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, August 13, for Opera Philadelphia's 40th Anniversary Season, featuring a stellar cast of international opera stars in five new productions at the Academy of Music and the Perelman Theater. Single tickets will be available at operaphila.org or 215-893-1018.