Acclaimed Broadway performer Corey Cott and rising star Mikaela Bennett will headline Lyric Opera of Chicago's premiere of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's groundbreaking American musical West Side Story, presented from May 3 - June 2, 2019 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago (press opening May 4, 2019).
Hammer Theatre Center presents Jessica Lang Dance, the lauded New York City-based dance company dedicated to enriching and inspiring global audiences with its artfully crafted and emotionally engaging works
Lyric Opera of Chicago will hold auditions for dancer/singer/actors for the 2018-19 Season production of Leonard Bernstein's musical theater masterpiece West Side Story. Directed by Francesca Zambello, this new co-production is shared by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and the Glimmerglass Festival. James Lowe is the conductor and the original Jerome Robbins' choreography will be recreated by Julio Monge. Eric Sean Fogel is the associate director. The production design is contemporary, with sets by Peter J. Davison, costumes by Jessica Jahn and lighting by Mark McCullough.
Washington National Opera (WNO) presents the seventh season of its acclaimed American Opera Initiative (AOI) with four world premieres from January 11-13, 2019, in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. A comprehensive commissioning program that originates and develops new works, the American Opera Initiative provides rare opportunities for emerging composers and librettists to partner and write for the opera stage. The Initiative encourages and ensures the future of contemporary American opera through development, mentorship, and performance, with works based on American themes and stories. Since its inception, the annual program has commissioned 28 chamber operas, with some going on to future productions around the country; notables include this summer's successful production by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis of An American Soldier, an AOI commission in 2014, and Opera Omaha's and Miller Theater's recent productions of AOI's 2018 commission, Proving Up.
Works & Process at the Guggenheim is pleased to announce its spring 2019 season. Since 1984 the performing arts series has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to leading creators. Programs explore the artistic process through stimulating discussions and riveting performance highlights. Each 70-minute program takes place in the intimate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater. Additional information is available at worksandprocess.org.
Annenberg Center Live presents Jessica Lang Dance, Friday, November 30 (8 PM) and December 1 (2 PM and 8 PM). Tickets are available at AnnenbergCenter.org or 215.898.3900.
Multi-hyphenate artist and national arts leader Marc Bamuthi Joseph will join the leadership team of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, effective January 1, 2019. The dynamic cultural curator will assume a newly created role of Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact, charged with weaving together and advancing the Center's many and varied local and national community engagement initiatives.
Producer Mark Cortale has announced that his acclaimed Broadway @ NOCCA concert series will present Christine Ebersole, two-time Tony Award-winner for Grey Gardens and 42nd Street and star of Oscar-winning films such as Amadeus and Tootsie, on Saturday, December 15 at 8:00 PM
Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its annual holiday family opera tradition with The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me, December 14-16, 2018, in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Based on Jeanette Winterson's award-winning children's book which tells the Nativity story from the donkey's point of view, The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me features music by Tony-award winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) and a libretto by the late poet J.D. 'Sandy' McClatchy. These performances star current and former members of WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.
On Friday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m., the Carnegie Hall Notables-a membership and ticket program for music enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s-presents Jamie Barton in an exclusive concert in Zankel Hall for Notables members only. The concert features the award-winning mezzo-soprano alongside pianist Kathleen Kelly performing Lee Hoiby's Bon Appetit!-a 20-minute operatic scene for mezzo-soprano and piano based on an actual Julia Child cooking show-with additional selections to be announced from the stage.
The New York Pops celebrates the holidays with Under the Mistletoe, on Friday, December 21 and Saturday, December 22 at 8:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra, led by Music Director Steven Reineke, is joined by Ashley Brown (Broadway's original Mary Poppins, and Belle in the Broadway version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast) for a concert of classic and contemporary carols including "Deck the Halls," "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Winter Wonderland", and "O Holy Night." Ashley and The New York Pops will also be joined by Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA, who are featured on a Hanukkah Medley, as well as other seasonal favorites.
The Verdi Chorus 35th anniversary season culminates with its Fall 2018 concert Passione! Opera! for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 10 and 11 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, this program, which marks the end of a landmark year for the company, will feature selections from three Verdi operas - Aida, Don Carlo, and the famed chorus "Va, pensiero," from Nabucco, as well as operatic sequences from Boito's Mefistofele, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Catalani's La Wally and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.
The Atlanta Opera opens the 2018-19 mainstage season with a production of Leonard Bernstein's classic Broadway musical, West Side Story. Francesca Zambello, General & Artistic Director of The Glimmerglass Festival and Artistic Director of Washington National Opera, who created this new production with Houston Grand Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Lyric Opera of Chicago, will direct.
Even if you've never seen an opera, you know at least one or two of the tunes from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, which has become one of the most popular modern representations for classical opera. While the work was jeered at the time of its premiere, this tragic tale has aged beautifully-with a lush score featuring some of the greatest duets. The Washington National Opera's newest production injects new life into this piece, thanks to smart directorial choices by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and a top-notch creative team.
Washington National Opera opens its 2018-2019 season with a stunning new production by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello of Verdi's La traviata, October 6-21, 2018, in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets start at $45. From the famous brindisi drinking song to the heartbreaking 'Addio del passato' aria, the original 'Pretty Woman' proves it's better to have loved once than not at all. Verdi's romantic masterpiece and familiar tunes are as timeless as the storyline is contemporary, pitting tensions of social class against Violetta's personal sacrifice.
Composer, Conductor and Educator Tania Leon has been elected as a new member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in the category of Visual Arts and Performing Arts - Criticism and Practice along with other noted and distinguished artists. (See list below). Ms. Leon will be inducted in to the Academy this weekend, October 5th in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Named for the groundbreaking African American contralto, the Marian Anderson Vocal Award recognizes a young American singer in opera, oratorio, or recital repertoire with outstanding promise for a significant career. Washington National Opera (WNO) named bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as the 2018 recipient earlier this year and is pleased to present him in concert today, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $39.
Ellen Berelson, Chair of Washington National Opera's (WNO) Board of Trustees, and Timothy O'Leary, WNO's new General Director, announce important updates to the company's leadership structure, laying the groundwork for a new era of bold artistic plans and service to the Washington community. WNO has renewed the engagement of Francesca Zambello as Artistic Director for three years, following a unanimous vote by the WNO Board of Trustees to extend her contract. Also announced is the appointment of American conductor Evan Rogister as Principal Conductor through the 2021-2022 season. Additionally, O'Leary and Zambello have completed the formation of WNO's new management team through key hires for top administrative posts.
Washington National Opera (WNO) is grateful to announce the receipt of an unexpected $1.1 million donation from Clifford D. Thomson, a member of the Washington National Opera Chorus for 30 years.
The Verdi Chorus 35th anniversary season culminates with its Fall 2018 concert Passione! Opera! for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 10 and 11 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, this program, which marks the end of a landmark year for the company, will feature selections from three Verdi operas - Aida, Don Carlo, and the famed chorus 'Va, pensiero,' from Nabucco, as well as operatic sequences from Boito's Mefistofele, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Catalani's La Wally and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.