Francesca Zambello News

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced the roster of emerging artists and renowned vocal coaches engaged for the 13th season of its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Under the leadership of program director Michael Heaston, the Domingo- Cafritz Young Artist Program continues to increase its number of performances throughout the season and expand its training regimen to include mentorship by its returning Artist in Residence, the acclaimed American soprano Deborah Voigt. Additional faculty members include voice teachers Diana Soviero and William Stone; guest vocal coaches Be?ne?dicte Jourdois, Kathleen Kelly, and Danielle Orlando; career consultants Ken Benson and Matthew Epstein; and guest drama coaches Peter Kazaras and Alan Paul, among others. The new class of young artists will participate in several world premiere productions during the 2014-2015 season as part of

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

The Glimmerglass Festival has announced its 2015 Festival, which will celebrate the company's 40th anniversary. The 2015 Festival will feature Mozart's The Magic Flute, Verdi's Macbeth, Vivaldi's Cato in Utica and Bernstein's Candide. The productions will run in repertory in the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown July 10 through August 23. These mainstage offerings will be complemented by lectures, concerts and other special events.

This July and August 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

When I was in Afghanistan, all's I wanted to do was come back to America. But when I got home to America there was this empty feeling and I just wanted to go back to Afghanistan. When your life is so extreme every single day, and you're just adrenaline pumping every day, and then you just come home to this perfect little world, it kind of just sets you off balance.­-Lance Corporal Kevin Daly.

The Glimmerglass Festival presents the premiere of a new version of An American Tragedy, which was originally commissioned by and premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 2005, by composer Tobias Picker and librettist Gene Scheer on Sunday, July 20 at 1:30 p.m., with subsequent performances through Sunday, August 24. One hour prior to the opening performance and other matinee performances, Mr. Picker will preview his work in a free discussion at the Preview Pavilion next to the performance venue. The production is directed by Peter Kazaras and conducted by George Manahan, and the cast features Glimmerglass's 2014 Young Artists. Tickets range from $10-$144 and can be purchased by calling the box office at(607) 547-2255 or online at glimmerglass.org.

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's SHOW BOAT opens San Francisco Opera's Summer Season, running now through July 2, 2014. A watershed of American musical theater, Show Boat receives its company premiere in director Francesca Zambello's new grand-scale 'beautifully sung, smartly staged and handsomely designed (Chicago Tribune)' production. Scroll down to watch a sneak peek at Tony winner Bill Irwin as 'Captain Andy'!

A true classic of American musical theater, this tale of life on the Mississippi from the 1880s to the 1920s is both a poignant love story and a powerful reminder of the bitter legacy of racism. Director Francesca Zambello's grand-scale production is 'a triumph-a stylish, fast-paced and colorful show that had the capacity audience on its feet, cheering loud and long' (Chicago Classical Review). The magnificent Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II score, which includes such classic songs as 'Ol' Man River,' 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man,' 'Make Believe' and 'You Are Love,' will sound glorious 'under the authoritative baton of music-theater maestro John DeMain' (Chicago Tribune). 'No one should miss it' (Chicago Sun-Times).

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat opens San Francisco Opera's Summer Season on June 1 with nine subsequent performances through July 2, 2014. A watershed of American musical theater, Show Boat receives its Company premiere in director Francesca Zambello's new grand-scale "beautifully sung, smartly staged and handsomely designed (Chicago Tribune)" production

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat opens San Francisco Opera's Summer Season on June 1 with nine subsequent performances through July 2, 2014. A watershed of American musical theater, Show Boat receives its Company premiere in director Francesca Zambello's new grand-scale "beautifully sung, smartly staged and handsomely designed (Chicago Tribune)" production. A beloved story of life on the Mississippi in the 1880s, Show Boat is both a poignant love story and a powerful reminder of America's bitter legacy of racism. The score is filled with unforgettable songs such as "Ol' Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," and the dazzling production features large, colorful sets, sumptuous costumes and exhilarating dance numbers. Of recent performances at Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Chronicle wrote "[This is] a towering work. . . there's a magnificence in its music, its narrative sweep, its deep awareness of something bigger than ourselves."

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces an extension of In the Garden: A Darwinian Love Story, the World-Premiere production by Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter and directed by Jessica Thebus. The show now runs through Sunday, June 29, 2014. The two-week extension goes on sale to the public on Thursday, May 15, 2014. In the Garden runs at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson.

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced principal casting and performance dates for its first complete presentation of Richard Wagner's four-part Ring cycle. Three full cycles will be presented from April 30 to May 22, 2016 and will be directed by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and conducted by WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin.

The world's most celebrated dancing partners, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev are re-united for this summer's hottest ticket, at the London Coliseum, Wednesday 6th - Saturday 9th August in producer Sergei Danilian's presentation of SOLO FOR TWO.

Continuing its 26th Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of In the Garden: A Darwinian Love Story, by Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter and directed by Jessica Thebus. In the Garden runs today, April 16 - June 15, 2014 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 7:30 p.m..

Washington National Opera (WNO) celebrates its sixth season of free opera simulcasts at Nationals Park with title sponsor Mars, Incorporated for the M&M'S® Opera in the Outfield performance of Mozart's beloved classic The Magic Flute on Saturday, May 3, 2014. Sung in English and featuring a colorful kaleidoscope of sets and costumes by Japanese- American artist Jun Kaneko, The Magic Flute is a perfect opera for the entire family. Gates open at 5 p.m. for “pregame” activities, and the opera will be broadcast live from the Kennedy Center Opera House to the high-definition NatsHD scoreboard at the ballpark at 7 p.m. Free seating will be available in the stands, while access to the outfield will be limited on a first-come, first-served basis when gates open at 5 p.m. More information, including a chance to RSVP to win prizes, is available at OperaintheOutfield.org.

This month, Deborah Voigt embarks on a spring recital tour that will place the superstar soprano on both coasts for a program of songs by Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, William Bolcom, Ben Moore, Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky. She said of the recital repertoire: 'It gives me a chance to show a side of my personality that doesn't come out when I'm singing all these very serious heroines' (South Florida Classical Review). Joined by her long-time collaborative pianist, Brian Zeger, artistic director of the vocal arts department at Juilliard, Voigt launches her new tour at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California, on April 8. She makes her debut at Stanford University's Bing Concert Hall on April 11, and on April 13 she sings at the new Green Music Center on the Sonoma State University campus. Voigt continues the tour on the East Coast with a return engagement in the 75th anniversary season of Boston's popular Celebrity Series, and on May 10 she returns to the Met to host the 'Live in HD' broadcast of Rossini's La Cenerentola.

This month, Deborah Voigt embarks on a spring recital tour that will place the superstar soprano on both coasts for a program of songs by Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, William Bolcom, Ben Moore, Richard Strauss and Tchaikovsky. She said of the recital repertoire: 'It gives me a chance to show a side of my personality that doesn't come out when I'm singing all these very serious heroines' (South Florida Classical Review). Joined by her long-time collaborative pianist, Brian Zeger, artistic director of the vocal arts department at Juilliard, Voigt launches her new tour at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California, on April 8. She makes her debut at Stanford University's Bing Concert Hall on April 11, and on April 13 she sings at the new Green Music Center on the Sonoma State University campus. Voigt continues the tour on the East Coast with a return engagement in the 75th anniversary season of Boston's popular Celebrity Series, and on May 10 she returns to the Met to host the 'Live in HD' broadcast of Rossini's La Cenerentola.