Francesca Zambello News

The Theater St. Gallen announces the performers in the title roles of the world premiere of the musical ARTUS - Excalibur on 15 March 2014. Patrick Stanke will portray the figure of Arthur. Stanke's repertoire includes numerous leading and title roles. In 2012 he received the DaCapo Award for the best male voice. Mark Seibert will play the legendary figure of Lancelot. Seibert is currently appearing in the musical Elisabeth at the Raimund Theater in Vienna. The figure of the wizard Merlin will be played by Thomas Borchert, who is already familiar to St. Gallen audiences from his roles in the musicals Rebecca and MOSES - The 10 Commandments. The two heroines will be portrayed by Annemieke van Dam (Guinevere) and Sabrina Weckerlin (Morgan le Fay). Van Dam has interpreted the title role of Elisabeth in the eponymous musical and Sabrina Weckerlin was last seen in the German premiere of the Broadway musical Next to Normal - Fast Normal.

Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2013-2014 season with a new production honoring the 200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi, one of opera's most legendary composers: The Force of Destiny, tonight, October 12-26 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Verdi's epic romantic and political drama, which hasn't been seen in Washington in nearly 25 years, will be presented in a daring and visually striking new production directed by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello. Conductor Xian Zhang, in her WNO debut, leads the WNO Orchestra in interpreting some of Verdi's most beautiful melodies.

Superstar soprano Deborah Voigt opens her fall season on October 2, hosting a benefit concert for the Sing With Haiti project at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco; a live webcast will be available here. The same week, she returns to the Metropolitan Opera to reprise her role as host for their popular “Live in HD” series, hosting the worldwide broadcast of a new production of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (Oct 5).

The Dallas Opera has announced the opening production of their 2013-2014 “By Love Transformed” Season: Georges Bizet's colorful, sensual and passionate 19th century masterpiece, CARMEN, one of the most beloved and popular works in the entire opera canon.

Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) - led by Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson and acclaimed for its pure, agile, bel canto sound that has made it one of the most in-demand children's choirs in the county - announces its 2013-14 season, entitled 'Legacies Unleashed,' which spotlights the music of Benjamin Britten and the English choral tradition. The chorus also presents two world premieres and a broad range of other musical genres demanding remarkable vocal versatility and technical skill from LACC's accomplished young choristers, who range in age from 6 to 18.

Washington National Opera (WNO) opens its 2013-2014 season with a production honoring the 200th birthday of one of opera's most renowned composers: Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, today, September 15 through the 27th in the Kennedy Center Opera House. This epic romantic drama stars Deborah Voigt as Isolde and Ian Storey and Clifton Forbis as Tristan, and will be seen in a production new to Washington directed by Neil Armfield in his WNO debut. WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin leads the WNO Orchestra in interpreting some of Wagner's most passionate and powerful music.

Conductor James Conlon returns to the Metropolitan Opera to lead a revival of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in commemoration of the 2013 Britten centenary, with six performances beginning Friday, October 11, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. The 1996 production by Tim Albery returns to the Met after ten years, and features a cast that includes Kathleen Kim as Tytania, Erin Wall as Helena, Elizabeth DeShong as Hermia, Iestyn Davis as Oberon, Joseph Kaiser as Lysander, Michael Todd Simpson as Demetrius, Matthew Rose as Bottom, and Riley Costello as Puck.

Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) - led by Artistic Director Anne Tomlinson and acclaimed for its pure, agile, bel canto sound that has made it one of the most in-demand children's choirs in the county - announces its 2013-14 season, entitled "Legacies Unleashed," which spotlights the music of Benjamin Britten and the English choral tradition. The chorus also presents two world premieres and a broad range of other musical genres demanding remarkable vocal versatility and technical skill from LACC's accomplished young choristers, who range in age from 6 to 18.

Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2013-2014 season with a new production honoring the 200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi, one of opera's most legendary composers: The Force of Destiny, October 12-26 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Verdi's epic romantic and political drama, which hasn't been seen in Washington in nearly 25 years, will be presented in a daring and visually striking new production directed by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello. Conductor Xian Zhang, in her WNO debut, leads the WNO Orchestra in interpreting some of Verdi's most beautiful melodies.

Today we are talking a phenomenally talented performer known for his decades treading the boards in a number of featured and lead roles, most recently wowing crowds with his turn as one of the title characters in THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS - the engaging and golden-voiced Norm Lewis. Discussing many of his most celebrated roles as well as some more obscure, Lewis paints a vivid picture of his career trajectory thus far and shares compelling and candid stories of working on productions as varied and diverse as the original Broadway versions of THE WHO'S TOMMY, SIDE SHOW, THE WILD PARTY, AMOUR, THE LITTLE MERMAID and SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM as well as his sensational work regionally in projects such as his recent essaying of Javert in LES MISERABLES at The Muny (to say nothing of the 25th Anniversary live at the 02) as well as turns in SWEENEY TODD and THE WIZARD & I: THE MUSIC OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ among many others. Additionally, Lewis sheds some light on his recent onscreen work, clueing us in on how he became involved with hit nighttime soap SCANDAL and how he enjoyeds working with co-stars Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn on it - and if we will possibly see him in Season Three, perhaps. Plus, Lewis opens up about his upcoming solo gigs and performing plans - including first news on his starring part in the upcoming Public Theater musical version of THE TEMPEST - as well as touches upon a host of topics ranging from his appearances at spectacular special events - DREAMGIRLS: IN CONCERT, HAIR: IN CONCERT, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA in the Park - to his appearance in SEX & THE CITY 2 (opposite Liza Minnelli) to recording studio work, dream projects, future goals, favorite workshop/reading experiences and much, much more!

The critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, will host a special free talkback following the performance on Wednesday evening, August 14th. Focusing on the creative process of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, this one-night only event will feature stars VANESSA WILLIAMS, CUBA GOODING JR, TOM WOPAT and ADEPERO ODUYE and will be moderated by writer and critic, CARYN JAMES. All ticket holders for the evening performance on August 14th are invited to stay for the talkback. THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL talkback series kicked off last week with a panel featuring Betty Buckley, Ellen Burstyn, and Hallie Foote as they discussed the appeal and challenges of appearing in a Horton Foote play.

The Glimmerglass Festival, Central New York's opera and musical theater company, has announced its 2014 season.

Washington National Opera (WNO) opens its 2013-2014 season with a production honoring the 200th birthday of one of opera's most renowned composers: Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, September 15-27 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. This epic romantic drama stars Deborah Voigt as Isolde and Ian Storey and Clifton Forbis as Tristan, and will be seen in a production new to Washington directed by Neil Armfield in his WNO debut. WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin leads the WNO Orchestra in interpreting some of Wagner's most passionate and powerful music.

STRANGE RAIN follows two reporters as they try to unravel the mystery of a prolonged rain with the aid of lesbian psychics, comic meteorologists, a street-kid poet, and a mysterious man who talks of UFOs and secret experiments in the desert, all leading back decades to the real-life experiments of Wilhelm Reich in the 1950s. The story, though, is not so much about Reich as about deciding what is real and making peace with a difficult past. There are several love stories-central, a boy's love for his father.

The Glimmerglass Festival's theater was filled Saturday night with the light sound of dancers' footsteps, the melodic voices of children and the practiced tones of adult soloists, at the premiere of Passions. This double bill is comprised of late period baroque composer Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and the Pulitzer Prize-winning the little match girl passion by David Lang. Check out a first look at the productions below!

Artistic and General Director Francesca Zambello discusses The Glimmerglass Festival's 2013 production of PASSIONS, which features David Lang's 'the little match girl passion' and Pergolesi's 'Stabat Mater' directed and choreographed by Jessica Lang with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and Nadine Sierra. Click below to watch the behind-the-scenes video!

ADEPERO ODUYE will assume the role of Thelma in the critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, on Tuesday, July 16th. Oduye is best known for her acclaimed breakout role in Dee Ree's Sundance film, Pariah, and for her performance opposite Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard and Phylicia Rashad in the Lifetime Television movie, Steel Magnolias. Condola Rashad, who also co-starred with Oduye in Steel Magnolias, played her final performance as Thelma on Sunday, July 14.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's classical season at the Hollywood Bowl opens with celebrated conductor Michael Tilson Thomas leading the orchestra in Mahler's Second Symphony ('Resurrection') with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and soprano Kiera Duffy and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, tonight, July 9, at 8 pm. Tilson Thomas continues the opening week of the Bowl classical season, leading one of the world's greatest violinists, Gil Shaham, in Sibelius' Violin Concerto, Thursday, July 11, at 8 pm.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's classical season at the Hollywood Bowl opens with celebrated conductor Michael Tilson Thomas leading the orchestra in Mahler's Second Symphony ('Resurrection') with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and soprano Kiera Duffy and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke,Tuesday, July 9, at 8 pm. Tilson Thomas continues the opening week of the Bowl classical season, leading one of the world's greatest violinists, Gil Shaham, in Sibelius' Violin Concerto, Thursday, July 11, at 8 pm.

ANN, the new critically acclaimed play written and performed by Emmy Award-winning actress Holland Taylor and directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein, ends its run on Broadway at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street) today, June 30, 2013. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you back through ANN's beginnings on the Great White Way!