Frederica von Stade News

The famous mezzo soprano Fredericka von Stade is in San Diego this week rehearsing Three Decembers, one of several works written with her in mind by her close friend Jake Heggie. The chamber opera for three singers and 11 musicians will be performed three times next weekend at the 500-seat Patrick Henry PHAME Theatre. Von Stade recognized Heggie's talent long before he wrote his first opera and has been an influential champion ever since. Their friendship and collaboration have benefitted both. In my interview with her in a San Diego Opera rehearsal room she said, 'He's given me a second career with parts in Dead Man Walking and Great Scott, and a lot of song cycles. He's my guy.'

Twenty of the world's most outstanding classical singers are today [4 March 2019] announced for BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2019. The biennial competition returns to Cardiff between 15-22 June 2019 and audiences in the UK and beyond can follow all the live drama of the competition on BBC TV, radio and online.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announces the appointment of baritone Matthew Worth to its voice faculty. Worth will lead a full studio at SFCM beginning in Fall 2019, joining the voice department led by chair Cesar Ulloa. Worth's appointment comes just after the announcement of Rhoslyn Jones joining SFCM's faculty.

San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program present the 36th season of the Schwabacher Recital Series, opening on February 13 and continuing through April 24. The four-recital series offers music lovers an opportunity to hear opera's next generation of stars in the intimate and state-of-the-art Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco.

Well, it's that time of the year again--time for a look-back on what was worth making note of during the calendar year that's about to come to an end. It's from a totally personal, subjective point of view, of course, but frankly that's the way opera-lovers always seem to like it, n'est-ce pas? The productions worth noting come from places big, small and in-between, from composers old as the hills to freshly minted or somewhere in between (likewise the performers), from traditional or boldly modern to simply stand up and sing.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but WALLS - Barbra Streisand's thirty-sixth studio album - is the first I have ever listened to by the iconic songstress. But I'm not embarrassed to admit that I love it. Alternating between heartfelt ballads and stirring anthems, Streisand's WALLS proves that the luster hasn't worn off of her star; in fact, it's as vibrant and enchanting as ever.

Haunting, gentle spirits from far-flung worlds meet in the pulsing sphere of dreams and lullabies that is Angel Heart, a music storybook. With an original tale by best-selling children's fantasy writer Cornelia Funke, Angel Heart weaves an evocative original score by Luna Pearl Woolf with beloved songs by Irving Berlin, Lennon-McCartney, Jake Heggie, Engelbert Humperdinck, Gordon Getty, and others. An affecting narration by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons layers upon intoxicating performances by singers Frederica von Stade, Daniel Taylor, Lisa Delan, and Zheng Cao – all above a rich bed of cellos, Matt Haimovitz and his Grammy-nominated ensemble Uccello.

Eisemann Center Presents A Holiday Celebration of Hope & Unity featuring the Sonos Handbell Ensemble from Oakland, CA, mezzo-soprano and opera superstar Frederica von Stade and the Dallas Street Choir at the Eisemann Center, 2351 Performance Drive in Richardson, Texas on Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at 7:30 pm in the Hill Performance Hall. Donations of new or gently used, clean clothing and blankets are being accepted and will be given to and distributed by The Stewpot, a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announces the appointments of mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and soprano Marnie Breckenridge to its faculty. Von Stade, a longtime friend of the Conservatory and honorary doctorate recipient, will take on coaching responsibilities within SFCM's voice department, and Breckenridge, an alumna (class of '96), will lead a private studio.

This December, Tony Award-winning actress Sutton Foster and renowned actor Hugh Bonneville, of 'Downton Abbey' on MASTERPIECE, will star as guest musical artist and narrator, respectively, in the beloved annual holiday television special 'Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir' on PBS and BYUtv. A 60-minute version of the program returns for the 15th consecutive year when it premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 17 (check local listings) on PBS stations. The special has been the top-viewed holiday program on PBS nearly every year for the past 14 years[1]. BYUtv, a nationwide family entertainment network that produces the broadcast and co-presents it to millions of viewers worldwide alongside WGBH, will air the full 90-minute version at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 20.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra announced the November 9 release of its latest album, American Originals: 1918, under the direction of Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. The recording is inspired by America's cultural awakening at the end of the First World War one hundred years ago and the distinctly American musical styles that reflect the country's diversity. This album celebrates and reimagines popular songs of this era that remain fresh and relevant today with acclaimed musical collaborators including Rhiannon Giddens, Steep Canyon Rangers and Pokey LaFarge. The 95th Cincinnati Pops album was recorded live at Cincinnati Music Hall November 10- 12, 2017, and is being released on the Orchestra's label, Fanfare Cincinnati.

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.

In 2019, San Francisco's acclaimed Merola Opera Program will present the first opera commissioned in the Program's history, the world premiere of If I Were You, by distinguished American composer Jake Heggie and noted librettist Gene Scheer. This ground-breaking work will be presented August 1 - 6, 2019, at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre. Today it was announced the opera will be conducted by Nicole Paiement and directed by Keturah Stickann. Information is available at www.merola.org. Tickets will go on sale in Spring 2019.

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra announced the November 9 release of its latest album, American Originals: 1918, under the direction of Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. The recording is inspired by America's cultural awakening at the end of the First World War one hundred years ago and the distinctly American musical styles that reflect the country's diversity. This album celebrates and reimagines popular songs of this era that remain fresh and relevant today with acclaimed musical collaborators including Rhiannon Giddens, Steep Canyon Rangers and Pokey LaFarge. The 95th Cincinnati Pops album was recorded live at Cincinnati Music Hall November 10- 12, 2017, and is being released on the Orchestra's label, Fanfare Cincinnati.

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.

Songs by Wagner, Schumann, Ravel, and Falla   Carnegie Hall today announced that pianist Kevin Murphy will replace Malcolm Martineau performing in recital with mezzo-soprano El?na Garan?a in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage next Tuesday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m. Mr. Martineau has withdrawn from this performance due to a death in his family. The evening's program, which features songs by Wagner, Schumann, Ravel, and Falla, remains the same. Full program information is listed below.

Stephen Lawless will be directing the San Diego Opera's production of The Marriage of Figaro this week. I met with him in the opera company's rehearsal room recently to discuss that, how he came to be a director, and his views of a director's responsibilities.

As BroadwayWorld sadly reported last week, composer/lyricist/actress Carol Hall passed away at age 82. We remember the Broadway veteran below.

BroadwayWorld is sad to report that composer/lyricist/actress Carol Hall has passed away at age 82.

Young opera singers from across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and for the first time, Mexico, will compete for $15,000 cash prizes and the opportunity to launch major operatic careers, when the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions launches its 65th annual auditions program this fall. Over 1,000 singers between the ages of 20 and 30 will participate in the program, the longest-running singing competition in the country. Finalists will perform on the stage of the Met at the Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, March 31, 2019.