Houston Grand Opera News

Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2014-2015 season with a Broadway-bound, world-class revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide. Can-Can will play the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from tonight, October 1 through October 26, 2014. The official press opening night is Sunday, October 5, at 7:00pm.

Broadway stars Nat Chandler (Scarlet Pimpernel, The Phantom of The Opera) and Teri Dale Hansen (Boys from Syracuse, Show Boat) will be appearing with the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra (under conductor Dr. Jacob Chi) in MANCINI AND MOONLIGHT Saturday, October 4th at 7:30pm in Hoag Recital Hall on the campus of Colorado State University -- Pueblo.

Mozart's final opera, Die Zauberflöte, returns to the Met October 6 for its first full-length performances in German in five seasons. Julie Taymor's imaginative production will be conducted by Adam Fischer and star English tenor Toby Spence as the hero Tamino; South African soprano Pretty Yende as the princess Pamina in her first Met performances since her star-making 2013 company debut; Macedonian soprano Ana Durlovski in her Met debut as Pamina's mother, the terrifying Queen of the Night; Austrian baritone Markus Werba as Papageno, the hapless birdcatcher who is caught up in Tamino's quest; American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny as the mysterious Speaker of the Temple; and German bass René Pape as the Queen of the Night's nemesis, Sarastro.

San Francisco Opera Center Director Sheri Greenawald announced today the twelve recipients of the 2015 Adler Fellowship, a multi-year performance-oriented residency offering advanced young artists intensive individual training, coaching, and professional seminars, as well as a wide range of performance opportunities. Adler Fellows are selected from the young artists who have participated in the Merola Opera Program.

Disguised lovers, tricky servants, and well-meaning parents cross and double-cross one another in Carlo Goldoni's 18th century slapstick filled, comic gem. The characters' search for a happy ending depends entirely on the wily servant Truffaldino, who is constantly on the lookout for a decent meal. Truffaldino's attempt to double his wages by being the servant to two masters unravels with delicious mayhem.

Washington National Opera (WNO) opens its 2014-2015 season with the company premiere of Daniel Cata?n and Marcela Fuentes-Berain's Florencia in the Amazon, today, September 20-28 in the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Skylight Music Theatre is creating a new production of Rossini's classic opera La Cenerentola. The production runs today, September 19th through October 5th in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center (158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee WI).

The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, the only grand opera company in Bergen County, New Jersey, concludes its 25th anniversary season, Vive la France, with Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème. Artistic Director Lucine Amara announced the cast that will perform Puccini's renowned, romantic score on Sundays, October 19 and 26, 3:00 p.m., at the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), located at 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey.

Founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement has announced details of Opera Parallèle's 2014--2015 season, which will feature the premiere of a new production of Jake Heggie's acclaimed Dead Man Walking--marking the 15th anniversary of one of the most widely performed operas of the 21st century--and the U.S. premiere of vibrant composer Tarik O'Regan's Heart of Darkness. Both operas, based on significant literary works, plumb the depths of human emotion, resilience, fortitude, hope and redemption, making them ideal subjects for the operatic stage and for Opera Parallèle's brand of story-telling and rich exploration of the human experience in provocative and intense stagings. Both original Opera Parallèle productions will be led by Paiement on the podium, with production design and direction by Opera Parallèle Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel and members of the creative team responsible for OP's acclaimed productions of Orphée, The Great Gatsby, Ainadamar, and Trouble in Tahiti.

Pioneer Theatre Company presents the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, tonight, September 12 through 27, 2014.

Washington National Opera (WNO) presents An Evening with Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pe?rez, featuring the celebrated husband-and-wife stars of last season's production of The Elixir of Love, tonight, September 10, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Accompanied on piano by Danielle Orlando, Costello and Pe?rez will perform songs, arias, and duets from popular works by Verdi, Puccini, Hahn, Tosti, Falla, Heggie, and more.

American Opera Projects and LivelyWorks present Two Premieres and a Reunion, a special evening of music by composer Conrad Cummings tonight, September 10th, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at The National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan.

The Metropolitan Opera will open its 130th season on Monday, September 22 with a new production of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Met Music Director James Levine and directed by Richard Eyre.

Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta has announced that individual tickets for the Atlanta premiere of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage at the Fox Theatre will go on sale September 14 at 10 a.m.

Join Houston Grand Opera for an evening of celebration as it opens its 60th anniversary season with a dramatic production of Verdi's Otello followed by an evening of entertainment and fundraising at the Opening Night Dinner Celebration at the Wortham Theater Center. Otello is sung by an internationally acclaimed cast, led by Simon O'Neill, Ailyn Pérez, Marco Vratogna, Norman Reinhardt, Victoria Livengood, and Morris Robinson.

Joyce DiDonato sings the title role in Rossini's Cinderella story, La Cenerentola, with bel canto master Juan Diego Florez as her dashing prince. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads a cast that also includes Pietro Spagnoli in his Met debut as the servant Dandini, Alessandro Corbelli as Cenerentola's stepfather Don Magnifico, and Luca Pisaroni as Don Ramiro's tutor, Alidoro, on GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET tonight, September 7 at 12 p.m. on PBS. (In New York, THIRTEEN will air the opera at 12:30 p.m.)

San Francisco Opera presents the Company premiere of Carlisle Floyd's two-act opera Susannah today, September 6 at the War Memorial Opera House.

Stephen Costello looks forward to a number of important firsts in 2014-15. Besides creating the role of Michele in San Francisco Opera's world premiere production of Two Women, the Tucker Award-winning tenor returns to the Metropolitan Opera for a pair of house role debuts, reprising his star turn as Alfredo -- also seen this season at the Vienna State Opera -- in La traviata, and singing Camille in Susan Stroman's new staging of The Merry Widow. He makes his professional role debut as Ferrando in Così fan tutte at Houston Grand Opera, and house debuts at both Austin Lyric Opera, in the title role of a new Roméo et Juliette, and London's Wigmore Hall, where he launches the season with a solo recital in the prestigious Rosenblatt Series. Costello also joins his wife, soprano Ailyn Pérez, for romantic duets from their recent hit album, Love Duets, with the BBC Symphony at London's Barbican Hall, and on a U.S. duo recital tour to the opera houses of Washington, Dallas, San Diego, and Philadelphia.

American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who last week won First Prize at the prestigious Operalia competition, will make her Met debut as Countess Almaviva in this December's performances of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. Willis-Sørensen will sing the role on December 4, 8, 12, 15, and 20 matinee, replacing the originally announced Amanda Majeski, who now sings the September and October performances of the opera.

There's something for everyone on stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. From daytime programs especially for young children to family friendly evening performances of music, dance, theatre and more, this is Houston's best entertainment value.