Houston Grand Opera News

The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall (SPMH) is pleased to announce its third organ concert in the Music Hall Ballroom - On Broadway with the Mighty Wurlitzer - on Thursday, May 5 at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM.

Philadelphia Theatre Company continues its 35th Anniversary Season with the Philadelphia debut of Anna Deavere Smith in her one-woman, award-winning show Let Me Down Easy, running March 18 through April 10, 2011 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

Dongwon Shin singt den Radames in den Vorstellungen von 'Aida' am 17., 20. und 23. März anstelle des erkrankten Francesco Hong.

A revival of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades will open at the Met on March 11, with a cast led by Karita Mattila as Lisa, a role she sang in the production's 1995 premiere. Mattila's three co-stars are singing their roles for the first time at the Met: Vladimir Galouzine, one of the world's leading interpreters of Hermann; Swedish baritone Peter Mattei as his romantic rival Yeletsky; and dramatic mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as the Countess. The energetic Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons leads the opera for the first time at the Met, in a revival of Elijah Moshinsky's 1995 staging. The opera, which is based on a Pushkin story, will also feature Tamara Mumford as Pauline and Alexey Markov as Tomsky.

A revival of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades will open at the Met on March 11, with a cast led by Karita Mattila as Lisa, a role she sang in the production's 1995 premiere.

JOURNEY OF THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER follows the creation of the San Francisco Opera's celebrated production of The Bonesetter's Daughter, composed by Stewart Wallace with a libretto by Amy Tan and based on her bestselling book of the same name.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City closes its 53rd season April 9 through 17 with a new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, which will be performed in Italian with English subtitles.

Texas Performing Arts continues a history of presenting the world's greatest operatic voices. Considered one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones today, Nathan Gunn performs with accompanist and wife Julie Gunn in the acoustic richness of Bates Recital Hall, Wednesday, March 9.

The Sheldon presents 'Colors of Russia' featuring David Halen, violin, Miran Halen, soprano and Natasha Paremski, piano, Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 8 p.m. in the perfect acoustics of the Sheldon Concert Hall. Inspired by Russian-born painter Marc Chagall's Snowing, from the collection of the St. Louis Art Museum , colorful Russian music is performed by Symphony Concertmaster David Halen and Moscow-born rising star pianist Natasha Paremski with soprano Miran Halen. The program will include Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in its original form for solo piano, Prokofiev's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Rachmaninoff Preludes, and Arensky's Piano Trio. Join us at 7:10 for a pre-concert talk with pianist Peter Henderson.

A singer could scarcely be hotter than Joyce DiDonato right now: recently named Artist of the Year by Gramophone magazine, the mezzo-soprano has a new Virgin/EMI album just out (Diva, Divo, released Jan 25); is currently starring in the lead role of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking at Houston Grand Opera; and soon embarks on an eight-city U.S. recital tour (Feb 8 - March 6), capping it with her main-stage Carnegie Hall recital debut.

A revival of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades will open at the Met on March 11, with a cast led by Karita Mattila as Lisa, a role she sang in the production's 1995 premiere.

The Opera Orchestra of New York will present an opera-in-concert performance of Giacomo Meyerbeer's L'Africaine conducted by the company's Music Director Eve Queler on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. at Avery Fisher Hall.

Rossini's delightful comic opera, The Barber of Seville will close on February 27, 2011 at Opera San Jose. The charming tale of a clever young woman, her eager lover, and their resourceful accomplice, Figaro, The Barber of Seville is a tuneful testament to all that's wonderful about fun and romance.

Natalie Dessay will return to the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor for a run of performances beginning February 24.

On Saturday, April 2nd at 8:00pm Mercury Baroque will perform A Night in Madrid, a special concert featuring the Spanish-influenced music by Italian-born composer Luigi Boccherini.

Earlier this season at the Metropolitan Opera, Joseph Calleja's performance as Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème prompted the Associated Press to admire his 'voice unlike anyone else on the operatic scene today.' As the review continued: 'A rapid vibrato gives his sound an alluring sweetness, and in recent years he has refined his technique so that the quality is consistent throughout his range, up to high C.' Now, following performances earlier this season as Rodolfo and as the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto, the Maltese tenor returns to New York to take on his third Italian role of the Met season. From February 24 through March 19, he sings Edgardo opposite Natalie Dessay in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. The March 19 performance will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the world, as part of the 'Met: Live in HD' series. In addition, Joseph Calleja's exclusive record label, the newly re-launched Decca Classics, has announced plans to release the tenor's next solo album, titled The Maltese Tenor, later this year.

Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Tracy Aron, announces the complete cast for the new Broadway musical THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE, starring two time Tony® Award-winner Donna Murphy, directed by Leonard Foglia. THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE features book & lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart and music by Mike Stoller and Artie Butler.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City continues its 53rd season with Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment. The Daughter of the Regiment will be performed in English. This will be the Company's final season in the Lyric Theatre. Beginning in the fall of 2011, the Lyric Opera will perform at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

According to an Equity casting notice, FINDING NEVERLAND will have a New York City reading May 24-31, and will feature direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Rob Ashford. Auditions for the project will be held by Tara Rubin Casting on February 23-24 for the roles of Peter, George, Jack, and Michael.

Broadway leading lady Kelli O'Hara and opera star Nathan Gunn will perform selections from Show Boat; Carousel; Kiss Me, Kate; Very Warm for May; Love Life; One Touch of Venus; Street Scene; On the Town; Candide; and West Side Story with the New York Philharmonic, in Classic Broadway, conducted by Tony Award winner Ted Sperling, Monday, March 21, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. The pair will perform solos and duets from hit shows by American songwriters Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and Leonard Bernstein, whose music was matched with words by such celebrated lyricists as Oscar Hammerstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and Stephen Sondheim. A complete listing of songs follows.