James Robinson News

Houston Grand Opera will present four pinnacles of the operatic repertoire during the company's 2016-17 season, which also features the highly anticipated world premiere of It's a Wonderful Life by composer Jake Heggie with libretto by Gene Scheer, and much-loved comedies by Donizetti and Mozart. Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers will lead Gotterdammerung, the final installment of Wagner's epic Ring cycle, featuring a new generation of leading Wagnerians includingSimon O'Neill as Siegfried and Christine Goerke as Brunnhilde. HGO will bring back its popular production of Gounod's Faust, with the HGO debut of international star tenor Michael Fabiano in the title role partnered by Houston favorite Ana Maria Martinez as Marguerite, along with the role debut of prominent bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni as Mephistopheles. The company will celebrate the 30thanniversary of HGO's world premiere of John Adams's pivotal Nixon in China by presenting James Robinson's production, of which HGO is a co-producer, with HGO Studio alumnus Scott Hendricks as Richard Nixon and soprano Andriana Chuchman as his wife, Pat. Patrick Summers will conduct Verdi'sthrilling Requiem, which critics at the time termed "an opera in ecclesiastical robes," with soloists Angela Meade, soprano, in her HGO debut; Sasha Cooke, alto; Alexey Dolgov, tenor; and Peixin Chen, bass; and the HGO Orchestra and Chorus. HGO's 62nd season will open with a whimsical production of Donizetti's buoyant The Elixir of Love, featuring tenor Dimitri Pittas as Nemorino and HGO Studio alumna Nicole Heaston as Adina and led by the eminent English conductor Jane Glover, HGO's 2016-17 Lynn Wyatt Great Artist, in her first HGO appearance. Mozart's zany yet deeply emotive comedy TheAbduction from the Seraglio-featuring Russian coloratura soprano and HGO Studio alumna Albina Shagimuratova as Konstanze and leading American tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Belmonte in HGO's inventive 2002 co-production-will close the main-stage season.  

 OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce that Timothy O'Leary, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, has been elected the new chairman of OPERA America's board of directors. He has been involved with OPERA America since 2006, when he participated in Leadership Advance, one of the organization's professional development programs. He joined OPERA America's board in 2011. O'Leary was elected chairman at OPERA America's recent annual business meeting — held during Opera Conference 2016 in Montreal — where eight new members were also elected to the board and three current members were re-elected to three-year terms. 

Salman Rushdie's tale of love and vengeance becomes a powerful opera in this commissioned work at Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director of Opera Saratoga, announced the program for the 2016 Summer Festival, which will run from May 28 through July 17, 2016. The season will feature three new productions at The Spa Little Theater in Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, New York, along with a diverse slate of recitals and concerts at multiple locations in Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, and Albany.

Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, today will unveil the FOX primetime slate for the 2016-2017 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre.

MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale)will open its 75th anniversary season with Ricky Ian Gordon's 27, with libretto by Royce Vavrek, starring Stephanie Blythe, Heidi Stober,Theo Lebow, Tobias Greenhalgh, and Daniel Brevik, conducted by Ted Sperling, and directed by James Robinson, with Orchestra of St. Luke's on October 20 and 21, 2016at New York City Center.

It is the second visit to the Las Vegas Convention Center for Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and the fourth event on the 2016 Wizard World comic con calendar.

Lawrence Edelson, Artistic and General Director of Opera Saratoga, announced the program for the 2016 Summer Festival, which will run from May 28th through July 17, 2016.

General Director Plácido Domingo has announced the repertory and artist roster for the company's 2016/17 season. Created by Mr. Domingo in collaboration with Music Director James Conlon and President and CEO Christopher Koelsch, the season will include six mainstage productions and a classic musical presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. A total of 40 performances will take place in that venue, while an additional 13 performances will be presented elsewhere through the company's Off Grand initiative. 

The Pipes of Christmas, New York's beloved Celtic Christmas concert, celebrates its 17th season with performances on December 19th and 20th.

Advice from retired NFL player Proverb G. Jacobs, Jr: 'Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do.'

Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced the four conductors for the 2015-2016 season in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Gary Thor Wedow (pictured, left, Mozart's Don Giovanni), and David Charles Abell (Bizet's Carmen) will be returning to the Lyric Opera. Alexander Polianichko (Dvorak's Rusalka) and Christopher Allen (Donizetti's The Elixir of Love) will be making their Lyric Opera debut.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced the four conductors for the 2015-2016 season in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Gary Thor Wedow (pictured, left, Mozart's Don Giovanni), and David Charles Abell (Bizet's Carmen) will be returning to the Lyric Opera. Alexander Polianichko (Dvorak's Rusalka) and Christopher Allen (Donizetti's The Elixir of Love) will be making their Lyric Opera debut.

The LATE LATE SHOW didn't have the music budget for today's hits, so guest Craig Robinson and host James Corden sang a copyright-free, sexy, swinging and sultry medley of public domain names.

National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF  Open 10:00-17:00 daily

Mystery and the Paranormal plus returning authors and series head the list for Class Act Books' June releases: Deeded for Death by RW Weiss Shadow Duet by Tony-Paul de Vissage. RW Weiss' cozy mystery Deeded for Death is a Hugh Winslow novel, the second in the series, following last year's release Death is Overdue. Set in Montana, this novel proves the seemingly mundane world of realty isn't as safe as it seems. Except for the detective part, author RW Weiss resembles his fictional counterpart. When he isn't writing, he also is an amateur artist as is Hugh Winslow, portraying his Montana countryside in both his paintings and his novels. The cover for Deeded for Death was done by Class Act Books artist Blaise Kilgallen. Shadow Duet is the fourth novel in the Second Species series by Tony-Paul de Vissage, the other three (Shadow Lord, voted one of the Top Ten horror novels of 2013 by Preditors and Editors Readers Poll, Shadow Players, and Shadow Passion) were released by Class Act Books in previous months this year. Telling the story of the twins in the vampire Strigoi family, Shadow Duet combines some wayward misadventures in love with revenge into a deadly package. Author Tony-Paul de Vissage is a descendent of French Huguenots, and writes of the paranormal in Southern settings, usually on or around New Orleans. His own fictional adventures with vampires are chronicled in the whimsical anthology The Clan Andriescu. Further entries in the series will be released this year. Shadow Duet's cover was created by new Class Act Books artist James Robinson. Class Act Books publishing is entering its second year under new ownership and currently has 113 titles on its shelves, available in print, ePub, Kindle, pdf, and other media.

This review was first published by KDHX 88-1 St. Louis. Opera Theatre of St. Louis has opened a very fine production of 'Emmeline,' by Tobias Picker, with libretto by J. D. McClatchy. This remarkable piece premiered at the Santa Fe Opera in 1996 to great praise. It was done at the New York City Opera in '98 (with much the same cast)—again to considerable praise. It was deemed one of the great modern operas. Except for two 'reduced version' productions the work lay fallow until this full-scale revival by Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Three Cat Productions celebrates Chicago based performers with Cabaret on the Lake. Cabaret on the Lake is a free monthly variety show featuring storytellers, performance artists, singer-songwriters, comedians, and more. The event is held on the second Friday of each month at the Berger Park Cultural Center (6205 N Sheridan Road). This month's event will be held on Friday, April 10 at 7:30pm. Tickets are free. Hosted by Rob Dorn.

In a bold move, SDO premiered a production of John Adams' most frequently performed opera