Jessye Norman News

The life and career of Jessye Norman will be celebrated on Sunday, November 24, at the Metropolitan Opera House, in a special tribute to the opera star who died in September. Open to the public and invited guests, the 3pm event will feature performances by leading artists, remarks by artistic and civic leaders and Ms. Norman's siblings, and video highlights of her career. Admission is free, with reserved seats obtainable by calling the Met on 212 362 6000 or visiting the Met box office from 10am on Saturday November 9.

Musician and composer Damien Sneed pays homage to his mentor Aretha Franklin tonight, Monday Nights with WBGO: 'Damien Sneed Presents A Tribute to Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul' Monday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, located in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, on Broadway at 60th Street, New York City.

In September, BroadwayWorld was saddened to report that opera singer Jessye Norman had died. Today we remember her by taking a look back in our photo archives.

DACAMERA's 2019a?"20 season continues with Mozart and Aucoin at Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The world-renowned Brentano Quartet returns to DACAMERA's stage for the premiere of a new work by composer Matthew Aucoin, for DACAMERA and Carnegie Hall. The ensemble will also perform Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F Major and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's String Quintet No. 2 in C Minor, K. 406/516.

Jazz all-stars salute one of their own a?" the late piano legend and influential music educator Harold Mabern a?" in Giants of Jazz 22 Honoring Harold Mabern, a concert celebration of his life and craft on Saturday, November 16 at 8 p.m.

Scott Adsit, Henry Koperski, A Strange Loop, Sofia Viola & Dat Garcia and More! will take the stage this month nightly at Joe's Pub, 10/9-20. See the full lineup below!

The family of international opera star Jessye Norman announces today through the family spokesperson, Gwendolyn Quinn, the Homegoing Service, and the weeklong services and celebrations. The funeral is set for Saturday, October 12, 2019, at the William B. Bell Auditorium, 712 Telfair Street, Augusta, GA, doors open and seating begins at 12:00 p.m. (there will be a private interment). The four-day, weeklong events start on Thursday, October 10, and runs through Sunday, October 13, 2019, in Augusta, GA. (see full schedule below). In November 2019, there will be a celebration of life event, scheduled in New York City.

It is with deep sadness and sorrow that we announce the passing of international opera star Jessye Norman, in a statement issued by Norman's family through the family's spokesperson,

Damien Sneed, composer, pianist, and vocalist released his new digital CD, Jazz In Manhattan on Friday, September 20 on his boutique label, LeChateau Earl Records. Jazz In Manhattan focuses on Sneed's considerable chops as a jazz interpreter and includes such classics as 'Over The Rainbow,' 'Nature Boy,' and 'Pure Imagination,' as well as other standards and gospel favorites, 'Moanin',' 'Come Sunday,' 'God Bless The Child,' and 'Wade in the Water.' The album features Grammy Award winner Ben Williams (bass), Jonathan Barber (drums), and Julius Rodriguez (piano). Jazz in Manhattan is available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and all digital platforms everywhere.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild today announced that the honorees of its “Diamond Jubilee” celebration will be luminaries Martina Arroyo and Teresa Stratas.  The Guild's 85th Annual Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, November 20th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.  Special remarks by Stephanie Blythe and musical tributes by Ailyn Pérez and Matthew Polenzani will be performed during the event.

The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts (WIPA) Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Peter H. Gistelinck as its new Executive Director, effective July 1, 2019. Gistelinck was unanimously approved by the WIPA Board of Directors following a six-month nationwide candidate search.

Worthing Theatres have announced their latest Jazz Cafe season at the Pavilion Cafe Bar, which runs from 24 July to 18 December. Where customers can enjoy a Wednesday evening in the company of highly acclaimed jazz artists, whilst enjoying a range of drinks, and a selection of food ready to order from the menu, all accompanied with exquisite views overlooking Worthing seafront.

Opera Memphis has announced the lineup of events for its 2019-2020 Season, featuring a Puccini Double Bill of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi and Mozart's Cosi fan tutte as the anchoring performance of the Midtown Opera Festival 2020. The year kicks off with the eighth annual 30 Days of Opera, and continues with The Jessye Norman Concert presented with Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Following that is a three month residency at Dixon Gallery and Gardens with the return of A Victorian Holiday and new programs including Opera Goes to Broadway and a family-oriented Magic Flute.

Compagnia de' Colombari, an international collective of performing artists founded and directed by Karin Coonrod, presents More Or Less I Am: a music-theater piece drawn entirely from Walt Whitman's revolutionary free verse long poem, 'Song of Myself,'one of the original twelve pieces that comprise his 1855 collection Leaves of Grass. The next performance in this series, spanning multiple venues throughout the five boroughs, will take place on Sunday, May 26, 2019, 7:30 pm at Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn.  

The esteemed vocal collaborator and pianist Mark Markham will be a featured guest at this year's Spring Into Art Festival presented by the Art Song Preservation Society of New York (ASPSNY) taking place at Manhattan School of Music.

The National Society of Arts & Letters, Florida East Coast Chapter has announced that their 2nd Annual Star Maker Awards will be held at Boca West Country Club on Sunday, April 28, 2019 from 5-8pm. During the event, scholarships will be presented, and awards will be bestowed upon NSAL competition winners in drama, as well as scholarship winners in strings piano, woodwinds, theatre and visual arts. The prestigious nonprofit, based in Boca Raton, will also honor Marilynn Wick, the founder of The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum, with a lifetime achievement award to recognize her commitment to the arts. Tickets are $250 per person, visit www.nsalfloridaeast.org for details.

Francesco Milioto has been named the company's Artistic Advisor. "In this role, Francesco will connect the Florentine with talent from around the world. His breadth of experience in cutting edge and established organizations, collaborative energy and proven track record impressed our board, and we welcome his input on casting, creative team selection, as a conductor and more," Oplinger explains.  Milioto will also help recruit and mentor exceptional young singers as part of the Donald and Donna Baumgartner Studio Artist Program. As part of his role here, we anticipate Francesco spending significant time in Milwaukee as it relates to his advisory responsibilities.

Compagnia de' Colombari, an international collective of performing artists founded and directed by Karin Coonrod,celebrates the bicentennial of the birth of America's most influential poet, Walt Whitman, with a revival of their acclaimed production More Or Less I Am. Performances begin May 18, 2019 at multiple venues throughout the five boroughs, with most performances being free and open to the public. More information can be found at www.colombari.org.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents Inna Faliks, piano, one of the most "adventurous and passionate" (The New Yorker) artists of her generation, performing a world premiere by Richard Danielpour and works by Rodion Shchedrin, Schumann and Chopin in her Wallis debut on Sunday, May 12, 2019, 7 pm, in The Wallis' Bram Goldsmith Theater. The Ukrainian-born American pianist gives the world premiere of Iranian-American composer Danielpour's Eleven Bagatelles for Piano, Shchedrin's Basso Ostinato, Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie, Op 61, and Schumann's Symphonic Etudes, Op 13, with posthumous variations. Faliks, Head of Piano at UCLA, performs on leading stages around the globe, garnering acclaim for her musical "poetry and panoramic vision" (The Washington Post) and "riveting passion" (The Baltimore Sun). Grammy winner Danielpour is "an outstanding composer" (New York Daily News) and one of the most recorded composers of his generation with a list of commissions from Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Emanuel Ax, the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra and the Guarneri and Emerson string quartets, among many others. Like Faliks, he also teaches at UCLA, as Co-Area Head, Composition.