John Adams News

DOWNTON ABBEY returns to PBS on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Click here for a sneak peek of the premiere episode!

DOWNTON ABBEY star Elizabeth McGovern, who portrays Lady Cora, took time to spoof the PBS historical drama during a recent trip to Disney's Epcot theme park.

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in a program that, for the first time, unites the Philharmonic's Artist-in-Residence and former and current Composers-in- Residence, two posts Alan Gilbert introduced at the beginning of his tenure. The program features The Marie-Jose Kravis Composer-in-Residence Christopher Rouse's Rapture; former Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg's Piano Concerto No. 2, with The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Yefim Bronfman as soloist; and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, tonight, January 2, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 3 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, January 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces the world premiere of The House that will not Stand, a historical comedic drama commissioned from award-winning poet-playwright and Oakland native Marcus Gardley. Sensuous, witty, heartbreaking, and uplifting - The House that will not Stand unearths a story about free women of color in 1836 New Orleans, where black Creole women entered into common-law marriages with affluent white men. When her wealthy lover mysteriously dies, Beartrice Albans' foundation of security hangs precariously by a thread. She is left to fend for her three unwed daughters in a world where freedom must be carefully negotiated. Told in a rich and lyrical river of words, this new play was developed through The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. It's helmed by Patricia McGregor, whose many credits include the celebrated production of Spunk at California Shakespeare Theater. The House that will not Stand begins previews on Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage on Friday, January 31, opens on Wednesday, February 5 and runs through Sunday, March 16, 2014.

The January broadcasts of The New York Philharmonic This Week - the weekly radio series of concerts and recordings by the New York Philharmonic, hosted by Alec Baldwin - begin with an all-American New Year's Eve Concert conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert with Thomas Hampson as soloist. The program, recorded on New Year's Eve in 2009, includes Copland's Suite from Appalachian Spring and Old American Songs (selections), in addition to selections from Broadway musicals and Gershwin's An American in Paris. The following week, composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the New York Concert Premiere of his Violin Concerto, featuring Leila Josefowicz as soloist, as well as Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, and Sibelius's Symphony No. 5.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, is pleased to announce it has awarded grants to nine opera companies through its Opera Fund: Repertoire Development grant program. These grants provide vital financial support to opera companies developing new North American opera and music-theater works.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is delighted to announce its spring schedule of major events. The largest single source of performing arts events in the state of Ohio, CCM presents nearly 150 major public performances from Jan. 12 through May 18, ranging from faculty and guest artist concerts to fully supported opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the first classical music concert of its inaugural 2013 - 2014 season in the Bram Goldsmith Theater on Wednesday, January 15, 2014, at 8:00 p.m. with the acclaimed St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) performing a program of Haydn, Korngold and Beethoven. Geoff Nuttall, violin, Mark Fewer, violin, Lesley Robertson, viola, and Christopher Costanza, cello, comprise the quartet.

Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce will take a star turn together when they co-host the Ninth Annual Opera News Awards, set to take place on Sunday, April 13, 2014, in the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City. They will be joined by a distinguished line-up of presenters – Luca Pisaroni, Susan Graham, Renata Scotto, Eva Wagner-Pasquier and Francesca Zambello – who will pay tribute to five superb artists who have made an invaluable contribution to the art form: the late director Patrice Chéreau, tenor Juan Diego Flórez, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig,bass-baritone James Morris, and soprano Nina Stemme. First introduced in 2005, the Opera News Awards gala dinner, which features the hosts and presenters speaking about the awardees and introducing video performance clips, has become one of the most anticipated opera events of the season: an evening of celebration, appreciation, reuniting and celebrity-spotting that is without parallel in the industry.

The opening months of 2014 bring into focus the strengths of Houston Grand Opera (HGO), which launches the new year with an extraordinary line-up. This comprises the world premieres of three important new commissions -Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, named one of the twelve "must-see opera events of the season" (Opera News), and two works exploring Houston's Vietnamese and Indian communities, courtesy of HGO's award-winning Song of Houston project; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's long-suppressed Holocaust opera, The Passenger, in the production that took Europe by storm; the first American presentation of a visionary and groundbreaking treatment of Das Rheingold by Catalan's La Fura dels Baus; a new HGO production of Carmen from Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; a revival of Rigoletto; and a restaged production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, which boasts designs by fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi. As the Houston Press recently noted, "Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers is thinking bigger than ever."

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic on the ASIA / WINTER 2014 tour, February 6-19, 2014. The two-week tour - the Philharmonic's seventh international concert tour under Alan Gilbert's leadership - will feature ten concerts in three countries, with performances in Seoul, South Korea; Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama, Japan; and Taipei, Taiwan.

Houston, December 17, 2013 ­– The opening months of 2014 bring into focus the strengths of Houston Grand Opera (HGO), which launches the new year with an extraordinary line-up. This comprises the world premieres of three important new commissions —Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, named one of the twelve “must-see opera events of the season” (Opera News), and two works exploring Houston's Vietnamese and Indian communities, courtesy of HGO's award-winning Song of Houston project; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's long-suppressed Holocaust opera, The Passenger, in the production that took Europe by storm; the first American presentation of a visionary and groundbreaking treatment of Das Rheingold by Catalan's La Fura dels Baus; a new HGO production of Carmen from Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; a revival of Rigoletto; and a restaged production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, which boasts designs by fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi. As the Houston Press recently noted, “Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers is thinking bigger than ever.”

Max McLean, Artistic Director of Fellowship for the Performing Arts, announces that C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE will be presented at The Knight Theater, Levine Center for the Arts, 430 South Tryon Street, for three performances only on Saturday, February 15 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 16 at 3 p.m. This journey to Heaven and Hell is a provocative exploration of human nature, featuring vivid characters drawn with Lewis' trademark wit. THE GREAT DIVORCE National Tour will visit cities including Cleveland, Nashville, Colorado Springs and Columbus in 2014.

Today, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall, celebrated conductor David Robertson, music director of the St. Louis Symphony, leads Ensemble ACJW in a performance of Luciano Berio's Folk Songs featuring guest soprano Dawn Upshaw, who last performed the piece at Carnegie Hall in March 2004. ACJW's inventive program also includes Steve Reich's City Life, the composer's homage to his hometown of New York City, and Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta.

Max McLean, Artistic Director of Fellowship for the Performing Arts, announces that the World Premiere of C.S. Lewis' THE GREAT DIVORCE will be presented at Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe St., in Phoenix, in a limited engagement from tonight, December 13 through Sunday, December 22, 2013.

The KahaneSwensenBrey Trio, comprised of Jeffrey Kahane, piano; Joseph Swensen, violin; and Carter Brey, cello, perform an evening of celebrated chamber music at Segerstrom Center for the Arts tonight, December 12 at Samueli Theater.

SAVING MR. BANKS' Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson joined legendary stars on the red carpet last night in Burbank, California for the premiere of their highly anticipated film, hitting theaters on December 20th. 'Mary Poppins' actors Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews joined 'Banks' cast members Paul Giamatti, Colin Farrell and Bradley Whitford and many more at the event held at Walt Disney Studios. Click below to watch a clip of the stars singing 'Let's Go Fly A Kite' at the premiere!

The Berliner Philharmoniker and its music director, Sir Simon Rattle, will return to New York in October 2014 for a unique eight-day residency presented by Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in a co-presentation with Park Avenue Armory.

SPOILER ALERT! 'Downton Abbey' has just released the new teaser for its upcoming season 4 Christmas special, which will air for two hours on ITV on December 25th. But if you live in the US and haven't seen season 4, you might want to steer clear of the teaser for now to avoid spoilers. The Christmas special will air here as the final episode of season 4's run on PBS' Masterpiece. Season 4 begins January 5, 2014. Click below to watch the teaser!