Joyce DiDonato News

The freezing weather did not stop the show or keep Houston opera fans away from last night's annual Concert of Arias; in fact, there was record attendance at the successful event. Eight finalists competed and two baritones, a soprano and a bass were named winners in the final round of the twenty-third annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers at the Wortham Center in downtown Houston.

Houston Grand Opera announced the finalists today in the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers to be presented in the annual Concert of Arias on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cullen Theater of the Wortham Center.

Houston Grand Opera announced the finalists today in the Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers to be presented in the annual Concert of Arias on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cullen Theater of the Wortham Center.

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.

Houston Grand Opera General Director and CEO Anthony Freud announced the company's 2011-2012 season today. Opening on October 21, 2011, the season offers thirty-two performances of six operas. 'We've chosen an exciting array of operas that will thrill, stimulate and entertain,' says Freud. 'From celebrated masterpieces to rarely-performed operatic gems, our 2011-12 season features world-renowned directors, beloved productions and acclaimed singers.

Hot on the heels of winning Gramophone magazine's 2010 Artist of the Year award, the vibrant mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will release her third Virgin/EMI solo album - Diva, Divo - on January 25.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) continues its 2010-11 season with the company premiere of Dead Man Walking, American composer Jake Heggie's masterful opera about compassion and redemption.

Lynn Wyatt, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Houston Grand Opera (HGO) and a Life Trustee of the organization, together with Anthony Freud, HGO General Director and CEO, today announced that mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will be the Lynn Wyatt Great Artist at Houston Grand Opera for the 2011-12 season.

The Opera Orchestra of New York will present its annual Vidda Award Recital featuring soprano Meagan Miller at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

Hot on the heels of winning Gramophone magazine's 2010 Artist of the Year award, the vibrant mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will release her third Virgin/EMI solo album - Diva, Divo - on January 25.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) continues its 2010-11 season with the company premiere of Dead Man Walking, American composer Jake Heggie's masterful opera about compassion and redemption.

The Metropolitan Opera celebrates its 80th season of Saturday Afternoon Radio Broadcasts-the longest-running classical music series in American broadcast history-with a 22-week season featuring many of the world's greatest operatic artists, beginning December 18.

It's already been a red-letter autumn for the American mezzo-soprano, with DiDonato winning two prestigious 2010 Gramophone Awards - 'Artist of the Year' and 'Recital of the Year', as well as Germany's 2010 Echo Klassic 'Singer of the Year' Award. She continues her illustrious 2010-11 season with a December full of performances in another of her key roles, that of Octavian in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, at Madrid's Teatro Real. On her debut as Octavian in 2007 at San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Chronicle extolled her vocal art and dramatic verity: 'The evening's signal triumph belonged to Joyce DiDonato, undertaking Octavian for the first time and turning the role into something tender and strong. Her singing was robust and full of feeling, and she brought the technical precision and alertness of her finest Rossini and Handel performances to this very different stylistic strain. . . The result was a performance that seemed to breathe, displaying all the headstrong charm and mutability of this 17-year-old aristocrat still finding his way through the worlds of love and honor in 18th-century Vienna.'

Tenor Paul Appleby is joined by pianist Brian Zeger for a solo recital as the winner of Juilliard's 14th annual Alice Tully Vocal Arts Recital Award on November 30 at 8 PM in Alice Tully Hall (Broadway at 65th Street). The program features Schubert's song cycle, 'Die schöne Müllerin', on poems by Wilhelm Müller.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is pleased to announce the commercial DVD release of its 23rd world premiere, Little Women, by the American composer Mark Adamo on the Naxos label.

It's already been a red-letter autumn for the American mezzo-soprano, with DiDonato winning two prestigious 2010 Gramophone Awards - 'Artist of the Year' and 'Recital of the Year', as well as Germany's 2010 Echo Klassic 'Singer of the Year' Award. She continues her illustrious 2010-11 season with a December full of performances in another of her key roles, that of Octavian in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, at Madrid's Teatro Real. On her debut as Octavian in 2007 at San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Chronicle extolled her vocal art and dramatic verity: 'The evening's signal triumph belonged to Joyce DiDonato, undertaking Octavian for the first time and turning the role into something tender and strong. Her singing was robust and full of feeling, and she brought the technical precision and alertness of her finest Rossini and Handel performances to this very different stylistic strain. . . The result was a performance that seemed to breathe, displaying all the headstrong charm and mutability of this 17-year-old aristocrat still finding his way through the worlds of love and honor in 18th-century Vienna.'

The Metropolitan Opera celebrates its 80th season of Saturday Afternoon Radio Broadcasts-the longest-running classical music series in American broadcast history-with a 22-week season featuring many of the world's greatest operatic artists, beginning December 18.

Tenor Paul Appleby is joined by pianist Brian Zeger for a solo recital as the winner of Juilliard's 14th annual Alice Tully Vocal Arts Recital Award on November 30 at 8 PM in Alice Tully Hall (Broadway at 65th Street). The program features Schubert's song cycle, 'Die schöne Müllerin', on poems by Wilhelm Müller.

he Metropolitan Opera's fifth season of free open dress rehearsals begins on October 8 with the company's new production of Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, starring bass Rene Pape in the title role. Valery Gergiev conducts the production, which is directed by Stephen Wadsworth.

he Metropolitan Opera's fifth season of free open dress rehearsals begins on October 8 with the company's new production of Modest Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, starring bass Rene Pape in the title role. Valery Gergiev conducts the production, which is directed by Stephen Wadsworth.