Joyce El-Khoury News

Seattle Opera announced today that General Director Aidan Lang will leave the company to become General Director of Welsh National Opera. The third General Director of Seattle Opera, Lang departs at the close of the 2018/19 season following a five-year tenure. Under Lang's leadership, Seattle Opera has: increased its audiences, particularly, young people, created a new civic home for opera at Seattle Center, introduced new chamber opera productions in locations around the city, and made organizational strides toward racial equity.

Metropolitan Maestro Carlo Rizzi's 2018-19 season includes Tosca and Mefistofele at the Met, Falstaff in Tokyo, a new production of Un ballo in maschera at Welsh National Opera and symphonic concerts in Japan, Italy and Spain

The Canadian Opera Company opens its 2018/2019 season with a stunning new production of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's timeless cautionary tale, Eugene Onegin. The opera is based on the classic Russian novel-in-verse by Alexander Pushkin and tells the story of one of literature's most iconic anti-heroes. Onegin is the cynical product of an aimless dilettante life who quickly dismisses a heartfelt love letter from romantic Tatyana. However his casual cruelty comes back to haunt him years later, when karma rears its head and a fateful reunion turns the tables on proud Onegin. Eugene Onegin runs for eight performances on September 30, October 4, 10, 18, 20, 26, 30, November 3, 2018.

The Opéra de Montréal has an exciting 39th season planned for the 2018-2019 production year. The Place des Arts lineup includes classics like Rigoletto, Das Rheingold, Carmen and the anticipated Canadian premiere of the jazz-opera Champion. In addition to these four operas, a chamber opera called Twenty-Seven will be presented at the Centaur Theatre and a concert with soprano Joyce El-Khoury and Pianist Laurent Philippe will be held at the Festival du Monde Arabe.

The International Opera Awards are pleased to announce the finalists for this year's Awards. These were selected by an international jury chaired by John Allison, editor of Opera magazine and classical music critic with The Daily Telegraph: 'It's gratifying to see how the International Opera Awards just keep growing. With a record number of nominations to consider, and our biggest and most international jury yet, I'm delighted to say that our exciting shortlists-covering six continents and around 30 countries-reflect the truly cosmopolitan nature of the art form. Despite the challenges faced by opera companies almost everywhere, opera is vibrantly alive.'

The Canadian Opera Company's 2018/2019 season presents the world premiere of Hadrian, a new opera from composer Rufus Wainwright and librettist Daniel MacIvor, which features the highly anticipated COC debuts of international opera stars Thomas Hampson and Karita Mattila.

Soprano Raquel Gonzalez  will make her Lyric Opera of Kansas City debut in the new production of Eugene Onegin in the role of Tatyana, replacing Joyce El-Khoury who has withdrawn for personal reasons.

Soprano Raquel Gonzalez  will make her Lyric Opera of Kansas City debut in the new production of Eugene Onegin in the role of Tatyana, replacing Joyce El-Khoury who has withdrawn for personal reasons.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City opens its 60th Anniversary season with Tchaikovsky's compelling masterpiece, Eugene Onegin (oh-nyeh-gin with hard 'g') Sept. 30, Oct. 4, 6 and 8 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The production will be sung in Russian with English subtitles.

General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler has announced the selection of the artists for the Resident Artists Program for the 2017-2018 season.

This September, Italian conductor Carlo Rizzi steps onto the Metropolitan Opera's podium once again to open the 2017-18 season with Bellini's Norma, in a new production directed by Sir David McVicar.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City General Director Deborah Sandler today announced that the organization has been awarded an Art Works award of $30,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts in support of the Lyric Opera's 2017 production of Everest by composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer, the second production of this important new work since its world premiere at The Dallas Opera in 2015.

Ranking among today's leading conductors, Carlo Rizzi's vast repertoire ranges from the foundation works of the operatic and symphonic canon to rarities by Bellini, Cimarosa and Donizetti. He is in high demand as a guest artist at the world's most prestigious venues and festivals, not least for the insight and integrity of his musicianship and the visceral energy and psychological depths of his interpretations.

In the third of Alan Gilbert's final four subscription weeks as New York Philharmonic Music Director, he will lead an enhanced concert production of Wagner's Das Rheingold. Soloists include bass-baritone Eric Owens as Wotan, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Fricka (in her New York Philharmonic debut), baritone Christopher Purves as Alberich (debut), tenor Russell Thomas as Loge, mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor as Erda, bass Morris Robinson as Fasolt (debut), bass Stephen Milling as Fafner (debut), soprano Rachel Willis-Sorensen as Freia (debut), tenor Brian Jagde as Froh (debut), bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as Donner (debut), tenor Peter Bronder as Mime (debut), soprano Jennifer Zetlan as Woglinde, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano as Wellgunde, and mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford as Flosshilde. The enhanced concert production will be directed by Louisa Muller with costume design - featuring character-based treatment of modern concert attire - by David C. Woolard. The performances will take place Thursday, June 1, 2017, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 3 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.

After an all-star 30th season including an Anniversary Concert starring Angela Meade and Vivica Genaux and Massenet's Hérodiade starring Michael Fabiano and Joyce El-Khoury, Washington Concert Opera presents Beethoven's Leonore on March 5th, 2017 for its 30th season culmination.

Gary Naylor enjoys a treat for eyes and ears with music and singing and love and hate coming together in opera's unique alchemy.

When Massimo Cavelletti stepped on stage at the Met on November 16, it was a milestone: His 100th performance as Marcello, the baritone lead in LA BOHEME and part of the quartet at the opera's heart: There's Mimi, the seamstress, the sad soul who dies at the opera's end; Rodolfo, the heartthrob tenor, a poet, in love with her; Musetta, the spitfire who eats men for breakfast; and then there's Marcello, a painter, her lover—and, aah, the linchpin that holds it all together.

The Washington Concert Opera performed Massenet's Herodiade starring world-renowned tenor, Michael Fabiano, critically-acclaimed soprano, Joyce El-Khoury and mezzo-soprano, Dana Beth Miller, making her WCO debut.

Due to rainy Saturday forecasts, Opera Philadelphia's FREE HD broadcast of Puccini's Turandot has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 2.  All tickets issued for the original broadcast date of Saturday, October 1, will be honored on the new date, and guests can continue to register for free tickets at operaonthemall.org.

FREE tickets to Opera Philadelphia's HD broadcast of Turandot will be available to the public starting on Today, September 7.  You can score your free tickets to Opera on the Mall beginning at 10 a.m.at operaonthemall.org. Everyone who registers will be entered to win an Opera Philadelphia subscription for two to the spring 2017 Opera at the Academy series, featuring productions of Rossini's Tancredi and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.