Kathleen Battle News

Kathleen Battle, one of the greatest coloratura sopranos of our time, will perform in recital at Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium, Perelman Stage) on Monday, February 8, 2010 at 8 p.m. Presented by Columbia Artists Management, Ms. Battle will be joined by Olga Kern, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medalist.

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression. Chicago Opera Theater (COT), partnering with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, are proud to participate in this exciting, week-long celebration with 'Pop-up Opera' performances around Chicago, a young professionals' night at Rock Bottom Brewery, and a free double bill of two one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center.

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression. Chicago Opera Theater (COT), partnering with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, are proud to participate in this exciting, week-long celebration with 'Pop-up Opera' performances around Chicago, a young professionals' night at Rock Bottom Brewery, and a free double bill of two one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center.

National Opera Week takes place November 13-22, 2009 and celebrates the vitality of opera in America as a contemporary cultural expression. Chicago Opera Theater (COT), partnering with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, are proud to participate in this exciting, week-long celebration with 'Pop-up Opera' performances around Chicago, a young professionals' night at Rock Bottom Brewery, and a free double bill of two one-act operas at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center.

Marion J. Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas announces a back by popular demand concert at the world famous Apollo Theater! The Divas had audiences literally dancing in the aisles during their New York debut concert in June 2009.

Family Opera Initiative is excited to present the musical pre-premiere of Goodnight Moon, this year's Opera & Ice Cream performance. Goodnight Moon is a lullaby for singer and piano continuing composer Glen Roven's settings to music of celebrated children's author, Margaret Wise Brown. It will premiere next May at Carnegie Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic. The pre-premiere musical event is executive produced by Family Opera Initiative founder Grethe Barrett Holby and produced by Ray Wetmore.

Continuing the momentum and building on the critical success of its Fifth Anniversary season, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park will commence its sixth season this fall 2009 with an impressive and diverse selection of performances by the city's most acclaimed music and dance institutions as well as world-renowned national and international artists and ensembles through its Harris Theater Presents series.

Family Opera Initiative is excited to present the musical pre-premiere of Goodnight Moon, this year's Opera & Ice Cream performance. Goodnight Moon is a lullaby for singer and piano continuing composer Glen Roven's settings to music of celebrated children's author, Margaret Wise Brown. It will premiere next May at Carnegie Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic. The pre-premiere musical event is executive produced by Family Opera Initiative founder Grethe Barrett Holby and produced by Ray Wetmore.

Broadway legend Barbara Cook will return to the New York Philharmonic - Saturday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m. - with the Philharmonic conducted by her acclaimed music director, Lee Musiker

Broadway legend Barbara Cook will return to the New York Philharmonic for a one-night-only performance Saturday, May 30, at 8:00 p.m., conducted by her acclaimed music director, Lee Musiker. Ms. Cook plans to bring to the Avery Fisher Hall stage songs she has never before performed with the New York Philharmonic, such as Stephen Sondheim's 'Send in the Clowns' from A Little Night Music, selections from Meredith Wilson?s The Music Man, and Sondheim?s ?No One Is Alone? from Into the Woods.

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance today announced its Harris Theater Presents 2009-2010 season. The schedule of Harris Theater Presents events features nine programs, a remarkable thirteen Chicago premieres and includes an impressive and diverse selection of music, dance and conversation by internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles. Highlights of the Harris Theater Presents 2009-2010 season include a rare opportunity to see Mikhail Baryshnikov in a solo dance performance, an evening of insight with the 'Master of the Musical,' Stephen Sondheim, the Harris debut of Lang Lang under the baton of his mentor Maestro Christoph Eschenbach, the Chicago premiere of Orquestra de São Paulo with virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, Kathleen Battle's unusual program of holiday spirituals, and much more.

Broadway legend Barbara Cook will return to the New York Philharmonic for two evenings - Saturday, May 30, and Tuesday, June 2, 2009, both at 8:00 p.m. - with the Philharmonic conducted by her acclaimed music director, Lee Musiker. Ms. Cook's appearances follow the success of her three sold-out 80th-birthday concerts with the Philharmonic in the 2007-08 season.

After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations in over 200 performances, Marion J. Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas (www.3MoDivas.com) has been awarded its first PBS television special. '3 Mo' Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)' will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th. (check local listings for exact dates and times). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD 'Smashing Musical Barriers' on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th. 3 Mo' Divas brings down the house with thrilling performances of an amazing 10 styles of music, including Opera, Broadway, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Disco, Rock & Roll, Spiritual & Gospel. The show begins with the classical sounds of Puccini then segues into songs from hit Broadway musicals like Wicked, Ragtime and Rent. This is soon followed by hot and familiar tunes of Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. By the end of every performance, the Divas have audiences up out of their seats rockin', singing and dancing in the aisles. 3 Mo' Divas is an extraordinary musical event - all music, all passion and all fun. 3 Mo' Divas performs 10 styles of music, spanning 233 years and sung in 3 languages.

Marion J. Caffey?s 3 Mo? Divas has been awarded its first PBS Television Special! After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations ?3 Mo? Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)? will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th (WLIW in NYC on March 10th @ 8pm - check local listings for exact dates and times in other areas). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD ?Smashing Musical Barriers? on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th.

This spring, the Metropolitan Opera will present The Audition, a documentary film about the intense challenges and pressures young opera singers face as they try to become opera stars. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, The Audition will be shown on 400 screens across the country on April 19 at 3pm EST (and in Canada on June 6 at 1pm EST) as part of the Metropolitan Opera's series of high definition presentations in movie theaters and performing arts centers. The Audition is a suspenseful competition narrative that provides a revealing behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make it as an opera star. The feature-length film documents the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where each year thousands of hopefuls compete for a cash prize, the chance to sing on the storied Met stage-and the opportunity to launch a major operatic career. The film focuses on the final week of the competition, as judges narrow the field down from 22 semi-finalists to11 finalists while the stakes get higher and the pressure grows more intense. The documentary crew was given unprecedented access to the singers, judges, and events backstage at the Met.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2008-09 season Koret Visiting Artist Series with 'The Inner 'I': How Artists See Themselves,' a conversation with Lotfi Mansouri, celebrated opera director and the general director emeritus of the San Francisco Opera; Judy Kaye, the Tony Award-winning star of A.C.T.'s Souvenir; and the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. Moderated by A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff, the conversation will focus on the different ways artists view themselves and how these self-images affect their work. 'The Inner 'I' is presented in conjunction with A.C.T.'s production of Stephen Temperley's Souvenir, which tells the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York socialite and tone-deaf diva who thought she was a great soprano. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The hour-long event is free and open to the public and takes place on the A.C.T. stage on Monday, February 23, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. Doors will open at 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.act-sf.org/koret.

This spring, the Metropolitan Opera will present The Audition, a documentary film about the intense challenges and pressures young opera singers face as they try to become opera stars. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke, The Audition will be shown on 400 screens across the country on April 19 at 3pm EST (and in Canada on June 6 at 1pm EST) as part of the Metropolitan Opera's series of high definition presentations in movie theaters and performing arts centers. The Audition is a suspenseful competition narrative that provides a revealing behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make it as an opera star. The feature-length film documents the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where each year thousands of hopefuls compete for a cash prize, the chance to sing on the storied Met stage-and the opportunity to launch a major operatic career. The film focuses on the final week of the competition, as judges narrow the field down from 22 semi-finalists to11 finalists while the stakes get higher and the pressure grows more intense. The documentary crew was given unprecedented access to the singers, judges, and events backstage at the Met.

After receiving rave reviews and playing to sold out audiences & standing ovations in over 200 performances, Marion J. Caffey's 3 Mo' Divas (www.3MoDivas.com) has been awarded its first PBS television special. '3 Mo' Divas (Smashing Musical Barriers)' will air nationally March 1st-10th and June 1st-15th. (check local listings for exact dates and times). In celebration of the PBS Special, 3 Mo' Divas will also release their debut CD 'Smashing Musical Barriers' on March 1st and a Hi-Def & Blu-Ray DVD recording of the PBS special on May 12th. 3 Mo' Divas brings down the house with thrilling performances of an amazing 10 styles of music, including Opera, Broadway, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul, Disco, Rock & Roll, Spiritual & Gospel. The show begins with the classical sounds of Puccini then segues into songs from hit Broadway musicals like Wicked, Ragtime and Rent. This is soon followed by hot and familiar tunes of Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner. By the end of every performance, the Divas have audiences up out of their seats rockin', singing and dancing in the aisles. 3 Mo' Divas is an extraordinary musical event - all music, all passion and all fun. 3 Mo' Divas performs 10 styles of music, spanning 233 years and sung in 3 languages.

'Not to brag, but I've stood upon some pretty rarified podiums,' writes Glen Roven. 'But to be honest, nothing competes in the thrill department with playing a piano for a Broadway legend who is recreating an original performance. Talk about musical comedy heaven.'

Stage and screen star Jason Alexander, who was recently announced as the new artistic director for Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles, will honor Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Founding Director John Mauceri at the 2007 Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame Concert on June 22...