Los Angeles Opera News

New York Philharmonic Music Director Designate Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in five free concerts this summer throughout the City of New York, from July 14 to 20. He will conduct all of the 2009 New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, sponsored by Target, which will take place July 14?17, 2009 in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, as well as two free indoor concerts, in Staten Island and Queens, on July 18 and July 20 respectively.

El?na Garan?a sings the title role of La Cenerentola, Rossini's charming version of the Cinderella story, for the first time with the company beginning May 1. The Latvian mezzo-soprano made her highly acclaimed Met debut last season as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) continues its 54 th season with Verdi's haunting and tragic tale Rigoletto. Rigoletto, which was last performed at HGO in 2001, returns to the Wortham Theater Centerwith a powerful new staging of Michael Yeargan's classic production that was inspired by Italianpainter Giorgio di Chirico.

New York City Opera's acclaimed VOX: Showcasing American Opera series marks its 10th anniversary on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South) at New York University. New York City Opera's annual VOX series demonstrates the company's commitment to the development of American opera, giving a free-of-charge platform to new or previously unperformed American operas. This year's showcase will include Renowned Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz's new opera, Séance on a Wet Afternoon.

Finally appearing together again after their Tony Award? winning performances in Evita, Patti LuPone joins Mandy Patinkin onstage for An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. These Broadway legends will bring their critically acclaimed theatre concert to the Fisher Theatre, April 14 -19, 2009.

Erin Wall will make her Met debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni on April 13 and will also sing performances on April 16, 20, and 24. She replaces Barbara Frittoli, who will sing Donna Elvira instead of her originally scheduled role of Donna Anna. Frittoli is replacing Soile Isokoski, who has withdrawn from the four performances due to illness in her family.

New York City Opera's acclaimed VOX: Showcasing American Opera series marks its 10th anniversary on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South) at New York University.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of ALT, has announced that the company has commissioned The Golden Ticket, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In his announcement, Edelson explained that all of Dahl's beloved characters find a unique voice in this exciting new opera. 'If thoughts of Augustus Gloop being swept away in the Chocolate River, Violet Beauregarde inflating like a giant blueberry, Mike Teavee being demagnified into the tele-dimension, and Veruca Salt being thrown down the rubbish shoot by a gang of nut-inspecting squirrels sound like your idea of a fun night at the opera - or better yet, unlike any night at the opera or theater you've ever experienced - The Golden Ticket is....just the ticket!'

Erin Wall will make her Met debut as Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni on April 13 and will also sing performances on April 16, 20, and 24. She replaces Barbara Frittoli, who will sing Donna Elvira instead of her originally scheduled role of Donna Anna. Frittoli is replacing Soile Isokoski, who has withdrawn from the four performances due to illness in her family.

The Tony Award®-winning Old Globe is pleased to announce the cast of its 2009 Summer Shakespeare Festival, featuring two works by Shakespeare, Twelfth Night and Coriolanus, along with Edmond Rostand's celebrated classic, Cyrano de Bergerac. The three productions will be performed in nightly rotation in the Globe's outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre June 13 - September 27, 2009.

Donizetti's comic masterpiece L'Elisir d'Amore returns to the Met with Angela Gheorghiu reprising her acclaimed portrayal of Adina and three tenors singing the role of Nemorino for the first time with the company: Massimo Giordano, Rolando Villazón, and Joseph Calleja. Other members of the cast also making role debuts include Franco Vassallo as Belcore and Simone Alaimo as the quack Doctor Dulcamara.

Finally appearing together again after their Tony Award® winning performances in Evita, Patti LuPone joins Mandy Patinkin onstage for An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. These Broadway legends will bring their critically acclaimed theatre concert to the Palace Theatre at PlayhouseSquare for 16 performances only, May 5 - 17, 2009.

It became official when, SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark, was announced to open on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street (preview performances will begin Saturday, January 16, 2010). Directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor with 22-time Grammy Award-winning Bono and The Edge creating new music and lyrics, SPIDER-MAN will be written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. Well 'True Believers', since that official statement, the 'webslinging' work has heated up, and the creative process is in full 'swing' (forgive us the pun, but c'mon...).

New York City Opera's acclaimed VOX: Showcasing American Opera series marks its 10 th anniversary on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place, at Washington Square South) at New York University. New York City Opera's annual VOX series demonstrates the company's commitment to the development of American opera, giving a free-of-charge platform to new or previously unperformed American operas. The final excerpt presented on Saturday, May 2, will mark the 100 th opera presented by VOX.

Christine Brewer has withdrawn from her scheduled performances as Brünnhilde in Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen due to a knee injury that prevents her from performing the staging. To replace her in the role, the Met has engaged Iréne Theorin for the opening Die Walküre on April 6 (her company debut), and Katarina Dalayman for performances of Brünnhilde in Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung on April 25, 28, and May 2. Linda Watson, already scheduled to sing the third complete Ring cycle, May 4 - 9, will also sing Siegfried on April 30.

It became official when, SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark, was announced to open on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street (preview performances will begin Saturday, January 16, 2010). Directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor with 22-time Grammy Award-winning Bono and The Edge creating new music and lyrics, SPIDER-MAN will be written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. Well 'True Believers', since that official statement, the 'webslinging' work has heated up, and the creative process is in full 'swing' (forgive us the pun, but c'mon...).

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, has announced that Kyrian Friedenberg, the ten-year old singer, violinist and actor most recently seen in Gypsy with Patty LuPone on Broadway, has been cast as Charlie Bucket in ALT's upcoming workshop and reading of The Golden Ticket, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Speaking of the young performer, Edelson said that 'Kyrian has a wonderful voice, is incredibly musical, and has charisma that is truly contagious. After hearing him sing Charlie's first act Aria from The Golden Ticket, I had no doubt that he was the right boy to bring Roald Dahl's classic character to life in our upcoming workshop.'

Alan Gilbert, who will become Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in September 2009, returns to New York to lead two weeks of programs with the Orchestra. The first series of concerts ? Thursday, April 30, 2009, at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, and 8:00 p.m., and Tuesday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. will comprise Dvorák?s The Golden Spinning Wheel; Saint-Saëns?s Violin Concerto No. 3, with Joshua Bell as soloist; and Martin's Symphony No. 4.

Tony Award-winning Broadway star Patti LuPone (the original Evita) takes us on a high-spirited tour of songs and roles that she 'could have played, should have played, did play and will play,' with selections from Hair, Bye Bye Birdie, Funny Girl, West Side Story, Peter Pan, Evita, Anything Goes and more!

Tony Award-winning Broadway star Patti LuPone (the original Evita) takes us on a high-spirited tour of songs and roles that she 'could have played, should have played, did play and will play,' with selections from Hair, Bye Bye Birdie, Funny Girl, West Side Story, Peter Pan, Evita, Anything Goes and more!