Marilyn Horne News

In the second year of a four-year partnership between Music Academy of the West and the New York Philharmonic, ten Academy musicians will travel to New York in January 2016 to participate in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellowship Program (Jan 2-12), developing their career skills through what President and CEO of the Music Academy of the West Scott Reed called "an extraordinary opportunity to gain valuable experience alongside the musicians of one of the world's greatest orchestras."

JCC Manhattan presents the fall season finale of PREformances with Allison Charney on Monday, December 14th at 12:30pm. In this unique concert series, you will hear celebrated classical musicians just before their performances on the world's most prestigious stages removing traditional barriers between performer and audience.

New York, NY (December 10, 2015) – OPERA NEWS Editor in Chief F. Paul Driscoll today announced the recipients of the 11th Annual OPERA NEWS Awards. This year's honorees — Joseph Calleja, El?na Garan?a, Waltraud Meier, Anna Netrebko, and José van Dam — will be feted at a black tie gala celebration on April 10th at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. 

From January 19 to 23, Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) presents The Song Continues, an annual series led by renowned mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, exploring song repertoire through master classes and concerts with the goal of encouraging, supporting, and preserving the art of the vocal recital. The series concludes with the Marilyn Horne Song Celebration, a recital featuring special guest artist soprano Nina Stemme on Saturday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall. The evening's concert also features performances by soprano Julia Bullock, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, tenor Andrew Haji, bass-baritone Evan Hughes, and pianists John Arida, Keun-A Lee, Ken Noda, and Jennifer Szeto. Complete program information is listed below.

I had the opportunity to chat with international singing star Mario Frangoulis the other day, and it was a simply delightful experience. He'll be performing in St. Louis at the Peabody Opera House on December 6, 2015 along with the legendary Smokey Robinson in a concert that will benefit the Voices For Veterans Organization. This is a group that seeks to end homelessness, especially for those forgotten and neglected soldiers who have bravely served our country. It's a great cause, and it should be a fabulous event. Mario spoke with me about his career, and in particular, his latest release, a holiday album titled TALES OF CHRISTMAS.

MasterVoices, formerly The Collegiate Chorale, was honored at the Martina Arroyo Foundation's11th Annual Gala.MasterVoices was recognized along with American couture designer Joanna Mastroianni and The Michel Maurel award-winner Ernst Rieser. Brian Kellow and Terrance McKnight hosted the gala, with performances by the young artists of Prelude to Performance, Jennifer Rowley, Michele Angelini and Cecilia Violetta Lopez (both featured in the October issue of Opera News), as well as other special guests.

Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute (WMI) celebrates A Charlie Brown Christmas with a Family Holiday Concert this December featuring The New York Pops, marking the 50th anniversary of the iconic television special created by Charles M. Schulz. Recommended for ages 5-10, the performance will include a sing-along and other festive surprises.

Grammy Award-nominated concert pianist Lang Lang makes his first of three appearances at Carnegie Hall this season with a solo recital today, October 23 at 8:30 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The concert features Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971-a complex and pioneering work inspired by Vivaldi-along with Tchaikovsky's The Seasons, Op. 37b and Chopin's four scherzos. By the time he was 22 years old, the acclaimed pianist had already performed twice at Carnegie Hall -with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Temirkanov in 2001 and with the New York String Orchestra under Jaime Laredo in 2002-before making his sold-out solo recital debut in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on November 7, 2003, which was recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon.

Verdi's Rigoletto returns to the Met October 20 for fifteen performances. Michael Mayer's 2013 production, set in a 1960s Las Vegas casino, will star George Gagnidze in the title role opposite two singers in company role debuts: Olga Peretyatko as Gilda and Stephen Costello as the Duke. Spanish maestro Pablo Heras-Casado will lead the initial performances of the opera, which also feature Štefan Kocán as Sparafucile and Swedish mezzo-soprano Katarina Leoson, in her Met debut, as Maddalena. Later performances this season will star Željko Lu?i? in the title role and Piotr Beczala as the Duke, roles both sang in the new production premiere of Mayer's staging, opposite 2009 National Council Auditions winner Nadine Sierra in her Met debut as Gilda. Roberto Abbado conducts a cast that also features Russian bass Dimitry Ivashchenko in his Met debut as Sparafucile and Nancy Fabiola Herrera as Maddalena.

Mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel, in her New York Philharmonic debut, will replace Marietta Simpson, who has withdrawn due to illness, in In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy.

Eric Owens will begin his tenure as The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence by curating, hosting, and performing in In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy, conducted by Thomas Wilkins in his Philharmonic debut.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 12, 2015) –– San Francisco Opera Center Director Sheri Greenawald announced today the twelve recipients of the 2016 Adler Fellowship, a multi-year performance-oriented residency offering advanced young artists intensive individual training, coaching and professional seminars, as well as a wide range of performance opportunities. Adler Fellows are selected from the young artists who have participated in the Merola Opera Program. This prestigious training program has nurtured the development of more than 150 young artists since its inception.

Mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel, in her New York Philharmonic debut, will replace Marietta Simpson, who has withdrawn due to illness, in In Their Footsteps: Great African American Singers and Their Legacy.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2015-2016 PNC Pops season with 'Sinatra and Beyond with Tony DeSare, a tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes in celebration of the iconic singer's 100th birthday, this weekend, October 2-4 at Heinz Hall.

IlluminArts presents immersive musical performance in conjunction with LISTEN TO THIS BUILDING: A collaboration by Exile Books, the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, and the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. Called SONGS OF THE CITY, SONGS IN THE DARK, the concert is set for tonight, October 1, 2015 from 6:30PM to 8:30 PM at the Miami Center for Architecture and Design, 100 NE 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33132.

PITTSBURGH – Tonight, October 1, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform at a professional sporting event for the first time when they share Heinz Field with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team takes on the Baltimore Ravens in a nationally televised game.

PITTSBURGH – On today, October 1, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform at a professional sporting event for the first time when they share Heinz Field with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team takes on the Baltimore Ravens in a nationally televised game.

Vancouver, BC ~  Vancouver Opera kicks off the exciting 2015-2016 season with Giuseppe Verdi's thrilling blockbuster, Rigoletto. Powerful baritone Gordon Hawkins will sing the title role, with international superstar soprano Simone Osborne as Gilda and acclaimed tenor Bruce Sledge as the Duke. Sensational melodies, heartbreaking drama and vivid characters make this dark, tender drama of love and revenge irresistible.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra honors luminary opera singer Marilyn Horne at its Opening Night Celebration tonight, September 25, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark.