Michael Mayes News

What happens when American women move to Paris for creatively fulfilling careers?

Boston Lyric Opera's Stanford Calderwood General and Artistic Director Esther Nelson announced today that each of the company's 40th anniversary season productions will be presented on a different, iconic Boston stage, starting with its largest-ever undertaking—a spectacular international production of the beloved Georges Bizet opera Carmen in a provocative staging by director Calixto Bieito, co-produced with San Francisco Opera and making its American East Coast premiere at the Boston Opera House on September 23, 2016.

Seattle-based Music of Remembrance (MOR) will present the world premiere of Out of Darkness at 4:00 p.m. on May 22, 2016, at the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Seattle's Benaroya Hall, and again at 7:30 p.m. on May 25 and 26 at the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

The Dallas Opera is delighted to present an original, musically compelling and visually stunning world premiere: Mark Adamo's BECOMING SANTA CLAUS, opening tonight, December 4th at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. 

The Dallas Opera is delighted to present an original, musically compelling and visually stunning world premiere: Mark Adamo's BECOMING SANTA CLAUS, opening on Friday, December 4th at 7:30 p.m. in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. 

The Dallas Opera is proud to present one of the most eagerly anticipated new operas of the year: Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's GREAT SCOTT, featuring a once-in-a-lifetime cast headed by America's favorite mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato, in the title role of Arden Scott; also starring soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, baritone Nathan Gunn, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, bass Kevin Burdette, tenor Rodell Rosel and baritone Michael Mayes.

The Dallas Opera is proud to present one of the most eagerly anticipated new operas of the year: Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's GREAT SCOTT, featuring a once-in-a-lifetime cast headed by America's favorite mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato, in the title role of Arden Scott; also starring soprano Ailyn Perez, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, baritone Nathan Gunn, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, bass Kevin Burdette, tenor Rodell Rosel and baritone Michael Mayes.  BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast in action below!

Composer looks for stories that tell transformative, emotional journeys, feel relevant and true with a sense of real intimacy and larger forces at work

            DALLAS, OCTOBER 2, 2015 – The Dallas Opera is proud to present one of the most eagerly anticipated new operas of the year: Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's GREAT SCOTT, featuring a once-in-a-lifetime cast headed by America's favorite mezzo-soprano, Joyce DiDonato, in the title role of Arden Scott; also starring soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, baritone Nathan Gunn, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, bass Kevin Burdette, tenor Rodell Rosel and baritone Michael Mayes.

San Francisco, August 31, 2015 – Acclaimed Opera Parallèle will present its annual gala benefit Today, October 3, at 6:30 pm, at Marines' Memorial Club in San Francisco featuring an original “Jukebox Opera” entitled Heroes, created by the Company's artistic team and performed by baritone Michael Mayes, who performed the role of Joe DeRocher in OP's 2015 production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking. The performance will showcase another side of this charismatic artist together with Opera Parallèle's Founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, who will trace the journey of a hero in arias by Heggie, Bernstein, Adamo, and others. The evening will also include cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, performance, and auction presented in The Commandant's Ballroom & Lounge at the classic 1920's Beaux-Arts hotel, Marines' Memorial Club. Tickets are priced from $350, with tables and sponsorships available for $3,500-$10,000 and all proceeds benefit Opera Parallèle and its cutting-edge productions including this season's premiere at SFJAZZ of Terence Blanchard's Champion February 19-28 and Peter Maxwell Davies' The Lighthouse April 29-May 1 at ZSpace in San Francisco. For tickets and information, visit www.operaparallele.orgor call Roma Olvera at 415.626.6279.

San Francisco, August 31, 2015 – Acclaimed Opera Parallèle will present its annual gala benefit Saturday, October 3, at 6:30 pm, at Marines' Memorial Club in San Francisco featuring an original “Jukebox Opera” entitled Heroes, created by the Company's artistic team and performed by baritone Michael Mayes, who performed the role of Joe DeRocher in OP's 2015 production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking. The performance will showcase another side of this charismatic artist together with Opera Parallèle's Founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, who will trace the journey of a hero in arias by Heggie, Bernstein, Adamo, and others. The evening will also include cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, performance, and auction presented in The Commandant's Ballroom & Lounge at the classic 1920's Beaux-Arts hotel, Marines' Memorial Club. Tickets are priced from $350, with tables and sponsorships available for $3,500-$10,000 and all proceeds benefit Opera Parallèle and its cutting-edge productions including this season's premiere at SFJAZZ of Terence Blanchard's Champion February 19-28 and Peter Maxwell Davies' The Lighthouse April 29-May 1 at ZSpace in San Francisco. For tickets and information, visit www.operaparallele.orgor call Roma Olvera at 415.626.6279.

Considering all the second-rate operas by men that have received first-rate productions at major houses, it's a shock that the performances of Dame Ethel Smyth's early 20th-century opera, THE WRECKERS, at Bard Music Festival was the stage premiere of the work in this country. And a dazzling one it was. The question is: “What took so long?” The answer, I suppose, is “Because Conductor Leon Botstein didn't get on the case earlier.”

 The Dallas Opera is proud to announce the names of the six distinguished professionals selected to participate in the inaugural session of the Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera:

DALLAS, MAY 21, 2015 – The Dallas Opera is pleased to announce the winner of the 2015 “Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year” Award: incandescent Russian soprano Ekaterina Scherbachenko.

WILMINGTON, Del. - OperaDelaware Monday entered rehearsals for its spring opera festival, which begins May 8 and continues over two weekends through May 17.  The festival highlights the best of French opera.

WILMINGTON, Del. - OperaDelaware Monday entered rehearsals for its spring opera festival, which begins May 8 and continues over two weekends through May 17.  The festival highlights the best of French opera.

Reviving important but neglected operas is one of the ways the Bard SummerScape festival has established itself as “a hotbed of intellectual and aesthetic adventure” (New York Times), and this year's immersion in “Chávez and His World” is no exception.

OperaDelaware's sizzling Spring Opera Festival is right around the corner. Don't forget to act now to secure the best seats!

Acclaimed contemporary opera company Opera Parallèle will open its 2015 season with the premiere of a new production of Jake Heggie's landmark work Dead Man Walking-marking the 15th anniversary of one of the most widely performed operas of the 21st century-in three performances this weekend, February 20 and 21, 2015 at 8 pm and February 22, 2015 at 2 pm at YBCA Theater in San Francisco.

In anticipation of its February 20-22 YBCA Theater premiere of a new production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, award-winning contemporary opera company Opera Parallèle will present a special free public event tonight, January 21, 7-8:30 pm at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. The evening will feature a discussion of the opera—which has had 40 productions, spanning the globe, in its 15-year history—and its controversial topic, the death penalty, along with performances of excerpts from the opera and other works. Opera Parallèle founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel will host special guests including activist and author Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, which chronicles her relationship with a Louisiana death-row inmate, and which was also made into a celebrated motion picture; composer Jake Heggie, mezzo-sopranos Frederica von Stade and Catherine Cook, sopranos Kristin Clayton and Nicolle Foland, and Roslyn Barak, cantor of Temple Emanu-El. Admission for the event is free of charge and advance reservations are required at opdmw.brownpapertickets.com .