Richard Buckley News

The Verdi Chorus 35th anniversary season culminates with its Fall 2018 concert Passione! Opera! for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 10 and 11 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, this program, which marks the end of a landmark year for the company, will feature selections from three Verdi operas - Aida, Don Carlo, and the famed chorus "Va, pensiero," from Nabucco, as well as operatic sequences from Boito's Mefistofele, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Catalani's La Wally and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.

The Verdi Chorus 35th anniversary season culminates with its Fall 2018 concert Passione! Opera! for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 10 and 11 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum.   As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, this program, which marks the end of a landmark year for the company, will feature selections from three Verdi operas - Aida, Don Carlo, and the famed chorus 'Va, pensiero,' from Nabucco, as well as operatic sequences from Boito's Mefistofele, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Catalani's La Wally and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.

Continuing its celebratory 35th Anniversary Season, The Verdi Chorus (Anne Marie Ketchum, Founding Artistic Director), announced today that auditions will be held on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica for The Verdi Chorus Fall 2018 Concert.

The Verdi Chorus celebrates its 35th anniversary with its Spring 2018 concert The Force of Destiny for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 28 and 29 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, their program will feature selections from three Verdi operas - La forza del destino, Nabucco, including the famed chorus "Va, pensiero," the opening party scene of La traviata, and conclude with beloved melodies from Strauss' Die Fledermaus.

Austin Opera today announces its 2018-2019 season and unveils Opera ATX, an adventurous new artistic series that will amplify the company's core programming with groundbreaking productions and exciting new talent. The three-opera season at the Long Center includes Verdi's spectacle of passion and betrayal Otello, the company premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night, and Puccini's enduring romantic masterpiece La boheme. Opera ATX will launch with the innovative Soldier Songs by David T. Little at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin.

Austin Opera continues its tradition of masterfully recreating classic operas with Bizet's CARMEN currently playing at The Long Center.

The Verdi Chorus will present its Fall 2017 concert 'Love's Passions and Potions' for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 18th and 19th led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum.

The Verdi Chorus will present its Fall 2017 concert 'Love's Passions and Potions' for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 18th and 19th led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum.

'His Royal Hipness, Lord Buckley,' an outstanding production, is now at 59E59 Theaters through January 1st. Written and performed by Jake Broder and directed by David Ellenstein, there's no other stage show like it.

Presented during The Austin's Opera's 30th anniversary season, THE FLYING DUTCHMAN commands the historic Long Center's stage with a diverse, collective cast and belting operatic sequences. The origins of the story of The Flying Dutchman are rather skewed between timelines. The story first appeared in Travels in various parts Europe, Asia, and Africa in 1790 by John MacDonald, and again when Richard Wagner's operatic rendition came to life in 1843, after being adapted from an episode of Heinrich Heine's satirical novel The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski. More modernly, the story of The Flying Dutchman is told through the highly loved film series, The Pirates of The Carribean. Regardless of the interpretations by creative minds, one fact remains true - The Flying Dutchman refers to a ghostly ship destined to sail the seas for all eternity. Richard Wagner's rendition, sure to please both critics and audiences alike, is bringing this haunted tale to life with the reputation of precision that precedes The Austin Opera.

Austin Opera Oct. 24 announced the appointment of Annie Burridge as General Director of Austin Opera. Currently the Managing Director of Opera Philadelphia, an opera company recognized for its groundbreaking audience engagement and programming model, Ms. Burridge will assume her new position in November 2016, with a 5-year contract through October 2021. The announcement was made today by Elisabeth Juen Waltz, Chairman of the Austin Opera Board of Trustees and Jon Nash, President of the Austin Opera Board of Trustees. Ms. Burridge's nomination was confirmed at a special Board of Trustees meeting on Monday, October 24th.

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE is a beautiful, spirited production, and director Alain Gauthier along with principal conductor Richard Buckley have created a beautiful piece for Austin audiences. With only one weekend remaining, be sure to catch Austin Opera's final performance of THE BARBER OF SEVILLE on Sunday, May 1st…and catch Count Almaviva and Rosina before they elope for good!

Austin Opera is bringing an evening filled with extraordinary classic and modern opera music to KLRU's legendary Studio 6A. 'An Intimate Affair' features performances by David Miller, tenor of Simon Cowell's 26-time platinum selling 'pop opera' crossover group Il Divo, alongside his multi-talented wife Sarah Joy Miller, star of New York City Opera's critically-acclaimed 'Anna Nicole,' based on the life of Anna Nicole Smith.

Stephen Costello scored a knockout in the title role of Romeo et Juliette at San Diego Opera five years ago. Now the Tucker Award-winner makes his Austin Opera house debut starting this Today with a reprise of his “electrifying” portrayal (San Diego News Network) in the same Doug Scholz-Carlson production of Gounod's Shakespearean masterpiece. Austin's three-performance run also stars Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury as Juliette and bass Peter Volpe as Friar Laurence, with Austin's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Richard Buckley on the podium (Jan 24 & 29; Feb 1).

Stephen Costello scored a knockout in the title role of Romeo et Juliette at San Diego Opera five years ago. Now the Tucker Award-winner makes his Austin Opera house debut starting this Saturday with a reprise of his “electrifying” portrayal (San Diego News Network) in the same Doug Scholz-Carlson production of Gounod's Shakespearean masterpiece. Austin's three-performance run also stars Canadian soprano Joyce El-Khoury as Juliette and bass Peter Volpe as Friar Laurence, with Austin's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Richard Buckley on the podium (Jan 24 & 29; Feb 1).

I have always loved opera companies that have the ability to evolve and recreate productions for modern audiences. Typically, Austin Opera always rises to meet this challenge, but regrettably, in this production they miss the mark. Despite some standout performances, A MASKED BALL falls short because of some missed opportunities and questionable choices made by the director.

Stephen Costello looks forward to a number of important firsts in 2014-15. Besides creating the role of Michele in San Francisco Opera's world premiere production of Two Women, the Tucker Award-winning tenor returns to the Metropolitan Opera for a pair of house role debuts, reprising his star turn as Alfredo -- also seen this season at the Vienna State Opera -- in La traviata, and singing Camille in Susan Stroman's new staging of The Merry Widow. He makes his professional role debut as Ferrando in Così fan tutte at Houston Grand Opera, and house debuts at both Austin Lyric Opera, in the title role of a new Roméo et Juliette, and London's Wigmore Hall, where he launches the season with a solo recital in the prestigious Rosenblatt Series. Costello also joins his wife, soprano Ailyn Pérez, for romantic duets from their recent hit album, Love Duets, with the BBC Symphony at London's Barbican Hall, and on a U.S. duo recital tour to the opera houses of Washington, Dallas, San Diego, and Philadelphia.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) paid tribute to the winners and honorees of the 2014 CFDA Fashion Awards in collaboration with Swarovski at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. Film director and screenwriter John Waters was the host for the evening. For the thirteenth year in a row, the evening was generously underwritten by Swarovski.

Poor, plain, easily ignored Nemorino. He's so in love with the beautiful Adina, but she doesn't love him back. Ultimately, lovesick Nemorino is forced to buy a love potion from a charlatan to win Adina's heart. While that may be the plot of Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera, it doesn't take a potion to fall for Austin Lyric Opera's superb production of The Elixir of Love. Every element of this superbly crafted production will win the love and adoration of the audience. Opera lovers will be entranced, and opera newcomers will be enchanted. If you are an opera novice or are under the impression that you hate opera, give this one a chance. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to follow this simple, charming, humorous show, and you'll be glad to know that given its 2 hour and 30 minute running time, it's a relatively brief affair.

When it comes to operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Don Carlo has to be the most challenging one to produce. Which version do you use? The French version? The Italian translation? Given the over four hour running time of the full version, where do you make cuts, and why? And once you answer those questions, there's the content to deal with. How do you pack in the opera's themes of love, war, betrayal, politics, and the Spanish Inquisition? The later question is one that Austin Lyric Opera's current production fails to answer. While Don Carlo is 3 hours and 30 minutes of aural bliss, the story is handled in a clumsy and sometimes unfortunate way.