Richard Tucker News

In his second season as General Music Director of the Zurich Opera, Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winner Fabio Luisi premieres important new productions of Beethoven's Fidelio and Verdi's Aida, and conducts revivals of Bellini's La straniera, Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann, and Verdi'sDon Carlo with René Pape, which also serves as the vehicle for his return to the Teatro alla Scala. As distinguished in the concert hall as the opera house, he leads four orchestral programs with the Philharmonia Zurich, makes his long-awaited London Symphony Orchestra debut, and returns to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Cleveland Orchestra, with which he launches the new season. As Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, the distinguished Italian conductor leads productions of Puccini's Madama Butterflyand Rossini's comedy La Cenerentola, which will be transmitted live to movie theaters around the world in the Met's celebrated Live in HD series.

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance welcomes back the internationally renowned Sphinx Virtuosi (formerly known as the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra) and the Catalyst Quartet, joined by celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves on Tuesday October 1, 2013 at 7:30 pm. This one-time collaboration between Ms. Graves and Sphinx can only be seen at the Harris.

Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) 2013–14 season includes the launch of the company's first Ring cycle, in a visionary and captivating production by the Catalan company La Fura dels Baus; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Holocaust opera The Passenger; the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, based on the play of the same name by renowned Texas writer Horton Foote and starring iconic mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; a new HGO production of Carmen from Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; revivals of Aida, Rigoletto, and Die Fledermaus; and, in tribute to the nation's homegrown musical theater tradition, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music designed by fashion star Isaac Mizrahi. Through its HGOco S o n g o f H o u s t o n project—winner of the National MultiCultural Institute's Leading Lights Diversity Award—the company continues to celebrate Houston's cultural diversity with the world premieres of two new commissions exploring the city's Vietnamese and Indian communities as part of the East + West series.

Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) 2013-14 season includes the launch of the company's first Ring cycle, in a visionary and captivating production by the Catalan company La Fura dels Baus; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Holocaust opera The Passenger; the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, based on the play of the same name by renowned Texas writer Horton Foote and starring iconic mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; a new HGO production of Carmenfrom Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; revivals of Aida, Rigoletto, and Die Fledermaus; and, in tribute to the nation's homegrown musical theater tradition, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music designed by fashion star Isaac Mizrahi. Through its HGOco Song of Houston project-winner of the National MultiCultural Institute's Leading Lights Diversity Award-the company continues to celebrate Houston's cultural diversity with the world premieres of two new commissions exploring the city's Vietnamese and Indian communities as part of the East + West series.

The Metropolitan Opera and Le Poisson Rouge announced details for "An Evening of Britten and Muhly," two concerts at Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Metropolitan Opera stars Patricia Racette, Kathleen Kim, and Iestyn Davies will perform at the event. Composer Nico Muhly will host and perform on piano.

James Levine and The MET Orchestra return for their annual series at Carnegie Hall with three concerts this season in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The series launches onSunday, October 13 at 3:00 p.m. with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato singing Rossini'sGiovanna d'Arco as well as arias from Mozart'sLa clemenza di Tito. Also on the program are Verdi's Overture to I vespri Siciliani, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, and Elliott Carter's Variations for Orchestra. This marks Maestro Levine's first performance at Carnegie Hall since his triumphant return to the podium on May 19.

The new season sees Thomas Hampson – “America's foremost baritone” (International Herald Tribune) – return to the world's greatest opera houses and festivals, including London's Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, theBavarian State Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he will make hisrole debut as the eponymous antihero of Berg's Wozzeck. Equally active on the concert stage, Hampson looks forward to collaborations with such top international orchestras as Washington's National Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Staatskapelle Dresden, and the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, which he will join for a twelve-stop European tour. Having been hailed as “an artist fully in control of a remarkable instrument” (Los Angeles Times), the baritone will take his celebrated lieder recitals to London's Wigmore Hall, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and to Coburg, Heidelberg, Brussels, and Berne. In the wake of his recent induction into the Gramophone Hall of Fame, the baritone's star turn in the title role of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra – recorded live at the Vienna Konzerthaus – is due for September release on the Decca label.

The Michael Schimmel Center for the Performing Arts at Pace University today announced its 2013|2014 Pace Presents Season, under the Executive Direction of Martin I. Kagan, is a world-class performing arts series with an emphasis on music superstars from around the globe, charismatic and innovative dance performances, stunning opera stars in recital and spectacular contemporary cabaret. The Pace Presents season begins on September 21 with a big band tribute to the late, great lounge legend Esquivel from Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica, culminating onJune 1 with the reunion performance of Tina Croll and Jamie Cunningham'sdance/theatre piece From the Horse's Mouth.

Metropolitan Opera Guild to Show Rare TV Footage at "Rise: A Celebration of Rise Stevens" at Kaye Playhouse Sep 18

'Stravinsky Re-invented: From Paris to Los Angeles,' the second and final weekend of the 24th annual Bard Music Festival in New York'sAnnandale-on-Hudson, follows Igor Stravinsky from Europe to post-war Hollywood, investigating his subsequent shift in style from neoclassicism to serialism. The weekend opens tonight, August 16, with a screening of film clips that document the great Russian innovator, with commentary by Professor Charles M. Joseph, author of Stravinsky Inside Out. This special session is followed by the weekend's first concert, 'Against Interpretation and Expression: The Aesthetics of Mechanization,' a program of postmodernist ensemble classics by Stravinsky, Bartók, Varèse, Hindemith, and Messiaen; soloists include Grammy-nominated pianist Peter Serkin and So Percussion's Eric Beach.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared Wednesday, August 28 the second annual 'Richard Tucker Day' in New York City, marking what would have been thelegendary Brooklyn-born tenor's 100th birthday. To observe this honor, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation will lead celebrations throughout the city and online, in collaboration with a number of renowned New York institutions, including Junior's restaurant, Brooklyn Brewery, the Metropolitan Opera, The Juilliard School, the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, WQXR, Operavore and more.

The 2013-2014 season at Pace University's Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts will feature rising opera stars.

'Stravinsky Re-invented: From Paris to Los Angeles,' the second and final weekend of the 24th annual Bard Music Festival in New York's Annandale-on-Hudson, follows Igor Stravinsky from Europe to post-war Hollywood, investigating his subsequent shift in style from neoclassicism to serialism. The weekend opens on Friday, August 16, with a screening of film clips that document the great Russian innovator, with commentary by Professor Charles M. Joseph, author of Stravinsky Inside Out. This special session is followed by the weekend's first concert, 'Against Interpretation and Expression: The Aesthetics of Mechanization,' a program of postmodernist ensemble classics by Stravinsky, Bartók, Varèse, Hindemith, and Messiaen; soloists include Grammy-nominated pianist Peter Serkin and So Percussion's Eric Beach.

Soprano Ailyn Perez and tenor Stephen Costello - dubbed "America's fastest-rising husband-and-wife opera stars" by the Associated Press - pair to sing Verdi arias and duets with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra at the city's 76th free Stern Grove Festival on August 18. Perez and Costello will be helping the San Francisco Opera celebrate this year's bicentennial of Verdi's birth with a program of solo arias and duets. The two singers will return to San Francisco Opera for more Verdi in the summer of 2014, taking on the lead roles in the company's production of La traviata. When they performed together in a recent Lincoln Center gala, New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini noted that the couple "displayed palpable chemistry in a tender duet."

American tenor, James Valenti will be making his theatrical debut as Don Carlos in 'Don Carlos' at the Caramoor Festival at the Venetian Theater tonight, July 20, 2013, located at 149 Girdle Ridge Rd - Bedford, NY.

American tenor, James Valenti will be making his theatrical debut as Don Carlos in 'Don Carlos' at the Caramoor Festival at the Venetian Theater on July 20, 2013, located at 149 Girdle Ridge Rd - Bedford, NY.

The Richard Tucker Music Foundation is happy to note that all three of the singers chosen to launch the Metropolitan Opera's fifth annual free Summer Recital Series are recent Foundation awardees. Presenting a program of arias, duets, and show-tunes at the Central Park SummerStage today, July 16, the singers include two winners of the Foundation's top prize, the coveted Richard Tucker Award: mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, winner of this year's award, and tenor Stephen Costello, who was similarly honored in 2009. They will be joined by soprano Erin Morley, recipient of a 2013 Richard Tucker Career Grant, and accompanied on piano by Bradley Moore.

Richard Tucker Award-winning tenor Stephen Costello looks forward to singing opera arias and duets al fresco on both sides of the Atlantic this summer, with appearances in New York's Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series (tonight, July 16 & 19); with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra at the city's Stern Grove Festival (Aug 18); and at the inaugural Branscombe Festival on England's south-west coast (July 27). In both California and the UK, the tenor's partner will be his wife and frequent co-star, lyric soprano Ailyn Pérez; recently billed as 'opera's hottest couple' at Los Angeles Opera, Vanity Fair says they are 'a match made in verismo heaven.'

Calling all Music Lovers and Yogis:The highly-anticipated Free Lunchtime Concert Series is back on the Upper West Side, heating up Lincoln Square this August and September with outdoor concerts at Richard Tucker Park. Throughout the dog-days of summer and into the fall, music enthusiasts are welcome to bring lunch, join friends and enjoy performances by a diverse mix of New York City's most talented m usicians and singers. Accompanying the musicians is YogaWorks, which will hold free restorative stretch sessions in between music sets for people looking for some lunch time relaxation. Additionally, local restaurants will offer free lemonade to help yoga enthusiasts and music lovers cool down!

The Richard Tucker Music Foundation is happy to note that all three of the singers chosen to launch the Metropolitan Opera's fifth annual free Summer Recital Series are recent Foundation awardees. Presenting a program of arias, duets, and show-tunes at the Central Park SummerStage onTuesday, July 16, the singers include two winners of the Foundation's top prize, the coveted Richard Tucker Award: mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, winner of this year's award, and tenor Stephen Costello, who was similarly honored in 2009. They will be joined by soprano Erin Morley, recipient of a 2013 Richard Tucker Career Grant, and accompanied on piano by Bradley Moore.