Richard Tucker News

Upright Cabaret, L.A.'s premier theatrical showcase featuring an eclectic mix of artists from stage, screen and recording, announces the complete cast for its third and final of its wildly successful 'WICKED' Summer Night at the Ford, featuring the man who has given the world such musical theatre treasures as Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, The Baker's Wife and many more, STEPHEN SCHWARTZ: MAKING GOOD, featuring the West Coast premiere of songs from his new opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon, with musical direction by Chris Bratten, directed by Upright Cabaret Artistic Director Billy Porter and performing ONE NIGHT ONLY, Sunday, August 23 at 7:30pm at the Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East in Hollywood.

Upright Cabaret, L.A.'s premier theatrical showcase featuring an eclectic mix of artists from stage, screen and recording, announces the complete cast for its third and final of its wildly successful 'WICKED' Summer Night at the Ford, featuring the man who has given the world such musical theatre treasures as Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, The Baker's Wife and many more, STEPHEN SCHWARTZ: MAKING GOOD, featuring the West Coast premiere of songs from his new opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon, with musical direction by Chris Bratten, directed by Upright Cabaret Artistic Director Billy Porter and performing ONE NIGHT ONLY, Sunday, August 23 at 7:30pm at the Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East in Hollywood.

Upright Cabaret, L.A.'s premier theatrical showcase featuring an eclectic mix of artists from stage, screen and recording, presents its third and final of its wildly successful 'WICKED' Summer Night at the Ford, featuring the man who has given the world such musical theatre treasures as Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, The Baker's Wife and many more, STEPHEN SCHWARTZ: MAKING GOOD, featuring the West Coast premiere of songs from his new opera Séance on a Wet Afternoon, with musical direction by Chris Bratten, directed by Upright Cabaret Artistic Director Billy Porter and performing ONE NIGHT ONLY, Sunday, August 23 at 7:30pm at the Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East in Hollywood.

Washington National Opera (WNO), under the leadership of General Director Plácido Domingo, opens its 54th season with Gioachino Rossini's The Barber of Seville (Il Barbiere de Siviglia) in eight performances, September 12 to 20 at the Kennedy Center Opera House. This light-hearted opera buffa, or comic opera, features an all-star cast, including American tenor Lawrence Brownlee in his WNO debut as Count Almaviva and Bolognese bass-baritone Simone Alberghini returning as Figaro.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, is pleased to announce that the contract of its president & CEO, Marc A. Scorca, has been extended through 2016. Anthony Freud, chairman of OPERA America's Board of Directors, announced the news at the organization's Annual Business Meeting, which took place during OPERA America's recent conference in Houston, Texas. During Opera Conference 2009, the Board of Directors also elected two new members to join its ranks: Gregory C. Swinehart and Darren K. Woods.

The Metropolitan Opera will offer a free weekend of unlimited access to Met Player, the subscription service that makes much of the company's extensive video and audio catalog of full-length performances available to the public online, in exceptional, state-of-the-art quality. The free preview begins at 5pm ET on Friday, May 1, and runs through midnight on Sunday, May 3.

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.

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance continues Harris Theater 5.0, its Fifth Anniversary Season, and concludes its inaugural Harris Theater Presents 2008-2009 series with a special engagement featuring legendary countertenor David Daniels with The English Concert, directed by Harry Bicket, Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for this performance, which range from $30-$110, are on-sale now and available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org.

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance continues Harris Theater 5.0, its Fifth Anniversary Season, and concludes its inaugural Harris Theater Presents 2008-2009 series with a special engagement featuring legendary countertenor David Daniels with The English Concert, directed by Harry Bicket, Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for this performance, which range from $30-$110, are on-sale now and available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org.

New York City Opera is proud to present the company premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra in concert on January 15 and 16, 2009 at 8 PM in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium. Soprano Lauren Flanigan sings the role of Cleopatra opposite baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, in his New York City Opera debut, as Antony. The cast includes rising tenor Simon O'Neill as Caesar and City Opera favorites David Pittsinger as Enobarbus, Sandra Piques Eddy as Charmian and Laura Vlasak Nolen as Iras. City Opera Music Director George Manahan will conduct. The company's celebration of Samuel Barber's upcoming centennial will also include a Symposium on Antony and Cleopatra on Saturday, January 10, co-presented by and taking place at Miller Theatre at Columbia University, which will feature City Opera soprano Elizabeth Futral in a unique recital of musical depictions and evocations of Cleopatra.

New York City Opera is proud to present the company premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra in concert on January 15 and 16, 2009 at 8 PM in Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium. Soprano Lauren Flanigan sings the role of Cleopatra opposite baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, in his New York City Opera debut, as Antony. The cast includes rising tenor Simon O'Neill as Caesar and City Opera favorites David Pittsinger as Enobarbus, Sandra Piques Eddy as Charmian and Laura Vlasak Nolen as Iras. City Opera Music Director George Manahan will conduct. The company's celebration of Samuel Barber's upcoming centennial will also include a Symposium on Antony and Cleopatra on Saturday, January 10, co-presented by and taking place at Miller Theatre at Columbia University, which will feature City Opera soprano Elizabeth Futral in a unique recital of musical depictions and evocations of Cleopatra.

On Tuesday, July 15, during its Annual Meeting at McCaw Hall, Seattle Opera General Director Speight Jenkins announced that the company's Artist of the Year awards went to tenor Lawrence Brownlee, who performed the role of Arturo in Seattle Opera's production of Bellini's I Puritani in May 2008, and to Thomas Lynch, set designer for Seattle Opera's production of Wagner's Flying Dutchman in August 2007 and Seattle Opera's co-production with the Metropolitan Opera of Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauris in October 2007.

New York City Opera will present a series of concerts, showcases, discussions, screenings, and master classes in 2008-09, designed to bring the company's unique brand of music-making and cultural conversation to all five boroughs of New York City while renovations take place at its home, the New York State Theater.

On Monday, May 5th, The Actors Fund will host its 2008 Annual Gala which will honor four individuals whose combined careers represent the diversity and range of the entertainment industry: acclaimed actor Alec Baldwin will be receiving the Nedda Harrigan Logan Award; international opera sensation Renée Fleming will be receiving the Lee Strasberg Artistic Achievement Award; and Tony Award-winning Broadway producers and theater owners Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley will be receiving The Actors Fund Medal of Honor.

The New York Philharmonic presents Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady in four semi-staged performances, March 7-10, 2007. The musical - a New York Philharmonic premiere - will star Kelli O'Hara, Kelsey Grammer, Charles Kimbrough, Brian Dennehy, Marni Nixon and Tim Jerome.