Simon Estes News

At the conclusion of San Francisco Opera's December 9 fall season final performance of The Elixir of Love, the Company honored composer and philanthropist Gordon Getty in an onstage ceremony.

Renowned bass-baritone, educator and humanitarian activist Simon Estes received the San Francisco Opera Medal at the Company’s Medallion Society luncheon in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton on Wednesday, March 8.

Starting a theatre company is no easy feat, but for a theatre to be around for 50 years is something worth celebrating. You can celebrate 50 years with Des Moines Metro Opera this summer, which just opened up its 50th season with two spectacular productions. The season opened up a sold-out run of The Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' with Simon Estes in his farewell performance. I've heard excellent things about the production. The opera continued its opening weekend with 'The Voice' finalist John Holiday in Benjamin Britten's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' based on the Shakespeare play by the same name.

This July, Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) will present the Iowa premiere of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess in honor of international opera star and Iowa native Simon Estes upon the announcement of his operatic farewell.

OPERA America invites opera appreciators and professionals to explore a new collection of anecdotes, memories, and reflections on the past half-century of opera in the United States.

The Juilliard School will hold its 117th commencement ceremony on May 20, 2022, at 10:30am. The ceremony will be held outdoors on the Lincoln Center campus in Damrosch Park, presided over by Juilliard President Damian Woetzel. It will also be livestreamed at juilliard.edu for those unable to attend in person.

He expresses himself as articulately when speaking as he does when singing

OPERA America has announced honors for exemplary artists, administrators, advocates, and trustees in two prestigious award programs, the Opera Hall of Fame and National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards.

Des Moines Metro Opera's General and Artistic Director Michael Egel announced today the repertory for the company's 50th Anniversary Season alongside the launch of the public phase of a $15 million fundraising campaign, 50 Next: Giving Voice to the Future.

For the 15th consecutive year, VOICExperience Foundation (VE) founded by acclaimed operatic baritone Sherrill Milnes and soprano Maria Zouves, will offer their annual 'Opera Idol' master class competition. Traditionally taking place in the Chicago area, this annual event will take place virtually on Tuesday, June 1 at 7 p.m. EST, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts today announced new artistic commissions, creative community, and civic collaborations, and more this coming June at Restart Stages—the new outdoor performing arts center constructed on the Lincoln Center campus.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts today announced the official public opening of Restart Stages—a new outdoor performing arts center constructed on the Lincoln Center campus—welcoming audiences to reimagined community spaces and new outdoor venues, with dozens of free events and surprise Pop-Up performances in music, dance, drama, and more.

Des Moines Metro Opera's General & Artistic Director, Michael Egel, today announced the passing of the company's beloved Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus, Robert L. Larsen. He passed away peacefully in Indianola on Sunday, March 21, 2021.  The entire DMMO community mourns the loss of Dr. Larsen, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and former students at this time of immense sorrow.

Today (December 1) in live streaming:Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens and so much more!

OPERA America has announced the inaugural group of inductees to the Opera Hall of Fame. The Opera Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of outstanding living American artists, administrators, and advocates who have strengthened the art form and the field. It was established in 2020 on the occasion of OPERA America's 50th anniversary, a celebration of the progress of the industry over the past half-century.

We start at the L A Opera website with a ”Living Room Recital.” Michael J. Hawk, baritone, sings a program entitled “Shakespeare in France and on Broadway.” He performs “Mab! la reine des mensonges” (“Mab, Queen of Lies”) from Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod and three arias from Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet.

The Met has announced themed lineups for five weeks of its Nightly Met Opera Streams, a free series of encore Live in HD presentations and classic telecasts streamed on the company's website during the coronavirus closure.

Black Opera Productions LLC, and Presenting Partner, Brookfield Place, will present Jessye Norman at 75: A Celebration LIVE on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 6:00 PM ET, to commemorate the legendary singer's first birthday in memoriam, presented in support of the Estate of Jessye Norman and Jessye Norman School of the Arts, and the forthcoming documentary film Black Opera. 

It's hardly a secret that during the Met's shutdown, the company has been treating audiences with nightly telecasts of everything from the company's current 'Live In HD' series to some scratchy videos that still had decent sound. All of them, however, can also be found on the Met's online subscription series, THE MET OPERA ON DEMAND, along with some audio highlights of extraordinary Saturday afternoon broadcasts. It's worth shelling out the money for this kind of quality.