Lyric Opera general director Anthony Freud today announced that Jane Lynch, the Emmy-winning actress acclaimed for portraying coach Sue Sylvester on the hit television series Glee, will serve as master of ceremonies for Lyric Opera of Chicago's 60th Anniversary Concert, November 1, 2014, at 6:30 pm at the Civic Opera House.
Houston Grand Opera drew the season to a close with hit new productions of Das Rheingold and Carmen that prompted CultureMap Houston to conclude: 'This is, without doubt, the epitome of early twenty-first century opera production. It's where we are going, and it's thrilling.'
One of the world's most innovative and respected architects, Jeanne Gang, and her firm Studio Gang Architects (studiogang.net), are designing a new concert shell for Lyric Opera of Chicago. The shell will be used for the first time at Lyric's 60th Anniversary Concert, which takes place at the Civic Opera House on November 1, 2014, at 6:30 pm.
The Merola Opera Program and the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch are teaming up for Merola Goes to the Movies, a new series that presents great opera-themed movies.
The Dallas Opera has announced the result of this year's balloting for the 2014 “Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year” Award: American mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, who made a dazzling Dallas Opera stage debut as the headstrong-yet-lovable Rosina in our season finale, Rossini's The Barber of Seville.
Ten artists have been nominated and thousands of subscribers will soon be casting their vote for this year's winner of the prestigious 'Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year' Award. The Dallas Opera bestows this award annually to the performer who makes the most unforgettable impression onstage in their company debut. The winner will be announced at the annual Dallas Opera Board and Trustee Appreciation Dinner tonight, May 22, 2014 in the Crescent Ballroom of the Rosewood Crescent Hotel, 400 Crescent Court in Uptown Dallas.
The Merola Opera Program and the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch are teaming up for Merola Goes to the Movies, a new series that presents great opera-themed movies.
No one likes cancellations, especially performers. Luckily, when both mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and pianist Bradley Moore were ill and had to cancel their April 2nd recital in Philadelphia, they were able to reschedule within just a few weeks. Considering both Graham and Moore have quite busy calendars, it's tremendous that the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society was able to reschedule a performance with them so quickly.
The internationally-acclaimed Pacific Chorale in Orange County, CA will be presenting a new work created by American opera composer Jake Heggie, and the versatile librettist Gene Scheer entitled 'THE RADIO HOUR'. The choral opera will be conducted by Pacific Chorale's Artistic Director, John Alexander, and stage-directed by James R. Taulli. The premiere work will be performed by the organization's chamber choir, The John Alexander Singers, accompanied by an 8-member ensemble of musicians who are members of Pacific Symphony. The performance is on Sunday, May 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, CA. Scroll down to see an interview with composer Jake Heggie and conductor John Alexander!
Ten artists have been nominated and thousands of subscribers will soon be casting their vote for this year's winner of the prestigious “Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year” Award. The Dallas Opera bestows this award annually to the performer who makes the most unforgettable impression onstage in their company debut. The winner will be announced at the annual Dallas Opera Board and Trustee Appreciation Dinner on Thursday, May 22, 2014 in the Crescent Ballroom of the Rosewood Crescent Hotel, 400 Crescent Court in Uptown Dallas.
Ten artists have been nominated and thousands of subscribers will soon be casting their vote for this year's winner of the prestigious “Maria Callas Debut Artist of the Year” Award. The Dallas Opera bestows this award annually to the performer who makes the most unforgettable impression onstage in their company debut. The winner will be announced at the annual Dallas Opera Board and Trustee Appreciation Dinner on Thursday, May 22, 2014 in the Crescent Ballroom of the Rosewood Crescent Hotel, 400 Crescent Court in Uptown Dallas.
Students can apply to experience a summer of free opera! 2014 Merola Opera Program Student Membership Program will provide Bay Area high school and college students with free tickets to our summer operas, master classes and events in San Francisco this June, July and August. Each membership receives two tickets - one for the member and one for a guest.
Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) raised a record-setting $1.13 million at its annual Gift of Music gala at The Plaza Hotel on Monday, March 24, 2014. Funds raised at the gala benefit the artistic and Community & Education programs of OSL, one of America's most versatile orchestras, as well as The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York City's first and only space dedicated to classical music rehearsal, recording, and education.
In our age of 20-somethings suffering from arrested development, they say “25 is the new 15.” This certainly was not true at the Met auditions concert (formally, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals Concert, a real mouthful!). At the opera house, Sunday afternoon, the concert showcased nine competitors, all between 24 and 29 but mature artists with poise, acting ability and, yes, voices definitely worth hearing again.
After a months-long series of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, a panel of judges has named five young singers the winners of the 2014 National Council Auditions, the nation's most prestigious vocal competition. Each winner, who performed two arias onstage at the Metropolitan Opera this afternoon with conductor Marco Armiliatoand the Met's orchestra, will receive a $15,000 cash prize and the prestige and exposure that come with winning a competition that has launched the careers of many of opera's biggest stars.
Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Susan Graham launches a four-date U.S. recital tour tomorrow with pianistBradley Moore in Myrtle Beach, SC, with the trek including the singer's Kimmel Center recital debut in Philadelphia on April 2. The recital program of Purcell, Berlioz, Poulenc and Cole Porter will be drawn from Graham's second Onyx album,Virgins, Vixens & Viragos. In a review of the recording, the UK's Sunday Times noted: “It's hard to think of another contemporary singer who could pull off the tour de force Graham achieves here, with numbers ranging over a period of almost 300 years.” Back in New York on April 26, Graham will perform a special concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. The program – titled “Sculpting Sound” and held in conjunction with the exhibitionThe Passions of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux – will feature the music of the 19th-century French sculptor's friends and collaborators, including Bizet, Gounod and more. Graham will be joined by pianist Brian Zeger (director of the Juilliard Vocal Arts Department), as well as by bass-baritone Evan Hughes and soprano Layla Claire. This summer, Graham will cap her season in Paris by making her role debut as Anna in The King and I at the Théâtre du Châtelet (June 13-29).
Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Susan Graham launches a four-date U.S. recital tour today with pianist Bradley Moore in Myrtle Beach, SC, with the trek including the singer's Kimmel Center recital debut in Philadelphia on April 2. The recital program of Purcell, Berlioz, Poulenc and Cole Porter will be drawn from Graham's second Onyx album, Virgins, Vixens & Viragos. In a review of the recording, the UK's Sunday Times noted: 'It's hard to think of another contemporary singer who could pull off the tour de force Graham achieves here, with numbers ranging over a period of almost 300 years.' Back in New York on April 26, Graham will perform a special concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. The program - titled 'Sculpting Sound' and held in conjunction with the exhibition The Passions of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux - will feature the music of the 19th-century French sculptor's friends and collaborators, including Bizet, Gounod and more. Graham will be joined by pianist Brian Zeger (director of the Juilliard Vocal Arts Department), as well as by bass-baritone Evan Hughes and soprano Layla Claire. This summer, Graham will cap her season in Paris by making her role debut as Anna in The King and I at the Théâtre du Châtelet (June 13-29).
Following this afternoon's highly competitive semi-final competition, nine young singers will advance to the final phase of the Metropolitan Opera's 2014 National Council Auditions, America's most prestigious vocal competition. The selected finalists, chosen by a panel of experts from the classical music industry, will compete on the Met stage on Sunday, March 30at the Grand Finals Concert, with winners receiving individual cash prizes of $15,000 and the prestigious-and potentially career-launching-title of National Council Auditions Winner. The Grand Finals Concert begins at 3 p.m. and will feature Marco Armiliatoconducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as each finalist performs two arias in contrasting styles. The concert will be hosted by tenorLawrence Brownlee, a former National Council winner currently at the Met rehearsing for Bellini's I Puritani. While the judges deliberate, another former winner, Susanna Phillips, who stars in three operas at the Met this season, will perform an aria from Mozart'sLe Nozze di Figaro. Tickets for the Grand Finals Concert may be purchased at the Met Box Office, by phone at 212-362-6000, or online at www.metopera.org.
Twenty-three singers, five apprentice coaches and one apprentice stage director, representing ten countries, will participate in the 57th season of the Merola Opera Program from June 2 to August 17. More than 900 artists vied for the 29 coveted spots in the 2014 summer program. Offered free of charge for all participants, the prestigious Merola Opera program is unique in the industry in many ways. Merola is the only young artist program to provide financial support to developing artists for five years following participation. In the past year alone, more than $150,000 was distributed to more than 100 artists supporting varied needs from coaching to language classes to audition travel. In addition, only Merola graduates are considered for participation in the San Francisco Opera's Adler Fellowship program. Selected through an extensive world-wide audition and application process, nearly one third of this season's artists come from countries outside the United States, including: Canada, China, Taiwan, Italy, South Korea, Russia, Iran, Poland and Israel. This year, the program will have three returning Merola artists, Casey Candebat (Merola 2012), Sahar Nouri and Rhys Lloyd Talbot (both Merola 2013).
Thomas Hampson will be at Manhattan School of Music today, March 19th to give a vocal master class. This master class, a free event and open to the public, takes place at 4:00 p.m. in the School's Greenfield Recital Hall, and will be streamed live by going to http://dl.msmnyc.edu/live. The master class will be given in collaboration with MSM's world renowned Distance Learning and Recording Arts Department, headed by Christianne Orto, Dean of Distance Learning and Recording Arts at Manhattan School of Music.
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