Tara Faircloth News

GRAMMY-nominated Boston Baroque is delighted to announce its 2020-2021 season. The seasona?"led by founding Music Director and Conductor Martin Pearlmana?"features some of the most beloved music of the repertoire performed by a roster of world-class soloists and the ensemble's celebrated orchestra and chorus. In addition to its annual Messiah and New Year's Eve performances, season highlights are a concert with superstar sopranoa?"and Metropolitan Opera regulara?"Susanna Phillips performing opera arias by Handel alongside his beloved Water Music Suite No. 1; Valentine's weekend performances of Bach's Magnificat and Handel's Ode for St. Cecilia's Day with soprano Jeanine De Bique and tenor Rufus Müller; and the much-anticipated annual semi-staged opera, Mozart's Così fan tutte, with soprano Layla Claire and mezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle Kamarei leading the all-star cast.

'Happily ever after can be a challenging, but funny, road.' Part chaos, a dash of beauty, and a healthy dose of comedy combine with beautiful melodies to create Mozart's most beloved opera, a tale of two young servants trying to get married despite the mischievous machinations of the royal couple they serve.

General Director and CEO Deborah Sandler today announced that an innovative new work celebrating the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and a cabaret-style favorite that returns by popular demand comprise the 2020 Explorations series. The series leads audiences on a delightful journey of musical discovery through eclectic works performed in Lyric Opera's Michael and Ginger Frost Production Arts Building in the Crossroads District.

Austin Opera's latest effort, Verdi's, RIGOLETTO dazzles in every way. They absolutely outdid themselves this time.

The Barber of Seville recently opened at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and critics were in attendance! Find out what they had to say.

Lyric Opera of Chicago opens its 65th season with Gioachino's Rossini's romantic comedy, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE. Tara Faircloth directs this exuberant revival of Lyric's 2013/14 production, originally directed by Rob Ashford, while Sir Andrew Davis conducts the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Michael Black serves as chorus master. Beautifully designed and masterfully sung, this production leans into the farcical comedy that ensues when Figaro, the eponymous barber, plays matchmaker for a wealthy count and a witty young woman.

Rossini's popular comedic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville, will open Lyric Opera of Chicago's 65th season on Saturday, September 28 at 6pm. There will be eight performances through October 27 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago. Tickets start at $49 for adults and just $20 for children, and are available now at lyricopera.org/Barber or by calling 312-827-5600.

Austin Opera today announces its 2019-2020 Season of programming at the Long Center, which includes Verdi's Rigoletto; the company premiere of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer's Everest, the tale of one of the worst years in the famous mountain's history; and Puccini's final opera, Turandot.

Boston Baroque presents Monteverdi's final opera, L'incoronazione di Poppea, on Friday, April 26th at 7:30pm and on Sunday, April 28th at 3pm at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. These will be the first performances of a new performing edition of the opera by Boston Baroque founder and Music Director Martin Pearlman. The all-star cast includes soprano Amanda Forsythe in the title role and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo making his Boston Baroque debut as Nero.

General Director Ken McConnell and Artistic Director Tobias Picker today announced Tulsa Opera's 72nd season comprising classics such as Bizet's Carmen and Puccini's Madama Butterfly, and a new production of Mr. Picker's 1996 opera Emmeline, to be performed in Oklahoma for the first time, and led by Mr. Picker in his opera-conducting debut.

Austin Opera today announces its 2019-2020 Season of programming at the Long Center, which includes Verdi's Rigoletto; the company premiere of Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer's Everest, the tale of one of the worst years in the famous mountain's history; and Puccini's final opera, Turandot.

In January 2019, Utah Opera unveils its new production of composer Rachel Portman and librettist Nicholas Wright's 'The Little Prince' (2003), an operatic adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's classic children's novella published 75 years ago

Ars Lyrica Houston presents its first full-length Baroque opera production on Friday, November 16 at 7:30 pm & Sunday, November 18 at 2:30 pm in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. The cast for Ars Lyrica's production of this early Handel masterpiece includes: Sofia Selowsky as Agrippina, John Holiday as Nero, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen as Ottone, Camille Ortiz as Poppea, and Timothy Jones as Claudio. Conductor and artistic director Matthew Dirst describes the opera as "Handel's first operatic masterpiece, the work that forged his reputation as a theatrical genius." 

San Francisco's acclaimed Merola Opera Program presents the stars of tomorrow in Mozart's Il re pastore. Merola is one of the most prestigious and selective opera training programs in the world, featuring 29 artists selected from more than 800 international applicants. This exquisite early Mozart work featuring a string of thrilling arias explores the competing pulls of love and duty, as a young shepherd finds he must renounce his true love in order to reclaim his lost throne. Il re pastore will be performed 7:30pm, Thursday, July 19, and 2:00pm, Saturday, July 21, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. For tickets or more information, visit www.merola.org or call (415) 864-3330.

Ars Lyrica Houston, the Grammy-nominated early music ensemble, announces its 2018/19 season: Out of the Box: Celebrating Ambition & Innovation. Ars Lyrica Houston takes on its first full-length Baroque opera with Handel's Agrippina plus the complete "Brandenburg" Concertos by J. S. Bach. Artistic Director Matthew Dirst has created a program "that highlights composers and works that are exceptional, definitive, unusual, even infamous." With Bach's six concertos appearing in pairs throughout the season, individual programs explore distinct ways of thinking about the general theme, from unexpected musical gifts to singular collections and composers.

San Francisco's acclaimed Merola Opera Program, one of the most prestigious and selective opera training programs in the world, launches its 61st season offering audiences a look at the opera stars of tomorrow.

Conducted by music director Martin Pearlman, the season is anchored by a powerful new performing version of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea by Pearlman. The season includes the Boston Baroque debuts of countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and soprano Layla Claire, with performances by renowned Baroque interpreters such as David Daniels, Nicholas Phan, Amanda Forsythe, and clarinetist Eric Hoeprich.

Utah Opera's 40th anniversary season continues with a celebratory double-score production of Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" and Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi." The shows will be performed five times at the Janey Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre on March 10, 12, 14, 16 at 7:30 PM, and March 18th at 2 PM. Tickets, priced from $15-$105, are available for purchase through www.utahopera.org or by calling (801) 533-6683.

Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth today announced Utah Opera's 2018-19 season. Featuring two new productions by the company's in-house Production Studios, Utah Opera's 41st season runs from October 2018 to May 2019 and comprises three main-stage productions at Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and a semi-staged production at Abravanel Hall.

Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth today announced Utah Opera's 2018-19 season. Featuring two new productions by the company's in-house Production Studios, Utah Opera's 41st season runs from October 2018 to May 2019 and comprises three main-stage productions at Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre and a semi-staged production at Abravanel Hall.