Wei Wu News

This past weekend at the Ordway Center, MN Opera unveiled their World Premiere The Fix in tribute to the All-American sport and spirt of baseball. The story created through the company's New Works Initiative by Eric Simonson, who wrote the libretto and also directed the production, was accompanied by composer Joel Puckett. With glowing nostalgia, the 1919 White Sox under Charles Comiskey's ownership and headed by baseball great Shoeless Joe Jackson, sought to 'fix' the 1919 World Series, which disappointed baseball fans across America.

The Orchestra Now begins its spring season at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall on Tuesday, March 26 at 7:30 pm. The concert will present works by Brahms and Grieg with pianist Alessandro Taverna led by distinguished guest conductor Fabio Luisi, music director of the Zurich Opera and principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. The season continues through May 19, 2019.

The Orchestra Now (TON) begins its spring season at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall on Tuesday, March 26 at 7:30 pm. The concert will present works by Brahms and Grieg with pianist Alessandro Taverna led by distinguished guest conductor Fabio Luisi, music director of the Zurich Opera and principal conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. The season continues through May 19, 2019.

The Mason Bates-Mark Campbell opera, THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS--which debuted at the Santa Fe Opera in summer 2017--walked off with this year's Best Opera Recording at the Grammys on Sunday night. Michael Christie conducted the Santa Fe Opera orchestra, and the cast. Directed by Kevin Newbury, included Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edward Parks, Garrett Sorenson & Wei Wu. It was produced by Elizabeth Ostrow.

Music's Biggest Night - the GRAMMYs - is here! Live from STAPLES Center, and hosted by Alicia Keys, the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. 

San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock today announced repertory and casting for the Company's 97th Season, opening Friday, September 6, 2019, with a gala performance of Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet (Rom o et Juliette) starring tenor Bryan Hymel and soprano Nadine Sierra in Op ra de Monte-Carlo Director Jean-Louis Grinda's production. In keeping with the Company's time-honored tradition, the new season will be inaugurated with San Francisco Opera Guild's elegant, signature benefit and celebration, Opera Ball 2019.

In their astounding new opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell explore the spiritual evolution of one of the most influential men of modern times as he creates a revolutionary new world of technological empowerment, then discovers a larger world within himself.

May 19th, May 21st & May 22nd, The Vagrancy announces BLOSSOMING: a new play reading series. The Vagrancy annually selects five playwrights with diverse perspectives to join their playwright's group. Beginning each fall, the writers meet regularly as they craft their plays. The Vagrancy hosts two development workshops wherein the plays are explored with the playwright, actors and a director in a rehearsal setting. BLOSSOMING is the first public reaching of the five original plays. Come be inspired, have a glass of wine, and help the play's development along with post-reading audience talk-backs.

Washington National Opera (WNO), led by Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, announces its 2018-2019 season, one that continues its focus on bold productions of classic operas, fascinating contemporary perspectives, and the best in American artistry. The season includes a new WNO production of Verdi's classic romantic drama La traviata, the company premiere of Kevin Puts's and Mark Campbell's Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night, Tchaikovsky's epic Eugene Onegin, Gounod's devilishly entertaining Faust, and Puccini's towering masterpiece Tosca. The season also features a weekend of four world premieres during the American Opera Initiative Festival; a revival of WNO's hit world-premiere holiday family opera The Lion, the Unicorn, and Me; a special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist performance of La traviata; and other exciting vocal events, including the annual Mars, lnc.'s Opera in the Outfield.

The Second Annual West Hollywood Dance Festival (WHDF), launched by MULTIPLEX DANCE and Chad Michael Hall, returns to the City of West Hollywood next week, with three public performances titled "The House of MULTIPLEX."

On July 22, 2017, Santa Fe Opera presented the world premiere of Mason Bates and Mark Campbell's opera THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS. The new piece was co-commissioned by Santa Fe, Seattle, and San Francisco Operas. Director Kevin Newbury used a great deal of new technology in telling Jobs' story. In eighteen short scenes, a prologue and an epilogue, he covered important events in Steve's life by touching on specific dates in the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties and early twenty-first century. Since there is no intermission in this ninety-minute piece, the drama constantly builds to its eventual climax with the death of the hero, and the denouement leaves the audience to contemplate his values and the effect his life had on all of us.

With Grammy-nominated American composer Mason Bates dipping his toe into full-length operatic waters for the first time--and star librettist Mark Campbell doing it for the umpteenth--the Guggenheim Museum's “Works & Process” series gave an extended peak into the development of their new opera, THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS, which premieres on July 22 at the Santa Fe Opera (SFO). Looking back at that evening in April, I recall how the extended musical excerpts gave the audience a good idea of the brilliance of Bates's score and the general excitement in store.

On Sunday and Monday, April 9 and 10, 2017 at 7:30pm, Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents performance highlights and moderated discussion with Grammy-nominated American Composer Mason Bates on his first opera, The (Re)volution of Steve Jobs prior to its world premiere with Santa Fe Opera. 

Let Pittsburgh Opera take you to ancient China with Pittsburgh Opera's lavish production of Puccini's Turandot. Prince Calaf falls in love with the icy Princess Turandot. To marry her, he must solve three riddles; a single wrong answer results in death.

The Washington Concert Opera performed Massenet's Herodiade starring world-renowned tenor, Michael Fabiano, critically-acclaimed soprano, Joyce El-Khoury and mezzo-soprano, Dana Beth Miller, making her WCO debut.

 Pittsburgh Opera announces its 2016-2017 season. The season includes the very first world premiere in our 78 year history and two Pennsylvania premieres. The season will encompass four operas produced at the Benedum Center and two Resident Artist operas - the annual production at Pittsburgh CAPA Theater and the Second Stage Project at Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters.

Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced the roster of emerging artists and renowned teaching artists engaged for the 14th season of its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Under the leadership of program director Michael Heaston, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program continues to increase its number of performances throughout the season and expand its training regimen, including mentorship byArtist in Residence Alan Held, the acclaimed bass-baritone who will star as Wotan in WNO's Ring cycles next season.

The idea of finding your voice is a two way street in the world premiere one-hour opera PENNY. Composer Douglas Pew and librettist Dara Weinberg have created a succinct, lyrical piece in which their title character discovers her talent for music and is able to communicate and take charge of her life in spite of incredible odds. At the same time, Pew and Weinberg's new work is part of Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative, a commissioning program that works to expand the American operatic repertory. Young artists from WNO's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program are able to collaborate on new works with living composers and librettists through the American Opera Initiative.

Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2014-2015 season with the world premiere of the one-hour opera Penny by composer Douglas Pew and librettist Dara Weinberg, presented under the auspices of WNO's American Opera Initiative, this weekend, January 23-24, 2015 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2014-2015 season with the world premiere of the one-hour opera Penny by composer Douglas Pew and librettist Dara Weinberg, presented under the auspices of WNO's American Opera Initiative, January 23-24, 2015 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Pew and Weinberg are alumni of the American Opera Initiative; their 20-minute work A Game of Hearts had its world premiere during the program's first season in November 2012. Penny is conducted by American Opera Initiative mentor Anne Manson and directed by Alan Paul, the Associate Director of Washington's Shakespeare Theatre Company.